Buenos Aires: Chaotic in the Best Possible Way Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Overall, I felt that this program (especially the IFSA Butler class) was too demanding academically. I did not understand why we were loaded down with homework in our program class, when the workload required by our other classes was already difficult and demanding enough.

On-site administration of your program

I had a terrible experience with the staff in Argentina. Certain people (like Mario) were incredibly helpful, but Clara and David Perro were rude and unhelpful. There was a point when they advised me to stay in Buenos Aires a month after the program date so I could make absolutely sure I received credit for a class at UBA. They refused to help me make arrangements with my teacher so that I could leave on time. Basically, they made me feel more stressed instead of helping me in an already stressful situation. They did not do their job of mediating between student and university (I had to go to my UBA professor to solve the problem, and she was 100 times more helpful and kind than the people whose job it was to help me in an academic crisis). Clara scheduled meetings with me and then did not show up after I had travelled across the city to see her. Generally, I felt that IFSA Butler was more concerned with simplifying their own operations rather than helping students. My problem could have been easily solved if IFSA Butler made any effort to contact UBA and find a solution to my problem, but instead they advised me to stay in Buenos Aires on my own dime just so they wouldn't have to deal with any administrative repercussions of me leaving on the date I planned.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I lived in Caballito, which was very convenient but not very fun (I think I would have preferred living in Palermo). However, my host mom & host brother were wonderful.

I was a vegetarian, and my host mother was very ill equipped to cook for me. I felt that eating both breakfast and dinner with host families was excessive, and that host families should be required to serve more balanced meals (or that the rules regarding the healthiness of meals should be better enforced). I did not feel healthy when I was living in Argentina, and felt that I had to eat what my host mother gave me in order to survive. It was very difficult for me not to have control over my diet.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I appreciate the events that IFSA Butler made available to us. However, I feel that more could have been done to foster community among students (especially since we all attended different universities and barely saw each other during the school week).

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Like I wrote above, there were several times that I felt very concerned for my safety in Buenos Aires. However, because most of them occurred at night, I don't think there is anything more IFSA Butler could have done to solve this problem. They gave us good advice as to how to avoid putting ourselves in dangerous situations.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

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• Host Family

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• Local Students