My experience in Charlottesville

I’m really used to travelling, and I really enjoy it! I’ve visited almost all of my country by car with my family, and I’ve had so much fun with them. But this trip was different: I was about to travel alone (and by plane) to a completely new country and meet a lot of new people for six weeks, which I believe is a long time away from my family and friends. I was scared but also excited.

Having said that, I’d like to introduce myself. I’m Augusto Massara Repetto, 18 years old, and I’m from Buenos Aires, Argentina. I’m studying chemistry in Otto Krause Technical College, and also I love playing basketball. This is my first time in a foreign country, and I’d like to tell you my experience here in Charlottesville.

When I took that plane, I knew that a new adventure had started. I arrived in Charlottesville on Jan. 15 and since then, I’ve been learning tons of new things and meeting amazing people. That first week, I went sightseeing around the city. I found the Downtown Mall really beautiful, and the view of the mountains was definitely awesome.

On Jan. 21, I started taking classes at PVCC. I was scared (not gonna lie) because, since I was a child, changes have always scared me. But taking part in this wonderful experience made me realize that changes are good. Although it’s nice to be in your comfort zone, doing new different things helps you come up with new ideas.

Since the very beginning, people here have made me feel at home. Everyone was so friendly. Some people approached me to talk, and it was amusing to talk with them: they could learn a little bit about my country, and I was able to ask some questions about theirs.

I’ve been studying English since I was 10, but living in an English-speaking country for six weeks and talking with native people helped me improve my English a lot. Furthermore, taking classes in another language might sound scary, but actually, it was fascinating. I could realize how classes were carried out in another place. I took some chemistry classes in order to learn how chemistry is taught here, and they were so interesting. But I also wanted to try new different classes. So I decided to take design and ceramics to work on my creative side, sociology and US history to learn more about the society throughout time, and writing classes to improve my writing in English. Also I took some historical geology classes which were so attractive because we analyzed some rocks and tried to know about their origins.

Throughout my stay, I have been living in different places with different families from the Blue Ridge Mountain Rotary Club. They were such extraordinary people, always making me feel comfortable and showing me about their lives. I was taken to two UVA basketball games and a lot different cultural activities. Then I got to go skiing, which was very enjoyable, and we went with the Spanish Club to a moving play too.

I found out a few differences with Argentina (for instance, we’re used to having four meals per day) but also some similarities. And the one that I’d like to highlight is that in both places, wonderful people can be found.

I take home millions of learnings and good people I’ve met. I will always remember this unforgettable experience, and I hope that someday you, too, can have a similar fruitful experience. Thanks, Charlottesville, for receiving me with great affection.