CEA CAPA Education Abroad in Buenos Aires, Argentina

Exploring Buenos Aires, Argentina with CEA CAPA was an incredible experience. From the dedicated on-site staff, Maggie and Flor, to my wonderful host-mom, Alejandra, brilliant teacher Mercedes, and everyone in between, the people of Argentina are some of the friendliest and genuine people I have ever met. It is such a vibrant, safe, and well connected city. The public transit is easy to navigate and the CEA CAPA staff make sure you are comfortable getting to where you need to go day one. Studying abroad was important to me because, as a computer science major, I often see students say that it is too hard to study abroad within the rigorous schedule of their major, but it is 100% possible! I took zero CS related courses while abroad and focused completely on learning Spanish. Buenos Aires, is a great place to learn Spanish! Once you get comfortable with the accent (which I found to be a lot less daunting then everyone said), people are eager to converse with you and often have lots of patience when they come to realize you are not a native speaker. I recommend to any future travelers to get out and explore the many parks throughout the city. They are a source of so much beauty and allow you to connect with so many locals (there are often pop-up markets, tango dancing in the plazas, food vendors, and more).

I really enjoyed the four months I spent in Buenos Aires through the CEA CAPA program. I loved getting to know my host mom and I met so many people within my program and at my Argentine institution. The international program at Universidad de Belgrano was a bit separate from the Argentine students, so there weren't any Argentine students in my class, but I still met a couple of them and got lunch every now and then. I loved the friends I made though and we explored the city together and even travelled to different popular destinations in Argentina. We went to Patagonia where we went to the southernmost city in the world, Ushuaia, trekked on the famous Perito Moreno glacier in El Calafate, and hiked the famous Fitz Roy trail in El Chalten. We went to Iguazú Falls--a natural wonder of the world--and saw views of beautiful waterfalls amongst a jungle landscape. We went to Salta and Jujuy and saw beautiful mountain views, colonial towns, and folkloric dancing. We went to Mendoza and rode on horseback in the Andes. Buenos Aires is an incredible city with café culture, a rich history of tango, a lively nightlife, lots of mate drinking, a strong passion for soccer, great food such as empanadas and steak, and friendly people. The city is also a great place to live if you have dietary restrictions because there are lots of gluten free bakeries and vegan cafes and restaurants. I improved my Spanish a lot by speaking with my host mom and some of her good friends, interacting with locals at markets and in shops, and taking four Spanish classes at an Argentine institution. Living in Argentina was also very cost efficient because things were very inexpensive (besides imported good such as clothing). For example, a coffee would typically cost just over 2 dollars. However, inflation is a constant in Argentina that people there are very used to. Their money situation can be complex and they have three exchange rates, which can make it difficult for tourists. They are also a very cash-based society. I recommend looking into your credit card rate for Argentina specifically and trying to use the Blue Dollar rate by exchanging at exchange houses with cash instead of using ATMs. Phone stealing is also common and something to be wary of. Another thing to be aware of is that the schedule there is very different--things start much later such as lunch around 2, merienda or snack around 5-7 and dinner around 9 pm. I would recommend Buenos Aires to anyone looking to learn Spanish, travel to beautiful places, and experience a unique, fun culture.

Studying abroad with CEA in Buenos Aires was the experience of a lifetime. I learned so much about the culture, the language, and myself. The CEA staff in Argentina are absolutely wonderful. They are so helpful and personable, which made the experience so much smoother. I took the intensive Spanish course at the advanced level and learned so much. I also gained so much confidence in my Spanish-speaking ability just through my every day use of it in the city and with my host mom. I absolutely loved my host mom and roommates, they helped me to have the best time. There were really great events and excursions put on by CEA that helped me get to know the country and my peers in the program. I would recommend CEA and Buenos Aires to anyone who wants to study abroad, and I would do it all over again in a heartbeat.