Once-in-a-lifetime Experience: Antartica, Local immersion, natural beauty. December 31, 2025
By A student (Environmental Studies, Brandeis University) - abroad from 09/02/2025 to 12/14/2025 with
SIT Study Abroad: Argentina: People, Environment, and Climate Change in Patagonia and Antarctica
I really got to connect personally with my family, grow in my spanish and intercultural communication, and also continue investigating topics that are interesting to me. I gained outdoor experience, learned so much about penguins and Antartica, and exposure to many new fields. I would absolutely recommend to anyone interested in environmental related stuff or just interested in spending time in nature and growing in their spanish.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
All the classes were in Spanish, but the program was still accessible because they didn't expect perfect spanish in the assignments. The content was very specific, but the assignments weren't too hard, just checking for understanding. The internship was an awesome opportunity to keep growing and learning. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The administrators do it with a personal passion for the students and our learning about the local environment. There were challenges with being in a different culture and expectations, like sometimes they felt like more like parents than academic advisors, but they want the best for everyone. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Home-stay! Obviously people had different experiences, but I really enjoyed my experience and immersion |
| * Food: |
Nothing spicy ever - if that's a problem, pack your own hot sauce/spices. But otherwise I enjoyed. Also not a huge variety of foods/cuisines available. *I did have food poisoning multiple times though, which is unusual and was traumatic for me. Sometimes the food hygiene procedures were a bit different than usual. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Drink Mate, go to local cornerstores, etc. People are friendly and want you to succeed! |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I suggest packing your own basic medications (cold/flu, allergy, painkilled) so you don't have to navigate a different language. I was treated within 5 minutes both times I went to the doctor, although I was misdiagnosed the first time, so be willing to take the time you need if something doesn't seem right or continues to bother you. Medical claims were easy enough and SIT was willing to help and support any time I got sick. |
| * Safety: |
Ushuaia is a tiny city and everyone knows everyone, so it's pretty safe. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
The first month was hard because I struggled to connect with my classmates, but the program itself was an incredible opportunity. Getting to go to Antartica as part of the program was a huge benefit and the excursions were all really meaningful. I grew a lot in my spanish skills through my homestay and really felt connected and like I knew Ushuaia personally by the end of the program. It was a really enriching time and getting to do an internship that was tailored to me was incredibly valuable. This program was also deeply personal for the directors and you could sense their passion and that drove them to support us each as individuals. |
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) |
Transportation is cheap (and if you are far they provide a stipend), food is comparable to the US (except fresh fruits/veggies) but the only meal you needed to find for yourself was lunch. Touristy things can be expensive, but most of the time you go hiking so that's free. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $15 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Go to the supermarkets and make your own food rather than eating out every day. |
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 |
Everything program related was in spanish, but our cohort wasn't very good about speaking spanish, so it was an incomplete immersion. Host family time was very helpful though. |
| 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? | Fluent |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Hisp 105 |
| 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? | Spend time with your family, try and be intentional with classmates, find local spots to engage with locals. |
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? | There is a difference between climate change and sustainability. This program is focused on studying climate change and the first part is from a very scientific angle: oceanography, geology, etc. Then there are some local socio-environmental issues as well. But it looks more at the problem without really proposing solutions. This might be important to keep in mind if you are more interested in solutions than the actual problem. |
