Buenos Aires: Choose Your Own Adventure Past Review
By Kim M (Spanish, Cornell College) for
CEA CAPA Education Abroad: Buenos Aires, Argentina
I learned a ton about Spanish grammar and gained invaluable language immersion in Buenos Aires, which helped my fluency immensely. The experience of living in a huge city was a life lesson in and of itself. Going abroad cemented my thought that maybe Spanish isn't just a hobby for me---I realized that I really want to find a career that lets me use Spanish in some capacity. Being away from my home environment for some time also helped me learn a lot of things about myself.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
I did an intensive-Spanish-grammar course of study, so I took 2 consecutive 6-week courses at the University of Belgrano. The workload was lighter than what I'm accustomed to, but still effective. Lots of emphasis on speaking in the classroom. CEA also offers a longer, varied course load (in Spanish) at the University of Belgrano as well as classes at its Global Campus, which are mostly in English. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
One of CEA's attractions is that it provides excursions for its students---we took a day trip to Uruguay and a weekend trip to Iguazú Falls. My experience was that CEA staff were always friendly and happy to answer any questions I had about anything at all. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
For the first 2.5 months of my stay, I lived (along with 3 other American girls) with a host family in a house in a suburban-type neighborhood; very safe, but a half-hour bus ride from the city proper of Buenos Aires. They were very loving and I really felt at home! However, due to a host-family situation beyond anyone's control, I was moved to another homestay further into the city in an apartment with a host mother for the last month of my stay. If given the option, I don't think I would have chosen to move, but I was happy with my new placement and glad that I got to experience a different type of homestay. My program handled everything quickly and professionally. |
| * Food: |
Not always a great variety of food at home, but host parents were always accommodating and we never left the table hungry. We were given breakfast and dinner in our homestay and were on our own for lunch every day. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
CEA organized 2 big excursions for us (Uruguay and Iguazú Falls) and also took groups of us to some of the important cultural sites (Casa Rosada, Plaza de Mayo, etc). CEA staff also had great recommendations for things for us to do on our own time. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Just like any other major city, Buenos Aires has good neighborhoods and bad neighborhoods. CEA was good about warning us upfront that these things happen, but a handful of people had things (phones, wallets) stolen while out at night and a couple others received counterfeit money. When health-related issues came up, CEA staff were available to help with insurance questions, set up appointments, etc. There were no health issues in Buenos Aires and no required vaccines that I remember, although I chose to err on the side of caution. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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Finances
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* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?
(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
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Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
I had 4 years of high school Spanish and 2 of college Spanish before coming to Argentina. I practiced mostly with my host family, and with my classmates during the school day. English is common in tourist attractions (museums, etc.) and most people I spoke with knew at least a little bit, but some Spanish (or the willingness to learn a lot in a short amount of time) is essential to not sticking out like a sore thumb. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | It's not necessary to have complete mastery of a foreign language when going to a non-English-speaking country, but it is necessary to come with an open mind and a willingness to give learning the language your all. CEA is a great program for students like me, who don't have a lot of, if any, experience living abroad---they organize excursions, help students obtain the necessary visas, and are willing to provide support for students who ask for it. At first they organized a lot of activities, but slowly tapered them off to encourage us to get out and do things on our own---which worked! As with everything in life, you get out of it what you put into it, and that applies to studying abroad as well; getting out of the house and having the time of your life has everything to do with your willpower and your mindset. |
