Sol Abroad High School Program in Argentina

From the moment I arrived in Argentina, I felt welcomed and supported. My director, Kevin, met me at the airport with a big smile. As we waited for the rest of the group to arrive, everyone in the airport gathered around televisions to watch Argentina play in the world cup.The way the whole airport stopped to watch was surreal. When I arrived at my new home in Palermo, Muchy, my host mother, greeted me with a hug and gave me a delicious, much needed warm meal after my hours of travel. My director then showed me around Argentina with my fellow travelers who would soon be my great friends.

The program was a perfect balance between structured activity and free time to explore the wonderful city of Buenos Aires. Kevin showed us how to use the subway and how to get to our classes. Kevin traveled with us on all our excursions outside of the city center where it was harder to navigate, but I never felt like we were being patrolled. Kevin treated us with respect and became a friend. There were many fascinating day trips. We traveled to the countryside where we rode horses and even traveled to Uruguay. The classes we took during the week were exceptional and greatly helped me improve my Spanish. The class wasn't like school, it was interactive and structured around conversations with peers and the teacher. There is so much to explore in Argentina and Sol gave me the freedom to do that. I was allowed to eat out with my friends and explore the many markets. Regardless of where I went, from La Boca to the countryside, I felt perfectly safe.

During my three weeks in Argentina, I made amazing connections. I am still in contact with those in my group. It feels scary to travel alone, but everyone feels the same way at first. From the first day you will befriend others in your group and the Sol Abroad directors are always around for support. I feel that this trip also helped me mature and become more independent. For the first time, I found myself in charge of my free time and had the ability to make many decisions. It was a very liberating and maturing experience that I would not trade for anything.

Argentina is an amazing and unique place to travel. I learned so much about Argentine culture, grew accustomed to their unique Spanish, and fell in love with Argentine cuisine like empanadas and choripán. Sol Abroad is the perfect way to experience a new country while improving your Spanish.

I had an amazing experience studying in Argentina with Sol Abroad. The teachers at the school we attended during the week were eager to help me improve my Spanish-speaking skills. The cultural excursions we went on such as visiting museums, going to a gaucho ranch, and taking cooking and dancing classes were both fun and educational. I stayed with an incredibly kind host family, and my program leaders Beatriz Barragan and Kevin Williams were both very supportive, informative, and helpful. After I returned home from Argentina, my Spanish had greatly improved (I even developed an Argentinian accent while away), and I had gained a much greater knowledge of Argentinian culture. If you are considering study abroad programs in Argentina, definitely choose Sol Abroad - you will have an amazing experience!

My time spent in Buenos Aires, Argentina with Sol Abroad was genuinely one of the most amazing experiences in my life. I felt very safe in every situation, which allowed me to enjoy everyday without worries. Moreover, I was able to developer an amazing connection with my host mom, who provided the most comfortable stay I could’ve asked for. The school was never boring, and every class was very engaging and helpful. My program director, Kevin Williams, was one of the most fun-loving and responsible people I have ever met, and is truly one of the reasons my trip was so good. I would recommend that anybody interested in studying abroad chooses Sol Abroad, because not only is it less expensive than other programs, it’s more immersive and enriching.

Buenos Aires surpassed all of my expectations a million times over. The city is beautiful, the host families are excellent, and the activities are extremely informative and entertaining. I had some reservations about the city safety wise, which I realized were unfounded when I arrived. In addition the porteño accent is difficult to understand so beginners may have a hard time at first, but the accent is super unique and after a while it's quirks will become second nature. I would definitely recommend traveling to Buenos Aires through Sol Abroad.

I really enjoyed my time in Argentina. I'll never forget the experience that I had with SOL Abroad. I built many relationships with many people and I hope that we remain in contact with each other! The experience that I got with SOL Abroad made me feel comfortable, almost like I was home, even though I was a continent away. One of the reasons why I participated in the SOL Abroad program was because I really wanted to improve my Spanish, and I truly believe that I accomplished my goal. If anyone is interested in the SOL Abroad Argentina program, definitely do it!!

I thoroughly enjoyed all of the cultural excursions we went on and my classes at Academia since I was able to bond with great people from a different country and learn about their culture through experience. I have definitely experienced growth in my Spanish-speaking skills after this trip, and am now able to express myself in another language with ease. Although I was a little nervous to go on this trip in the beginning, I had an amazing time and learned so much!

The Spanish I learned on this trip as well as the friends I made will leave a lasting impression on my life. While we were given quite a bit of free time, spending it with my fellow students and getting to bond with them made it an enjoyable experience, and I really feel like I got to know the city of Buenos Aires on a personal level. Some parts of the program could have been more organized, but overall the trip is as fun as you make it, and the other students and I were able to make it fun together.

This progress was very very amazing and involved so much learning, growth, and experience. My stay was always safe and the program director of extremely responsible and fun. I would recommend this program to anybody looking to improve their Spanish and their life. We went on so many beautiful excursions and had school where only spanish was spoken every day. But this didn’t mean we were not allowed our own share of free time, as we could go out to dinner or lunch with our classmates on days that had no program as we wished. This allowed for so much bonding and so many memories to be made. This was my last opportunity to study with Sol Abroad Argentina in high school, but it was so amazing that I want to come back with the university program! I have never experienced such an effective way of combining fun, learning, and living all into one amazing three week session!

I absolutely loved this program and I came out so much more comfortable with my spanish, myself, and my ability to form relationships. I adored the people I met there and loved the classes and excursions. You should expect a lot of time spent out with your new friends exploring the city. I feel much better at spanish after this program, and I’m not afraid to speak more in situations. I love the director Kevin and everyone I met at academia. Overall it was an absolutely amazing experience and I’m so happy I chose to make the trip.

It was wonderful to interact with Argentine culture, and an exceptional way to learn Spanish. I received amazing support from everyone involved with my program. Just an amazing experience! The program was carefully planned. There were enriching cultural activities, and plenty of time to explore Buenos Aires. My director, Kevin was incredibly caring and generous. He was always available to help and spent time making a true connection with the group.

I came on this trip with a group of upperclassmen from my school and I barely knew any of them as I was the only freshman. I had one clear goal for my stay in Argentina, and that was to improve my Spanish proficiency. Despite this narrow-sighted objective, these three weeks proved to be much more - academically, linguistically, emotionally, and personally. When we landed in Buenos Aires, a wave of panic hit me as I started to doubt my confidence. The two weakest components of my Spanish skills were speaking and listening, and as our group switched from speaking English to Spanish, insecurity crept up my spine. The first few days were definitely the toughest for me, but my confidence slowly rose as my Spanish was improving. Listening to my friends' talk on day one and on the last day was such a cool experience because their improvement was evident as well. I can safely say that by the end of the trip, the quality of each parts of my Spanish skills had improved tremendously. I was not afraid of conversing with locals anymore; in fact, talking with my apartment's doorman and with my host mother nightly were some of my favorite interactions during the trip.

On a separate note from the linguistic development that had come from my classes and the immersion component, the most valuable experience that I gained from this trip was the relationships I made with my fellow classmates. Spending the afternoons going on cultural excursions and the nights going to the mall or just talking at a local cafe were invaluable. I would have never expected to become close friends with some of the kids. Instead, our group became a small family, as weird as that might sound. Saying farewell to our host-mother was an experience that I will never forget. I could not believe that the three weeks had already come to an end; although we were all tired and ready to go home, it felt like I had only been in Buenos Aires for a couple of days.

I loved this program! I went to Buenos Aires, Argentina and stayed with my host mom in an apartment building across the hall from another host mom, and both were very friendly, happy, and easy to talk to (the food was also great).

Tips!
The Academia was really useful as a way to practice Spanish, but I recommend choosing a class that's somewhat challenging for you, or finding a class in which you get to talk a lot so that you get more out of the experience, either learning-wise or language-wise. My teacher was very engaging and the class was full of people who were having a lot of fun in the city and were very enthusiastic about learning and practicing Spanish, so I could overlook the fact that I was only doing review and not learning new topics, because I was gaining so much experience speaking.
Pack light, so that you can have some room for souvenirs like mate, which are surprisingly bulky!
Talk in Spanish to everyone you can, every chance you get. The students may not be immersive in the language and it is a great idea to practice the language as much as possible. I also watched movies and shows and read books in Spanish so that I could practice reading and listening.
Read ahead about fun things to do in Buenos Aires and where you want to go, because the longer you stay, the more free time you have to do things. Buenos Aires is a city full of museums and art, and it's an absolute joy to explore. Figure out what you want to do beforehand so that you can do it quickly and easily when you're there.
A lot of stores seem to be closed on Sundays and many museums are closed on Mondays, sometimes Tuesdays.

I think that the program really helped me to gain confidence in my Spanish-speaking skills and it helped me to get better at speaking and listening. I loved the museums and general culture of Buenos Aires. I definitely recommend this program to anyone looking to gain a once-in-a-lifetime experience and increase their comfort with and knowledge of Spanish. I loved the activities with the program and the flexibility and genuine friendliness of the directors and host parents. I also really enjoyed how we were given time to explore the city on our own, to eat out in restaurants, and to chat with our host parents. ¡Muchas gracias SolAbroad!

The Sol Abroad Summer program in Argentina is definitely a worthwhile experience. Buenos Aires is a beautiful city and there is always something to do. Even after two weeks of being there, I found that there were places I didn't have time to go to. The program is well run and takes good care of the students. The host mom that I had was wonderful and helped me with whatever I needed. The food is also a plus. The Spanish classes are immersive and based around conversation, so they actually help you improve your fluidity in speaking. The activities are for the most part very entertaining and help you discover more of Buenos Aires. The best weekend trip is by far Colonia, and while the other ones aren't bad by any means, they aren't on the same level as Colonia. In order to truly experience the city, walking is necessary, and so participants had better be prepared to walk at least a few miles every day. Much of the time is also spent without guidance, and so you have to discover things to do for yourself. This isn't a problem though, for the city is full of museums, cafes, parks, and other interesting places.

My studies in Buenos Aires were beyond amazing. My confidence speaking in Spanish improved significantly and I grew so much in my understanding of other cultures and different types of people. While in a safe environement, I was able to expand my comfort zone and have so many new experiences that I will remember forever. My favorite Experience was Mate Club de Conversación. In the Mate Club, we met other students studying Spanish and natives of Buenos Aires studying English and helped each other practice and develop fluency in each language. Our director, Kevin, was amazing and helped us with anything we needed and made sure we had the best experience possible.

My name is Rachel Zoneraich, and when I went abroad I was 15 years old and going into my junior year of high school. I had an intermediate level of Spanish going in, and after 7 weeks in Argentina I came back proficient in Spanish. I went with the program SOL abroad, which was an excellent program. The school they use, Academia Buenos Aires, is fantastic. I had 1 on 1 classes for 6 weeks without an added cost because there happened to be no one at my level, and there is a limit of 5 kids to a class. The school has there own curriculum, and gave out homework. My home stay, Amalia, was amazing. She showed me around the city, took me to the movies, and had dinner with me every night. She knew English, but only spoke in Spanish so that I could practice my conversation.

I got an internship with Taringa! (a social media site), but my internship was not through SOL Study Abroad. This internship was the highlight of my summer, so I highly recommend it! The afternoon programs through SOL were great. There was tango classes, cooking classes, mate (speaking Spanish/English with natives over their local tea called mate), and tours of the best city attractions. We also went to Uruguay with the program, which was a cool experience.

Overall, I had an amazing time in Argentina and would highly recommend it to any other high school student!