April's Academic Semester Experience in Buenos Aires

My name is April. I'm from St. Petersburg, Florida, and I arrived in Buenos Aires in late February. I came to study abroad from about February until the end of July. I took classes at a university, and it's a really cool school. The advisers are a lot of help, and it's a small school, so if you're coming and you don't really know which school to choose, and you want something smaller, it's definitely the place to go. The classes are smaller, so I got to know a lot of my teachers. Not so much on a personal level, but they at least knew my name, compared with how it is back home. I go to the University of Florida, which is huge. Travel-wise, I have been to Mar del Plata, Bariloche, Mendoza, Santiago, Chile, and Valparaíso. If you like to travel, you definitely want to go by bus. It is the cheaper option, even though it can take a long time. From Buenos Aires to Bariloche it's about 22 or 23 hours, so prepare yourself to sit for a long time, but try to get up and stretch your legs a little, and bring plenty of water and snacks, because the bus food is not exactly the best. One of my favorite things about the city is the Microcentro at night. I've told some people that, and they say you shouldn't be around there at that time. Knock on wood, nothing has happened to me so far. It has happened to my friends, but you just have to walk around, hold your bag in front of you, try to look less lost, and the more relaxed you look, the better, because they let you get away with anything. At least they have with me when I look like I'm just walking around doing nothing. I just wanted to shoot the breeze. I really like the Microcentro at night, especially when it lights up. I love the area, with all these screens, and it reminds me of Times Square in New York, except with fewer screens. I like how bright it is. There are people walking around, and all the buses are going by. I also like the public transportation, because I have a car back home and I love driving, but it's nice to let someone else take the wheel. If you ride public transportation, you have to brace yourself, because it can get really packed, and the buses sometimes take forever to come, or they all come at once. But it's relatively cheap. Getting around Buenos Aires and finding your way will take you a while the first couple of weeks, but then you'll blend right in and it won't be a problem at all.