Simply the best experience of my life, so glad I studyied abroad! Past Review

By Catherine B (PSYCHOLOGY., D'Youville College) - abroad from 07/31/2012 to 11/24/2013 with

CEA CAPA Education Abroad: Buenos Aires, Argentina

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?

I feel like a completely different person now but in a good way! I saw things I never thought I'd see, met amazing people who I'll never forget, gained a whole new way of seeing the world and broadened my knowledge base so much!

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program?	6 months+

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.
* Host Country Program Administration On-site administration of your program	CAPA's administrator in Argentina is extremely helpful and supportive. She's constantly available to help out with anything you need and is well versed in every aspect concerning the student's experience studying abroad.
* Housing: How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?	I had a wonderful time with my host family, they were my tour guides, support system, travel companions, advice givers and so much more!
* Food:	The food of Argentina is great because much of it is homemade and can be bought fresh from bakeries, markets and street vendors.
* Social & Cultural Integration: How integrated did you feel with the local culture?	The people of Argentina are very welcoming, whenever a local found out I was a foreigner they were so excited to talk to me and find out where I was from, what I was doing in Argentina, etc. Even when I'd struggle with Spanish since I don't speak it fluently someone always would try to help me out and be patient with me!
* Health Care: How well were health issues addressed during the program?
* Safety:	There weren't any incidents while I was there except for some friends who got robbed of their cell phone.
If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program?	Yes

Finances

* 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)	At the moment things are very expensive in Argentina but a few years ago they were very cheap, your program costs really just depend on when you go.
Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week?	$130
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants?	Figure out exactly who you want to buy souvenirs for ahead of time otherwise you'll just end up collecting stuff and thinking "I don't know, maybe they'll like this?". Some type of food from your host country that can be bought cheaply in bulk quantities and brought back in a suitcase safely is a great idea for a gift. I brought back a carton of alfajores and those out really well.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component?	Yes
How much did the program encourage you to use the language? 0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language
How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program?	Intermediate
How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program?	Advanced
What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure?	9 year sof Spanish
How many hours per day did you use the language?	10+
Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants?	Strike up conversations with people (locals) whenever you get the chance, read signs and billboards as you pass by, try to translate people's conversation you hear on the street, look up popular websites in that particular country and try to read them without translation (for example I set my results for Google.com to come up in Spanish while I was in Argentina!)

Other Program Information

* Where did you live? Select all that apply	Host Family
* Who did you live with? Select all that apply	Host Family
* Who did you take classes with? Select all that apply	Local Students Americans International Students
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?	The unique sights I got to see and the traveling I did The culture The people I met
* What could be improved?	Nothing!
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program?	How hard adjusting back to life at home after studying abroad, I think about my time abroad all the time and it can be hard at times to focus on and feel good about being back home again. It gets easier with time but it definitely takes awhile!

Reasons For Studying Abroad

To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you.	The Nearly Native or Trail Blazer Craving the most authentic experience possible, perhaps you lived with a host family or really got in good with the locals. You may have felt confined by your program requirements and group excursions. Instead, you'd have preferred to plan your own trips, even skipping class to conduct your own 'field work.'

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:	Cultural Identity and Multiculturalism
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Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	This course was a great one to meet other international students in. There was a lot of discussion about various topics in our home countries and I learned a lot from the sharing of stories.
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Course Name/Rating:	Literature, Art and Music in Spanish America
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Comments:	This course is a good idea in theory but was carried out poorly by the instructor. Each class (which lasted 3 hours) was basically the instructor talking to the students not an involved class discussion and the presentation of the material was dry. The majority of the semester was spent discussing literature and only a few classes dealt with art and music.
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Course Name/Rating:	Mass Communication and the Information Age in Argentina
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Comments:	This class was great! The professor and the material he presented were very engaging and the course was challenging but not at all overwhelming. There was a good mix of quizzes, group projects and class discussions and presentations. Current events and media coverage were often tied in so you really got the sense of what was going on in Argentina.
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Course Name/Rating:	Spanish (Intermediate)
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Comments:	The instructor for this course is so sweet and very helpful. She's very good at accommodating the course to specific student needs depending on ability level and she makes classes fun and light.
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