Category: Preparing for Study Abroad

Preparing for Buenos Aires

Published on by Juliet ELeave a comment

Hi! I’m Juliet, and I am studying abroad in Buenos Aires, Argentina this fall. 

Many DU students I know are studying abroad, but I was one of the first of my friends to leave since the Southern Hemisphere operates on a different school schedule. I flew to Argentina on July 29, leaving everything I knew behind. To my surprise, during the weeks leading up to my departure, I wasn’t feeling the nerves. I completed everything on my to-do list: acquire a visa, purchase a universal adapter, and wire money to myself to pick up in Argentina. I gradually said goodbye to each of my friends and assured my family I’d write often. But otherwise, I continued on as normal until the day I left. Somehow the idea that I was completely upending my life for four months never fully kicked in; I felt suspended in a state of limbo, not yet fully understanding what I was about to throw myself into. 

One of my last days in Colorado

I think my lack of fear can be attributed to my lack of research beforehand. I knew a little about Argentina’s cultural, political, and economic landscape. I could speak Spanish fairly well. I knew my flight number and how to get to my host family’s home from the airport. But I chose not to scour Argentine travel books or blogs because I knew this would only make me more anxious than necessary. What would happen, would happen, and there was no way I could completely prepare myself for life in Buenos Aires.

When it came time to leave, I had breakfast with my boyfriend, said a very sad goodbye at the airport, and was on my way. It wasn’t until I had checked my bag that I truly realized I was about to embark on a journey across the world. You could say the nerves set in then.

Suddenly, I was rushed by a million what-ifs: what if I didn’t like Buenos Aires? What if my Spanish wasn’t good enough? What if people weren’t friendly? What if I’d left the stove on at home? 

On and on the worries went. I wondered if I’d made the right decision. But as the plane sped down the runway, hurtling toward a world utterly unknown, I began to think: what if I did like Buenos Aires? What if I loved it more than I could ever have imagined? What if I made friends for life? What if I grew as a student, a citizen, as an individual? 

I’ll just have to find out.

Orientation

Published on by preetisaldLeave a comment

The last 2 days being in Maastricht I have felt nearly every emotion but I am beginning to become more comfortable and adjust. 

In the CES program that I am a part of, there are about 112 American students of which 15 arrived this quarter. All the CES students stay in the Maastricht Guesthouse which is an old hospital that has been converted to a dorm. Half of the building still functions as a hospital and my room that I was sharing with another student definitely gives off major hospital vibes. However, my room was quite large and did have a little kitchenette. 

All the students who arrived this quarter go to UC schools and are psychology majors. They all had the same schedules and were taking the same classes. They were quite cliquey and as the only DU business student, I felt quite left out. I found myself being rather quiet and just not connecting with anyone. At the end of the second day, I finally found one girl who I bonded with since neither of us wanted to go out to the clubs.That night we made dinner together and met some of her floormates who were very cool! We just spent the night chatting and getting to know one another. 

When I first arrived I was very anxious and overwhelmed by everything. There were so many things I had to figure out how to do from changing my sim card to navigating grocery stores to cooking my own food given the constraints of the little kitchen. There were also so many new people I just constantly ran into at the Guesthouse. I decided that the best thing to ease my anxiety would be to make a list of things I wanted to figure out and simply just start asking people and the coordinators for help. I asked someone in my hall who had been there since the start of the year to help me with my laundry and then asked my coordinator about how I would schedule a doctor’s appointment. I realized that while it was a lot, there are so many people who can help, you just have to reach out. 

Now as I head into my first week of classes, I can confidently say I am feeling prepared and much more confident about how to navigate everything.