BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA — The typical, laid-back college experience in Argentina differs greatly from the stereotypical image of school in the United States.
Public education is free in Argentina, and it's clearly noted through the inner workings of the university, where there are multiple professors during one class session, students and professors arrive late and groups of students burst into classes to make announcements.
Students studying abroad have the choice to take courses from three different universities in Buenos Aires: Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA), Universidad Católica de Argentina (UCA) and the Instituto Universitario Nacional del Arte (IUNA).
Universidad de Buenos Aires is the largest university in Argentina, while UBA is a private university and IUNA is an arts school. Although these three universities have different characteristics, they all have at least one thing that undoubtedly links them: mate culture.
Yerba mate is a South American herb native to Argentina and neighboring countries. It is used to make mate tea, which is shared with classmates or friends in any relaxed setting, ranging from the classroom to a park to an evening at a friend's house.
It can be served in a container made from wood, glass, aluminum or a gourd. In some parts of Argentina, mate is made with fruit juice, called terere, and in the summers cold mate is common.
Because mate tends to be bitter, some choose to add orange zest or other flavors to customize the drink, just as one might have a preferred type of coffee.
Sharing mate marks comfort, informality and friendship. Students bring it to their UBA and UCA classes and pass it around, and professors even share it while teaching. Many students sit in the courtyard at IUNA, drinking mate among friends.
Bringing mate into a classroom relaxes the learning environment, and suddenly everyone is on the same plane, including the professor.
"Drinking mate in class is as common and normal as drinking water," said Violeta Dorna, a student at both IUNA and UBA. "It's a way of sharing with your classmates. To pass around the mate during class, even to a student you don't know, relaxes the environment. Sometimes, the professor will also drink mate with the students, especially during breaks. It makes the classroom environment less formal, but there are also professors who still maintain a formal relationship with their students. It can vary between classes and professors."
In the past 30 years, drinking mate has become more acceptable in class and is in no way disrespectful to the professor, Dorna said.
Clara Franchini, a staff member at FLACSO, the program CIEE partners with to send Elon University students to Buenos Aires, agreed and said it is an inherent tradition to student culture in Argentina.
"Mate allows the possibility of sharing something with someone without knowing them," she said. "And it's also a great way to stay awake during class"