Sycamore High School Spanish teacher Mitch Doty gave a Rotary Exchange travelogue about his visit to Argentina during Wednesday’s Sycamore Rotary meeting. Following an Argentinean exchange to Sycamore, Doty spent a month in Buenos Aires where he helped as a school instructor. He expounded on the incredible welcome he received by his Rotary hosts. He also said he was inspired by the international connections of Rotary after attending their local Rotary Club meetings. He was particularly complimentary about the local coordinator of the Exchange program who worked tirelessly to make sure his visit went flawlessly.
Doty learned that beef is an important meal staple. He showed pictures of woodfire grills with racks of beef cooking. He attended five special cookouts including at a cattle farm. According to Doty, almost every home has some type of grill for open-air cooking.
For Doty, the most challenging part of his journey was adjusting to the daily schedule of activities. Unlike here, school began at 7 AM and would go to 1 PM. Then there was “siesta” for three hours where everything was shut down and everyone napped. Shops would reopen at 4 PM and stay open into the evening. He said it was normal to have dinner at 10:30 PM and not go to bed until midnight.
Doty said he valued the experience and it left him with a better cultural understanding of the country of Argentina.
Doty learned that beef is an important meal staple. He showed pictures of woodfire grills with racks of beef cooking. He attended five special cookouts including at a cattle farm. According to Doty, almost every home has some type of grill for open-air cooking.
For Doty, the most challenging part of his journey was adjusting to the daily schedule of activities. Unlike here, school began at 7 AM and would go to 1 PM. Then there was “siesta” for three hours where everything was shut down and everyone napped. Shops would reopen at 4 PM and stay open into the evening. He said it was normal to have dinner at 10:30 PM and not go to bed until midnight.
Doty said he valued the experience and it left him with a better cultural understanding of the country of Argentina.