SIT Study Abroad: Argentina: Public Health in Urban Environments

If you want a study abroad experience where you can spend the whole time traveling on your own, this will be too academically intensive for that. I loved all the excursions that the program took us on to visit different public health institutions. Additionally, I learned a lot from the individual study portion at the end when I did an internship. I loved my host family, them, and the administrators in the country made me feel like I had a home there. I would recommend this program to anyone looking for practical development in different ways to work in Public Health.

This program was perfect for me and I really enjoyed it as it met all my expectation of an academically intense program, where I was able to use and improve my Spanish that had a focus in public health (I am interested in medicine, so this was perfect for me!) that allowed me to get to know Argentine culture, meet local argentines, and learn a lot about public health (especially in Argentina). Buenos Aires is also an amazing city with so much to offer and explore, so I really liked getting to live (with a host family) and explore the culture and activites!

I have wanted to study abroad ever since I was in middle school, and this program completely fulfilled my hopes for what my time abroad would be like. In terms of language development, it was very useful. We lived with host families who cooked us breakfast and dinner, so we had plenty of opportunities to speak Spanish with them. All classes were in Spanish too, and during our frequent travel trips (three weeks in total), we spoke with locals of all ages and backgrounds. The staff support is phenomenal as well! They were always checking in with us, answering any questions that came up, assisting with medical issues, and altering the program based on our feedback. We even had a group therapist! We were also given the opportunity to travel on our own, just not out of the country, and I even got to spend a week conducting research in Western Argentina on my program stipend. Overall, I had a lovely experience, learned so much, explored, and made lasting relationships - I still speak with my host mother weekly! I would highly recommend this program to those who want to be academically challenged and experience a very authentic side of the country.

This trip was the first time I have been out of the country for so long and for so far. I was nervous at first, but the SIT Public Health in Urban Environments program team was so kind and supportive that it made me lose the nerves. I can say that this trip has been really influential in my life, not only because it exposes you to so much of the public health system but also the Argentine culture. My host family was amazing while I was abroad, I love them and hope to be back soon to visit them. The safety of being in a big city is the same with any big city, but overall, just take precautions and all will be okay. There is so much to explore in the city, you'll never get bored or not have anything to do. I really recommend this program!

I think the program overall was very structured and rigorous but also fun. During the first two months you take a lot of classes and focus on academics. Traveling happens through the program. During the final month, you do an internship or independent study and have a lot of free time. Traveling happens on your own. The city of Buenos Aires where you live is a very lively city with lots to do, whether thats daytime cultural activities or night life. I lived with one host mom about a ten minute walk away from my classes and very near many bus and subte stops. All of the classes and activities are in Spanish, and the host families speak very little english as well. It is a full immersion program! The Argentine dialect and accent is a bit difficult to adjust to at first, but after a couple of weeks everything gets much easier! I loved my time there, and grew a lot as a Spanish speaker and person overall.

I decided to travel to Argentina for my semester abroad with a structured program because, unlike many countries in Europe that I would feel comfortable navigating, I felt less familiar with Argentina and South America as a continent. SIT proved to be a very helpful and supportive program throughout the semester. It provided us with many opportunities to travel for leisure, but more importantly, allowed us health opportunities, such as entrance into clinics and shadowing sanitary agents, that we would not have otherwise. Because of this, I think this program would be ideal for students that want experience in health environments and are looking for a global perspective of health systems. This program requires a medium high level of Spanish to experience it fully since it involves all Spanish classes and an internship in Spanish. Overall, this program was a very educational experience that would be ideal for a student who would like to have fun, experience a new culture, learn Spanish, and have fun with the benefit of having a structured program to guide them through the process and provide the social circle of other American students.

I had an incredible experience this semester. This program offers endless opportunities to develop your Spanish and learn about Argentina's public health system. From the classes to all of the hospital and clinic visits, I ended the program with a clear picture of how the Argentine health system works, and it has left me wanting to go back and learn even more. I really enjoyed the amount of traveling we got to do around Argentina during the program to different provinces, and we were offered many unique perspectives of the health system. I especially loved my Spanish class at the University of Buenos Aires and the homestay experience. The program staff are extremely attentive, caring, and diligent and truly only want the best for students in the program. Buenos Aires is a wonderful city to live in and there is always something fun to do or go see. If you're deciding whether or not to do this program, DO IT!

This semester was a great opportunity to improve my Spanish, learn about public health, and explore both the city of Buenos Aires and many distinct regions of Argentina. This program is best for students interested in public health who want a more structured, academic experience. The traveling included in the semester is a great way to learn more about the country, and my home-stay experience could not have been any better. I highly recommend this study abroad program! I would definitely choose it again.