The academic differences of Argentina in compared to  maryville will the less amount of work compared to the normal full time load during a normal semester.  During the summer, to be considered a full time student at Maryville a student has to take 6 credit hours while in Argentina it is only required 3 hours. the culture of the classroom will be the biggest difference overall but it will have the same objective as other classes. The testing schedule on the website shows we have a midterm and a final as our only exams. While the credit system is the same for both places the grading scale is 1-10 instead of letter grades. From what i researched on the area and country of Argentina the city and the people will be friendly and help with any confusion in the city. With my roommates also taking the program there will be at least two other people there to help with studies and adjusting to the class and culture.

An American Abroad

This summer in Argentina will be the first time I will be out of the country, but this will not be the first time i have travelled or lived far away from any support system. I feel the easiest part for me to adapt to the change in culture, being from Texas there was a degree of culture shock coming to Tennessee. I feel i handled it well and will continue to adapt by keeping an open mind to another culture point of view. While keeping an open mind and trying to remember other's point of view are my strengths i feel my biggest difficulties will be expressing my action while trying to maintain and adapt my own values. It is sometimes difficult to express myself here, Feel it will be a lot more difficult to express myself in a foreign culture. My biggest thing i am going to try an remember is to keep calm and try to be as clear as possible with my intent. My own culture will be the largest thing I bring to Argentina. I feel that if I keep the attitude of excitement i have currently and don't get to low with lows I can be a great example of what people are like back in America instead of the stereotypes they maybe accustom to.

Goals

   My main goals for studying aboard is to expand my point of view by learning how other cultures and countries see the world. My whole life, I have been in America and while there are many different types of people here, they all had a common trait having lived in America for a large amount of time. The difference in culture and experiences gained while germinating in a different country will hopefully give me valuable insight how people who haven't lived in America interact with the world. Getting opinions about sports, politics, music, food, etc. will be great for my own development as i walk closers to post college life. While extremely excited for my upcoming trip I also have a creeping feeling of nervousness like the first time I left home, but I feel it will eventually subside before I board the plane. The main thing I want to do is meet people, go to a soccer game, and learn some new recipes i bring back home.