Submitted by Christy Arango-Kautz on the 2018 fall semester program in Buenos Aires, Argentina…
With midterms coming up and multiple essays being assigned, last week was probably one of the most academically stressful weeks I’ve had so far. I became frustrated because part of me wanted to put off all of my work to explore more parts of the city. It feels wrong to be stuck in the library when you’re abroad and it felt like I was missing out. However, this past weekend, once all my essays were turned in, I went to Mendoza with everyone in the program. While we were there, we had the opportunity to tour multiple olive amd grape growers, and take a driving tour through the Andes Mountains. This was by far my favorite part. Driving through the beginnings of the Andes Mountains and the Valle de Uspallata was incredibly beautiful and I was struck by the immensity of the landscape. During our tour, we were able to stop at multiple locations and learn about ancient Incan routes, railroads that first traversed the mountains and some historical anecdotes. My camera and I had a lot of fun trying to capture the shocking beauty of the area.
From this experience, I came to realize that it’s important to remain patient while studying abroad. There is always the pressure to see as much as possible during our stay, but it’s also important to focus on academics. It’s definitely a balancing act, but I think that at the end of the day, you’ll still experience things as incredible as the Andes Mountains while also taking time to knock out a few essays in the library.