Julie Harrison is a student at Ohio State University and an ISA Featured Blogger. Julie recently studied abroad with ISA in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
I’m heading into the last leg of my trip down here in the Paris of South America and, believe it or not, I have run into spurts of homesickness now and again. Although I keep plenty busy in my temporary home of Argentina, I still find it hard not to miss the comfort of the U.S. Luckily, I have found a few great ways to go about turning my longing for Columbus, OH around after being here for three months. The answer to that is very simple.
One thing that Buenos Aires has an abundance of is expatriates from the U.S.A. Aside from all of the U.S. students you already know studying abroad, the rest of Buenos Aires, especially the nightlife and restaurant scene, is crawling with U.S. influence. If you are getting tired of your host mom serving eggs with dinner instead of breakfast or can’t fathom the thought of another salad covered in balsamic vinegar, I have the solution — brunch.
It has started to become a Sunday tradition of mine to go out to brunch and feed the empty piece of my soul that I have for the U.S. dining experience. If you are a foodie or come from a great restaurant town like Columbus, you will not want to miss your chance to try some of the best brunch in town at either Magdalena’s (Thames 1795) or Oui Oui (Nicaragua 6068) in Palermo.
One thing I know for sure from my three months of first-hand experience is that staying in your host family’s house all day on your smaller-than-twin-size bed will only make you want to return to the U.S. sooner. If you keep busy and embrace the differences in the Porteño culture it will make it a lot harder to leave this city at the end of your stay. This I am finding out to be the point of studying abroad — to learn to love a country other than your own. Some great ways to stay busy and keep your mind off of homesickness are to start volunteering (something the ISA Buenos Aires office can help you with), join a gym or simply to spend time sitting in the many amazing parks around the city as opposed to hiding out in a room that doesn’t quite feel like the one you left behind in the States.
good advice! I lived abroad in Oaxaca, Mexico during college and to keep from getting homesick I managed to find two cafes that served american food, including bagels with cream cheese… you can imagine my delight. But truthfully the food and the life in Mexico was so good I had very few pangs of homesickness! Keeping busy is the key!