A Time in Argentina

I enjoyed my time in Argentina immensely. I was able to take great classes with a great professor. I came in with an intermediate to advanced level of Spanish already, so my review might be a bit different from another's experience. However, I had never taken a college-level Spanish class before. Now that I am back at my university, SOL's classes actually taught me more than advertised (this might have also been because our class at SOL went a bit beyond the book for our level).

I had a great homestay experience, and SOL was really helpful in finding us places during the holidays especially.

Here are some things that SOL did not have control over, but that people should know.

Future participants should know that if they are also a racial/ethnic minority, they will have a different experience, too. I am Asian-American, and this did affect my experience. When I would travel to places later in the day or in the evening, sometimes with friends, and I would hear people saying racial slurs about me. I knew it was about me because I was the only Asian on the metro platform, for instance. However, Buenos Aires also has a Chinatown and Korean neighborhood, so there are places where support can be found.

Really, take the time to explore Buenos Aires' various communities. Some of my favorite memories were meeting Armenian, Chinese, and Venezuelan immigrants in Buenos Aires. Some might say that Argentina is not really Latin America, but its history of immigration, treatment of the indigenous, and cultural mixing demonstrate how it is a New World country.