Studying in Rosario

I went to Rosario not really knowing what to expect from the city, program, or people. Everything was amazing. The city is not very touristy so it is a great environment to learn Spanish even outside of the classroom. It is a city very similar to Portland. The climate is relatively similar and it is located right on the river. There were a lot of good restaurants to eat at, especially the ones included in the program for lunch. We became close with the managers from our favorite restaurant, and were sad to leave them. There were a lot of places to shop at, touristy and not so touristy, and everything was decently close. If you did not want to walk somewhere taxis are very safe and very cheap.
The home stay was great. I stayed with a mom and her daughter (who was about 45 years old) and they were both very welcoming. They always had advice about what to do on the weekends and made the best food. This also helped improve my Spanish because they did not really speak English. They knew a few words but not enough to be able to converse.
My Spanish improved a lot during such a short period of time (I only did the 5 week program although I wish I would have done the 10). All of the professors are very willing to help you with whatever question you had, and I felt that it was a lot more beneficial learning from someone who spoke Spanish as their first language. I also got to learn a lot about the history of Argentina which is very interesting. Overall, the experience was amazing. I met a lot of great people and I learned a lot, even about myself.