"What I definitely miss the most is the people and the sense of community we had"

Many are fascinated by Argentine culture: beef, football, tango, literature and music, grand emotions on full display, and not least the beautiful language. Hans (20) was among the many who dreamed of exploring Argentina.

This text is translated using AI.

View the original article here.

– Since childhood, Argentina has been a country that has greatly interested me, and one that I have wanted to visit for a long time. I suppose it was football that was the biggest factor as a child.

Even though I was also interested in football when I decided to go there to study, there were several things about Argentina and Buenos Aires that were enticing.

a group of people wearing shirts with messi on them

– I had heard that Buenos Aires was the finest and coolest metropolis in South America, and I believe that is true.

One might say that I became a bit biased after being there for 4 months, but no cities I visited in South and Central America topped Buenos Aires - there's a unique atmosphere and a life that one must experience to understand.

Read what our manager Lucìa says about the city

a group of people are dancing in a park at night

Argentina
Spanish in Argentina
Inspiration

Buenos Aires seen through local eyes

On weekends, you have the opportunity to explore Argentina. In the middle of your studies, extra days off are scheduled to allow for longer excursions.

– Like Norway, Argentina is unique due to its size, or more specifically its length. There is so much to see and experience, from the vineyards in Mendoza, to the city life in Buenos Aires, to the raw nature of Patagonia.

a waterfall in the middle of a river surrounded by trees

– The autumn break is what stands out the most when I look back on the semester. The first month, most people were very overwhelmed by all the new things, while trying to get to know "everyone", and participate as much as possible.

In many ways, it was a bit hectic at the beginning, and I certainly felt that it took some time to settle down with the people one had gotten to know.

a crowd of people are walking down a staircase with a man wearing a shirt that says born to be free

– This changed when we gathered a large group to go to Brazil for the autumn holiday. We spent a few days in Rio, where we did everything together, before we went to Cabo Frio, 2 hours by bus from Rio.

Here we had rented a huge house. We actually ended up just staying in this house, and it was here we really got to know each other. It was so cozy! We went to the store together, cooked dinner together, and watched the movie Rio in the evening. Almost everyone I have talked to about this agrees that the trip was a highlight of the stay in Argentina.

a group of young people are hugging each other in front of a building .

Many people want to learn Spanish, and many may have studied the subject in school for several years without actually having the opportunity to use the language in everyday situations.

Most people will notice that they quickly improve in the language if they take the initiative to practice it and are not afraid of making mistakes:

- Learning Spanish in Argentina is actually very easy if you want to, but you have to want it. You must dare to use what you know, and allow yourself to learn from making mistakes as often as possible.

The teaching is of high quality, and you can learn a lot if you pay attention and ask questions.

Some of the people I studied with were unsure about their Spanish, and therefore ended up not practicing the language much because they relied on those who were more comfortable speaking Spanish - I just think this is foolish.

a woman is standing in front of a projector screen in a classroom .

– Argentinians are charmed by your attempts, and you learn sooooo fast if you dare to dive in! I would also recommend finding an activity where you can meet locals. These are talkative and inclusive people who would love to speak with you.

I used to go to the climbing gym V Once Escalada in Balvanera three to four times a week, and I got to know a lot of local people whom I still keep in touch with!

an aerial view of a city with mountains in the background

In Buenos Aires, the students live together in a hostel right in the center of the city. Most of them don't know anyone beforehand, but over the course of the 16-week study period, they often end up feeling like one big family:

– What I definitely miss the most from my time in Buenos Aires is the people and the sense of community we had. No matter what time it was, around the clock, I could just go down to the common area and find someone to talk to, or do something together with.

a group of people are gathered around a table with a cake on it

– People at the study programme were adventurous, and would join in on almost anything. We had plenty of time to come up with things to do, and the threshold for initiating something was so low. I also miss the city itself, the food, the people, the Spanish, the music, I actually miss everything!