Argentina: Full of Altibajas, but without a doubt the best semester of my life Past Review
By Melanie K (Latin American Studies., Wellesley College) for
CIEE: Buenos Aires - Liberal Arts
NO QUESTION. BEST DECISION OF MY COLLEGIATE CAREER.
Personal Information
| 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. |
My semester abroad was challenging in a different way that my own college. I found challenges in completing hundreds of pages of reading per week in Spanish, learning how to participate in class (it's not as expected and much less formal that at Wellesley), and |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The staff is incredible! They are very helpful, responsive and above all fun! |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I was very worried about doing a homestay, but wanted to try it. I could not have been placed in a better family and have developed a wonderful relationship with my host family! I hope to keep in touch with them forever! |
| * Food: |
My host mom ; don't be afraid to ask for different foods (it took me a long time to build up the courage to ask for a different kind of breakfast food). |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
You need to be aware of your surroundings in Buenos Aires. |
| 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? | Between buying lunches, transportation, and some fun things, I routinely spent $125/week (or 500argentine pesos) |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | It's harder to make your own lunch than you think because it can be awkward to use your host family's kitchen/its hard to bring with you for long days. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Advanced |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | a 300 level seminar on Spain with Profesor Ramos |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
I used Spanish in everyday interactions, with my host family, porteno friends and tried to speak spanish even with Argentines who spoke English. I did often use English among my friends from the USA. |
| 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?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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