Being a part of Dickinson’s first Patagonia Mosaic was a wonderful honor and learning experience that I will carry wit me forever. I think that one of the things that made the trip so enjoyable and memorable for me was the fact that we were the first group to travel to Comodoro Rivadavia from Dickinson College. This was such a wonderful experience because everything we did was novel for us as well as for those helping to coordinate and facilitate the program. For example, we were the first students to stay with many of our host families and we were the first to interview many of the women and men in the town about their life experiences. This was great because it added a certain amount of excitement and enthusiasm to the experience. I also think that being part of a pilot program was fun because we got to help work out all the quarks in the program for the next students.

As a historian, I also valued the wonderful field experience we had the opportunity to participate in. I especially enjoyed working in the archives and having the ability to sift through pictures and documents that told the stories of so many lives. Something else that I found unique about this program was that it facilitated students with a variety of interests and backgrounds, giving everyone the opportunity to participate in something new that was interesting to them. For example, not being a fluent Spanish speaker, I found that I could work in the archives, do photographic work, or even assist in interviewing, etc.

I was also pleasantly surprised by the town’s enthusiasm for our work in the city and pleased by their willingness to help accommodate us in any way possible. I found that the program provided us with a lot of hard, challenging work, and we often went to bed well fed and exhausted! I think that there was also time allotted for having fun on the program and getting to know the people from the area. I think that some of my most memorable experiences came from talking and meeting with people in the streets, or in restaurants and clubs.

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