The laid-back culture of Buenos Aires gives University of Alabama students the chance to experience a different pace and culture than what home has to offer.
“There were no real time constraints,” Avery Moore, who studied in Buenos Aires last spring, said about the city’s lifestyle. “People sit in cafes for hours at a time enjoying each other’s company, enjoy getting lost in museums and parks and enjoy socializing in an intimate setting.”
Moore, a senior majoring in Spanish and marketing, studied in Buenos Aires through CISabroad, one of the 14 affiliate programs partnered with The University of Alabama.
CISabroad offers two opportunities for studying in Argentina, including a semester program or a summer program, according to CISabroad.com. Both programs place students in Belgrano and Palermo. Students study at Universidad de Belgrano, located in Belgrano, and reside in Palermo. The program offers Spanish classes at all levels and opportunitites for trips around the area with CISabroad staff, interacting with the community and experiencing Argentinian culture first-hand.
(See also “Affiliates offer flexibility for study abroad students“)
During her time in Argentina through CISabroad, Moore said she noticed that many Argentinian people seem to live more in the moment than Americans.
“iPhones are not a commodity, nor are laptops or iPads,” Moore said. “There’s much more verbal interaction amongst people rather than long phone conversations or text messaging.”
Heath Thompson, a study abroad coordinator for The University of Alabama, also studied in Buenos Aires. He said he enjoyed experiencing the lifestyle that focused more on the present.
“Whether it was two- to three-hour dinner with friends or my host family, lounging in tango clubs until the early morning hours or simply strolling through the city for leisure, the moments I miss the most are those with a heavy focus on enjoying life and those around you,” Thompson said.
The relaxed atmosphere is due in part to the education system. Pete Pajor, a junior majoring in Spanish and public relations, is currently studying in Buenos Aires through AIFS, a study abroad program that offers both semester and summer programs at Universidad de Belgrano. Pajor said the eliminated cost of post-secondary education and Friday classes change the typical “college experience” and contribute to the city’s lifestyle.
(See also “Study abroad experiences teach life lessons“)
“Because all schooling is free, there is no rush for students to get their degree,” Pajor explained. “The average student will finish their degree in anywhere from five or six years to 10 years. It’s a very open-ended process, because school is usually a secondary objective behind working. It’s also common to start and just not finish, as there isn’t a financial obligation to attend because they’re not paying tuition.”
Another thing both Moore and Pajor said they noticed in Argentina is the favorable exchange rate between U.S. dollars and the Argentinian peso. According to Bloomberg.com, the website for the financial software company Bloomberg L.P., one U.S. dollar currently equals 7.91 pesos. This rate expands the opportunities available to American students in Argentina.
Pajor, who has traveled to or lived in many corners of the globe, said studying or traveling abroad showed him how accessible the rest of the world truly is.
“One of the best things that studying abroad, or really even extensive traveling, teaches someone is that the world really isn’t all that big of a place,” Pajor said. “It’s far too easy to be in America and hold the perception that the rest of the world is too far away, too big to be accessible. This just isn’t the case. It isn’t until you leave the U.S. and actually talk to others in foreign countries that you realize how small of the place this planet is.”
(See also “Fashion, interior design students study abroad“)
