Some of my best days abroad were definitely when I traveled, but I have also loved just feeling like I live here. I traveled to Salta and Jujuy (two provinces of Argentina) with my friend Liza for a weekend, and I saw some of the most incredible landscapes and sights I have ever seen. In addition, the group and I have done little excursions through the program, such as to Tigre or to an Estancia, and those were always fun. I also visited some historical landmarks and well-known places to visit around Buenos Aires, such as the Recoleta Cemetery, Caminito, the Obelisk, and Plaza de Mayo, with the group. Aside from any traveling or excursions, just living normal a life here has been such a wonderful experience. I’ve enjoyed spending days doing normal things like going to a café or even just taking the subway.
Academically, I feel there is not too much of a difference. I would say the rigor was about the same, but I would say the biggest difference is the fact you are in a new location. At times it was difficult to manage class on top of wanting to explore this beautiful new place.
Some of the most important things I learned were about daily lives here and, of course, Spanish. Learning how people in another country live their daily lives has been amazing to experience. How people get to work or classes, what times of day they eat and what they regularly eat, and what people do in their free time. Being able to step out of how you live your daily life and experience another is just a really wonderful experience and can be really eye opening. Aside from this, Spanish was one of the most important things I learned. My reason for studying abroad was to improve my Spanish, so the fact that I was able to do this and can see my progress is huge. And the more I continue with Spanish the more I realize how important it is to me. Overall, both my experience with Spanish and what I learned about other daily lives has me thinking more about living in a different country.