Every year, Kinkaid welcomes a student from another country through the AFS program. This school year, the Stukalin family is hosting Matias “Mati” Vainstein, who flew from Argentina to spend his junior year in Houston.
Mati’s favorite type of music is Old Argentinian Rock. The best American TV show he has seen is “How I Met Your Mother.” The best American food he has had is hamburgers. We should follow him on instagram @mativ16. Hisfavorite color is blue. Hiszodiac sign is Leo. The last person he texted was a friend from Argentina.
What is your favorite class at Kinkaid?
“I like all of my classes here, the teachers are great … they know a lot and, they know how to explain it in easy words, so you can get it quicker.”
What is the biggest difference between kinkaid and the school you went to in Argentina?
“[A] huge difference is the education system in both countries, here you can choose your subjects, like here I’m taking some sciences, and I’m not taking social sciences. In Argentina you have to take a lot of subjects, for example in my school I have 16 subjects. But it’s different because you divide your week. It’s not like you have them all in one day.”
What is the city you are from like?
“It’s not a big city, but for Argentina it’s not a small city, it’s like medium size. It has like 400,000 people. It is called Paraña.”
What is your favorite place in Paraña? What is your favorite thing to do there?
“My favorite place is the club where I go to play sports because I spend most of my time there. My favorite thing to do there is to spend 6 hours, 5 hours there. Sometimes I lie there and do my homework with my friends, just to be there.”
What was Harvey like for you?
“Luckily, I didn’t have to live with much. But, what I saw on the news…It was rough, for some. For someone, like, losing their house, or I don’t know, having to change the furniture, like everything could have, like, a meaning for you, like it’s been there for 20 years.”
What is your favorite sport to watch?
“On TV I like to watch basketball, but going to a soccer stadium, the passion in a Latin American soccer game, it’s different, it’s amazing.”
If you could have any pet, what would it be?
“A dog, I really like dogs. And not the small ones, I like the big ones, like the fat ones. My dog in Argentina, she is really fat. And I like grabbing her fat.”
Do you have a motto?
“Don’t waste your time, take advantage. I like traveling, I like knowing more things. I don’t like to be established in one place, I think that’s what every AFS exchange student likes. We are going to move to another country, to have an open mind.”
