Program Reviews

Hi, my name is Marijan, came from Germany and had a Tango Program via Mente Argentina in Buenos Aires. Three weeks I spent in the city were weary busy and diligent for me, and with much joy on the split times.
Hardworking but worth it..
My apartment in Avenida Luis Maria Campos was for my taste a perfekt place to stay, quiet and clean surrounded in the nice neighborhood.
A wonderful city..
A beautiful weather..
Very friendly and helpful people..
Mente Team, support for arrival and departure, always available for all questions

What a fantastic experience I had with Mente Argentina.
From the moment I arrived, to the moment I departed, the entire staff was very supportive and had a genuine interest in my having a positive experience in Buenos Aires; that was clearly their most important goal.
I just can't say enough about this dedicated team of individuals.
They handled all aspects of my programs with utmost accuracy and professionalism.
My DJ, Spanish, and Yoga programs were taught by experts in their respective fields and were greatly beneficial to me.
The weekly activities are also a great benefit on both a cultural and social level.
The program is well worth the cost, and I recommend it wholeheartedly.
Traveling alone, I would have been at a loss had I not enrolled in the program.
I would encourage anyone to take advantage of all that Mente Argentina has to offer on your next trip abroad.

I arrived in Buenos Aires with great expectations and the city absolutely blew my mind. There were wonderful buildings and people, everyday there was something new to learn and discover. I can really say there was never a dull moment. Mente gave me the opportunity to have a great network of friends from all across the globe and I am more than grateful to have shared this experience with such awesome people. I'm definitely returning soon!

Mente Argentina is the perfect program for those looking for a full immersion experience, weekly events/activities, and are working with a budget. My boyfriend and I were able to strengthen our Spanish skills at a highly challenging and personalized school with this program, and they also coordinated our homestay, airport pickup & dropoff, and tons of weekly events including tours through the city, trips to Tigre, Colonia (Uruguay), and Iguazu Falls. If one of the events they coordinate is not planned during your stay, they even compensate you for what they would have covered had you gone with the group. The welcome "kit" they describe is more than a few maps and pamphlets, we received backpacks, souvenirs (a traditional Mate cup), a reloadable subway and SMS card, and more. Absolutely incredible, they go above and beyond their students' needs while charging a price lower than you'll find anywhere else. They also offer to exchange USD to Pesos with no fees, and give you a free "International Student" card that gives you even more miscellaneous discounts. Thank you Mente for an awesome experience!! I highly recommend your program to anyone interested in visiting Buenos Aires.

We learned Spanish in a Spanish speaking environment which is the best way to learn a language. We felt safe knowing that we always had who to turn to if we had a problem in a foreign environment. You really think about everything: pick up from airport, first meeting with your representative with all the important details ,transport ticket, information about your specific transportation, transfer to airport, social activitids...

I personally had a really positive experience with Mente during my five months in Argentina. I originally arrived in Buenos Aires with the intention of doing an internship in an international holiday rental company. I did this for a month before deciding that it wasn't quite right; I had come to Argentina with the primary purpose of learning Spanish and the company mainly functioned in English. When I told this to Mente, the staff were exceedingly helpful in ensuring that I eventually found the perfect internship for me. Even though my home university in England was extremely strict in terms of what I could and could not do in Argentina, the staff at Mente were not fazed at all and continued to help me until all university documents had been signed and approved. I was very appreciative of all the support I received at this stressful time.
I ended up working in a public hospital and had an incredible time. Spanish was the only language spoken there and therefore I not only improved my language skills but also gained some very valuable work experience as well. Since learning Spanish was my main reason for coming to Argentina in the first place, I was really happy with Mente for helping me to achieve exactly what I had wanted to do.

Regarding the social side, I was also very satisfied by what Mente offered. I decided to travel to Argentina with a program because I didn't know anyone out there and wanted a little security too. Mente was perfect for this because I immediately felt safe in Buenos Aires; it was really nice having a local explain to you exactly how the city works, how to use the transport system and which areas to avoid. The social activities were well planned and always interesting. By the end of five months I had pretty much done every museum in the city, gone to loads of bars and events like Tango shows. Similarly, because of the way the social side of Mente is set up, I immediately made good friends and felt very much part of their social circle. Looking back now, I've made some very close friends through Mente who I'll continue talking to for many years to come.

I planned to be in Argentina for 3 months to study a short course in wine. Coming all the way from Australia I was unsure where to start. With the help of Mente Argentina, I enrolled into one of the best wine schools (EAV) and they organized temporary accommodation in a studio apartment right in the heart of Palermo (walking distance to my school!).

My Mente co-ordinator was great. She took time to explain everything within my initiation pack upon arrival so that I could get around the city easily. I was also provided with a phone so my co-ordinator was available to me if I needed help at any time. Mente Argentina also organized an in-house doctor to my place when I was too sick to get out of bed. I really appreciate their assistance during those difficult times, especially when you're in a foreign country! Mente staff also arranged nights out to meet other students and if it wasn't for this I wouldn't have experienced the great night life and met the friends that I still keep in contact today.
If you get the chance to travel to other parts of Argentina with Mente I strongly recommend it. The north and the south of Argentina are extremely different and beautiful. These are opportunities you can't pass up on!

So... after one and half years later I was still living in Buenos Aires! I became an avid student at EAV wine school (so much for the 3 month short course!). The education I received during this program was amazing and Mente was kind enough to continue my program with the school even after all this time.

Like any solo experience, there were a lot of good times and some difficult times. Through this I learnt a lot about myself, and looking back at my journey I have gained life experience and memories that I will never forget.
If you want to venture out on your own and explore Argentina, I think Mente Argentina is a great program to help you get started and assist you through your journeys whilst making it all feel safe.

Thank you to all the staff at Mente Argentina for making my solo experience abroad a truly memorable one!

Study abroad in Buenos Aires!

The whole experience started six months ago. On March 1st , I arrived in the morning at the EZE airport with swollen feet after a 16 hours flight. I flew with a unpleasant feeling to Argentina, after my sister and other friends of mine who had been to South America before told me that nobody will will pick me up at the airport, even if my agency promised me. Everything what they told me was „This is South America and not Europe”. They kept telling me „nothing is safe, don't even think about renting a car and driving around, don't pay with your credit card, don't walk around alone & pay attention.

After all those 'kind words' of them I can tell this is crap! The driver from Mente did pick me up, it is not that unsafe and nothing happened to my credit card or me when I walked around alone in the city.

When I arrived at my host families place, Catherine was already waiting in front of their apartment for me. She introduced me to the family members and helped me out as my personal interpreter. The next day, when school started, Catherine was waiting in front of the university for all of the international students and brought us to the lecture hall. Did I mention she is our age like all of the other Mente girl workers?

To be honest, the first few days were exhausting: I was trying to adjust to a new language and a huge crowded city with 13 million inhabitants. I didn’t get a chance to relax for the first month. I got invited to almost every event, numerous orientations and tours (including a bus tour) that helped us become more familiar with our new surroundings as well as getting to know each other better.

When school started, I kept meeting many interesting people at school and outside school, especially all the current Mente members during the events they hosted (for example grabbing a night cap beer, sightseeing, picnic in the park, visit to museums etc.). Meeting new people was one of my main goals and I can say it is very easy to make friends in Argentina. Argentinians are in general very open minded, friendly and helpful people – and they know how to party. :) The nightlife in Buenos Aires provides a lot opportunities.

...but there is still something I wasn't happy about that drove me nuts. The servers in Buenos Aires are terrible. It takes forever ordering a food or drink, the bureaucracy takes also a while (everybody gives you different information), the driving is insane over there... but maybe this is only 'loco' from my point of view as I am from Germany, a country where everything is VERY organized and where you have to observe the rules.

Overall, all I can recommend to you about Mente and the city life in Buenos Aires is: “ always talk about your problems and let Mente know.” They will help you! After three days living in my host family's apartment I realized I didn’t like it at all. I let Mente know that I wanted to move out as soon as possible and they did make it happen. Having roommates is much more fun than living in a host family. The city life is active, so try to keep calm and don’t take the disorder to seriously, with other words “ look on the bright side”! ;)

Bahareh Shabani

I spent a total of 5 months in Buenos Aires in which I undertook two 10-week internships as part of my programme, and the whole experience really was truly fantastic. The apartment provided to me as part of the programme was great - in the perfect location, the perfect size and with everything I could need, shared with 2 others also on the programme with whom I soon became very close friends. MA definitely had a very large variety of potential internships available to you, and they really were so helpful in helping me find the ones which were right for me. There was also usually a weekly social with the other students on the programme, which is great for helping you meet people and settle in- although if you want to meet Argentines, you will have to go that extra mile! However its definitely possible. The programme also regularly keeps you updated with other things to get involved with in the city at the time, which I really appreciated, as well as the included gym membership which was awesome. I found the MA team friendly, attentive and approachable and I really would recommend this company and the city of Buenos Aires in general to anyone!

I believe this program helped me to get the most out of my study abroad experience by being fully immersed in the culture. The staff put me in touch with an internship program that allowed me to get on-the-job training and really helped me to improve my Spanish. The Mente coordinators have been here a while and are super-friendly as well as being knowledgeable enough to help with any kind of problem. With the group excursions, I was able to experience a lot of things that I might not have found on my own, but the program is also set up so that students can do things on their own if they want to. I was living in an apartment with one other girl who was also part of Mente Argentina, and we were able to live independently while still having people there to help us.