UGA in Buenos Aires

Where in the world is it possible to go to a supermercado and buy dulce de leche or yerba mate just before visiting the mausolea of Domingo Faustino Sarmiento or María Eva Duarte de Perón in the Cementerio Recoleta, and then, right across the cemetery catch a film about someone who finds a piece of wood that looks just like fútbol idol Diego Maradona at the Village Recoleta theaters? Or what if during your lunch hour you have a hankering for a juicy bife de chorizo or bondiola de cerdo or milanesa de pollo? Or maybe you would rather take colectivo #29 to La Boca to visit the Museo Quinquela and the Fundación Proa and later stroll along the Caminito where painters and street performers demonstrate their unique southern hospitality? Or perhaps your preference is to wile away the afternoon at the balcony of the biggest bookstore in South America built in an old theater on Avenida Santa Fe reading Ficciones by Jorge Luis Borges while the enchanting bandoneón of Rodolfo Mederos plays in the background?

Fifteen students from UGA (Shannon Banks, Greg Bennett, Sarah Doss, Ansley Evans, Nicole Giannattasio, Mary Bryan Haltermann, Chris Joiner, Betsy Katz, Sarah Plaut, Ashley Poole, Anna Rockett, Sass Sperduto, Brian Strickland, Goodrich Wright, and Alicia Yanker) know quite well that the only place to do all these things is in the most magnificent capital city of Argentina, Buenos Aires, or as it is known by its residents, BsAs. Beginning in mid-August, these fifteen students embarked on the first ever semester long cultural immersion program in Argentina developed and directed by Romance Language Assistant Professor of Spanish Betina Kaplan.

The students departed August 19, 2006 from Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson Airport accompanied by Dr. Betina Kaplan and Teaching Assistant Mitch McCoy, to spend 13 weeks in one of the largest cities in the world whose culturally diverse population hovers at approximately 12 million. Leaving behind the 96 degree summer heat and humidity of Georgia the adventurous 15 boarded a Delta flight and deplaned the following morning in the Ezeiza International Airport to a crisp, cool, and breezy 45 degree day. The 5023 mile trip south meant leaving the blistering heat of Georgia’s summer and arriving in Buenos Aires’ early spring.

María Angeles Fernández greeted the group in the airport and escorted them to a small bus waiting outside where the driver, Matías, loaded their bags. Everyone piled in to enjoy the 45 minute ride across the bustling city of Buenos Aires through its café laden streets and avenues full of radiotaxis and buses, known locally as colectivos. Upon arriving at the Facultad de Ciencias Sociales in Palermo, Dr. Luis Brajterman and Natalia Amelotti of Universidad de Palermo introduced all the students to their host families.

The next 13 weeks were filled with challenging coursework, tango lessons, and UGA coordinated activities designed to introduce the students to a city that is full of cultural centers, parks, theaters, music venues, bookstores, cafés, weekend art fairs, stunning architecture and unparalleled nightlife. Students took 12 to 15 credit hours completely in Spanish, mostly in classes with less than 13 students or mingled with other students from all over the Americas at Universidad de Palermo. Most of the classes integrated visits to museums and other landmarks of Buenos Aires during the semester or interviews and field studies involving the local population.