My favorite memories (love you Argentina) July 11, 2024

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

I can't express how much of a life-changing experience I had while studying abroad in Argentina on the SIT Argentina: Social Movements and Human Rights program. Read on for more detail, but overall highlights: the wonderfully supportive four core members of the SIT team in Buenos Aires (the "chicas"), the (included!) travel on 2 week-long learning excursions to Patagonia and northwestern/Andean Argentina, the opportunity to live in a sprawling and historic city like Buenos Aires, practicing Argentine Spanish every day in an immersive setting, and unbeatable opportunities and connections with important human rights organizations in the country.

On-site administration of your program

I was really grateful for the administration within the country. From the very first day when all four of the primary program admins met us at the airport and brought us to our hotel, where we would all stay together for the next couple of days, I felt so supported. Even though we were across the world from my house, I felt at home with the “chicas” (the term they call each other and we adopted to refer to them collectively — the work they do goes way beyond their individual titles). Not only was the program layout very straightforward and planned-out, but they really made the effort to create a tight-knit community within our group. I felt very comfortable going to them with any problems or even feedback when things were not going well. The main vibe was that everything felt very taken-care-of, for the most part.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

One of the more important components to SIT Argentina is the homestay aspect. This was something I was excited and nervous about going into the program, and one of my favorite parts of the experience once I left. It feels anxiety-inducing at first that they won't let you know your homestay assignment until after you get there; I still don't really get why this is. However, it seems like they want to get to know us in-person for the first few days of the program to make sure they made the right choice. For me, it was the perfect choice. I got to stay with a young queer family with a cat in a neighborhood which I grew to adore (go, Boedo!) I felt so seen by them and both integrated in their lives and able to do my own thing. We would eat dinner together every night and they were great cooks who made sure my vegetarianism was taken care of. Integrating myself into their family was really easy for me -- but if it hadn't been, I could always have reached out to Gri, the homestay and student affairs coordinator, who was always supportive and ready to lend an ear. This was so important for my cultural immersion and feeling like I had the support of a family while I was abroad (they even came with me to my doctor's appointments!)

This was something else I was nervous about going in, as a vegetarian. Before the trip, everyone told me about how hard it was going to be in Argentina since I don’t eat meat. However, there were 4 other vegetarian students in the program and any time we ate as a whole group, the chicas always made sure we knew what the vegetarian options were. And they were always SO good and filling! The majority of the time, we were eating at our homestay (who covered breakfast and dinner) or eating out (SIT provided a stipend for food and transportation, so lunch was almost always eating out). I had no issues finding food at pretty much any restaurant (a couple times when we traveled to more rural areas it was slightly more limited, but I was fine). My homestay family also really provided me with great meals and even bought cereal for me, even though that’s more of a U.S. thing. I liked the combination of homestay food and eating out because I both got to explore the restaurants of the city and also feel like I’m eating dinner with my family.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I felt super well-integrated with the local culture! I think having a homestay was a big part of that, as was taking classes in Spanish with Argentine professors, visiting many Argentine organizations, and being given a stipend for lunch to (presumably) eat out. We drank a lot of mate and ate a lot of milanesa, and we had multiple excursions as a group. I truly love the Argentinian culture! If you are ready to integrate yourself, the support from this program is here to help you do that.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I ended up having to use psychiatry and physical health services much more than I wanted to this semester. Both my host moms and the program coordinators (chicas) were essential in helping me navigate the healthcare system in Argentina; they even went with me to get my blood drawn. The main problem I had was with navigating calls with insurance because they had to approve and select a provider in advance. (For instance, I had to use my host moms' phones to call them because they were based in Mexico, so it charged me a lot for an international call from Argentina.) SIT Arg had been using International SOS to navigate this, but they actually just changed the insurance company they're working with the week that we were leaving. So, hopefully it will be simplified for you!

To be honest, I felt really safe overall. Buenos Aires is just like any other major city. You want to watch what you're doing, know where you're going, and keep an eye on your surroundings. That's it! I will say, 3 people had their phones stolen from them while we were here, which is a common occurrence for foreigners. None of the encounters were violent; however, I *always* kept my phone in a small pocketbook when I was out and it never got stolen. People in the city are genuinely very kind and everyone exercises the same amount of caution as you. The one thing I will say is I didn't feel comfortable walking around alone after dark, but as a young woman that will be the same in any city.

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

Argentina is generally an inexpensive country for people traveling from the U.S. -- that is not the case for Argentinians themselves, so be careful how you speak about money there. But for instance, a tea and two medialunas (pastries) might cost you less than $1 USD. The program provides breakfast and dinner to you, and gives you a stipend for transportation to and from class and lunches during the week & weekend. Above this, I did find myself spending more money when we would travel places because I wanted souveniers. However, compared to U.S. prices, getting around was cheap and there were many weeks when I spent very little; check out Don Ignacio right by the main academic center for cheap and large portions that could easily be 2 lunches.

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

I mean, we took Spanish classes 3 times a week and all of our other classes were in Spanish, too! Plus we lived with Spanish-speaking homestay families. I will say our group was one of the largest SIT Arg has had and I think it was trickier to wrangle us sometimes. Our coordinators had to talk to us multiple times to say "it's up to you, but if you want to improve at Spanish, you have to start speaking to each other in Spanish." So we definitely tried to do that more, but it was a challenge.

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