Study Abroad Nostalgia

I went abroad during my sophomore Fall Term to Buenos Aires, Argentina on a non-Carleton, IES Program exactly one year ago.  Four out of my five classes were taught in Spanish. While I was based in Buenos Aires, I had 3 day weekends, every weekend and traveled throughout Argentina. I went to Salta, Juyjuy, Córdoba, El Calafate, and a few smaller trips.

I ate alfajores and drank maté, a highly caffeinated tea every day.  I traveled to Uruguay for a long weekend to explore Colonia and Montevideo . I hiked the ‘W-Trek’ through Torres Del Paine in Patagonia. Here is a super cool video of our adventures with music by Sylvan Esso. I would absolutely recommend doing that hike if you ever have the opportunity.

The majority of people go abroad during their third year of Carleton but the trimester systems allows for much more flexibility. I knew I wanted to go as soon as possible because I wanted to improve my Spanish. However, this year just over 30% of the class of 2018 are abroad this term; so many of my friends have been abroad, or have been here while I was away. It’s frustrating to feel like we have a very limited amount of time to actually go to school together.

Depending on the day, I am either:

1. Nostalgic of my own abroad experience
2. Missing the friends that I made in Argentina as none of them attend Carleton and we are all spread out around the United States.
3. Envious of whatever adventures my friends who are currently abroad are having because I am in Northfield, which isn’t a bad place to be – but it is a lot more quiet than Buenos Aires, or many other international locations.
4. Excited to hear their stories when they get back to Carleton in the Winter
5. Frustrated that I am losing my ability to speak Spanish (need to immerse myself in it some more)

Or I’m feeling all of the above at the same time.

I also remember being very frustrated while abroad though, because it is described to be this perfect semester/trimester where there are adventures every single day and everything is perfect. This is a romanticized view; studying abroad can be hard/challenging/stressful in all the ways that attending Carleton in Northfield can be.

I’m trying not to romanticize my memories too much as I’m recovering from mid-term slump– and yet I’d do anything to go back.

Ally, a native New Yorker transplanted to the Midwest, is an American Studies major. She loves to drink coffee or kombucha while learning about environmental policy. She also plays Ultimate Frisbee casually and wishes she was better at napping. Read on to meet the rest of our bloggers.