University of Buenos Aires

As our time here is winding down, we figured it would be a good time to write about a place we have spent a lot of time over the past few months: our school. For the past four months, Holly and I have been taking classes at the University of Buenos Aires (UBA). Our particular classes are held downtown in the Faculty of Letters and Philosophy, but UBA has campus buildings all over the city. It was pretty easy to sign up for the Spanish classes. Before each semester starts, there are a few days of diagnostic testing. You just show up, fill out a little test, have a chat with a teacher, and she places you in your level (all the language teachers are female). Then you pay for your class and are good to go. The students in our classes really do come from all over the world. I am the only American in my class right now, but we have also had classmates from France, Germany, Sweden, Turkey, South Africa, New Zealand, Korea, China, and Japan. Our classes are held in an old building that I'm sure would have been spectacular when first built. These days it is a bit grimier and a bit dustier, but still provides a charming and elegant atmosphere to study. (We will have to put up some pictures before we leave.)

The campus culture is really nothing like that of US universities. I'm sure the fact that it is an urban school doesn't help, but there really doesn't seem to be much in the way of student activities or campus involvement. They supposedly have a sports complex, but I don't think there is much in the way of intercollegiate athletics. I don't know what UBA's mascot is, but it would probably look something like a fighting mate gourd.