By Nicole Findlay
Armed with her Bachelor of Humanities, Maria Gruending has set her sights on a new education. Having read all of the classics, she has packed her books for company and moved to Argentina where she knows not a soul.
Gruending is pursuing a long-time interest in Latin America, having already studied Spanish in both Mexico and Spain. Her time in Argentina will also give her an opportunity to think about graduate school. When she returns to Canada she would like to pursue her Master’s in Latin American Studies.
For Gruending, a native of Saskatchewan, the same love for adventure guided her to study the Humanities. She had considered Carleton initially because her mother had a teaching position with the University, however a closer look at the Humanities program convinced her.
“I was attracted to the broad base of the program and to its focus on reading primary texts,” said Gruending. “To get into Humanities, one has to submit a fairly lengthy portfolio, which signaled to me that the program was going to be full of bright people who wanted to be there.”
During the next year she will live in Buenos Aires, teach English, work on her Spanish, and of course learn to dance.
“I don’t know how to tango … yet,” said Gruending. ” My measure of success will be whether I can stick it out and learn to tango in Buenos Aires in the coming year.”