I grew in the face of adversity Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

the classes were not as easy as i had anticipated; I still had a fair amount of work to do. However, they were not nearly as challenging as classes at my home institution. the classes in the Human Rights-Social (Derechos Humanos sociales) concentration were terrible. In one of the classes of the concentration, we had a different professor every 2 weeks, making the class very inconsistent. There was a tremendous amount of reading. After each student received a 10/10 on the midterm, I realized that the grading scale was incredibly lenient, and whatever work I had previously put into the class was in vain, as I would receive a high grade regardless of my efforts. For the final exam, which was open note/text, I walked in without having reviewed any of my limited notes from the classes and without having read any of the assigned readings. I received a 9/10 with a note that applauded my knowledge and interpretation of the topic. For the other class in the concentration, we interned for 8 hours a week. This was part of a 3 credit class. If this had been the whole class, it would have seemed just. However, we still had a 2 hour seminar each week about the research we would have to do for the internship, incorporating other classes that we were currently taking. The research paper had to be 12 pages. That made for a 10+ hour course that was worth 3 credits. (10 hours in the class/internship, in addition to the research that it required beyond the classroom). The course was very down-played during orientation and was not described to be nearly as demanding as it was. I also felt like the hardest-working person in the office of my internship.

On-site administration of your program

Some people were useful. Overall, the staff were terrible. Many were rude and unaccommodating. The advising was HORRIFIC! It was really so useless that I felt like I had been thrown into a city and completely new school system with no direction.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

My house was significantly inferior to those of other students on the program. Mold covered the ceiling in the bathroom that I shared with my host mother. My room was about half the size of my Brandeis dorm room. My bed was two pieces of foam on a wooden plank, held up my 4 inch cinderblocks. The "desk" was about 18 inches wide, and only 13 inches deep, so I couldn't even fit a computer or piece of paper on it. (if a piece of paper is 11 inches long, there is no room to angle it on the desk) Furthermore, because I had no room in the bathroom for anything besides basic shower necessities and a toothbrush, I had to keep other cosmetics on the desk. There was also nowhere to store my suitcase in the house, so it took up the already limited space in my room. I had a small closet, and two tiny drawers. There was more storage space in the room, but she kept her linens and miscellaneous things in there. There were two sources of light: one fixture that hung low from the ceiling, on which I hit my head too frequently, and a small lamp that emitted scarce light and did not even stretch to the desk when I did try to study there. The window was small and located all the way at the top of the room, so there was practically no ventilation. This was a problem every night when she smoked and the air would get trapped in my room, as there was no way to get out. It was also a problem when spring and summer came (varying from 75-95 degrees Fahrenheit), and she did not want to spend money using the air conditioner in her house. She did lend me a fan, but it just blew around hot air. Other students on the program who were in wealthy neighborhoods had much better experiences. My house was not only physically hard to exist in, my host mother also made it more difficult by making it clear that I was NOT welcomed. She made me feel like I shouldn't be seen or heard, and that we only ate dinner together out of obligation. I believe that she was hosting a student for financial benefits, rather than giving a student an invaluable experience. She did not work for the 5 months that I was there.

My host mother consistently underfed me. Steamed vegetables and a small salad consisting of arugula and tomatoes is less than a meal. Occasionally I would get pasta. Even more occasionally I would get fish. There were a few nights when I had to go out to eat after "dinner," as I was too hungry to sleep. I lost 15 lbs in my 5 months there.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I selected this program because I wanted to become a part of the culture and country. The program did not help the students to meet locals or other students on the program. This made it extremely difficult to make friends abroad. The locals were not interested in befriending Americans. The Argentinean boys/men made it very clear that they were only interested in the American girls for one reason, while the Argentinean girls thought themselves too good to be friends with American girls. The Argentinean boys and girls were more perceptive to the American boys than to the American girls. Argentines are just nice enough to be acquaintances, but do not genuinely want to make friends.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

When we went to the program director's house in Uruguay for Thanksgiving, I lay down in an ant-hill and got about 20 bits on my shoulder. Within 20 minutes, I broke out in hives. The program director sent me to the hospital right away, where I was injected with something (I didn't even ask because I was freaking out that my entire body was covered in hives). (i'm guessing it was epinephrine or some kind of anti-histamine). The doctor was efficient and the program handled the situation quite well.

While I felt safe within my own house, I lost that sense of security as soon as I stepped outside of the house. I almost never felt safe in the city. I had my guard up at all times. My iphone was stolen after only 2 weeks after I arrived. I also did not appreciate the excessive cat-calls and stare downs. Many times the calls crossed the line of just hollering and were sexual harassment. As a 20 year-old woman in a foreign country, I felt threatened. It was impractical to try to go everywhere with a companion, as I had to independently conduct my own life.

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

The illegal exchange rate of ARP to USD is approximately 9 pesos to $1 USD. My living conditions in my homestay were so poor (being unwelcome and not having a place to do work in the house) that I usually went to cafes to do work. I would have to order something. This cost money. Because of the daily avoidances of going "home" and the meals that I would have to find in between classes (because of my schedule I would be out the whole day and would not have time to go home and make myself lunch), I ended spending about 8-10 USD a day. Then, there was transportation. While it is VERY cheap, it adds up. Some weeks I would spend $10 on just subways and buses. Then, there is the cost of socializing. Because I didn't feel safe while I was there, I barely drank. I would have on average 1 drink when going out with friends. On weekends, I'd spend about $40 meals, the few drinks, and cover charges for bars and clubs. It all adds up VERY quickly.

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

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• Host Family

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• Host Family

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• Local Students

• traveling around south america, independently from the program
• my castellano teacher, Ana Blaustein
• i liked living in a big city, despite the challenges that big cities pose

• housing credentials for homestays
• staff of the program
• program activities. have more. have a program that connects IFSA students with locals for the semester