CEA CAPA Education Abroad in Buenos Aires, Argentina

Known for its cafés and strolls down cobblestone roads, Buenos Aires left that impression on me as well, and so much more. My favorite experiences in BA was waking up early one cold morning and walking a couple miles to meet with my classmates for an excursion. Being that no one in BA gets up earlier than 9am, the streets we completely silent and all I could hear were the birds and my shoes as they hit the distressed pavement on every step. As per usual, I stepped into a random café and got myself a medialuna (croissant-like pastry) and a cortado (a shot of espresso and milk) and continued on to my destination.
Aside from giving us the chance to experience the everyday life in Buenos Aires, CAPA gave us the unique opportunity to immerse ourselves in the professional lives of Argentinians in the Healthcare field. The curriculum of the Comparative Healthcare Systems Seminar not only exposed us to their healthcare systems and how they work, but we were also given a brief history of Argentina and history of healthcare. This interdisciplinary form of teaching allows us to have a deeper understanding of who makes up the population, where they reside, and their views on health which then allows us to better absorb our experiences when visiting clinics and hospitals. This is an example of CAPA does its best to give us a unique form of immersion; informed immersion.
The one thing I liked about the program coordination was that this was very well structured but the faculty and staff were flexible as well. CAPA does its best to make sure you obtain the goals you would like to achieve while abroad. For example, I was determined to shadow a physician at some point during my trip. Even though it wasn’t originally on the schedule, our faculty were able to ensure that my goals were met and had a fulfilling experience.
My best advice would be to take hold of the reigns and be proactive in reaching the goals you would like to achieve. It may seem that some aspect of the curriculum or schedule is lacking to your interests or missing something you would like to experience, there is no harm in trying to be instrumental in the programs’ service to you. CAPA is always willing to hear your voice and to implement change.

I really loved studying abroad with CEA here in Buenos Aires. The staff is really great and helpful, and go out of their way to help us find activities to participate in, great food to eat, and fun places to go in our free time. The study center was kind of strange, because it was very different than a normal campus feel that I am used to. That being said, we had a lounge where we could hang out with free coffee and tea, a more quiet computer lab/study room with several computers and free printing, and a place to store things during the day if we needed to. I enjoyed the classes as well, because I honestly knew close to nothing about Argentina before coming and I feel that I have learned a lot. We went on several weekend/day trips, some with CEA and some on our own. I felt like a lot of planning went into these CEA trips and I really appreciated that! As far as enjoying my time in the city or travelling on my own, that was totally up to me. The staff did a great job of keeping us informed about what things were happening in the city so that we could always have something to do. I know that some of my friends here complained a lot about the workload and that we always had so many assignments that we did not have any free time, but honestly that's not true!!! I really feel that the workload was completely appropriate for university level courses.

Before going abroad, I wasn't quite sure about the academic rigor abroad. I didn't know it would be similar to American style of classes or of it would be something completely different. To my surprise, I actually liked the Argentinian style of academics. On Monday through Thursday (didn't have school on Friday) I would wake up around 7:15am for a 20-40 minute commute to school. I would generally end the day around 3:00-4:00pm. The great thing was that my weekend started at 12:30pm on Thursday so I could use the weekend to travel. I like the style of school so that each 3-credit class would be held on one day. However with this method, I had to make sure to stay on top of my studies because only having class once a week was way different then I was used to. In addition, college in Argentina is way more independent in a lot of ways. Most students live at home so the whole sense of college being a community, that is fostered in America, is quite foreign to them. That being said, there are many extra curricular actives or even a traditional campus in that sense.

The international classes in English were relatively the same amount of work as my home university. Much of the workload consisted of readings. There was rarely homework which may come to a surprise for some. Although many may favor this, it may be difficult for some to adjust to because of the amount of self-discipline and self-management it is. I enrolled in one direct enrollment class within the University. The class was in Spanish for 4.5 hours every Thursday. The great part the class is that I learned a whole new host of business jargon and acumen in Spanish. Like most classes, the grades consisted of two major test--the midterm and the final. That being said, students are given to pass if he or she did not perform well the first time.

My program director gave an immense amount of support. She was very hands-on and made sure that I was always doing well. She assured me that it would take some time to get used to the new way of schooling but that I would pick up on it soon enough.

For those concerned about living conditions, if you are independent and social, I would definitely recommend staying with other international students or having your own place. While a home-stay is ideal because it generally comes with prepared meals and stability, I think it took away from me fully being able to experience the culture with people my age. However, my host-mother and I always engaged in great conversation about Argentinian politics and pop culture over dinner. I would have rather lived with other international students to learn more about their culture and their abroad experiences. I think you will find that going abroad is much more of the norm in other cultures than it is in America. For many students, Argentina was the last place in their expedition of Latin America. If you would like to rent apartment, they are relatively cheap in comparison America and often come with amenities included.

If you love great beef and empanadas, you are in for a treat. Much of the food has European influences. There are a lot of options ranging from pasta, pizza, asado (grilled beef and chicken), excellent wine, medialunas (croissant like pastries), and sweet alfajores. It may take sometime to get adjusted to the lack of typical American food, but there are a few good wing and burger spots throughout the city. Argentina has some of the best beef I've ever tasted--no seasoning needed. Their artisan style pizza, consumed with fork and knife, may not be your typical experience eating pizza. Take a chance and venture our to the local parillas and fine dining locations. The shawarma may just be your favorite late night food too!

I felt very integrated during my trip. In actuality, it was harder dealing with reverse culture shock upon my return to the States. I met many new people, whose I still communicate with every day. Being a black man, I felt more respect there than in the US in many instances. The culture is laid-back and relaxed, correlating to the slow place of life. The nation is heavily bound together by its love for soccer. As seen during the World Cup, avid "fútbol" fans too the streets to celebrate after each victory. The culture is fun and hip with the nightlife extending early into the morning (around 7:30-8:00am. The people are warm hearted and brought a gregarious side out of me I never knew I had.

Buenos Aires is an incredible, life-changing, big bustling european city. However, there is no reason to go to this incredible country and spend all of your time with other students from the United States. There are a few opportunities to connect with local people if you explore outside of your comfort zone but I would highly recommend doing an exchange or taking classes at Belgrano instead. The professors are nice and everyone has the best of intentions but I feel that it would have been much better for my Spanish if I hadn't been surrounded by other English speakers constantly. I met many students from other programs who also were in a similar situation. Host families always vary but essentially many of the programs offer the same services.

My recommendation is to choose a program provider that doesn't include trips. You can always plan the same trips on your own. Usually much more affordably as well. This way you can go when you want to go, where you want to go and you can go with the people you want to! On these planned trips you are usually grouped in on a massive bus full of other american students.

Otherwise, CEA was lovely. I wouldn't regret spending a semester in Argentina for a second. I only regret not taking a bigger risk and doing an exchange or direct enroll program with other spanish speaking students.

I studied abroad with CEA spring of 2012 and I did the liberal arts program at the Global Campus. My experience was amazing. I never thought that I would learn so much about myself, the U.S. and the Argentine culture!
I stayed in Eldita's residencia which was the perfect fit for me. It was the perfect balance between homestay and dorm. I was surrounded by tons of friends, yet I could go into the kitchen and talk to Elda in spanish for hours if I wanted to. Elda doesn't speak any english so in order to communicate with her you have to speak spanish.
Some of my favorite things that I did in Argentina was the Iguazu Falls trip that we went on with CEA. It is probably the most beautiful "natural" place that I have ever seen. I also traveled to Salta, Mendoza, and a little into Patagonia. Traveling around is pretty easy in Argentina, so I definitely recommend it.
The Argentine culture is beautiful, and the food is AMAZING. We would go to "asados" which were all you can eat meat grill-outs. And you haven't had a good steak until you have hard Argentine beef! Buenos Aires is beautiful and the culture is so rich. Try to learn as much about the "dirty war," as you can; it is fascinating.
The staff on site are AMAZING! Anything that you could possibly need, they will take care of for you. I ended up getting really sick and one of the staff members took me to the doctor personally. It's not a secret how much they care about their students and it is nice to have a family away from the U.S. I am actually still in contact with some of the staff.
I highly recommend this program, and I really hope that you don't focus on the money or the semester that you won't be at home. It is TOTALLY worth it and if I were not graduating in May, I would study abroad again..no JOKE. I made some great friends that I have already traveled to Boston to see...this truly is a life-changing event.
GO WITH CEA, you won't be disappointed!

CAPA Buenos Aires is a fantastic program, it's set up extremely well through an established company and gives you a lot of different opportunities. All of your bases are covered before you leave with things like health insurance, living arrangements and other basic information like what to expect when you arrive. The academics are challenging just like they would be in your home institution but again CAPA is there to support you with checkups throughout the semester and an on site director who is available if there is any type of problem. CAPA also provides you with a MyEducation calender which is a list of activities that are taking place during your the months you will be in the city. This is nice because you might not always have time to find or even know where to look for free or cheap cultural event happenings and to have all of this information provided so you can make the most of your time abroad is great. CAPA works really hard in other ways to make your time abroad goes smoothly, for housing they have you fill out a detailed survey in order to place you in a living situation with people you'll be best matched with. While you are abroad you'll be in contact with several people including the director of your CAPA program and your CAPA advisor from back before you left who will all make sure you're doing alright and staying on track, all without being too overbearing! They're like a really solid support system that you can lean on-if you need to. If anything major comes up like you end up in the hospital or a criminal incident of some sort (robbery, etc.) they are right there on top of things with you. As for the other things related to studying abroad like traveling the CAPA Buenos Aires center housed within the host university is located extremely close to downtown and the major transportation systems there so getting around is easy. I was able to leave class and head to various locations throughout the city by taxi, bus or bicycle many times without having an issue. Throughout the Fall semster at least there were several week long breaks and many days when there were no classes on Fridays so exploring the country is definitely possible even while taking several classes. Many of the services on campus are available to international students as well like printing (although you currently have to pay out of pocket for that but it is significantly cheaper than say the U.S.), the cafeteria (the food there is ok, there's a homemade section where eachday hot meals are prepared and there's also a section to buy snacks and subs or empanadas in. Many students do end up eating there or at one of the restaurants close by like Burger King) and library which is small but functional. There are not a lot of activities that allow for the international students taking classes in English to interact with the regular university students though. Most often you won't have opportunities to meet people and will end up sticking with the people in your classes because there aren't many coordinated activities. The CAPA Buenos Aires program as a whole is really fantastic,it allows for a lot of freedom and opportunites but is also structured in a way that you feel prepared and well taken care of. Buenos Aires is an amazing place to visit and the program CAPA has in place to help you explore it is probably one of the best out there!

CEA is a wonderful study abroad program that I would recommend to anyone going to Buenos Aires. I was at the University of Belgrano so we didnt have as much day-to-day contact with the CEA staff, but if we ever needed anything they were always available for help and information. CEA organized fun trips and activities for us, and gave us the opportunities to meet alot of great people. They give the option of living in a residencia/homestay, or to organize your own living, and I chose independent living in an apartment.

I studied abroad in Buenos Aires, Argentina in the Spring of 2011 with CEA. I did the program Latin American & Integrated Studies where I took classes at the Universidad de Belgrano, and I was able to take classes just with other international students or I could take classes with local Argentine students as well. I just took classes with other international students, which were all in Spanish and some of my classes were really good and interesting, and I had some that I felt I barely had to do any work or where I didn't feel like I was really learning anything new. But overall I enjoyed my classes and was able to learn a lot about Latin American and Argentine history and culture, which I really enjoyed. I had some friends in CEA who did programs and took classes at "CEA Global Campus" but they told me they didn't really enjoy the Global Campus and wish they would've taken classes at Belgrano like I had. So, I don't have first hand experience with the Global Campus, but I heard that from a few different people.

I decided to live with a host family, and I couldn't have asked for a better family. There were other students from the U.S. in the house as well, but it was nice to have a mix of cultures and views, which really made dinner conversations more fun! I'm not it the "best" neighborhood; our house doesn't have too much around it (like cafés or stores), but I am a block away from the subway stop, have plenty of bus stops nearby and close enough I can walk to places to go to a restaurant, café or shop. I wouldn't change anything for what I have since the family is so great.

Towards the end of my semester here in Buenos Aires with CEA, I decided to stay another semester (I have just grown to love the city and I want to continue to learn and practice my Spanish), so I am still in Buenos Aires through this Fall 2011. I didn't go through CEA this time, but rather all independently, so I'm paying the school and my host family directly. The only reason I didn't go with CEA again is because I don't need the great excursions they offer since I already did them, so I didn't want to pay for something I didn't need. Even though I'm not with CEA anymore, I have kept in contact the staff here in BsAs, and they have been great to me and have helped me with anything I have needed even though I am not in CEA anymore.

Buenos Aires has something for everyone to do, and if you ever need to get out of the city and get a little bit more nature than just the parks, you can always take a train or bus out of the city. Overall I had a good experience with CEA and I am excited to have my three more months in Buenos Aires to continue to explore and discover new things.