Aisa

How did you prepare for your stay abroad? What practical arrangements did you make before the exchange?

I personally had a really good look at the culture and city I was going to go into. I didn’t have to directly prepare myself for the language, as I already spoke it, but did have a look into the vocabulary and slang. I looked up information about the city and country. As our university has an ESN organization, I was able to get to know students from the University I planned to travel to, they were also a great help in the preparation, as they told me about things such as public transport, and some places to look out for. There are also some practical pieces of information that are worth gathering before your stay: will you need a cable adaptor? Will you get a SIM card, or an E-SIM? What are some safety measures you may not consider (in Buenos Aires in particular, Uber was really cheap, and advised for going home late at night, taking out your phone, taking your passport with you…). Apart from Argentinian exchange students, I also surfed a lot of online forums (Reddit) and articles.

How were you welcomed by the host institution?

We were greeted with a one-day orientation day (as opposed to the orientation week Technikum offers), where we received all our essential information about our academic experience, some of the student organizations, contact information, as well as some tips for navigating the city in a safe manner. We also received breakfast, a much appreciated goodie bag and even a short tango class, which was great for breaking the ice among students. Our entrance cards were also handed to us that day. For some (I knew someone personally), those that were unable to arrive before this date, missed almost all of the essential information, as all of it was concentrated on one day. After that, the next day, we had a city tour, and eventually an international dinner during the semester.

How was studying at the host university?

The lectures were well organized. Compared to Technikum I found especially noticeable that the hours were longer (the standard were 3h classes, I had an exception for one of my courses, where the classes where only 2h long. The teachers although (in my experience) were mostly more laid back during the classes, were much harsher with corrections and evaluations. Although dependent on the course, most courses were structured so that we had two partial exams, and a final. Most exams had a very limited amount of questions, and a criteria of having at least 50% of the answers completely correct.

All in all, as someone who speaks Spanish more fluently then German, I found the level and Academic experience very much satisfactory, and quite challenging. It is also important to note that the highly demanding academic level also somewhat limites the possibility for travel, but there are quite a few subjects that are a bit lighter. Most classes, even English friendly ones, were in Spanish.

How would you describe the country, the culture and the leisure activities you experienced during your stay abroad?

Very friendly and welcoming. Their basic, surface-interactions are already much warmer that I’ve experienced so far. They really enjoy talking and sharing a drink or two together, especially if it’s mate :).

About finding a room/apartment and accommodation

I found my room first on Airbnb (the prices are/were similar to renting a room an any other platform or though a private source). I eventually moved to another location. Instead of a room, this was a single apartment, which I found on MercadoFacil (equivalent to Amazon).

What financial precautions did you take? What was the average cost of living?

The living expenses were quite high, and comparable to Spain (a bit cheaper than Vienna at the time). It’s important to notice that the prices increased very rapidly there, even through the 5-6 months that I had spent there. Meat was much cheaper, and better quality, while vegetables were much more expensive (except pumpkin, which was very cheap). Clothes, paper, toilet paper were all surprisingly expensive. Living expenses were also quite high, my first airbnb room was 422€/month, while for the single apartment I paid about 510$/month.

For convertions and getting pesos, I highly recommend Western Union, as it gives the best convertible rate. Take into consideration that the first transfer is without any fees, so it’s advisable to take out a large amount.

Do you have any tips on what else to consider?

Reach out to the students that went there previously, we are glad to help :). WhatsApp groups are your friend. For the medical insurance, I recommend PAX Insurance, it was the one I had.

What new skills and qualities have you acquired?

I definitely gained a deeper appreciation of the acknowledgement of culture and cultural differences, especially between people who speak the same language, but come from different backgrounds. I definitely feel more confident navigating and managing myself in international and cross-cultural environments, even with high (academic) pressure. My communication skills in said scenarios have definitely grown. I also feel like I’ve gained empathy and forgiveness, a lot of the times, any frustration, offense I’ve felt just boils down to cultural differences, and when I realize it’s not something personal, just a misunderstanding or cultural difference, it’s much easier to let go and forgive.

Looking back, what was the biggest challenge in preparing for or during your stay abroad?

Personally, before my arrival, and even during my stay, the financial aspect was one of the hardest and most challenging ones.

As fur during, being so far from my family, was really taxing, and especially knowing that if anything were to happen, I had no direct or easy way to contact them, or to go back to them.