Mendoza, Argentina: Tango, wine, and beef Past Review
By Joy M (Music., DePauw University) for
Universidad Nacional de Cuyo: Mendoza - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
I met a lot of people that wanted to learn English. I now want to teach in a bilingual environment after I graduate.
Personal Information
| If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: | Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, Universidad de Congreso |
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
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 |
The staff was great. No weaknesses. Everyone was very friendly and professional. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The main thing that deterred from my housing experience is that the one requirement that I had was to live with non-smokers. My second week there, my host mom rented out a room to a guy who smoked all the time. My utter disdain for cigarette smoke caused me to feel like I was being forced to stick in my room with the door shut. |
| * Food: |
My host mom took off to Europe for a month while I was there. For that month the maid/cook took advantage of the situation and gave me very little food, ie. only rice or only broccoli for lunch. I was very hungry for a long time, and there wasn't much that I felt like I could do about it because I couldn't ask for more food since it was portioned out and I also didn't want to seem like the stereotypical rude, greedy, glutinous American. When my host mom was around there was plenty of food. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I really liked the winery tour and the cooking class. There was a trip to a lake planned, but I had to stay back and write a paper. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
The city is really safe. I would just suggest that women at night to not go out alone. It gets a little scary. Men should be fine, of course. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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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? | I ate most of my meals at home and didn't spend too much except for trips. Probably about $10 a week, not including trips to other placing in the country. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | I would suggest eating at home as much as possible. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Intermediate |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | 390 |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
I could practice the language with everyone. I did use it in everyday interactions. Most people did not speak English. |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Extroverted students would have a great time, but I would say that introverts would benefit the most. I entered the program as really shy and reserved, but I left it as an open, relaxed, self-confident person that my friends and family back home could barely recognize. |
