Experience report
ANR: 587323
Name: Maarten Ykema
E-mail: maartenykema@gmail.com
Exchange semester: Juli-December 2014
Academic year: 3
Host University: Torcuato di Tella
Country: Argentina
TOPIC: Admission, arrival, housing
How was your arrival organized? Did someone pick you up from the airport/station? Was an
orientation or introduction activity organized? How was accommodation organized? Does the
university provide you with accommodation? What kind of accommodation does the university
provide? Did you have to book your accommodation in advance or did you have to search for a place
to live after you arrived?
My arrival and housing had to be arranged by myself. At the end I was lucky to meet a local in the
airplane who told me how things work in Buenos Aires and we shared a taxi to the city.
The first week I stayed in a hostel because I wanted to see houses and know the city a little bit to
know the good locations. I was provided with a lot of housing possibilities by the host university. But
the list was not organized at all and therefore not really helpful for me.
I searched for housing at craigslist and because I did the language course 3 weeks prior to the start
for the semester there was a big supply of housing available.
At the end I stayed in a house in Palermo SoHo, which is my favorite neighbourhood in BsAs. But
Palermo is a lot bigger than SoHo on its own, and the full neighbourhood is nice. Also Recoleta is a
very interesting neighbourhood to live in.
I would not recommend to live in the city centre because in that case all your friends are far away
since they almost all live in Palermo.
TOPIC: Location of university/city
Please describe the city you lived in. Where is the university located in the city? What is the best
place to go to eat/drink/dance/do sports/etc.? What are interesting things to see and do in your host
city? What was different than in Tilburg?
Buenos Aires is a very large city, no wonder because it is the second largest city in South-America.
But getting around in the city is very easy!
They have a public transport card called ‘Sube’ which you can buy and charge at many spots like
kiosks.
Getting around is also very cheap!
A ride with the metro costs $4,50 (Argentine pesos) and one way with the bus costs $3,50.
The normally does not differ much for the distance you travel.
How do you find your way? Use the Buenos Aires 9292.ov website : http://comollego.ba.gob.ar/
To visit is the city center the most interesting. The main square and things like Teatro Colon are
located in a fifteen minute walk from each other. But Puerto Madero, La Boca, Recoleta have also
their things to visit like El Caminito in La Boca.
The best neighbourhood with bars/restaurants/clubs is Palermo because there is something for
anyone’s interest. The biggest clubs are located at La Costanera, which is a $80 (Argentine Peso) taxi
drive from Palermo.
The university is located in a neighbourhood called Nuñez and it is located at the opposite of the
stadium of River Plate. It is a very quiet neighbourhood and the best accessible by bus.
I don’t think Buenos Aires is comparable to Tilburg in any way, not with respect too the largeness of
the city. Also the traffic is way more chaotic and there are more corner restaurants than large plazas
where you can go and have a drink.
TOPIC: Academics
Which courses did you take and why? Which courses would you recommend? What did the courses
add to your program at Tilburg University? How does the university compare to Tilburg University
concerning the level of the courses, use of extra material, level of English, workload, etc.? Overall,
were you happy with your academic achievements during your exchange? Please describe the
campus of your host university.
I thought it was really difficult to choose my own courses because I had never done that in Tilburg.
Then all my courses were in Spanish, of which I had to adapt myself to for two months before I got
used to it.
At the end I took:
1. International Economic History.
In this course there was a lot of talking during the class which may be hard to follow sometimes.
For this course a lot of papers were used, most of them in Spanish and some in English. I think the
level of English of the class is comparable with my level of Spanish. In Buenos Aires people know
English but don’t have high expectations.
2. International Trade
This course used a lot of clear slides and the level was comparable to Tilburgs’ and the teacher spoke
good English so I was able to ask anything I needed. I can recommend this course.
3. International Monetary Economics
This was a very difficult course from the 4th year of the Argentine studies. So if you thinking about
going during your 5th semester, I cannot recommend this course.
Overall my findings are that the level of the courses was not too different, although sometimes the
approach of a question is different from our way and that may be confusing. Also all the terms for
plus, minus and multiple in Spanish is something you have to get used too.
TOPIC: Social life
Which social activities organized by the university or students? Did you have contact with local
students? Did you have contact with other exchange students? How did you get along with the local
students and other exchange students? Did you travel to other places/countries during your
exchange?
The university gives you the opportunity to compete in one of their sports teams, which is fun to train.
I had more contact with exchange students during my exchange semester. This is partly because I did
the language course prior to the semester where I got to know like 30/40 people really good. Also
because my Spanish wasn’t too good when I arrived and my findings are that when you speak the
language they speak, people tend to be more open.
Still I have made some local friends during my semester and the Argentine students have always
been very helpful.
There are a LOT of activities for international students in Buenos Aires, there are two organisations
who organize a lot of parties and travels for exchange students:
BAIS: https://www.facebook.com/baisinternationalstudents?fref=ts
Argentina for All: https://www.facebook.com/argentina.for.all?fref=ts
During my exchange I have travelled to Iguazu with Argentina for ALL. Furthermore I have travelled
with friends to Cordoba, Rosario and Patagonia.
After the semester I travelled by myself to Peru, Bolivia and the north of Argentina. During this trip I
aslo met with a lot of friends who were doing the same thing. (Many people do that trip).
TOPIC: Living costs
How did you finance your exchange period, apart from the grant you received from Tilburg University?
What were your living expenses abroad like compared to Tilburg? What did you spend most of your
money on? What would you advice future students to spend their money on? Please outline your
approximate monthly budget whilst on exchange: housing, food, textbooks, etc.
The only difference in income I had was the subsidy for the public transportation. Furthermore I used
some of my savings for the travelling.
This is mainly because of the Argentine economic situation and the existence of a black market where
at one point my euro was worth twice as much! I transferred money only and had to pick that up
somewhere in the city using azimo.com .
A bigger expense for me was the housing, which is a lot cheaper in Tilburg. Also my desire to stay in
Palermo played a role.
Monthly I guess:
Housing: 350
Food: 150
Friends/going out: 130
University expenses: 20
Travels: 150
This is without my flight tickets.
TOPIC: Culture
Did you experience culture shock while on exchange? How would you compare your host culture to
your own culture? What did you learn about your own culture while on exchange? What was different
about your host culture than you expected? What did you like and not like about your host culture? Do
you feel you learned a lot about your host culture, and if not, what would you like to learn more? How
would you describe your host countries culture? If you travelled to other cities/countries during your
exchange, were they different than your host city/country, and how?
I can say that I had a culture shock, although this had not affected me at all because I was open
minded in the whole culture thing.
But there are some differences, the ones that stand out are:
- The “tranquilo” or “mañana-mañana” mentality, which implies that you are not surprised when
someone arrives 45 min than told. Also that there is nothing to worry aboat, there is always a solution.
I loved this, it really fitted my personality and I may have copied it too much.
- Greeting, in Argentina people say hello to each other with one kiss on the cheek. No one can be
missed and it also doesn’t matter wether it are two boys. I really had to get used to that and I had
some good laughs about it expressing the ‘culture shock’.
- Many Argentines are religious and they also kiss their cross when passing a church.
For me those are the three I experienced the most however I cannot tell I don’t know anything about
the Argentine culture but these are very different from the Dutch. I think Argentina and especially
Buenos Aires are very western compared to Peru and Bolivia.
TOPIC: Personal development
What did you learn from the people you met during your exchange? Would you do things differently if
you had the chance, and what would you do differently? What was your best experience, and what
was your worst experience? What will you remember for ever about your exchange period? What was
the most important lesson you learned about yourself during your exchange period?
The people I met during my exchange have shown me how I act anytime and made me realize that. I
don’t have anything different because for me it was all about the experience. “Everything is part of a
plan.”
My best experience I think was my trip to Patagonia, which was absolutely one of the most beautiful
places I have been too. But honestly, there were only highlighsts during my exchange semester apart
from being robbed at Creamfields which was predictable since that festival was known for being
robbed so I only lost money because of that.
The most important lesson I have learned is to always be yourself, no matter what. I might not have
done that in the first weeks, although I gained a lot in later months!
TOPIC: Tips for future students
Would you recommend an exchange period? Would you recommend your host university? What
should prospective students bring with them/leave behind? What preparation is required for going on
exchange to this destination? Was there anything you should have done in preparation that you didn’t
do?
An exchange period is an extraordinary experience with experiences you will carry for life. Some as
you get to know your personally a lot better and best of all is that you will make a lot of new friends.
I can recommend this host university. The exchange office has always been very helpful and it was
kind of nice to be at a small university again so you are able to meet locals more easily.
You have to write a motivation letter in Spanish to the host university and you have to meet the
requirement of Tilburg University for level B1 in Spanish. This is something you have to keep in mind
because I did the test one week before I left. So start early with preparations. I think that you don’t
have to prepare your arrival apart from booking a hostel and know what your plans are and everything
will be fine.
But please do the language course that is offered prior to the semester. You will learn that Argentine
Spanish is quite different from the language you might have learned earlier and during this course you
will learn everything about is as well as the Argentine culture!
PLUS you meet a lot of exchange students of your host university already!
TOPIC: A picture is worth a thousand words
If you took any pictures or made any videos that you would like to share with future exchange
students, please include them (or e-mail them separately). Pictures that show your daily life or
symbolize your exchange period are especially interesting for future exchange students.
Exchange students travelling