Catherine in Argentina

My story

I’m Catherine, I’m 21 and I study Leisure Management at NHTV in Breda. Because of this degree I could do a 30-week internship, preferably in another country. I had Spanish lessons at NHTV and really wanted to develop that further. The South American culture also really appealed to me. Several students before me had already done internships through ‘The Power of Sports (mainly at other locations), which made it easier for me to get in touch with them. I do several sports myself and really identified with the vision of United Through Sport (partner organisation of The Power of Sports), so my choice was quickly made!

Because I was already a bit behind on my studies, I could take the whole year for my internship and combine it with travelling. A month before I was due to start at UTS, I had already left for Buenos Aires to do an intensive Spanish course. During that time I stayed at a hostel in the centre, where I got to know loads of people and could already start exploring Buenos Aires with them! After that I moved to the UTS accommodation. This is a kind of big hostel where all the volunteers stay too, and twice a year a large group of Scandinavian students comes for an exchange. On my first day there happened to be a big event in Parque Pereryra, which is where UTS’s own sports lessons are held and where the little office is too (UTS also works with other sports organisations in Buenos Aires). That week there were students from an English school in Buenos Aires, and together with the school, UTS had organised a big sports day where the students taught the children, finished off with a barbecue. Of course this was lovely for me to see and a great kick-off to my internship!

In the first half of my internship I helped out a lot with the hockey lessons UTS gave, a sport I only really started learning during my internship and which, against my expectations, I really loved! The girls we taught were a steady group who had been there from the start, so you could really get to know them. They were also very patient with my limited Spanish and loved helping me with it. If I ever find my way back to Buenos Aires, I’d love to come back to the lessons. I also worked on the admin, coordinated the volunteers and looked at where else my help was needed.

During my internship I also went away a few times, to various places in Chile, to Rio de Janeiro and for a day to Uruguay. I really appreciated that my internship supervisor was very flexible about this and understood that you want to get to know the area while you’re there. In January another intern was due to arrive. By then I liked the idea of finding my own place in Buenos Aires, so I could integrate a bit better into the culture and improve my Spanish. As someone had to live at the hostel at all times to coordinate the volunteers, it worked out really well for me that a second intern was joining. Him taking over the coordination also gave me the chance to focus more on writing a marketing plan. Writing a marketing plan is of course a very different responsibility from the ones I had in the first half, so I could develop in several areas.

The time really went incredibly fast, and in April 2017 my internship was already over. Luckily I still had some time before I had to be back in Holland, so I set off again to Brazil, where I spent a week in the Amazon. After that I went back to Rio de Janeiro, where I found a job in a hostel. My family also came to visit me there, and I truly had the time of my life! Together we spent another week at Foz de Iguazu on the border of Argentina and Brazil. Finally, on my way back to Holland, I spent a week in Morocco. In total I spent eleven months in South America, and now my friends and family tell me that the experience has really changed me. Of course it isn’t always easy, but just for the people I met during this time I wouldn’t have wanted to miss it, and it all started with United Through Sport. Thank you!

Catherine