What a time to be in Argentina! July 08, 2024

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Although I found the classes in this program to be less challenging than classes at my home institution, you do need to stay on top of readings and other assignments as you go through the semester. There are lots of assignments for the Research, Methods & Ethics class in particular which are helpful in preparing you for your ISP/INT. That being said, this program does an incredibly job of inviting guest lecturers who are relevant to the subjects we discuss in class, whether they are professors, nonprofit workers, or even politicians. I loved that we were able to learn more about topics we learned about in the classroom by traveling to those places and engaging with the subject matter in a hands-on manner.

On-site administration of your program

The chicas are incredibly supportive and kind. You can tell that they really care about the students and want us to get something meaningful out of this program that we will be able to carry back with us when we return home. They were always available to us in the case of emergencies and always willing to provide advice on how to adjust to life in Argentina.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Overall, my housing experience was very positive. I did unfortunately have to move to a different host family for the last 3 weeks of my program because my first host mom tried to break her contract with SIT. Despite it being a very disruptive experience, the SIT staff were always there to help me and support me as I had to transition from living with one family for 3 months to another for the last few weeks of the program. The only "complaint" I have is that my commute to where classes are held was 1 hr+ one way. Unfortunately, that is inherent to living in a sprawling city like Buenos Aires (which is 7 times the size of NYC, to give you an idea of how far apart places can be), and my commute was actually pretty normal compared to others in the program (some people had 1.5-2 hr commutes). But that is something to be aware of if you are considering a program in Buenos Aires in general.

The staff did a great job of accommodating dietary restrictions and other food-related accommodations. The only reason this is not getting a 5/5 is because I personally had a hard time adjusting to the Argentinian diet, which can be very meat and cheese heavy. However, I did get used to it over time and was able to work with my host family to include more vegetables in our meals.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I did not find living in Buenos Aires to be a huge culture shock compared to living in the US. Public transportation is better in BA than in any US city I've been to. People are generally very friendly and open to foreigners/tourists. I did face some difficulties with people's perception of race and ethnicity in Argentina, however. I never felt discriminated against, but people's perception of race and ethnicity did feel stereotypical and people generally did not understand what it meant for me to be an American who is a POC and raised in an immigrant family.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Very well addressed. Health care was much easier to navigate in BA than in the US, and the program leads do a great job of helping you navigate a new system.

Living in a big city always comes with safety concerns and uncomfortable incidents (especially as a woman), but I can honestly say that I felt safer in BA than I ever have in a major city in the US. In addition, the onsite staff do a great job of supporting you throughout your adjustment, especially if you are not used to living in a big city.

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

Buenos Aires is very budget-friendly for Americans, as the conversion rate heavily favors the USD even with occasional fluctuations. The program stipend should have been bigger, however; I did have to spend out of pocket for meals for the last 3-4 weeks of the program.

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

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• Host Family

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• Host Family

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• Americans

• The friends I made
• Traveling
• Classes that were so relevant to the political and economic developments Argentina was going through as I was studying there

• More control over schedules/free time
• Living closer to where classes are held

The Outright Urbanite