I cant wait to go back to Argentina!!! Past Review
By Tatiana K (International Studies, University of California - Irvine) for
ISA Study Abroad in Buenos Aires, Argentina
I have family in Central America, but I had never been to South America before studying abroad in Argentina. I fell in love with the people, the culture, and the opportunities to explore. While in Argentina, I traveled throughout not only Buenos Aires, Mendoza, and Salta, but even Chile, Peru, and Uruguay. The people I met and the cultural exchanges we shared changed my life. I graduate this September 2011, and I have a one way ticket to Guatemala booked for just two weeks after. I plan on making my way back down to Argentina over the next year, and I look forward to calling Buenos Aires home again soon.
Personal Information
| 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. |
The work load is more than manageable. The grading system is lenient and follows a 1-10 scale rather than conventional letter grades. 10 is an A+, 9 is an A, 8 is an A-, and so on. The proffesors are enthusiastic and highly knowledgeable in their respective fields. The subjects of each class complimented the other classes very well, and everything taught felt very relevant. The teaching method was more hands-on than traditional US schools, and teachers allowed you to prove your mastery of a topic in any way you could. For example we were assigned a written paper for the final but rather than read and grade them, my proffesor asked us to have a conversation with us about what we had written and we were graded based upon our verbal demonstration of our knowledge on the subject. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
My neighborhood was beautiful, walking distance from campus, very clean and safe. |
| * Food: |
If you LOVE meat, Italian food and potatoes, you're going to feel like youve won the lottery. Empanadas are incredible, the steak is to die for, and whats even better is that a three course meal at a high end restaurant might cost you $10 US dollars. I found GREAT sushi, Chinese, Thai, Italian, half-decent Mexican, and INCREDIBLE Argentine food. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
ISA organized a bus tour of Buenos Aires for our second day of the trip, and it was awesome. We visited all the main districts of the city, they introduced us to local food and customs (the delicious little cookies they love so much called alfajores, and of course yerba mate), and we were given plenty of time to do our own exploring. We were also given the choice to take a tango class, tons of fun! ISA also organized a larger trip to Iguazu falls. It was AMAZING. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
We were given a very long presentation about safety upon arriving in the city. It was so long, it seemed excessive, but I was glad they were so responsible. The only districts we were told to avoid were Bocas (only at night), and I think one other. I walked around the city hundreds of times and at all hours of the day and night, and never once felt unsafe. NEVER. |
| 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 |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
With the exception of my fellow international exchange students, I practiced my spanish with everyone from my host family to taxi drivers to the servers at restaurants. I needed to use Spaish with almost everyone. Not many people spoke fluent english, but I felt that almost everyone could get by with us in English if needed. |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | I'm not a city girl, and I fell in love with the hustle and bustle of Buenos Aires. There is something for everyone, literally. The city is full of culture, great food, museums, parks,wonderful people, and always a good party. A short bus ride outside the city and you'll be in the foothills of the Andes sipping wine in Mendoza, or celebrating Octoberfest in Cordoba, and even bungee jumping in Salta. A bit farther of a drive, and you'll be in Bariloche, hiking, exploring, and maybe you'll even make it to the southernmost city in the world, Ushuaia! Argentina is an incredible country, and as long as you bring an open mind and an adventurous spirit, you're bound to have the time of your life. |
