Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

VIVA LA VIDA PORTENO Past Review

By (Marketing., University of Arkansas - Fayetteville) - abroad from 07/29/2012 to 11/23/2012 with

IES Abroad: Buenos Aires - Society & Culture

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I learned so much about myself and about appreciating other cultures. I matured a lot and gained some of the coolest friends that I will definitely be in contact with for life. SO WORTHWHILE! Even if it's not Argentina (although it should...), go abroad!!! Best experience ever.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 2 weeks - 1 month

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

A lot of the other courses my classmates in were apparently pretty challenging, but the ones I was enrolled in were all fairly easy with a very light work load. I learned a lot of Spanish, but my business classes had great teachers with very easy teaching methods.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

The IES staff members were all very helpful and caring people. I felt like if I had any issues that I could comfortably go to them with anything!

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

MY HOMESTAY WAS AWESOME! Very few people complained of their arrangements, and if they did, IES easily switched them out and re-evaluated that family. However my set-up was awesome. I was in a great location, my room and whole apartment in general was super nice. The family was great too and made me feel very welcomed. I also had a housemate which I loved having.

* Food:

The food in Buenos Aires is surprisingly bland. My food from my homestay was probably some of the best food I ate, but as far as the food in restaurants, nothing was too mind-blowing. The steak and meat is awesome! But average food consists of milenesa (thin fried beef or chicken), ham&cheese sandwiches, quiches, pizza, empanadas, etc... Also, they eat a lot of delicious deserts. No critiques there except: SO TASTY.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I pretty much hung out with just people in my program because we all clicked so well. I met and hung out with a few Argentines, but for the most part I felt more comfortable with Americans. My Spanish isn't that great though so that was a bit of a set back with trying to blend in. I didn't feel out of place or uncomfortable though at all just walking around the city or being out. There is a bit of diversity everywhere.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I never had a health care issue, but IES gave us insurance cards to get free health care everywhere throughout Argentina. I never experienced this, but instead of going to the doctor, they make house calls! My friends who had them said they were great and really helpful.

* Safety:

For a big city in South America, I feel that Buenos Aires is very safe. Of course it has it's bad parts and I know of incidents that have occurred, if you are well informed and aware of your surroundings, your just as likely to have something happen to you in NYC or Chicago. The friends of mine that were robbed were 90% of the time intoxicated. And 90% of the crime you hear of is petty, sneaky thieves. They don't want to hurt you, they just want your stuff. IES did a good job with warning us about taxi's, subways, and areas to steer clear of/only visit during the daylight.

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)

I though being in South America would be super cheap, but it's about the same prices here. So for a big, European-like city, that's good, but it was more expensive than I was expecting. I bought A LOT of gifts, so my personal weekly spending may not be a good depiction of how the money situation is over there, but if you look for the right places, you could easily live off of $100/week or less. Depending on where you eat. What saved a lot for me was packing lunch for school. The grocery stores are fairly priced, and since IES doesn't provide lunch (which makes sense because I was never at home around lunch time) it was a great/healthier way to not have to find food in between classes each day.

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? Probably about $100-160, depending on where I ate/how many times I went out
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Getting a SUBE card saves money on bus/subway transportation. Also look for places with "happy hours" for both food and drinks. You can find some good deals!

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

In Spanish class we were required to only speak Spanish which was really helpful to make myself try.

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? Intermediate
What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? Intermediate 1, I still felt like a MAJOR beginer though.
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? Definitely do a homestay and take advantage of their fluency! They'll talk slow if you're a beginner, but it's better to try and make a fool of yourself than be to shy to say anything at all.

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Host Family
  • Apartment
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
  • Host Family
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
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 activities they offer (cooking classes, operas, field trips, tango class...)
  • Location (best location for any other BA study abroad program. It's right in the center)
  • Resources/staff
* What could be improved?
  • More trips (other programs have trips to Iguazu and others included)
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? You really don't need to bring that much stuff. Laundry can be done as frequently as you want and you can buy all toiletry things there. I could have definitely condensed my bags.

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 Outright Urbanite
A social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country.