Lu's Intensive Spanish Experience in Buenos Aires

Hi, I'm Lucas Baumgartner. I'm from San Diego, California, and I go to university at the Colorado School of Mines, doing engineering. I was here in Argentina for the two-month Spanish program, and then the semester at the university, where I studied history, culture, literature, economics, and all that. First, with Mente they supply you with activities and housing, and that is really important, because the vast majority of my friends came through the Mente program. I have many more friends from the Mente program than I do from the Spanish school or from the university. Try to go to the events when you can. After a while you have plenty of friends, so don't worry. In Argentina you really just need to make sure to have fun and explore, especially Buenos Aires, such a big city. Have fun doing it. There is so much to do. I have been here for six months, and I still have hardly seen anything in Buenos Aires. There is still so much to see and so much I have to do, so I am going to have to come back to see it all, of course. Don't be afraid to experience the culture. Make sure you eat a medialuna and have a siesta. If you are American, don't be afraid of the breakfasts, which are really small, with a sugary medialuna and a cup of coffee. It tastes much better if you dip the medialuna in the coffee. That is my advice if you are American. Argentina is a really big country, so my other advice is to explore around Argentina. Up north you have Iguazú Falls, which are the biggest waterfalls in the world. It is absolutely beautiful, bordering Brazil. Further down southwest, in Patagonia, you can go to Bariloche and see the mountains and go skiing if it is that time of year. Further south you can go to Tierra del Fuego and Calafate and see the glaciers. A little bit up north you can see the desert around Salta, or you can go to Las Pampas. There is plenty of that, and the culture there is really fun too. If you are in the university program, don't be afraid to miss a few days. I have missed plenty of days and I still came out on top. I have probably attended more classes than 80 percent of the students there, because the international students are so focused on traveling. The professors are very relaxed about attendance, so don't be afraid to explore when you can. With the university courses, if your Spanish is not too great, I got by fine in the classes with only two months of Spanish beforehand, and I understood most of it. It was still a great experience. As for the two-month Spanish program, the Spanish school is a really cool place. I got to meet plenty of people. It is how I met most of my friends at the beginning, and it is a good way to meet other students from Mente too. The teachers there did a pretty good job teaching me Spanish, and it is a very relaxed environment. You will find that you have a lot of fun. I actually met one of my best friends in Argentina, who works at the Spanish school.