Alana Leabeater
Degree: Bachelor of Sport & Exercise Science / Bachelor of Arts in International Studies
ICS University: Universidad del CEMA (UCEMA), Buenos Aires, Argentina
I applied for the Bachelor of Arts in International Studies for the opportunity to travel as part of my degree, and more importantly, to learn another language, as I think it is important in the multicultural world of today to connect with and understand cultures apart from your own.
Alana completed her ICS in Argentina in 2018
Q&A with Alana
What was the highlight of your ICS in Argentina?
Unsurprisingly, the ability to travel so freely around South America was definitely the highlight for me. Buenos Aires was a perfect base to explore Chile, Brazil and Peru, and later I was able to go to Mexico, Belize, Cuba, the Bahamas and North America. Knowing Spanish was a distinct advantage in these countries, and experiencing the different accents and slang across the continent was very interesting. Even travelling within Argentina was a highlight; I have fond memories of touring the wineries in Mendoza, winning a triathlon in Cordoba, taking my mum to see Patagonia and going on an exchange student trip to Iguazu Falls.
How did your language and intercultural skills improve?
Despite two years of Spanish at UTS, when I arrived at the airport in Buenos Aires I still had no clue what they were saying. This is because the Argentinian accent is difficult to understand at the best of times; more so, the porteño accent (people specifically from Buenos Aires) have their own slang and add a distinct flair to the language that increases the difficulty for foreigners. As such, it took me a solid two months to be able to have a decent conversation, for example with shopkeepers or professors at university. By the end of first semester, I understood most of what went on in classes and could write with good proficiency, but my speaking lagged behind. Going to Chile and Peru over the university break was a great way to practise my Spanish as both countries have very different accents and it was interesting to break out of my Argentinian accent for awhile.
In the second semester, our university did not offer Spanish classes and so I went out of my way to do other activities where I could practice, like cooking classes and going away for a weekend with Argentinian friends. I also made an effort to speak to all my housemates in Spanish, even though most of them knew English as well. It was really important to live with Spanish speakers because otherwise I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to practice day-to-day like that. Also, by making local friends, I learnt more about Argentinian culture and was able to understand different customs and peculiarities better than if I had spent the majority of my time with other exchange students.
What skills have you learned in the past year that you believe will benefit your personal life and future career?
One of the major skills I developed was adaptability. Nothing in Argentina happens the way it is meant to; sometimes it seems like the rules are rewritten everyday, especially when it came to things like getting our student visas or ordering money from abroad. This used to really frustrate me, because I just didn’t understand the lack of clarity and efficiency in basic processes. For example, I once sat on a plane on the tarmac at the airport for three hours before they cancelled the flight and said ‘we’ll try again tomorrow at the same time’. The Argentinians just shrugged their shoulders and went home; meanwhile, I was livid. Over the year, I learnt to be more adaptable to these sort of situations, and see the humour in them.
Related to this, I also developed resilience, because sometimes things happened that were outside our control and we had to learn to cope with them. Also, I developed a tough skin because being a white, blond, above-average height female in Buenos Aires attracts a lot of attention, and I had to try my best to reserve judgement and accept cultural nuances.
Finally, I believe I developed my research and planning skills; in an academic sense, through my research project, which allowed me to develop these skills in another language, and also in the sense that I organised all my own trips to other countries. Often this involved negotiating complicated bus networks in Spanish, working out the best connections between cities and towns and interacting with tour operators and locals to find places to visit and stay.
How did university life in Argentina differ to Australia? How did you adjust, if needed?
University in Argentina was very different to Australia, mostly because it was much more laidback and there was less focus on formal assessments. Like a lot of Latin American countries, time is simply a guide in Argentina, and we got accustomed to our teachers starting the class 30-45 minutes late, and local students arriving another half hour after that. We had to learn to accept this, even though at first it was annoying because in Australia you’re expected to be on time, if not early. Another difference is that at our university in Buenos Aires, there was not a widespread use of the student intranet; you had to rely on paper subject outlines distributed in the very first class, and sometimes teachers would only have the email address of one student, who would then forward on any information to the rest of the class.
Our teachers rarely used Powerpoint presentations or visual aids, which we found frustrating in the first semester because it could have helped us understand the content more, as we were all much better at reading than listening. Also, assessment protocols were very laissez-faire; often the teacher would make up questions for a mid semester exam on the spot, or they would leave you to do your exam without supervision, or you had to bring your own paper to answer questions from the board. This seemed very strange to us at the start but we always followed the lead of the local students and learnt to appreciate the strangeness of it!
How did you finance your ICS? (e.g. scholarships, loans, budgeting) Any advice?
I used a combination of financing. I worked part-time and saved a moderate amount before I left Sydney, but I also had other commitments in the year before I left that meant I mostly relied upon the two UTS loans and a small amount of money from a scholarship. I was also lucky enough to be eligible for Centrelink as I turned 22 on arrival in Argentina, and so was granted Youth Allowance as I was studying away from home. This allowance basically paid for my rent in Buenos Aires. I would advise anyone who is eligible for this to start the process as early as possible - it took me five months to organise and even then I still had problems when I got overseas.
Expect to pay around $US400-600 for rent per month, depending on where you live. Most landlords expect payment in cash, either pesos or USD. Both are difficult to obtain in that quantity, as the ATMS have not caught up with the level of inflation in Argentina and will only let you withdraw the equivalent of $AU200 or less a day. Take some USD with you as it is good to have in emergencies, and often the ATMS in Buenos Aires ran out of money on public holidays and the weekends. People always want USD so it’s easy to exchange. We successfully used the company World Remit to order large sums of cash at a time with only a small fee per transaction; you need to use your passport to collect money from pickup points located around the city (it may take some trial and error before you find one that is open and functional).
Also, ING in Australia seems to be the best bank for overseas travel in South America as they refund any foreign transaction fees - in Argentina these fees can be up to $15 per transaction which can definitely add up, especially when you’re trying to pay rent!
What’s an assumption about your country that you found to be untrue? E.g. safety, expense etc.
I think people definitely associate Latin America with danger, but Argentina is one of the safest countries you could travel to. We had almost no problems while we were there except for petty theft and some angry taxi drivers (Uber is still not fully regulated by the government), and on the whole, we found the city to be very safe and easy to get around. Also, there is a common stereotype that porteños are rude and elitist; this is definitely not the case, as our friends at university were very welcoming and helpful, and we were struck by many random acts of kindness from strangers, like waiters helping us with Spanish homework or people giving us directions when we looked lost.
What was your research project and why did you choose it? What were the findings?
My research project was an investigation into the underrepresentation of women (as staff and athletes) in elite sport in Argentina. I chose this as my main degree is Sport & Exercise Science and I have always been interested in the state of women’s sport around the world. My findings indicated that while women’s sports are definitely underfunded and discriminated against in Argentina, on the whole, elite sport in the country suffers from a lack of funding and interest at a governmental level because they have always had greater priorities to look after.
If you were going through a tough time (homesickness, university struggles), what support did you receive or access?
I was lucky enough to have a fantastic group of fellow ICS students that joined me in Argentina, and we were all a great support to one another throughout the year. At my university, we also had two great exchange supervisors, who helped us with our visas and would liaise with teachers if we were having problems in class. It was a challenge for me to have so much free time in my ICS year because for the first time in 8 years I didn’t have a part-time job to keep me occupied, and as a result I would get homesick. Because of this I tried to keep busy; I joined a local triathlon group, went to art classes and cooking classes and planning upcoming travels with friends and family.
If you could redo ICS, what are some things you would do differently?
One particular reflection I have had since leaving Argentina is that I tried for so long to cling onto the same style of life I had in Sydney, and this made me feel alienated and homesick. I wish I had thrown myself into more things from the start, as this would have helped me to assimilate a bit more, and definitely would have helped my Spanish to improve quicker.
I also wish I had spent more time with my Argentinian friends instead of my housemates and other exchange students. Especially in the first semester, we formed a close-knit group and then all our activities revolved around this. We all got very comfortable with this arrangement and didn’t branch out as much as we could have.
Finally, I wish I had travelled independently more. I did it once or twice, but often I waited for friends to be available and as a result, I missed out on seeing some places in Argentina I really wanted to go to.
Why should BAIS students choose Argentina for their ICS?
Argentina likens itself to the ‘Europe’ of South America, and as such, it feels very different to every other country I’ve visited in the region. Buenos Aires is very developed and cosmopolitan, and has a diverse range of barrios (suburbs) that all have their own architecture and flair. It is a city that never sleeps, and you will never be bored; there is always a festival, or market, or food week, or live music, or tango in the street, or new bar opening that is going on. Outside of Buenos Aires, the country is so diverse: from the dry salt flats of the north, to the vineyards of Mendoza, the snowfields of Bariloche and the glaciers of Patagonia. Also, you’ll always find something to eat - aside from the typical parrillas (barbecues), Buenos Aires has a multicultural food scene that rivals Sydney, and we didn’t even scratch the surface of all the cool bars and restaurants that exist there.
Finally, the Argentinians are really fun and laid back, much like Australians, and they’re always happy to have a coffee with you (as well as some sort of dulce de leche dessert) and pass the day away.
Blog #1 - Moving to Argentina
It was a week of beaches, churros, paella, flamenco dancing, art, wine and nightlife that did it for me. It was 2014 and my last week of travel on my gap year before I had to fly home and face the music. I spent the week in Spain, soaking in the culture and the vibrant lifestyle, and as I dragged my feet to the airport I decided I had to come back, and I had to learn Spanish.
Luckily for me, a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies was already in the pipeline, so when it came time to pick my language major, it was a no-brainer for me. Unluckily for me, the majority of people who picked Spanish also wanted to go to Spain as their first preference; and so, I got Argentina instead. Although I knew very little about the country, I knew they still had dancing (tango), still had great food (dulce de leche, empanadas), had arguably even better wine than Spain (Malbec) and had world-class nightlife. So, I was still incredibly excited heading into my year abroad.
Argentina has been a whirlwind from day one. I've had to adjust to a completely different timetable for life, with dinner no earlier than 10pm and nightlife starting around 2am.
The accent here is clearer than Spanish from Spain, but sounds like one long string of words compared to neighbouring countries. Buenos Aires is the biggest city I have ever lived in, five times the size of New York City, and as a result, it is never quiet. Not forgetting having to adjust to going to classes at uni in an entirely different language!
But you can’t help but love this country, with its bustling cities, snow-capped mountain ranges, vineyards and waterfalls. The highlights for me so far have been seeing Iguzau Falls, one of the seven natural wonders of the world; spending a weekend in Bariloche, a gorgeous little ski town on the border with Chile; visiting the weekend markets and great cafes across Buenos Aires; and competing in a local triathlon in a small city in the north where I was treated like a superstar just for being Australian.
I’m sure there will be many more highlights to come and I can’t wait to experience all of what Argentina (and South America) has to offer.
Blog #2 - Learning the local language
Going to university in a second language is downright frightening. This is the conclusion I’ve made as I round out my first semester in Argentina and prepare for final exams. It’s intimidating, it keeps you on your toes, it certainly makes you think before you speak – and it’s also been an incredibly important experience for me to have.
I always envied my European friends for knowing at least one other language than their native. With Australia being so isolated, it’s understandable that there’s not a huge push to learn languages at school. But compared to my counterparts abroad, I feel like I’m missing out on something, on the opportunity to more deeply relate to another culture. To me, knowing another language is an essential skill to have in my toolbox, and one that will bode well for me as I continue to travel internationally.
That’s all well and good, but when I’m sitting in a four-hour class with a teacher that speaks in rapid Argentinian Spanish with no accompanying slides or handouts – I have to remind myself why I’m here! My Spanish (or, more correctly, my Castellano) is coming along nicely, and I am being challenged by my university classes like never before. Sometimes I bravely join the class discussion, and other times I try and focus on just paying attention and following the conversation.
Classes here are very different to back home: we don’t have a lecture-and-tutorial format, but rather small, relatively long classes broken in half by a ‘cafecito’ (coffee break), and sometimes excursions to museums, theatres or places of interest. My favourite class this semester is Argentinian Arts & Culture, where so far we’ve learnt about gauchos (‘cowboys’), tango (including dance classes!), modern art and the last military dictatorship. It’s a nice break from my science degree back home.
With only a few weeks left before final exams, I’m looking forward to finishing class and going travelling, though it means saying goodbye to many friends I’ve made this semester. On the plus side, I can continue to practice my Spanish in the countries I’m visiting.
Blog #3 - Travelling out of Buenos Aires
The day after my last exam, I was out of Buenos Aires. Which is not to say I don’t love this city (I do), but rather that I have limited time before the start of next semester, and I wanted to cram in as much as possible.
Starting off with a weekend at a traditional Argentinian estancia (ranch) in the north of the country, a tiny town called Esquina. We took an overnight bus from the city (an adventure in itself) and were met at the Esquina bus terminal by a gaucho (cowboy) who took us to the ranch. So began a weekend of horse riding twice a day, cooking lessons (empanadas and gnocchi), gaucho skills like throwing a lasso, copious amounts of food and many siestas. By the time we left on Monday, we had recharged from a long semester of study and were ready to take on our next destination: Chile.
We flew to Santiago and met with another friend, James, who is doing his ICS in the city. He gave us a local’s tour, complete with a climb up to Cerro San Cristobal at sunset, where we could see the entire city. The next day we caught a bus to Valparaiso, a beautiful port city 2 hours northwest of Santiago, known for its outlandish graffiti, steep hills and colonial architecture. We spent time wandering the streets, going on the funiculars and even went sandboarding in nearby Concon (I am still finding leftover sand in my bags and shoes from this occasion).
From Chile, I travelled onwards to Cusco, Peru, to meet with another friend and trek to Machu Picchu. Having survived this trek, I can safely say it was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done – a combination of altitude sickness, huge physical exertion, difficult terrain and mental strength. The reward after 5 days was, of course, seeing the grand Machu Picchu at sunrise, before the site filled with some 4000 tourists. The trek there made the Inca wonder all the more beautiful.
Now I have returned to Buenos Aires afresh, ready to start the next semester. However this is not the end of my travels, as I have many mini-trips planned for the weekends and public holidays!
Blog #4 - A visit from Mum!
Without realising it, I have reached the five month mark of my ICS, which meant it was about time that some family visited. I am lucky enough to have my mum visiting at the moment, and it has been so much fun showing her around Buenos Aires and introducing her to my Argentinian exchange life.
First off was a round of attractions in the city, including my favourite weekend markets, local cafes, and the touristy attractions like the Obelisk and the Recoleta cemetery. We visited the Museum of Fine Arts where I was able to demonstrate some knowledge of Argentinian art history that I learnt in my first semester. Then, we did the high-end tour of Buenos Aires, with high tea at the beautiful Alvear Palace Hotel, and seeing the ballet at the extraordinary Teatro Colon.
From Buenos Aires we flew to Mendoza, the biggest wine producing region in Argentina (and the world, too). Having been to Mendoza earlier this year, I was able to give my mum a good tour of the city and surrounding wine regions, and we enjoyed the good food and great wine for a few days.
Tomorrow we head onwards to Bariloche, where I hope we will get some snow, before returning to Buenos Aires for a few more days – well, for mum anyway. I’ll be there for another six months!
Blog #5 - Exploring South America
One of the advantages of studying overseas in a continent as extensive as South America is the opportunity to go away for trips on the weekend to explore the surrounding areas. While it’s certainly not as quick and cheap as it is to fly around Europe, where everything is close, I can never pass up the opportunity to ‘just fly to Rio for the weekend’.
Last weekend, after a series of drizzly grey days in Buenos Aires, I booked tickets to Rio on the spur of the moment and jumped on a plane after my last class of the week. I was greeted by clear blue skies, crowds of people on Copacabana Beach (for what I discovered was Brazilian Independence Day), hawkers selling a variety of food, bikinis, sunglasses and caipirinhas and much needed time to relax and soak up the sun.
Having already done the main tourist attractions the last time I visited Rio a few months ago, I spent this trip exploring new areas that I hadn’t been to before; but mostly, I lay on the beach or by the pool at my accommodation and ploughed through a series of books. Sometimes that’s all a girl needs!
The highlight of my trip was hang-gliding over São Conrado beach in the early morning, something I have always wanted to try. With very little by the way of a safety demonstration, my instructor Paulo and I ran full speed off the ramp on Pedra Bonito, a popular lookout spot, and glided like birds all the way down to the sand. For the first few seconds, I couldn’t even scream because my heart was so far down in my stomach! It was absolutely exhilarating, and something I will never forget about my time in Rio.
Blog #6 - Sporting culture in Buenos Aires
I love sport. All sport. So much so that I’ve chosen it as a career path, with my main degree being Sport & Exercise Science. So imagine my excitement when I found out that Buenos Aires was hosting the 2018 Youth Olympics – and that they needed volunteers. I think I must’ve been one of the first to apply!
The games commenced on the 6th of October with an amazing Opening Ceremony on the widest avenue in South America, Avenida 9 de Julio in downtown Buenos Aires, overlooked by the famous Obelisk. It was the first time in Olympic history that the Opening Ceremony was free and open to the public – so naturally, a quarter of a million people turned up. It was such an electric atmosphere, with a street parade of colourful dancers on the back of huge trucks, dare devil performance artists abseiling and bungee jumping off the Obelisk, athlete representatives from 206 nations proudly bearing their flag on the main stage, and a heartbreakingly sweet address from an Argentinian athlete about how sport brings people together.
My role in the Games is a National Olympic Committee (NOC) Assistant, and my job is basically to run errands for the NOCs as they need, like chaperoning athletes to events, going to the supermarket, organising sightseeing for teams or picking up correspondence. With so many countries in the Olympic Village, there’s plenty of work to be had! I’ve been lucky enough to work with a number of countries so far, including Great Britain, Malawi, St Vincent & the Grenadines, Vanuatu, Libya and Eritrea (needless to say, I’ve had to brush up on my world geography!). Of course, I help out Australia when I can – it’s been great hearing the Aussie accent again as I walk around the Village.
Being a part of one of the biggest and most important events Argentina has ever hosted is certainly special. The enormous amount of the work everyone has put into organising the event and building basically a whole new suburb to host it is remarkable. Not to mention, every day I go to volunteer, I get to practice my Spanish, meet people from many different countries – and enjoy my love of sport.
Blog #7 - Living like a local
I had a friend who did her ICS year in Argentina last year, and before I arrived in Buenos Aires this year, she told me this: “The first six months, you live like an exchange student. The second six months, you live like a local.” I can now confirm this to be true.
I live in a different suburb to all my friends, outside of the exchange student bubble so I can experience more of the ‘real’ Buenos Aires. I have made friends at the verduleria (fruit & vegetable shop) and the health food shop; I’m one of the regulars at my local gym, and I wave hello to my neighbours each morning. It’s taken eight months, but I would say that I live like a local now.
One of the best ways to ingratiate yourself with the locals in Buenos Aires is through sport, namely football (soccer). We were lucky enough to get tickets last weekend to a Boca Juniors game, arguably the best team in Argentina, held at the famous stadium La Bombonera. Getting tickets is no easy feat, as they’re sold only to members, not publicly. Making it inside successfully was stressful, but it was worth it for the experience. The atmosphere at the stadium was electric! The
did not stop singing for the whole match and the sound when they scored a goal was deafening. I was so amazed by their passion and fierce love for their team, and finally understood how it was possible for the fans to generate a 6.4 earthquake from jumping up and down in the stadium (that’s not a joke, they’ve measured it).
Another way I became more of a local was by making friends with the local triathletes. Triathlon is the sport I compete for in Australia, and I have been lucky enough to have found a triathlon club here and competed in some races. My last race, at the end of October, was the first time an event has ever been held in Buenos Aires city, and it was on almost the same course as the Youth Olympics from the week prior. It was such a great experience to compete in my adopted city and cheer on my new friends as well.
Blog #8 - A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity
Living in South America for the year has given me a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to travel the continent far and wide. Never again will I have the mobility, resources and language skills to travel this continent as I have done so far and have yet to do. Although sometimes I get homesick, I remind myself that I am extremely lucky to be living as I am, with the ability to travel so freely and widely.
However, one of the biggest misconceptions is that it is easy and quick to travel around South America. Wrong! I’ve taken more flights this year than I think I have in my whole life, and they’re not always short flights. Well, it’s either that or extended travel by bus – it took us 27 hours by bus just to go to the northern border of Argentina.
Regardless, it is a privilege to be able to travel like this, and as the saying goes, ‘life is a journey, not a destination’.
Shortly I will be departing my adopted home of Buenos Aires to embark on a three-month tour of Central America, knocking off Mexico, Cuba, the Bahamas, Costa Rica, Guatemala and Panama in one clean sweep. I’m not sure when I’ll come back to this region, so I am trying to squeeze in as much as I can before semester starts again in Australia. I am looking forward to catching up with various friends along the way and trying out different dialects of Spanish too.
More information about ICS
- Read about the Bachelor of Arts in International Studies
- Read about In-country study in the UTS Handbook