A Drumheller girl has worked hard over the last year to make her way to Argentina, but her work is far from over.
Brianna Watson, 17, daughter of Dave and Shauna Watson arrived in Buenos Aires last weekend. She wanted to take on a new challenge and found a company that presents adventure excursion travel. As a 17 year old, she was able to work out a volunteer opportunity in Buenos Aires working with orphans.
“This was the only way through a non-religious group that would allow me, at 17, to go to another country to do mission-like work,” Brianna told inSide Drumheller. “There’s a series of orphanages on the outskirts of the city that I will be working at.”
The job entails working in a guardian-like capacity for the children. Her day starts by getting them up and taking them to school. It also includes preparing meals and helping with homework, six days a week.
“It will be long days,” she chuckles.
At 17, she is a well-seasoned traveller, taking trips to New York and Washington. She spent a summer in Spain and a few trips to Mexico. Argentina may be her furthest excursion yet.
This trip wasn’t planned at the spur of the moment. Brianna set her sights on this over a year ago, and made arrangements to graduate from high school early. While many students are picking out prom dresses, she was working on learning more about the culture of Argentina.
“I had to get permission from the principal to graduate early and then I started cramming courses to graduate in January. And then I had to work for a few months to get the money to do this,” said Brianna.
The excursion is for three months and she will be back at the end of July.
This is a path she wants to continue for her professional career.
“I am going to the University of Alberta and I’m doing a major in biology with a minor in political science. I want to do international environmental projects, and like the name implies there would be a lot of travelling,” she said.
