I hopped a plane from Michelle to Cristina. (Michelle Bachelet is the president of Chile; Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner is the president of Argentina.) I figured that was a good sign for a solo female traveler. In Chile, I picked up an Economist in English for a full $10! Still, I needed some familiar reading and to get back into current events.
Four things I LOVE: maps, navigating public transportation systems (here I bought a GuÃa T in a local kiosko for about USD $2), speaking Spanish, and urban centers. Using the combination of the three to navigate myself around the latter has been quite an enjoyable adventure.
FOR THE RECORD, a little myth-busting: I want to comment on the EXCELLENT service I have received so far as an international student at Argentina’s public university. Everyone told me that I should try to enroll in a private university because surely there, I would find much better assistance and services. I was told that the public system and bureaucracy would be a nightmare to navigate. So far, so good. I have found the class lists online with little difficulty and have navigated their website easily. I was given a list of requirements to apply, which I fulfilled, and when I arrived, there were no surprises about some form they needed. I showed up to my Facultad (college) yesterday my first day; I thought class enrollment could be a potential nightmare. I was given one, (again, that’s ONE) sheet of paper to fill out with my desired classes, which it seems I’m guaranteed as part of the services and courtesy I receive being a visiting student. ¡Que gentileza! True, finding the office of International Services on the 2 ½ floor above the graduate school offices was tricky, but it was a pleasant adventure wandering the halls of the lovely, old colonial building. At every step along the way, I encountered kind people willing to help direct me and/or chat. La Secretaria directed me to the foreign language school, and I am enrolled in an intensive Spanish class for a month until the beginning of September in Level 7 of 8. So far, Universidad de Buenos Aires….te amo.Early on in January, I attempted to contact the Universidad de Palermo, a private university. I got bounced emails and unhelpful responses, sometimes no responses. I got responses that the woman in charge was on vacation. Apparently, she was on vacation for months. I tried to get help from their MBA offices, explaining I was still an undergraduate. All I got was their newsletter – which I still get. I STILL have not heard back from them.  In short, a private university, UP, whose MBA program costs maybe $15,000 a year has – terrible service.