ISA in Buenos Aires, Argentina

The four months I lived in Buenos Aires truly were the GOOD LIFE! ISA is a proactive, helpful, and friendly program that had an office 5 blocks from campus in Buenos Aires which provided free printing, tutoring, computer/internet service, and any other advice needed about life abroad.

I studied at the University of Belgrano, where I took three distinct Intensive Spanish Classes. We were in class five days a week, but that schedule never prevented us from exploring the bustling city, enjoying the lively night life (which goes from 12 am to 8 am!), and travelling to some of South America's beautiful terrain like Patagonia.

One of my favorite memories abroad was on an ISA sponsored trip to Iguazu Falls at the border of Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay. We spent 3 days standing under thundering waterfalls, learning about the area's indigenous people, and bonding over Argentina's famous steak. Classes were intimate with about 10 students and were taught by energetic, passionate Argentine Professors. Most importantly, classes were great tools to improve my conversational, grammatical, and cultural understanding of the Spanish language. They were not academically challenging in the sense of workload, but everything was in Spanish which is a challenge in itself. However, most of my learning truly took place outside of the classroom.

Every day after class, my friends and I would eat Choripans (a delicious sausage-bread-sauce combo) in a park near campus, and then would go exploring through the city. Our afternoons would consist of riding bikes through the Ecological Reserve on the Rio Plata, enjoying free museums, and finding handmade crafts at vibrant street fairs. At night, we would often meet up with our Argentine friends we met on campus and would have "Asados," which is the local version of a BBQ. Argentines are generally very welcoming and personable, and were eager to make friends with us international students and help us with our Spanish speaking.

I lived in a home stay, and highly recommend it to anyone studying in Buenos Aires. My "mom" cooked me a delicious breakfast and dinner every night and was attentive to my needs. She was extremely helpful in helping me navigate the city and providing a place to call home, but also gave me complete freedom.

Another perk of the laid-back South American lifestyle is that things are relatively cheaper than the United States, except for electronics, which are very expensive. I would recommend bringing an extra camera charger/cord and computer battery in case anything happens (which is possible with different electric currents).

The only challenging aspect of life was is Buenos Aires is not the safest city. Pick-pocketing and armed robbery is common and so it is essential you are always alert of your surroundings and never walk anywhere alone. ISA and my host mom were both very knowledgeable of safe and unsafe neighborhoods, legitimate and illegitimate taxi cabs companies, and vigilance practices, and thus I never encountered any threatening situations.

Overall, Buenos Aires truly provides it all- an engaging academic environment, a thriving metropolis never lacking places to explore, a home, family and support group to guide you, a culture to learn about and enjoy, unmatchable natural beauty, and an opportunity to grow and adventure in ways you never could imagine. I would return to Argentina with ISA in a heart beat to relive la VIDA BUENA!