reflexiones

here's something that i posted on my program's website in a discussion about leadership.

I’ve been trying to think of a specific time in Argentina when I felt like I was being a leader. The problem is so far I’m very unimpressed with what I’ve come up with. I think that I’m having trouble because what I define as leadership is culturally derived from middle-upper class America and therefore unbelievably narrow. I have grown up with a leader being a man, usually, who works alone and beats all the competition to become a rich, successful and famous person. Hopefully they can help someone when they’re rich, or rarely while becoming rich and famous. I knew before that this was a limited way of recognizing leaders, but I didn’t understand just how capitalist or individualistic it was until this summer.

Not only did we go to Argentina, home of Che Guevara, we went as a group. I’m sure that my summer experience would have been very different had I been by myself the whole time. But, I’m so glad I wasn’t. Even when I wasn’t with the other Robertsons, I was with my home stay families or at a job with coworkers. The one time that I wasn’t with anyone that I knew was the last three days when I traveled to Iguazú Falls in northeast Argentina. I stayed in a hostel, went through the national park by myself and got around in taxis and buses on my own. In the hostel, I met plenty of people that were traveling all around South America for months on end, but couldn’t speak any Spanish, didn’t know much past what the guidebook said and had no relationships with Argentines. This made me so grateful for my experience in our group and with my Argentine families.

In fact, I think whether or not we appreciated the way that the group was, our families or the planned activities, our summer was a great experience of the Argentine culture. Argentines believe in the power of the group, of people coming together for a cause. As confusing as Argentine politics is, one thing that stands out to me is the persistence of the popular movement for better government through the years. Family is essential, so much more so than here in the States. And leadership, or success, or riches, are nothing unless experienced with others. I actually wish that I had grown up in Argentina because of the way that they view success there. It’s not being better than everyone else. Rather it’s finding how you can use your passions and talents to serve your people. Now I feel like a kid again in learning this lesson.