ClassNotes
SIENA AROUND THE WORLD
23
Michigan to Minnesota by way of Buenos Aires
by Helen Bommarito ‘99
hen opportunity is not sitting
at her door, Angela Helmuth
‘99 goes out to find it. From
Mexico, to Argentina, and now
to Minneapolis, Minnesota, Angela’s
travels have offered her experience and
success. She credits ambition, patience
and the loyalty of faculty and friends for
where she is today.
them financial reports. Before arriving, I
do not think I realized how much responsibility would be in my hands.” Upon
returning to the States, Angela wrote a
final report for the company including
her honest opinions about DQ’s project in
Buenos Aires and recommendations for
improvement. “I loved my job and that is
what I miss most about Argentina.”
A contract major in International Relations with a minor in Spanish, Angela
sought out experiences outside of the
United States. She began with Siena’s
semester program in Cuernavaca, Mexico
and followed with a second semester at
La Salle University, also in Cuernavaca.
Angela’s experience and understanding of
the Spanish culture and language then led
her to intern in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
After working a few years as assistant
manager at Dairy Queen in Hamburg,
Michigan, Angela felt confident with
her skills as a manager and experience
with living abroad. She wrote a letter to
regional managers expressing her interest in working abroad with International
Dairy Queen as an internship. “My letter
was passed up to the vice-president of the
international division and he called me,
made the arrangements, and the next thing
I knew, I was going to Buenos Aires.”
Of course, it was not that simple. Angela
needed support and advice from Siena faculty to make the internship happen. Conference calls were made among Angela,
IDQ Headquarters, and people in Argentina, setting up housing, job responsibilities,
etc...and on March 6th she was on a 13 1/2
hour flight traveling alone to the largest
metropolitan city in the Argentina, to a
world where toilets flush in the opposite
direction and Orion is upside down.
Angela spent a month and a half in Buenos Aires. “My job was very exciting. I
looked for DQ locations, did surveys,
developed new Blizzard flavors, communicated with the International DQ World
Headquarters in Minneapolis and sent
easy. “It was hard not having any friends
or people to show me around, but at the
same time, I can honestly say that it may
just have been the best part. I don’t know
how many times I made a fool of myself.
The most simple, everyday tasks were
difficult to figure out at the beginning.
Like how to use a gas stove and how to
use a pay phone, or even how to flush a
toilet. Another funny thing is the language. It is a different Spanish from the
Mexican Spanish that I know. So, I had
to re-learn a whole new vocabulary; verbs
and everything! It was scary to find out
how many normal words from Mexico
have negative connotations in Argentina.
So, I had to be careful.”
These little things that had Angela down
and homesick at various times now make
her laugh. “It prepared me for my next
adventure.” In July, Angela moved to
Minneapolis to work at Dairy Queen
Headquarters. She was offered a training
position, which entails educating owners
of DQ shops on how the stores actually
run day to day.
Angela also grew personally. “Being the
minority, the strange one in the crowd,
humbled me. I was the one people
couldn’t understand.” Angela submerged
herself into the culture, even after work
hours. She made every free moment
worthwhile as a tourist, learning her way
around by bus, foot and subway. “Peoplewatching allowed me to learn a lot about
the culture.” On the weekends, people
flooded the streets and parks including
a good mix of musicians, vendors, and
artisans. Being alone was not always
Today, Angela would like to thank to
current and former Siena Heights faculty
Dom Scibilia, Tim Leonard, Renato Gonzalez, and Roger Pae for “guiding and
supporting me to follow my dreams and
do what I really wanted to do.”
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