VIVA ARGENTINA! The absolute best time of my life Past Review
By Jonelle H (International Relations and Affairs., Drake University) for
Universidad Nacional de Cuyo: Mendoza - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
I learned that life does not need to be taken so incredibly seriously like Americans take it. Life is all about sharing wonderful memories with your friends and family and live up every second because it passes you by. Be spontaneous and don't be afraid of different things. I now keep an open mind about everything and find my self less stressed out because Argentina made me realize that simple stresses don't matter in the grand scheme of things, just your friends, family and your own happiness. They work to live and we live to work. I prefer a lifestyle of work to live and community oriented lifestyle, I plan on either going back and studying more in Argentina and hopefully even living there. It was much more my style of living and I now look at life in different and positive way. Viva Argentina.
Review Photos
Personal Information
| If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: | Universidad de Congreso |
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The teaching methods were differently different, especially in regards to final examinations. The workload was not nearly as intense as America, there were less papers and hard tests. You also had to register for your final exam in Cuyo, which was odd since I've never done that in my life. Apparently you register so the professors know you're taking their exam this year as opposed to next year, apparently they have the option of taking the final exam in a year. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Overall I experienced no major problems and they thoroughly helped me out whenever their were minor challenges here and there. I felt as though I did learn a lot through the classes the program offered. Argentinean work style is slower than the American standard so things were dealt with in a slower pace, but I eventually become used to it. Some professors in the actual universities had some tendencies to resent the foreigners but overall they were all quite welcome and ready to help. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
My host family was very kind and I knew all the host families within the program did care for their host students. It just was a big change going from college independency and then back in to a family lifestyle. Other than that, it was a very neat cultural experience and I learned so much about the culture in that way. |
| * Food: |
It wasn't highly exotic, just nice home cooked food. It's different for everyone. I highly recommend Anna's Bistro on Juan B Justo. We fell in love with the quaint little French bistro, the food was absolutely phenomenal. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I just loved every aspect of my study abroad experience. From fun tours such as wine and bike to the extremely vibrant nightlife, Mendoza, Argentina was just amazing and exactly what I wanted in a study abroad experience. The town was small enough so that it was easy to make native friends and become more a part of the Argentinean culture. Touring a vineyard and wine testing, a Argentinean cooking class, and an expedition to a beautiful dam in Southern Mendoza were great parts of the IFSA program. I made a ton of friends with Argentineans and I am still in contact with all of them. I definitely took full advantage of assimilating to the culture and loved every second of it. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
I didn't feel too threatened, just honestly don't do anything stupid like walk alone at night or leave your purse or bag out where it is easy to rob. Just basic norms to safety issues, just be a little more aware than you'd normally be. A few of my friends visited the doctors for various sicknesses and didn't experience problems getting health care. |
| 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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| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Just don't spend your money all at once since expenses are cheaper in Argentina. We all were amazed at how cheap everything was and overspent our money at the beginning and it eventually added up. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
I practiced with my host family and Argentinean friends the most. You had to know a decent amount of Spanish to get around since English was not common and all my everyday interactions were Spanish. |
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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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Just make the most of everything, if you get homesick still take advantage of every second of it. You'll be able to return home but you'll never be able to return back to this experience again |
