Todo Bien! Past Review
By A student (English Literature (British and Commonwealth)., Western Washington University) - abroad from 06/22/2012 to 07/20/2012 with
CEA CAPA Education Abroad: Buenos Aires, Argentina
My Spanish improved so much, and my confidence in speaking it did as well. I learned that I could adapt, even in difficult situations, and now have a desire to live abroad at some point in my life. I gained a lot of confidence knowing I could go to a non-English speaking country without knowing very much of the language and still survive (and have a great time, too!). It was definitely a worthwhile experience, and it was by far the best decision I've ever made.
Personal Information
| If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: | Universidad de Belgrano |
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
My intensive Spanish language class was challenging without being overwhelming. The amount of homework and other assignments was minimal, but definitely provided a good review of important information. My only complaint would be that 5 hours a day is a lot of class time, especially when it is 5 hours of the same class. I learned a lot, but I felt drained by the end of the day. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Everyone who works with CEA is so nice. They are all helpful, knowledgeable, caring, funny and kind. My study abroad experience would not have been even half as amazing if it weren't for all of the wonderful people who work for CEA! |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Housing was good. I did not get my first choice (which was a homestay), and was instead placed in a residencia. I have to say, though, in many ways I was thankful that it worked out that way. Many of the other students in my program were also living in the residencia, so it was very easy to make plans and go out with them. Also, there is a host mom, Elda, so we still were able to get that kind of experience. She was very nice, but I did not know much Spanish, and so had very little meaningful interaction with her. She is a great cook, though! I only had minor complaints about the housing itself--small rooms, not enough closet space and the showers flooded. The biggest drawback of the residence, in my opinion, is that all the students are American, so we all spoke English. I didn't feel like I got to practice my Spanish enough, especially compared to my friends in homestays. |
| * Food: |
Elda is an amazing cook--you'll never go hungry at dinner! She makes a wide variety of food, and will accommodate vegetarians. The food in Argentina in general is also amazing--lots of red wine, red meat and pasta. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I was only there for a month, so this may have contributed to the fact that I did not feel well integrated with the culture. I spent most of my time with people in my program or my class, and met few Argentines. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
N/A--did not require healthcare on my trip |
| * Safety: |
I always felt safe in Buenos Aires, and the area where the residencia and university is located is great. I think the staff would sometimes exaggerate the potential dangers, though. |
| 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) |
Things in Argentina were generally very cheap, including food, souvenirs and transportation. However, lunch was not included in our program fees as well as meals on weekends and holidays. This forced us to go out a lot, and while I was fine on my budget, I know many other students struggled to adhere to theirs. |
| * Was housing included in your program cost? | Yes |
| * Was food included in your program cost? | Yes |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | N/A |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | N/A |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
Our intensive language class was 5 hours a day. Outside of that, our program did not require us to use the language. In the residencia, we spoke mostly English, so I did not feel like I had as much opportunity to practice as students living in homestays. However, the CEA staff did tell us that if we spoke to them in Spanish, they would reply in Spanish. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Beginner |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | College |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Don't be afraid to make mistakes, just get out there and talk! |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? |
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? | I wish I knew how amazing it would be because I would have definitely stayed longer!!! |
