Not perfect BUT SO SO WORTH IT!!!!!! February 14, 2025
By A student (Political Science & International Relations, Carleton College) - abroad from 08/28/2024 to 12/10/2024 with
SIT Study Abroad: Argentina - Social Movements and Human Rights
I gained language skills, broadened my world perspective, came out of it with lifelong friends, and permanently altered my ambitions for the future.
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. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
We had a lot of support, though it wasn't perfect everybody was SO WONDERFULLY KIND that there were no major issues |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I LOVED my host mom and the program made sure to check in on us in case we were having trouble. |
| * Food: |
We had good resources, though to be honest the cuisine was not as flavorful as I am used to, I really began to enjoy it. But in terms of what the program was actually able to do: they did really well. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Argentinian culture is very welcoming and inclusive and that is something I fully felt though it is important to remember that there is a language barrier which can be a challenge. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Our sweet program assistants went with people if they needed to go to the doctor and the tela-health was super easy to use. It was also very calming to have full health coverage managed by the program so I didn't have to worry about mine. |
| * Safety: |
For a major city I found it was VERY safe -- there is pick pocketing of course, and it is always important to keep your head up and look around. If the comparison helps, it definitely felt safer then Manhattan :) |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
At times it was stressful, at times things were a bit un-organized (cultural difference) but the caliber of people and just the country in general is something that I think about every. single. day. if you're thinking doing this program DO IT. |
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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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 30 USD |
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 |
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| 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? | Advanced |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | it was a 200 level class |
| 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? | Don't worry about it too much, it will just happen! Take time to also let your brain rest + keep your sense of humor in English :) |
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? | Definitely buy bug spray -- Dengue is spreading to Argentina :) |
