Abroad in Buenos Aires, Argentina

Matthew Helfond

Global Engagement Report

Introduction

I studied abroad during Fall 2015 in Buenos Aires, Argentina with the IES Abroad program called, “Latin American Societies and Cultures.” When I landed in Buenos Aires, I was so nervous and excited to get started on my program moving in to my homestay that I realized I should have practiced my Spanish a lot more. I was able to find a travel agency that would provide a taxi for me and I was on my way. I thought that it would be a good idea to call my host parents to tell them that I was on my way, but I had difficulty speaking Spanish, and I didn’t have a working phone in Argentina until later during my first week there. I managed to ask the taxi driver in Spanish that I needed to borrow his phone so that I could call my host parents to tell them that I would arrive soon. I was able to get a hold of someone on the phone, but I had trouble hearing due to poor cell phone reception and difficulty understanding the Spanish. I ended up giving the taxi driver’s phone back to him so that he could call my host parents and communicate the message clearly. This event marked the starting point of my adventure where I can now say I am pretty much fluent to the point where this difficult task then, would be very easy now.

Housing

I lived in a homestay, but there was also the option to live in a dorm style apartment complex where meals would be served to you in a cafeteria or you could eat out at one of the many small restaurants on every block. This type of atmosphere allows for students to live together and learn from each other, typically living with other study abroad students from different countries. However, students living in the apartments in Buenos Aires do not get as much insight about life and safety tips as one would get from their host family. At my homestay, I lived with another student on my program, along with our host parents. My host parents have lived in Buenos Aires all their lives and told us all about the city such as where to go and where not to go at night. My host parents have had many past study abroad students live with them and their experience with the program made it very easy and enjoyable to live there.

Other students on my program had mixed feelings about their living arrangements. Some loved living in the apartments where they bonded with their roommates and other students living there and felt more independent to experience Buenos Aires. But at the same time, some felt that it would have been better if they lived in a homestay to truly experience Argentine culture and eat traditional home-cooked food. There were also a few students who did not like their homestays and even requested to live in a different homestay because they did not get along with their host parents. Most students on my program who lived in a homestay really liked theirs and it was more enjoyable for them because most of these students (myself included) lived with another student on our program so it was very easy to relate and talk to the other student about living there.

If you choose to live in a homestay, there is no additional fee that you need to pay for the program. There is an extra fee if you live in a residence hall in the dorms. At the homestay, breakfast and dinner are included Monday through Friday and typically breakfast is included on the weekend. At the residence halls, you will get breakfast everyday and 5 additional meal vouchers per week. At a homestay, you are guaranteed a private room, whereas at a residence hall you are assigned at least one roommate. There is access to the Internet at both locations through Wi-Fi, but at homestays it is common but not guaranteed. If you want to use a kitchen at your homestay, this would be discussed with your host parents and at a residence hall there are a limited number of communal kitchens utensils available. You would pay for laundry separately, most likely going to a nearby Laundromat or have other arrangements (for me my host parents had a housekeeper who did our laundry at an extra price). There are also quiet hours after 11pm enforced at the dorms and quiet hour times can be discussed with your host parents at your homestay.

Finances

In comparison to the United States, Argentine food, transportation, and various services like a barbershop are cheaper. You can buy a decent sized lunch for about $6 USD or about 90 ARS (Argentine pesos). I would not recommend buying clothes in Argentina because they are much more expensive there. As one of my Spanish professors told us, buying clothes in Buenos Aires is a rip-off and not worth it. The exchange rate from USD to ARS is always changing, but over the past few years the exchange rate has been about $1 USD to anywhere from 9 ARS (the bank rate or official rate) to 15 ARS (the informal market rate, the rate where students exchange money). With the constant changes in exchange rate you should not exchange all of your money at one point in time, otherwise the rate could get better later on (or get worse) as it changes quickly, maybe 0.50 ARS or more per week. Unless you notice the rate is continuing to decrease over the time period of a month or two, then exchange more money, but only what you think you will need. If you are planning to go on long travel excursions, you should bring more money to account for that or bring a credit card, as some travel plans can be purchased online. In Buenos Aires, you cannot go to an ATM to withdraw money. Students usually plan on a day trip or weekend trip to Uruguay where you can withdraw USD from an ATM. Travel checks are not recommended, as most places do not accept them, so you should bring both cash and a credit/debit card.

Academics

Students on this program should expect delays in terms of when classes start and when homework assignments are due. For all classes it is okay if you arrive 15 minutes late, otherwise, after then you will be marked tardy. Homework assignments are scheduled to be due on a certain day, but sometimes the professor may push the assignment back to be due on a later date.

The workload for this program compared to SCU felt like much less because the amount of homework and the amount of material that we learned in the semester was spread out much more than the 10 weeks we have at SCU. In comparison to SCU, there is about the same level of participation required in classes and class sizes are usually around 10 students (depending on the number of students on your program). There are tests and midterms that are very similar to SCU, but do not cover as much material as SCU classes. If you attend classes at a partner university, you are graded on a scale from 1 to 10 where a 10 is an A and a 4 is a C and is considered passing the class. Later, the number score that you receive will be adjusted to a letter grade. But at the IES Abroad Center, where you will take most of your classes, they emphasize the grading system at SCU of A, B, C, and so on.

Student Life

The IES Abroad Center is located on the 12th and 13th floors of an office building along the street of “La Avenida 9 de Julio” where classes are held on both floors. There is a small library space where you can study and has books and movies that you can check out too. The 12th floor is separated into two sides (one on both sides of the elevators) where there are classrooms on both sides and places to work in groups on homework. The 13th floor has a large open room where a lot of planned events are held and the 13th floor is reserved for eating lunch where students have a small refrigerator and microwave to share. Most students either walk a block or two to grab lunch or order delivery. There is enough space to work and study with other students. On the 12th floor, there are two computers that can be used and they are the only ones that can be used to print papers or homework. If you bring a computer to work, you have to use one of the computers there to print anything that you need. There are options to join clubs or play sports at the partner university, UCA (Universidad Católica Argentina) that you can join at the beginning of the semester. As part of the IES Abroad program, you are required to take one class at UCA that is located in Puerto Madero (the newest part of the city) that is a big university with many different campus locations throughout Buenos Aires.

Social Life

During the first week of orientation, you do not have classes and this gives you a good amount of time to get acquainted with the city and have time to make new friends with students on the program. You have time to go out to eat with friends and explore the neighborhoods where you live. If you go to any park (they call it a plaza) you will see many people relaxing and so you can talk with them and strike a conversation. Because of their open and passionate culture, most are open to talk, even about religion and politics. They will especially ask you about U.S. politics and you will need to most likely defend the U.S. for certain stereotypes or ideas that they have of the people and life in the U.S.

One activity that students can take part in include playing soccer with an organized league called FC BAFA (Buenos Aires Fútbol Amigos) where you can sign up to play for a day with a small team of 5. A few students on my program did this and they had a great time playing and practicing their Spanish. There are also street fairs on Sundays in two common areas of one near the Recoleta Cemetery and one in San Telmo. There are also many famous art museums to visit such as the MALBA (Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires or the Latin American Art Museum of Buenos Aires), Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes (the National Fine Arts Museum) and the Museo de Arte Moderno de Buenos Aires (the Museum of Modern Art in of Buenos Aires).

Engagement

While I was in Buenos Aires, I participated in an internship with the company called RACI (Red Argentina de la Cooperación Internacional or the Argentine Network for International Cooperation). My job tasks including translating documents from English to Spanish and vice versa. I also updated spreadsheets with information of new organizations that RACI now works with in Argentina. Two other students on my program worked at RACI as well and it was nice to relate with them and we could help each other out if any of us had questions about something. The three of us were the only people who spoke English fluently, so it was very helpful to have them there.

There is also the option of service learning where you help out at a nonprofit organization during the semester. Both of these options are considered classes that you take at the IES Center, with participation in certain organizations. For both options, you can choose from a pre-approved list of organizations and then you can interview at as many as you would like to find the right place for you. These classes allowed us to think about a business setting in a different culture for the internship and to learn more about the needs of the community through service learning.

Religion

Argentina has a population that is primarily Catholic, but also has a large variety of other religious communities, including Protestant and Jewish communities. There are many churches in the city to go to for mass and the people are very welcoming and open to your religious views. This extends into a regular conversation with an Argentine, where they will ask you personal questions about your religious or political views. This is part of the open and passionate culture of Argentina where they find it normal and natural to talk about religion and politics.

Race/Ethnicity

During the first week, we had a few orientation sessions that taught us about the ethnic background of Argentines. The majority of the population is Spanish and Italian, with some German and French influence, as well as a mestizo, or mixed, ethnic group. So, the population of Buenos Aires is mostly white.

Gender and Sexuality

One main difference in terms of gender and sexuality in Argentina compared to our U.S. standpoint is the openness of men to express their affections towards women. When walking through a park, couples are very open and expressive when it comes to their public displays of affection. Female students got a lot of attention that was pretty clear to see from the Argentine men who would stare or give catcalls.

Socio-economic

When I was in Argentina, I noticed how well off my host family was compared to other people living in different neighborhoods in the city of Buenos Aires. I lived in Recoleta, which is one of the richest parts of the city and less than a mile away, separated by railroad tracks, is one of the poorest slums in all of Argentina. No solid standing structures are built in that area and it has very little access to drinkable water, other basic resources, and a decent standard of living.

I noticed that I came from a more well off background living in the United States when compared to Argentina. I also noticed a difference in socio-economic status with my host family’s housekeeper who cooked, cleaned, and did our laundry. She was from Paraguay and she moved to Argentina to get a good job and have a higher standard of living than if she stayed and worked in Paraguay. Even though she lived in a smaller room than what I had, she was able to live in our host family’s apartment with good safety and health standards.

The differences in socio-economic status were very apparent to me when I went on an IES sponsored trip to Salta and Jujuy in the northern part of Argentina. There, most, if not everyone living there was considered a “mestizo” or from a mixed ethnic background. Everyone lived in small, adobe brick-built structures, much smaller than anything you would see in Buenos Aires. While living back on campus at Santa Clara, I noticed the buildings are much cleaner and have stronger infrastructures than most buildings in Buenos Aires.