Sam and Vivian: How We Became Lifelong Friends While Studying In Buenos Aires (Part I)

Hello! I'm Sam, and I came to Buenos Aires to study abroad from the University of California, Davis. I spent four months in South America studying human rights and cultural memory, the first two of which were with Expanish in Buenos Aires, Argentina. In my time with Expanish, I improved my Spanish skills, studied at the local university, and made lifelong friends, one of whom is Vivian!

In reminiscing on our time together, she and I have asked each other and answered a series of questions that we hope will give you an inside look at how incredible a study abroad program can be. Here's my interview Vivian!

What were you most nervous about before leaving for study abroad?

Before leaving for study abroad, I was most worried about my Spanish and how I would budget my trip. I knew it would be challenging for me going to a new region of the world where I didn’t know the language, and that I would have to adapt quickly to get around and talk to my host family and other local people. I had experience learning a second language (Thai), but it's one thing being immersed in a country and language as a toddler and another thing trying to learn one as a 21 year old adult. I was a little nervous taking the Spanish placement assessment over Zoom, but could immediately tell that Expanish was trying to accurately place me so that I could have the best experience possible. A second worry of mine was that my expenses would add up quickly and that they would be hard to keep track of during my travels. Both of these worries were eventually resolved during my time abroad as I learned to properly budget and become more comfortable with speaking Spanish. 

How did you feel living in a new country and speaking a different language, and what role did Expanish play in your acclimation?

At first, it was really difficult to adapt to living in a new city and speaking a different language! Leaving 37℃ degree Sacramento summer heat for late Buenos Aires winter was a stark contrast - I quickly realised that carrying my winter coat and heavy boots on the long flight was worth it. On orientation day, Expanish provided us with an Argentinian breakfast and helpful presentations, and also gave us a tour of the neighborhood and SIM card guidance. The next week, I met Franco, my Spanish teacher, who immediately made sure we were adjusting well and comfortable in our lessons. Every Spanish class with Franco was different: a few memories I have were the fun learning games (heads up, Spanish wordle, number games), drinking mate with my classmates, discussing Argentinian culture/ vocabulary, and going to a local cafe to practice ordering! We also enjoyed hanging out and studying in the beautiful building and courtyard! I found myself endlessly grateful to Expanish for making me feel so secure in a new place.

What was your experience like at the University of Buenos Aires (UBA)?

Attending UBA was a valuable experience that I will always remember fondly. I appreciated the hard work that our professors put into each class– I learned a lot about the Argentinian dictatorship and the origins of genocide studies, and found the theoretical teaching styles to be very interesting and different from the US. Professor Feierstein taught us about the stages of genocide and collective memory, a topic which I had not learned about previously. I also appreciated the intricate slideshows from Professors Winer and Goldstein, and all of the discussions we had with Augustina and Ludmila. Our class was also shown a few films and documentaries that really added to the historical narratives we learned about. My favorite part of our classes in Argentina, however, were the guest speakers that were brought in, since I felt that their personal experiences brought a lot of life into the class and taught me so much. The campus was in a great location (pretty central in Buenos Aires and close to public transportation) and I adored its garden and cafeteria downstairs.

Tell me about one moment or day in Argentina that you know you will remember for the rest of your life

While I had so many of these moments, one that immediately comes to mind is the day we all gathered at the park by Lago de Regatas for an Expanish reflection activity. This involved us splitting off into groups and acting out little skits representative of our time so far in Argentina– these made me laugh until my stomach hurt and were a great way of creatively expressing some key differences between life in Argentina and the US. Afterwards, we ate many snacks, sat in the grass of the park, played some football and enjoyed the sun! I remember looking around and thinking about how only a couple months prior, I hadn’t met any of these people, and now we were spending every day together. I will always remember this day because it was unexpectedly beautiful: I loved conversing with my classmates while laying in the grass under the sun. It really made me feel like a kid again, and I felt as though this day brought many of us closer together.

What was your favorite landmark in BA, and what is one lesser known place that you think people have to check out?

Of the more famous landmarks in BA, I would have to say that I loved visiting Plaza de Mayo. It was truly inspiring to see the Madres still marching at 3pm on Thursday afternoons, as they have done for nearly 50 years. It was powerful to see how the community still gathers in honor of family members who were disappeared during the military dictatorship and are still missing today. I enjoyed seeing all of the political artwork and posters in the square, as well as the white headscarf symbol of the Madres scattered across the ground; forms of resistance that remain after all these years. Close to Plaza de Mayo was the neighborhood of San Telmo, which I also loved walking around, especially on Sundays for the market. One lesser known place to students that is worth checking out is Parque de Los Ninos– locals frequent this popular park, but I didn’t know about it until around half way through my program. It has views of the Rio de la Plata, many areas to walk around, and a nice food court area with several options. I enjoyed hanging out here with friends: we painted with watercolors, knitted, and talked here for hours! I also enjoyed walking around in the nearby neighborhood of Vicente López: there were football games happening, families out walking their dogs, and kids running around.

And your favorite food places in the city?

Around Expanish, I often walked across Av. Cabildo, and got a few empanadas on the other side of the street (at either Empanadas Artesanales or Tomasso) My favorite empanadas in Buenos Aires were carne picante (spicy beef), jamón y queso (hamd & cheese), carne cortada a cuchillo (hand cut beef), and pollo (chicken). My friends and I also frequented the grocery store, Pumalá, across the street for sandwiches (I often chose mortadella and salami), which were absolutely delicious and huge for the price! The shop owners were so sweet, and we often bought snacks there too. Near UBA, some of my classmates discovered a Venezuelan restaurant called Peches Magda Cachapas Pabellón Arepas Empanadas Tequeños. This became my favorite restaurant in the whole city. I loved the arepas, which were stuffed with beans, cheese, plátanos, and different types of meat. I also loved their blended passion fruit drink; it was so refreshing!

For dessert, Rapanui Chocolate & Ice Cream was to die for; my friends and I visited often, especially in the last weeks of our program when we realized how much we would miss it. The pistachio dubai and frambuesa (rasberry) combination was my absolute favorite; I got it so many times and was never sick of it!! Of course, if I am pondering on a favorite Buenos Aires food, I also have to mention the many occurrences when I bought a choripán on the street and enjoyed it every single time. 

Take me through a typical day while we were in school

Since our UBA classes began at 9am, I woke up at around 7:45 and made sure I was walking to the Subte at around 8:15. I ate a classic Argentinian breakfast of toast and jam or dulce de leche when I could! Depending on which day it was, we either had our Human Rights and Memory in Argentina or our Human Rights, Politics, and Culture in Argentina class. We always had a half hour break between classes and were out for lunch by 1pm– sometimes we ate at restaurants around the area, and other times we ate at Bar Saludable VENI, a “cafeteria” of sorts by the lovely garden on the ground floor of the building (this food was delicious!!) Afterwards, we often either had an activity (which ranged from museum visits to a tango class to a "La Bomba del Tiempo" live percussion show) or we explored the city on our own. Some of my favorite places were the MALBA museum (free for students on Wednesday), the Recoleta Cemetery, and La Boca. I ate dinner at around 7:30pm at my host mom's house - she often made us traditional home-cooked meals. To finish off the night, I often engaged in conversation with her, studied or journaled, and got some rest. 

Did you take any trips outside of the city?

During my time in Argentina, my friends and I decided to book a flight out of Buenos Aires to see the Cataratas de Iguazú (Iguazu Falls). It was a longtime dream of mine to see these waterfalls, and while it was a trip that required a lot of planning, it was definitely one of my favorite parts of the study abroad program. My friends and I spent many hours in the park (and even crossed over to the Brazil side for a day!), and also enjoyed exploring the town of Puerto Iguazu. There were so many little shops, bakeries, açai bowl places, and more! While the Brazil side of the park had impressive panoramic views, I have to say that Argentina’s side was my favorite. I enjoyed exploring various paths on the Lower and Upper Circuit trails, and the Garganta del Diablo viewpoint was unmatched. I could barely contain my excitement as I walked across the suspended platform and heard the roar of the falls– I was faced with a magnificent wall of water, which cascaded down into a deep basin. Overall, this trip was definitely worth it and easy to do from Buenos Aires; I felt grateful that I was able to see one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature with my friends!

How did the staff at Expanish contribute to your experience in Buenos Aires?

After leaving Buenos Aires, we collectively agreed that something we would miss was the guidance and kindness of the Expanish staff. Gabriel and Laura always greeted me with a smile every time I entered the building, which made me feel welcome. While my Spanish was nearly non-existent when I arrived, my teacher Franco put so much care into making sure I was learning at a pace I was comfortable with. Fridays were one of my favorite days of the week because I had a scheduled Spanish class, and I knew that I would be grabbing my tea and cookies and heading upstairs to learn new vocabulary and phrases! Every Expanish activity that was scheduled for our program was so engaging and wonderful (these ranged from Estancia day to Tigre trip and to our farewell asado night). Jio planned “The Summer I Turned Pretty” watch parties for us on Wednesdays, which were always so much fun! Julia and Belu showed us exciting, new parts of Buenos Aires, which was very hands-on and provided me with historical knowledge of the city. I also loved that we could join in on other Expanish activities: the ones I had a great time at included cumbia, wine tasting, and empanada making! Overall, I am thankful to our Expanish family for guiding me through my time in Buenos Aires– it was a lovely first half of my study abroad experience!

Looking back, what is the one thing that you miss most about Buenos Aires?

I miss how alive the city felt, and how there were endless things for me and my friends to explore! Even though we were there for two months, I would love to return, because there were many things I didn’t have the chance to do or see. There were so many parts of BA that I admired, including the dedication to human rights and cultural remembrance, the fast-moving public transport, the museums, and thrilling football matches. I will miss Argentinian pride as well– when I went to a River Plate game my last night in BA, I got a real taste of city pride!! I also loved that each neighborhood felt so different, providing infinite places for me and my friends to explore. Not one day in the city felt the same, and I liked that I was able to keep myself busy and excited throughout the experience. Overall, I could not have picked a better city to study abroad in, and I will treasure the memories created in Buenos Aires for the rest of my life. 

Find out about all of our study abroad programs in Buenos Aires as well as our other destinations in Spain and Latin America.