Hola Tod@s!

My name is Emmanuel Macías, a senior studying social science with a focus in sociology and Spanish minor.  I am an east Oregonian native (Hermiston), first generation Latino, and the youngest out of my siblings. This spring term, I will be interning with VOX Asociación Civil in Rosario, Argentina!

There are many reasons why I chose this site. One of the most important reasons is because I want to have a professional work experience related to advocacy and social justice work within the LGBT community. As an openly gay Latino and advocate for LGBT, student, farmer workers, DREAMers, etc. rights, I knew this would be an opportunity of a life time. One of my sociology professors has worked with this non-governmental organization and was able connect me with folks in the organization. After doing my research of VOX and seeing how visible and active they are, I knew I had couldn’t let this slip away.

Another reason I chose Argentina is because I would like to strengthen my Spanish and learn more about the culture and history of the country. I am a native speaker (family is from México), however I am in need of sharpening up my spanish. Though I am able to communicate with folks, I truly want to build my confidence and be able to have critical and effective conversations with folks all in Spanish.

I have taken many courses throughout my time at Western and most have been focused on Latinoamérica. Whether it was about the Cuban revolution, Zapatistas in México, or the dictatorship regime in Argentina during the 1980s, expanding my knowledge on the history, culture, language, geography, etc. of Latinoamérica is important to me.  While in Argentina, I hope to get a better sense of where people stand post the dictatorship and economic recessions they had faced. I want to get a glimpse of the natives in the Northern parts of the country. I want to see how the LGBT community differs from the U.S. and Arg. I want to learn how to dance Tango, try mate, asados, cafe con leche, etc.

I am going into this experience with open arms and hope to soak every thing in. This is a 10 week program and I hope to take full advantage of the opportunities and challenges that come my way. Upon return, I will be graduating and looking for a job, YAY! This internship will hopefully, more or less, give me a better understanding of what my life will look like within the near future.

I plan to blog as much as possible so look out for meh y’all!

Saludos,

Meño