Mente Argentina Study Abroad Programs

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