"20/20 Hindsight" Student Evaluations
Buenos Aires "20/20 Hindsight" Student Evaluations 2007 & 2008
What things do you wish you had brought with you?
What things could you just as well have left at home?
What restaurants would you especially recommend? Why?
What did you find especially interesting or fun to visit?
Any other advice to share with future students?
What things do you wish you had brought with you?
- It was much colder there than I had expected so I had wished that I had brought warmer clothes, i.e. gloves, hats, etc.
- We did a lot of interviewing and I wished I had had my own tape recorder.
- Tabasco sauce or Aji
- A winter coat
- A small alarm clock since I had to buy one as this is not provided at the accommodation
- Adaptors for the 220 Voltage. However, they are not difficult to procure.
- A video camera.
What things could you just as well have left at home?
- I brought too many clothes, I could have packed lighter
- I brought a sports coat and pants that I never wore
- Extra clothes.
- My laptop computer because a computer with Internet access and Microsoft Office was available at my accommodation
- Rain boots and only bring one pair of dress pants
How was the work ambiance? What are the particular dress codes, working language(s), and office hours at the organization?
"The work ambiance was extremely relaxed, there was no particular dress code. Twice a week we worked in the CEP studio at FADU, which was very casual and then a third day we spent at Carlos Levinton's home studio, which was slightly more formal but only marginally."
"It was a very typical, casual NGO office."
"I worked in a school most days of the week, working on a documentary, but the office itself was very laidback, friendly, and casual. I am not quite sure what the hours were, but the dress code was casual and only language spoken was Spanish."
"Very casual, we were not required to dress formally at any point. Especially working in the CEP studio, as we were working with different mediums such as sand, cement, glass, tires, etc. The language at times was difficult, but it is nice to come out of this experience and have more practice with Spanish."
"The work ambiance was relaxed, everyone dressed casual. Spanish was the only language spoken and the hours were office hours all week. Their location is downtown Buenos Aires so it is easy to reach."
"The work ambiance was relaxed. People within Fundacion SES, and my particular internship at La Escuela de Reingresso No. 2, Barracas, were very welcoming and friendly. While there was no strict dress code, however everyone presented themselves well and in a professional manner. Both SES and the school kept regular working hours and spoke Spanish."
"The FADU is very relaxed, things tend to start quite a bit later than announced, many people speak a bit of English but generally not to much. People in the faculty were in my experience very friendly and very helpful and quite welcoming of our interest in their work and studies."
What restaurants would you especially recommend? Why?
- Cumaña:
"It is very inexpensive, but has excellent traditional cuisine. However, it is always crowded."
"For mostly vegetarian, northern Argentine food. It's REALLY inexpensive and really delicious."
- Cumana and La Cholita:
"Right next door to one another in Recoleta, are affordable and have some of the best steaks, empanadas, salads and soups in town, and have a Northern Argentina flair to them."
- La Cabrera:
"Was the best steak and dining-out experience we had."
"Great food as far as parrilla goes, great sides and atmosphere, but very touristy."
"Fun group outing and Parrilla."
"Maybe the best restaurant I've ever been to (make a reservation)."
- Cielito Lindo
- Parrilla Parque Lazama:
"Great food, great atmosphere and reasonable prices."
- La Lezama in San Telmo: (Calle Brazil near Defensa)
"Excellent classic Argentine café/restaurant/parrilla with great service and very reasonable prices."
- Don Julio's:
"Really outstanding parrilla for fantastic meat."
- Siga la Vaca:
"Great all you can eat steakhouse in Puerto Madero which is perfect for big groups."
- The VIP near the Ecological reserve.
"Bondiola for 4 pesos."
- McCafe "for a coffee quality and price that made my Colombian friends smile".
- Cabana Las Lilas - "great beef."
- Malermo/Budweiser located at Plaza Serrano in Palermo "because they serve excellent steak and desserts."
- La Vaca in Puerto Madero
- There was an amazing empanada restaurant in Palermo at 1283 Araoz: "The best empanadas I have had since arriving." "Amazing and cheap pizza/pasta and an amazing selection of empanadas as well as being a cute venue."
- The numerous Chinese restaurants in Barrio China in Belgrano were all amazing and highly recommended to anyone who misses the vegetable and rice options in their food.
- There are great specialty grocery stores around here with spices, vegetables and fruits that one might miss.
- Vegetarian- Bio, and any restaurant in Barrio Chino which are all vegetarian friendly
What did you find especially interesting or fun to visit?
- Recoleta Cemetery-- Some of the tombs are open and if you are adventurous enough you can venture in.
- Night clubs (boliches!!)
- Tigre (on the outskirts of the city)
- The MALBA (museum of contemporary art) was amazing
- I would suggest a trip to Uruguay just for a slightly different and fun experience, and although I never got to go - gaucho style horse back riding.
- Northern Argentina, especially Salta and JuJuy.
- Matedores for a more authentic market and local fair experience. It's where the old slaughter house was and now they have a market there, and Gauchos. It's really interesting. The food there is completely different and it feels totally different from the center of the city.
- The neighborhood of San Telmo was my favorite because of the old architecture, small streets and art galleries. They have a fantastic flea market on Sundays.
- Barazategui Sentaminento- la Sociedad de Fomento de Los Paraísos en Berazategui.
- Malbec- Museum of modern Latin American Art
- Plaza de Mayo/ Plaza de Congresso
- San Telmo (especially the street fair)
- Walk, Walk, Walk!
- La Parque de Memoria - fascinating memorial space for the victims of Argentina's "Dirty War."
- Running in Puerto Madero and the Reserva Ecologica was great
- Japanese Garden
- The villas
- Centro Cultural Recoleta
- any soccer game
- The outdoor fairs at Palermo and Recoletta. The Recoletta Cemetery.
- Visiting Iguazu, Colonia (only when it is warm and sunny), and Montevideo
- Puerto Madero: It has a spectacular view of the Buenos Aires harbor and awesome restaurants that serve a variety of cuisines
- Palermo: It is the equivalent to NYC's Soho with trendy shops and restaurants.
Was there anything in particular which helped you to get oriented, to get around, or to get through daily life?
- The Guia T bus guide and the subte are essential!! (Everyone indicated this) (Guia T is handbook reference guide to city streets and public transit)
- Just persevering with the language was a big help - it's important to keep in mind that even though your language skills aren't perfect, people appreciate the effort in trying to communicate with them. And the many mistakes only make it better. Being friendly and patient with locals always goes a long way, and is an important part of settling into any city.
- Since transportation systems in the city are pretty good, between taxis, the subte (subway) and collectivos (buses) easy commuting made life extremely simple.
- Pocket size notebook and pen
- Cheap pocket electronic Spanish/ English translator
- Just walking around with a map helps to orient yourself in such a large city. I found it a bit difficult to navigate, but after time it becomes quite easy.
- Buenos Aires Rough Guide - it was a great resource!
- A discreet pocket map of the streets of Buenos Aires, is very useful, easy to find, and every student should get one (or be given one) on arrival. Learning the bus and subway systems is a must.
- I arrived a few days before the program began and bought a map and got lost. Also finding ways of getting coins for public transport.
- Knowing people who lived there or had been there before. A city bus guide was like my bible
- The Lonely Planet Guide of Buenos Aires and Argentina.
What advice would you give to students who are planning to travel to other locations during the Program?
- To make sure you big a travel bag much smaller and lighter than the huge bag you are likely to bring most of your things in for the summer.
- I only got to travel to Uruguay (Montevideo) but would definitely suggest that students going to BA budget for at least a weekend to do so. For me traveling during the IFP wasn't so feasible, but in retrospect I wish I had spent the time after the program to perhaps travel to Brazil or Chile. Overall, definitely try and get as much traveling as possible while outside of the USA!
- Traveling in Argentina was relatively easy and safe. I would recommend it, because Buenos Aires is quite different than the rest of the country.
- The Buses are great and affordable and to make the trip to Uruguay.
- Bring a thin Money belt, hidden behind pants/shirt, a duplicate ATM card (if possible), to be left at home/ hostel safe/ another bag or part of body (in case lost/ eaten by machine, etc), photocopies of passports, extra passport size photos and earplugs for the bus
- Do it! Weekend trips by bus to interior cities like Cordoba or by boat to Uruguay are pretty simple and highly worthwhile.
- South America might be less expensive than the US, however, transportation to other countries is not- so plan ahead and be prepared. Know what VISAs you might need, vaccinations and don't be surprised by an expensive flight. Also, even though you're in South America, doesn't necessarily mean you're close by to a lot of places. Argentina is ENORMOUS and lots of other places are quite far away. Traveling can be done, just one should be aware that it might take awhile and might be a bit costly.
- To keep an open mind and not to set too many unrealistic expectations. Learn as much as you can about the food, culture and history of the country before you go there.
- To beware of their belongings, to not wear clothes that attract too much attention, and to pack light. I highly recommend visiting other parts of Argentina if people have the means and time to do so.
- Travel with friends.
- Depending where you go (like Uruguay), check to see if you really need to change the currency - outside of Argentina some countries take dollars.
- Book the tickets for the Buquebus boat to Uruguay and round trip airline tickets to the Iguazu waterfalls in advance to secure a place and to avoid high prices. Booking ahead is essential especially during the peak seasons.
- Transportation in Argentina is very good so take advantage of it as much as possible
How much money would you recommend that future students bring to cover living expenses? How much for travel?
- For living expenses around $1,500 and a grand for travel.
- I would recommend $1500-2000 for about 2.5 months (to comfortably include language classes, traveling, cell phone, eating out, shopping etc.)
- I think maybe $3,000 in total, including some travel.
- Depends on what they want to do or where they plan to travel to. If trying to save money on food, look for lunch specials in and around the city.
- $20 US per day, not including travel...that all depends
- For two months, $1000 as a minimum for food, commuting and entertainment, $1500 to be comfortable, $2000 if planning any larger purchases or short trips.
- I spent approximately 100 American dollars a week. This was for food, local transportation, and leisure. Travel can range quite a bit. I would budget anywhere from $1000-$1500 depending on where, how long and how you like to travel.
- Living expenses: $75 -$100 per week and Travel expenses not including the flight: $5 -$10 per week
- Buenos Aires is inexpensive as far as big cosmopolitan cities go. Getting around town and making trips outside of town is inexpensive if you plan ahead and do some research.
- I lived on the cheap but I tried to have fun too. I only brought $500. But I ended up taking out extra cash for some things near the end.
- I can't say - it all depends on that person's lifestyle.
- Living Expenses: Between 1,500 to 2,000 USD.
- Travel: At least between 500 to 1,000 USD depending on your travel plans.
- All together at least 2,000 dollars and 200 more just in case
Any other advice to share with future students?
- Be open minded, but be yourself. Make the most of the trip and pursue the things that interest you and make you happy because that's a great way of orienting and learning to love a new city/country.
- I think that a good knowledge of Spanish, especially in light of the Argentine accent, is essential to Buenos Aires IFP
- If you feel unsafe and you are with a group of other English speakers- assuming you have the chance of blending in- do not speak English too loudly, as to not draw attention to yourself/ yourselves.
- Take a proactive role in reaching out to your internship advisor, and other IFP people, for direction and help if need be. So long as it is prudent and polite, don't be afraid to say how you feel and ask for what you want.
- Practice Spanish before arriving. This internship is extremely Spanish heavy, so the more you know before coming down, the better. It can only help your experience while you are here.
- Living and experiencing Buenos Aires was one of the best experiences of my life I would recommend it to anyone and everyone.
- Bring an open mind, some decent Spanish, motivation, a big appetite, and the desire to explore new places and ways of thinking. I recommend meeting and making as many Argentine/latino friends as possible, so as to experience Buenos Aires with natives and to get used to the porteno accent.
- Know the people you will be living with.
- Know the language - it certainly helps
- Be prepared for cold winters in the Southern Cone countries (Argentina, Uruguay, and Chile) and make sure you bring enough warm clothes.
- Be prepared to be an interpreter for your fellow students and do extra work if their foreign language skills are not up to par as yours.