Josh Miller
H-SC May Term Abroad
Mendoza,  Argentina
Summer 2015

June 30th

I’ve been home for a few days now. I was surprised how large the shock would be returning to an English speaking community. Many of my classmates and I were still saying “por favor” and “gracias” without thinking. I am somewhat relieved though to be back in the states.

I really became close with my second host family. I enjoyed getting to know the kids and grandparents during the weekly asado’s on Sundays. I’ll also miss the family’shyper border collie, Símon. I know that I’ll keep in touch with them and hope to visit them again in the future. They made me feel like a member of their family and for that I am very thankful. My host family really made my time abroad memorable and enjoyable.

My main piece of advice for students going abroad is to speak up if there is an issue with your host family. At first I was worried about speaking up about my problems with the host family. I did not want to make the family upset, or for them to lose money(since they are paid to host students). However, I was lucky enough to have the support of Dr. Palmer and Dr. Thornton who helped guide me through the process of switching host families. After switching host families, my whole experience changed for the better. I realized how important the host family’s role is in the experience of studying abroad.

I’ll never forget my time abroad and I will look back on it as one of the best experiences of my life. I encourage all students to study abroad and to be immersed in a foreign culture.