Beautiful and formative study abroad experience

I knew I wanted my study abroad experience to be driven by a total cultural immersion, a mix of invigorating classes taught in a foreign language, and a beautiful, accessible scenery I could engage with both passively and intentionally. I wanted to take advantage of my one semester abroad where I could really live embedded within a new country and internalize a language and culture even as a foreigner, and SIT's Argentina: People, Environment, and Climate Change in Patagonia and Antarctica program did just that, all through an incredibly supportive and receptive system of instructors and program directors. The curriculum was fantastic, taught by a mix of researchers at the local research station CADIC-CONICET, and encompassing everything from marine biology, local indigenous history, to classes on current political atmospheres and movements of the region. On top of having an engaging curriculum, the field excursions were easily the most memorable trips of my life, seeing the expansive topographic diversity of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago, to actual Antarctica. The host family experience was incredibly fruitful as well, and helped me solidify my Spanish and my cultural understanding of the region. I cannot recommend this program enough. I never felt alone, and I knew I was facing every challenge of living and learning in a new country with the support system of an incredible panel of program directors with whom I interacted with every day.