Pioneer in Argentina!

Scott Koenning (left) and his Argentine host family

Pioneer Football player Scott Koenning '10 is spending the spring semester studying in Argentina. The following are his words, with photos, about the experience.

My name is Scott Koenning, I'm a junior Grinnell College football player and a Sociology/Spanish double major. First, I'd like to send a warm hello to the whole GC football family: players, coaches, fans, and recruits! I sincerely miss what being a Pioneer football player in the off-season means - hanging out with my teammates, cheering on other Grinnell teams, and playing wesball.

Casa Rosada

Anyways, I'm writing to share my experiences from this semester so far. I'm studying abroad in Buenos Aires, Argentina - the country's capital and largest city. Buenos Aires is famous worldwide for its love of tango, soccer, and the delicious and abundant Argentine beef. As juniors, Grinnell students are afforded the amazing opportunity to spend a semester abroad. I chose Buenos Aires and my program in particular because it focuses on the social sciences and gives me the chance to practice my Spanish in a vibrant, unique, and wonderful city. Of course, near-perfect weather doesn't hurt either. I think I made the right choice, because I've been loving it so far; there are so many wonderful sights to see and things to do. Being immersed in a very different culture and language is fascinating to me as a Sociology major and obviously incredibly beneficial to my Spanish.

View of the Argentina vs. Venezuela World Cup Qualifying Match

I live with an Argentine family, who I've gotten to be close with after many meals and adventures together. I take classes in Spanish with Argentine students at the University of Buenos Aires. It's intensely different from Grinnell College, with over 300,000 students and a campus that spreads many miles - it's a challenge, but well worth it. I have also been to a few soccer games, and the passion is incredible. The fans stand and sing for the entire game, and the rivalries can get very intense. For a recent World Cup qualifying game, some friends and I stood in line from 2 AM to 10 AM to get tickets. Being packed in with thousands of young soccer fans for 10 hours, held back by police in riot gear, was quite an experience, but being in the stadium to see Argentina's national team play before their home fans was unforgettable.

I still have a few months here, and I'm so excited for all the experiences I have in front of me. I hope to learn a lot, enjoy myself, and come back with a more global perspective. Here's hoping beautiful weather comes to Grinnell sooner rather than later, and that all of you have a wonderful spring! Thanks for reading, and feel free to e-mail any questions or comments to me at koenning@grinnell.edu.


We hope to hear more from Scott as his semester abroad winds down!