Class: 2010

Major: History

Hometown: Hillsborough, New Jersey

Writing From: Buenos Aires, Argentina

Minors: Spanish and Museum Studies

Study Abroad Program: American Institute for Foreign Study (AIFS) - Buenos Aries, Argentina

LC Activities: Istoria, Westover Honors Program, Daura Gallery Assistant

Other Posts:

What Financial Crisis? (06/15/2009)
Traveling to Chile (04/24/2009)
Uruguay (03/30/2009)
Losing Your Passport Abroad (03/30/2009)
Las Cataratas del Iguazú (03/30/2009)
The most beautiful place on Earth (03/13/2009)
Wanderlust (03/13/2009)
Quiero, Quiero Carnaval! (02/27/2009)
Class in Argentina (02/14/2009)
Tango!! (02/14/2009)
Mi Vida en Buenos Aries (02/10/2009)
Hola From Sunny Buenos Aires! (02/02/2009)
Two Weeks to Go! (01/22/2009)

Having been back in the United States for two weeks now, I think I'm in a position where I can, and probably should, start putting my trip into perspective.  I have learned a lot about myself in these months abroad that it's tough to know where to start.

After this trip, I have a lot more confidence in myself, in a lot of different ways.  First of all, when I step back and think about this trip generally, and say, "I have been living in a foreign country that speaks a different language for almost half a year, with no one I knew before coming down here," I've got to say that it gives me a little ego boost.  Although before I came down here, I didn't really have any doubts that I would be able to do it, the fact that I actually went through with it without any major problems definitely makes me more confident in my abilities to be self-reliant.  With this, I am also a lot more confident in my abilities as a Spanish speaker.  Although I learned some more grammar points, I more importantly gained the confidence to speak Spanish to anyone.  I feel completely comfortable asking a stranger for anything, responding to anyone's questions, and making general small talk with anyone as well.  Obviously the self-confidence to trust your ability to speak Spanish is an important step to fluency, and I passed that point a while ago, shortly after coming down here.

Taken together, both of those boosts in self confidence have made me truly believe I can travel anywhere in the world and be okay.  After traveling alone to Chile, I realized that traveling alone is completely do-able!  Since this trip to Argentina was my first time out of North America, and essentially my first time out of the United States, I learned a lot about myself in realizing I had the ability and self-confidence to plan and execute an international trip all by myself, and with nothing beyond an "okay!" from my parents.  Without studying abroad, that is something that I just would not have known about myself.

Something else I experienced by studying abroad was a sort of affirmation of my personality.  I realized that with my friends from high school, my friends at LC, and now my friends from study abroad, I seem to fit into the same niche.  Even in a period of time as short as five months, I kind of ended up in the same position I am in with my other, distinct groups of friends.  It's something really simple, but I felt it was kind of interesting to see how my relationship with my friends down there evolved so quickly, because they have become some of the closest friends I've ever had.

I guess someone has to be a certain type of person to choose Buenos Aires as their semester abroad destination, but all of the students in my program just seemed to click.  I never would have thought that I could make such good friends, and be so close, with such incredible people in such a short period of time, but it all kind of just fell into place. I was truly astounded at the real sense of family we all had with one another by the time we had to leave.

I think that's what makes the study abroad experience ending the hardest.  It's not just leaving Argentina, and not just leaving my friends, but the fact that I know the experience won't ever be able to be recreated.  It wasn't any one thing that made it so special, it's just all the circumstances-location, people, the point in our lives-that made it so incredible.  I know that no one comes back from study abroad saying anything negative, but my time in Buenos Aires was hands down the most amazing experience of my entire life.

Now that I'm back, there are some things that take some getting used to again, and some things that I'm happy to have back.  Some of them are very simple and superficial, like being happy about being able to get free water and free refills at restaurants, or not having to buy minutes for my phone all the time.  Other things, like realizing that I have basically completely missed out on five months of pop culture, and you don't know what songs, or shows, or commercials are popular right now, kind of makes me feel like a foreigner.  It has already started to settle in that I'm back living here for good, but it was difficult, because I had become so comfortable with my life and routine in Buenos Aires.

Studying Abroad in Buenos Aires truly was the greatest, most memorable experience I've ever had, and I wouldn't trade it for anything.  I know my life will never again be like it was for that five months, but the memories of the trip, and the friends I've made will both stay with me for life.