An Outline About Causes and Effects of Living in Big Cities

If there's one thing I wish I would have considered a little more before my study abroad, I'm pretty sure it would be the fact that Buenos Aires is a large city. According to Wikipedia, although Buenos Aires doesn't have as large of a population as New York City (3,050,728 vs. 8,391,881), it has a higher population density (38,862/sq. mi vs. 27,532/sq. mi). I know many will argue with me that New York has many commuters which would skew this number, but either way, I think the statistics show that there is a definite similarity between Buenos Aires and New York City. And this affects my everyday life in more ways than I could have originally imagined.

I think the biggest thing I've noticed, and this may have to do with constantly speaking Spanish as well, is that I need more sleep. In State College, I never had a problem consistently getting 6 or 7 hours of sleep and continuing on with my life. But here, if I get 6 or 7 hours one night, I may make it through the day, but will need to make up for that sleep later on. I know they've done numerous studies showing that city life is exhausting and now I can whole-heartedly agree.

Another thing I can't escape is the noise. Whether it's construction downstairs in the apartment building or loud noises from protests, there is constant noise. The only place I've been so far that has been completely quiet was the National Library. And, in my opinion, that building is just slightly depressing in general. I'm amazed the noise hasn't drove me nuts yet. My parents can surely attest that excessive noise and I do not get along well.

I've also benefited in some ways from the big city. It definitely provides entertainment and there is constantly something going on here. I've benefited from the tango festival, multiple museums, and the zoo.

However, taking into account all of these factors, I'm starting to realize that the city isn't a place where I want to be for a long time. I'm thankful for this realization