Puentes Housing Guide

Puentes offers many options for comfortable, pre-screened, and well-located housing during your time in Argentina or Uruguay.

We have created this guide to help you choose the best housing option for you based on your specific goals for your abroad experience. As you review the descriptions below, keep in mind that each of our housing options come with unique benefits.

Fully immerse yourself in Argentine or Uruguayan culture and improve your Spanish by living in a homestay.  We carefully select homestay hosts that share our enthusiasm for cultural exchange. Hosts tend to be retired couples, a single adult, or a two-parent household with or without children.

You are provided with traditional Argentine or Uruguayan breakfast daily and dinner five evenings a week, which you will share with your homestay host(s). Do keep in mind that meals may be different from what you are used to eating at home.

Argentine and Uruguayan breakfasts are quite simple in comparison to American standards. You most likely won’t get eggs and bacon, but your host will give you enough to start the day. Expect cereal, fruit, toast, or “medialunas” (croissants), accompanied by coffee, tea, or “mate” (a strong local herbal tea). 

Dinners, on the other hand, are much more substantial. Expect lots of meat and dairies with veggies and starch. A typical dinner might be a quiche, beef or chicken, pasta, “empanadas”, or “milanesa” (breaded beef or chicken), which is usually accompanied with potatoes, rice, or veggies.

If you are a vegetarian or have any sort of food allergies, it is important to let us know so that we can find a host that is able to meet your dietary needs.

While most students find their homestays to be one of the most rewarding experiences of their time abroad, it does come with some unique conditions, which you should consider before choosing this option:

• Respect: While all participants are “ambassadors” for Puentes, their university, and home country —  and thus are expected to be respectful of Argentine/Uruguayan culture, habits, and rules — interns who choose homestays will have the closest contact with Argentines/Uruguayans and their culture. It is thus very important to be respectful and always follow the guidelines of the homestay host(s) and Puentes.

• Cooking: Most homestay hosts do not allow you to use the oven and stove because of safety concerns, as the stove and oven may be different from what you are used to.

• Visitors: Always ask your homestay hosts for permission before you invite visitors to your homestay. If you need to study or hang out with a friend, a cafe is a great option.

Make friends with your housemates, while also enjoying greater independence. You will live in a fully furnished and equipped apartment with other Puentes participants.

While the shared apartment gives you greater independence, your exposure to the Spanish language can vary widely depending on the background of your housemates and how much effort you put into socializing in Spanish. With great independence comes great responsibility; it will be up to you to make the effort to socialize and use your Spanish skills.

Students who choose this housing option will also be responsible for purchasing and cooking their meals and cleaning up after themselves in common spaces. Although there is a weekly cleaning service, it is important to be respectful of your fellow housemates and not leave common areas in disarray — similar to any roommate experience you had back home.