Piece õ Advice - Week 4

Oi!  Professor Bowman asked us to write a blog detailing advice we'd give to future students of the Argentina/Brazil study abroad..here it is..

First off, anticipate spending a minimum of an extra $500 USD during your trip.  [that's food, drinks, etc.] ..if you like to go nuts buying gifts..bring more.  Now let me get into some less numeric advice:  search and find locals to spend your time with!  You'll be spending a huge amt of your time here with other GaTech students already bc of the structure of the trip & additionally you'll have all the time in the world to hang with them back in the states.  Having been on 3 different study abroads myself, the terrible mistake I see everyone make is sticking to the other Americans on the trip and spending all their time with them.  Doing this is just tragic to me because I know the great friends I've made abroad and good times we've had..I still keep in contact with people from Korea, Japan, Greece, Argentina, etc. etc.  I really can't stress this enough..don't find yourself spending all your time with other students!!!!  Really concentrate on trying to learn Spanish and Portuguese...languages are so beneficial...don't be afraid to try!  I've personally never had anyone make fun of my Spanish or my Portuguese.  People in both Argentina & Brasil are very friendly..meet as many people as you can.  I live by the quote.. "You fail 100% of the times you never try."  Keep this ideal in mind while you're here.  Don't miss class, tours, or outings for less than good reasons..you'll be surprised how much you learn on these.  Try and keep the partying down to like..4 days a week..at the most...jaja.  In conclusion, live it up bc this will be one of the best experiences of your life..it has already become one of mine.  Adios~