# Argentina is Far: my abroad takeaway July 11, 2019 **By Sophia Petros, CASA Argentina Spring 2019 (Brown University ’20)** One of the things that has struck me, and has been the most refreshing, about my abroad experience has been the distance. Not only literally (yes, Buenos Aires is a long plane trip from Providence and Miami, where I’m from), but also in terms of lifestyle, seasons, and experiences. Though the time difference is only an hour between Buenos Aires and the East coast, my life this semester has seemed so far away from those that have come before it. It´s easy to think that with the internet and technology, you can find any information you want if you just look hard enough. Here, I’ve found that that’s not true— it is really different to read about something than it is to experience it. The first time I figured this out was when I moved to college up North, and was shocked by how dramatic the landscape could change in a year. Here, a similar thing happened, because the seasons changed to the opposite of everyone back home. It felt like what should have taken a year to occur happened in only half of one. *March in Buenos Aires aka late summer* But it is more than just the weird weather… it is the variety of books (and the vast amount of bookstores!!!), the way people socialize, the large selection of dulce de leche brands in the grocery store and the lack of peanut butter and hummus, the frequent strikes, the street names (famous Argentine historical figures that repeat in every city), and the long, ubiquitous WhatsApp voice memos. These (and many many more) seemingly random, small experiences all add up to an overarching feeling of difference and distance to back home, which is what I´ve really loved about studying abroad. *long colectivo (bus) rides— another one of these little things* There are the big things too, obviously, like the language— but those are more expected, and therefore better prepared for beforehand. It is the little ones that have made me feel like I am really in a different place. With the CASA program, you can direct enroll in 4 different universities around the city. This is different from many study abroad programs, which hold classes just for students studying abroad, and is one of my favorite things about the program because school is just done so differently here. All public universities are free, and anyone can enroll because there are no entrance exams. The university libraries are completely open to the public. And the quality of education and professors is at a really high level. This leads to diverse, interesting classes with a lot of different perspectives, as students are of all ages and from many different walks of life. I enrolled in the large public university (La Universidad de Buenos Aires, or UBA) and the public arts university (La Universidad Nacional de las Artes, or UNA). *main courtyard in one of the UNA campuses* My classes are all fascinating, but perhaps the most important information I have learned is how little I know. Classes at Brown, especially those within a specific concentration, tend to build on one another so a lot of the information repeats and you feel like you are really knowledgable in that discipline. So little of that information was transferred into my classes here. I spent a lot of the first month of class confused because I didn’t understand many of the references the professors were making, especially those to Argentine history and politics. Now, I follow along better and I am more comfortable asking a friend when I don’t, but the difference in perspective from the US educational system is constantly striking. *One last aspect of my time in Argentina that has left an big impression on me is how different every part of the country is that I have visited— accents, looks (both the people and the landscapes), and lifestyles are all distinct.in between Bariloche and San Martin de los Andes, in Patagonia in the South* *Iguazú falls, in Misiones province in the North* Buenos Aires tries to fool you into thinking that it is Argentina, but this is not true. It is a lively, huge, interesting, chaotic city that could keep you entertained and exploring forever, but the rest of the country has an incredible amount to offer. There is no way you could ever come close to seeing or experiencing all of it in a lifetime, much less in 5 months. Even on a CASA trip just an hour away from the city, in Luján, it felt and looked completely different. *street in Luján* I am sad to be leaving Buenos Aires soon, but I’m excited to return home with a fresh perspective. I am sure that I will settle back into life at Brown quickly, and that Argentina will feel just as far as home does right now. But just as I carried my experiences from the US with me here, I am sure that my friends, memories, and life here in Argentina will stay with me and influence me long after I’ve physically left. See also:- [ Andes & Southern Cone ](/programs-initiatives/andes-southern-cone) Share on:- [ Facebook ](#) - [ Twitter ](#) - [ Linkedin ](#)