Amazing Adventures in Argentina Past Review
By Anna Bauer (Franklin & Marshall College) - abroad from 02/21/2017 to 06/05/2017 with
SIT Study Abroad: Argentina - Public Health in Urban Environments
Prior to the program I didn't have any knowledge of public health (I'm a Biology major), but by the end of it I felt like I had a decent grasp on the field of Public Health and I could have an intelligent conversation with someone about the healthcare system in Argentina and talk about all its pros and cons.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | None |
Review Your Program
|
* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The program did a great job of balancing learning both inside the classroom and outside the classroom. For example, we would learn about problems affecting the older population in the city and then the next day we would go visit a center where we could talk to senior citizens in person and apply what we learned in the classroom to what they were describing as their everyday life. |
|
* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The program was pretty well coordinated and organized. You could tell they've done this a lot. All the SIT staff there and the professors were all kind and supportive. |
|
* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I was living with a homestay and it was in a great location that was safe and it was easy to get around. Nobody from my program had any issues with their homestay, we all loved out host families. |
| * Food: |
The food in the city was good, but very meat heavy. I'm not vegetarian, but I'm also not a huge meat lover, so sometimes it would get to be a lot, but there are healthy places throughout the city too where you can go and get a good salad for relatively cheap. |
|
* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
the homestay helped me a lot to feel like I was part of the culture while I was abroad. We would also often go to language exchanges where we could meet locals and practice our Spanish and they would practice their English. |
|
* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
There were maybe one or two people who got sick during the program, but healthcare was super accessible and one of the SIT staff members would go with them. A couple of our excursions were up north and if we wanted to go to Iguazu Falls it was highly recommended that we get a yellow fever vaccine, but you can also get it hen you're over there. |
| * Safety: |
It's a big city and just like any other cities you have to be aware of your surroundings. Especially be careful with your cell phones, specifically iPhone's, because iPhones aren't common over there. Also be careful taking transportation late at night, but overall I never felt unsafe walking around. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
The program was so much fun with the excursions and I loved all the people in my program. My Spanish improved a ton and even though it is super cheesy to say, study abroad was definitely a once in a lifetime experience. |
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) |
The stipend the program gives for lunch and transportation is great and I usually never went over budget for lunch. The rest of the expenses depend on what you're doing apart from the program. For example, we took a trip to Iguazu Falls which wasn't part of the program, so we were responsible for our own airfare and housing, but hostels are easy to find. Clothes are expensive and it towards the end of my program it was starting to transition to Fall, so I wish I had brought more layers. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | Lunch and transportation was mostly covered by the program. Host families provided breakfast and dinner. Average week I probably spent less than $20 USD. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | If you end up not using all the lunch stipend, you can use the money for something else. Many people brought US bills with them, but I just withdrew cash from the ATMs. |
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 |
All classes were in Spanish, all excursions were in Spanish, and you could only speak Spanish with your hostfamily. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Advanced |
| 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? | Before the program I had taken the highest level Spanish class that my school offered. |
| 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? | Practice with your hostfamilis and other people in the program. The families are used to hosting students whose first language may not be necessarily Spanish and they're very nonjudgmental. There were a couple girls in my program who were native speakers, so I liked practicing with them because they too helped me improve and pushed me to speak in Spanish even if we were just with friends. |
Other Program Information
|
* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
|
|
* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
|
|
* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
|
| 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? |
|
| * What could be improved? |
|
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | I wish I knew more about how living in a city would be like. Commuting to and from school was hard during rush hour with all the people and just being in a city in general with the constant energy, while exciting, can be tiring. |
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 UrbaniteA 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. |
