Argentina adventure and growth (linguistic and personal) Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Having entered the program with the lowest level of collegiate Spanish preparation (one semester of intermediate Spanish) it was a challenge, as I expected it to be and I feel that I learned a vast amount thanks to the program, variety of classes, no english contract and being hosted with a family with whom I was a part of.

On-site administration of your program

The program director was very kind and attentive to each students course options and the professors were very helpful and kind. The only negative aspect was that with the lower than average number of students in the program there not every class was open. This did not affect me personally but other friends in the program were a bit disappointed.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I had some issues with my first host family (scheduling, communication and absence on vacation to Mexico for multiple weeks) so I ended up moving houses to live with a second family. My second family was PERFECT! I had such a wonderful time with them and the director of my program (Alejandra) was such a help, she made the move between the two very simple. As for accommodations I was very comfortable.

With my second family (where I was for 3 months), I was well fed (even though I am vegetarian) and had a variety of options each meal. My host mother is an angel and even took input as to what I and my housemates liked for her meal prep and shopping.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

A variety of aspects made the experience so wonderful: living with a helpful host family, non-integrated courses containing Brazilians (nice addition to the USA only message), formation of friendships with locals, traveling with other international students helped me learn about the culture. Being willing to say yes to any opportunity to learn more and improve your language skills is essential.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I was able to use my student health insurance when I was sick and went to the doctor (6th floor of a huge downtown hospital). The process to connect with a physician who spoke both english and spanish (to effectively communicate my symptoms) was a bit of a challenge but it worked out. The costs were low with the student insurance and I got better quickly with my antibiotic prescription. Both my host mother and my program director were useful and helpful to get medical help.

Cordoba is safe, as any city of millions can be. You need to be aware about your surroundings and comport yourself mindfully but this area is well developed. There are regions which are dangerous and to be avoided but I never had a reason to go there so I was just fine. I did have my iPhone stolen from the pocket of a jacket I set down but that was my own fault. Just be careful and have a good time.

YES! I would do it all over again, no questions asked. The only bit of advice I wish I could go back and tell myself is that if you are having an issue with housing, try your best and when that doesn't work go to your director right away (wasting your own time waiting for improvement to magically happen is silly). My second host family was perfect and honestly having changed families made me appreciate my new one and be grateful.

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

You have your food provided at home and your lunch at school, transportation is either walking (free and healthy) or by public bus 75 cents so very affordable. As far as other costs, you spend what you want to spend, depending your financial goals you can get by with nearly no other costs or you can live it up and go out to eat, shop, see movies, etc. for a relatively low cost. The high rate of inflation made the US dollar quite strong and the costs of almost everything (aside from clothing) quite cheaper in comparison. I personally spent a low amount weeks of the semester I was home in Cordoba, to give me a cushion of extra money for weeks I traveled and had higher costs.

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

We signed a contract to only speak spanish, the only english permitted was with our families on the phone. I attribute my great improvement to this mindset. OF course it was a challenge and frustrating initially to not be able to communicate as fluidly nor with the nuances I wished but over time that improved. Students who didn't want to push themselves to only speak spanish struggled with this quite a bit and I think you need to decide before you ever place your deposit for the program "Do I want to comply with this goal of only spanish?" if your answer is not yes then please re-assess your goals and commitment. If you are nervous or self-conscious don't overthink it, everyone there is learning and understands.

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• Host Family

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• Americans
• Host Family

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• Americans
• International Students

• Language commitment (push yourself and see all the other students doing the same)
• International student connections (classes and friendships outside class)
• Host family (people to help you navigate the culture & having a real "home" away from home)

• Increase number of students (so that all courses are offered)
• Conduct a survey one-two weeks into stay with host families to see how things are going and address issues early on
• Offer more mixers/event information for all of the international students of the entire university (to connect students with students OUTSIDE the small program)