Student Profiles

Carlotta Harold, Tulane University

It’s hard to put words to my experience in Buenos Aires. I fell a little bit in love with the city, enamored with its eclectic architecture and busy streets. However, when I was asked what my favorite part about Buenos Aires was, I could not, for the life of me, come up with an answer.

I met the city of Buenos Aires through its people. I didn’t go to every interesting attraction in the city. I don’t know all of the neighborhoods. I didn’t walk through every park. I couldn’t really tell you where the best place to eat is, since I ate most meals at home. I knew the paths I walked each day, and I knew them well. I did not learn this city through its spaces. 

However, I met Buenos Aires by bumping into Sandra, walking her dog one Wednesday afternoon, waving at her excitedly from across the street. Through the ice cream seller, Carlos, who goes by Charly because he likes how it sounds. He gave me endless advice about what to do when I visited Iguazu. By watching Carol, my host mom, through the big windows in our living room, working in the beautiful garden she built up inch by inch. Through the women in my Zumba class who came in late and waited for the song to finish to kiss each and every person on the cheek. Through the mother and daughter, both in bright red lipstick, who I met one night at a colectivo shop and who did not stop talking to me even when we could not hear each other over the cacophony that is a Buenos Aires bus.

Perhaps that is why I cannot pin down an answer to my favorite part about the city. Because there is no one part I love. It is the people, the energy, the small, everyday things about Buenos Aires that made me fall in love with it.

Avi Helft, Amherst College

I was super nervous (to say the least) walking into my first class in Buenos Aires. I didn’t know anyone, my Spanish still felt rusty, and I had no idea what to expect. I sat next to a stranger, and after a few moments, she turned to me and asked if I drank mate. I tentatively said yes, as I’d been gifted a mate for my birthday a few days before by my wonderful host mom. From that day on, we shared a mate every class, and over time, we became really close friends. It was one of the many small moments that reflected the warmth of Buenos Aires, and that made me feel less like a tourist and more like I belonged. 

I chose Argentina for the language, food, and history. While these were all essential elements of my semester (I think I ate upwards of 250 empanadas and countless choripanes over my 5 months), the unplanned experiences made my time there truly unforgettable. For example, my host mom, an economics teacher, offered me the chance to be her teaching assistant for a high school class, a challenge that pushed my Spanish (and my patience) in ways I hadn’t imagined. I saw the best and the worst of Buenos Aires, from historical remnants of the brutal dictatorship to a River Plate game at the Monumental, the world’s largest-capacity professional soccer stadium. I traveled all over – from Iguazú falls to the stunning lakes and mountains of Bariloche, where, on a grueling hike to Refugio Frey, my friends and I nearly turned back before I remembered the Mogul gummies in my pocket, which gave us just enough of a sugar rush to make it to the top.

My experience would not be complete without the buena onda (roughly, “good vibes”) of my host city, its residents, and my program peers. Buenos Aires is an intensely political, passionate, and inviting city, from “Las Malvinas son Argentinas” painted on every bus to hours-long charlas (chats) after nearly every meal and afternoon coffee shop study sessions. My sense of community and connection felt so strong that, upon returning to the city after a week-long trip, I felt like I was returning home.

Francesca Guthrie, Tufts University

Studying in Buenos Aires was a once-in-a-lifetime experience that I recommend to everyone who’s looking to challenge themselves and vastly expand their worldview. I developed a soul connection with my homestay mother, who is a fellow musician. She and I went to countless concerts, recitals, and theatrical productions around the city, and I plan on staying in touch with her for years to come.

I fell in love with Argentina and loved the person I became abroad; the things I thought about on a day-to-day basis changed drastically, and it really forced me to reflect on my privilege. It put my degree from an American university into context by immersing me in a country whose educational system is very different. This was challenging but incredibly rewarding. I became a much more resilient person in Argentina, on top of becoming fluent in Spanish. I also was lucky to travel to so many beautiful, new places and even see Messi play for the Argentinian national team. I will think and talk about my semester in Buenos Aries for the rest of my life, and I miss it with my entire heart.

May May Drimer, The College of William and Mary

The phrase “study abroad” seems inadequate to describe my time in Buenos Aires. Instead, I would describe living and studying in Argentina as “finding my home away from home.” By immersing myself in the culture, meeting new people, and stepping outside of my comfort zone, I established myself in a city of endless possibilities.

Upon arrival, worries of language barriers constantly ran through my mind. Would I be able to understand the accent? Is my Spanish advanced enough to make friends? However, these worries were quickly cast aside, as Porteños (Argentinians from Buenos Aires) welcomed me with open arms. Classmates at my local university offered to make a group chat to help with any questions and to eat lunch together after class. Taxi drivers and strangers in line frequently asked questions about my presence in Argentina, curious as to why I chose to come to Buenos Aires. 

On the first day of my internship at the Mental Health Hospital, my coworkers offered to share their mate with me and immediately included me in daily operations. By shadowing psychologists and working with patients diagnosed with schizophrenia at the hospital, I grew my Spanish medical vocabulary immensely. I even lead my own workshop on art therapy, combining two of my passions: art and public health.  

Week by week, I found my routine in Buenos Aires, transforming it from a large, foreign city to a home where I belonged. My routine included taking weekly stained-glass classes and exploring unique restaurants with friends. On holiday weekends, I traveled to the waterfalls of Iguazu, wineries of Mendoza, and colorful mountains of Jujuy. However, when the plane touched down in Jorge Newbery Airport of Buenos Aires, I looked forward to returning to my familiar place. 

My warm welcome truly embodies my experience in Argentina as a whole. Although living abroad presents challenges, the personal connections and exposure to new cultures are incomparable. I look back on my time in Buenos Aires not as a foreigner who came and left, but as a global student who established roots in their second home.

Sophie Mueller, Middlebury College

I’ve always been scared of horses. But, when an Argentine friend from my university asked me to take a polo class after school, I jumped at the opportunity to hang out with my new friends. The next week, I found myself on the way to a local equestrian club. After some initial nerves, I ended up really enjoying whacking around the bocha while trotting on my horse on the polo field. The laughter with my friends afterwards over mate and alfajores is what I enjoyed most about that day.

My semester in Argentina helped me to get out of my comfort zone, learn more about another culture, and about myself. I traveled on my first solo trip in Argentina to Mendoza, where I spent a day rafting and ziplining in Potrerillos, a day exploring the Andes, and a day wine tasting in Uco Valley. The experiences were amazing, but the highlight of my trip was making friends with a Brazilian couple and getting to practice my Portuguese throughout the weekend. I am so thankful for the people who invited me to share special moments in Argentina - from celebrating my host mom’s birthday asado, chatting with my professors about my thesis research, cheering on Boca with a group at the Bombonera, exploring neighborhoods with my high school host sister from Mar del Plata, eating at traditional bodegones with classmates, and everything in between. While there were plenty of challenges, the friends that shared these moments with me are what I will remember most.

Bridget Stauss, Amherst College

When friends and family ask me how my time in Buenos Aires was, I am always at a loss for words. I usually respond with a superlative like “amazing” or “fantastic,” but truly no words can accurately convey the entirety of my experience. From the amazing hiking trips in Patagonia and the political marches in the city to the calm moments sipping mate in the Palermo parks and everything in between, my experience in Buenos Aires was enthralling, challenging, and ultimately indescribable. Buenos Aires is a city with an incredible history, political energy, and culture – there is always something to do or an event to attend. Art museums, concerts, feminist meetings, Orgullo, drum circles, boliches – you name it. The people I met in Buenos Aires were kind-hearted, welcoming, and passionate. I learned so much about Argentine history and culture just during the dinners I had with my host mom and the conversations I had with my Argentinian friends. It was not easy – I frequently made mistakes in the language, occasionally hopped on the wrong subte, and had to work hard in my classes – but my experience was all the more rewarding for these challenges. Buenos Aires is a dynamic, living city – it cannot be described accurately in a short paragraph. I am so grateful that I was able to experience it.

Maren Walsh, Middlebury College

The semester I spent in Buenos Aires felt simultaneously like the shortest semester of my life and also the longest. Between studying, attending political marches, forcing my Argentinian friends to teach me how to cook, seeking out the best views in every corner of the country, and drinking an absurd amount of café con leche, the time somehow just slipped away. However, when I think back on all the things I did, I can’t figure out how I possibly fit that much into a five-month period. When they say there’s always something to do in Buenos Aires, they aren’t kidding. There is a truly infinite number of music events, art exhibits, ice cream shops, and unique neighborhoods to explore. More importantly, there’s always someone interesting to meet. By far the best part of my semester were the friends I made in surprising places— convenience stores, taxis, the leftist newspaper stand in front of my university, tango venues, boliches (nightclubs), feminist art fairs, non-profit fundraising events… One of the special things about arriving in a city where you don’t know anyone is that it makes you more open to get to know everyone, and I’m grateful that Buenos Aires welcomed me with arms wide.