Sol Education Abroad: Study Abroad in Argentina

My overall educational experience with Sol Education Abroad was great! The institution that I attended abroad was very welcoming and provided me with all of the resources that I needed. I learned a lot in my classes and the instructors were very helpful and patient. The on-site administrators for Sol Education Abroad were great! They were very helpful and accommodating and were always there if I needed anything or had any questions. The program schedule was organized well and the administrators made sure that everything went smoothly. I really enjoyed my living arrangements while studying abroad with Sol Education Abroad. Sol arranged for me to live with a host family and my host family was very welcoming and accommodating and I felt very comfortable throughout my stay. The host family that Sol Education Abroad arranged for me to stay with provided me with meals and always made sure that I was not hungry and that I was enjoying the food that they made for me. My host family arrangement as well as the on-site program administrators for Sol Education Abroad definitely helped me to feel more integrated with the local culture. They gave us a comprehensive guide to understanding the local culture, getting around the city, and important things to know when in public.

When I decided to study abroad, I knew that I would be traveling over 6,000 miles away from home and living in a city of 14 million Spanish speakers. Although that scared me a little bit, I cannot express how overjoyed I am with my decision. I firmly believe that in order for us to grow, we must be willing to step outside of our comfort zone. I did just that and now I have friends that have become a family, the confidence and fluency of the Spanish language, memories that I will cherish forever, a number of items crossed off the bucket-list, a new perspective of other cultures, a greater empathy and joy, an increased knowledge, a greater passion and drive, and overall happiness. My study abroad experience in Argentina has shaped who I am today, and I am better because of it.

STUDY ABROAD! It is an experience that you will look back on with fond memories. Sol gave me this ability and I am so thankful for that. I would say that Sol has a much more relaxed feel to it and it reflects that in the price. I would have enjoyed having more options to go on excursions but I think traveling by yourself is much more fun. My favorite part of studying abroad was learning about the people. Whether it was other students I was studying with or the local people of Argentina, I was constantly blown away by how nice that people are. Going abroad helped me to realize that no matter where you are, you are not alone and people want to help you/get to know you. Also if you are taking a foreign language go to a country that speaks that language. I had taken two classes of Spanish before I left and this helped my Spanish but I did not have any confidence to speak. Push yourself.

Sol's summer healthcare course in Buenos Aires is absolutely incredible! Staying with a host family is an amazing way to get immersed in the culture, as is attending all of the scheduled activities. Raul and Rodrigo take you to so many cool sights and are so supportive; not only teaching you how to navigate the city so that you feel confident commuting and exploring alone, but supporting you as you improve your spanish, meeting you at whatever level you are at, answering all of your questions and giving you tips. Go to all the Mate Club meetings that you can! They are a great way to practice the language, enjoy local cultural and meet cool portenos! And the medical shadowing was an absolutely priceless experience. For any pre-health students, the opportunity to see socialized medicin up close and personal and shadow so many different types of doctors and medical professionals, all while practicing your spanish, is simply unbeatable. Be sure to ask the doctors as many questions as you can think of! You would be surprised what you will learn.

Studying abroad in Buenos Aires, Argentina with SOL Education Abroad will always be one of the greatest experiences of my life. Not only did I greatly improve my fluency in the language through real-life immersion both in and out of the classroom, I was also able to begin "globe-trotting" on my own for the first time through
solo trips throughout the Southern Cone, which really helped me find myself and reflect on the natural and cultural beauty of that area of the world. Without the continual support my spectacular directors, Raul and Beatriz, especially during emotionally difficult processes (such as changing host families), I would not have had such an incredible experience in Argentina. Thank you so much again to all the staff at SOL who all worked to provide me with the semester of a lifetime! :)

This summer I traveled to Buenos Aires, Argentina with Sol Abroad and completed the healthcare program. In this program, I completed one Spanish course, one medical Spanish terminology course, and had the opportunity to shadow doctors at both public and private hospitals in Argentina. This was my fourth trip with Sol Abroad (with this program I have also been to Oaxaca, Costa Rica and Spain). In all honesty, I didn't think it would be possible to have a better trip than my trip to Granada, Spain, in 2017. I was wrong. Buenos Aires was by far the best six weeks of my life. The locals are all so friendly and engaging (they are all so intrigued by English-speakers), the culture is so vast and beautiful with people from Argentina, Italy, Venezuela, Colombia and more! The public transportation system is phenomenal and the night-life was so much fun. The people I met and my host mom made this an incredible journey I will never forget.

Going abroad to Buenos Aires, Argentina with SOL Education Abroad was a breeze. SOL helped me through anything I needed! They helped with the pre-departure process, any questions I may have while in Buenos Aires, and they even helped me once I arrived home! Being in Buenos Aires opened my mind to the world of possibilities! I now plan to study abroad to Spain and Costa Rica with SOL because they help you learn about a new language and a new culture.

This was my first time studying abroad and so many emotions came with that. I was nervous, excited, and even a little scared at first. However, this experience even only being two weeks is something I will always hold close to my heart. This experience was not a vacation for me but the oppertunity to experience another culture. This program allowed me to appreciate a culture different then my own, people who are different then me but who I came to love, and how big and beautiful the world and it’s truly differences are. Thank you for this opportunity!