Daan in Argentina

Participant

Daan

Programme

Internship

Country

🇦🇷 Argentina

Duration

6 weeks

Short bio

My name is Daan Bruins, I’m 20 and I’m in my fourth and final year at CIOS Haarlem. As a keen footballer and coach at ODIN’59, where I’ve now been coaching youth teams for four years, I knew straight away that I wanted to combine my internship abroad with my passion for football. So choosing Argentina was an easy decision.

How satisfied were you with the support from Holland?

Something that really contributed to my positive experience was the support from Holland. Ruben, our internship supervisor in Holland, was always available and really thought along with you. Whether you had questions about teaching, travelling or just wanted to bounce ideas around, you were always taken seriously and well helped. That gave a nice, reassuring feeling, especially in an environment so different from home.

My story

“This internship was a special experience for me. I didn’t just learn a lot about giving sports lessons in a different environment, but also about what it’s like to live in a completely different culture.”

Daan · internship in Argentina

During my internship in Argentina I worked in La Matanza, a deprived neighbourhood in Buenos Aires. Here we supported PE lessons at a primary school. It was confronting to see the conditions the children grow up in there, but that’s exactly what made the work feel extra valuable. You notice how important sport and exercise are for these children, not only physically but also socially and mentally.

Alongside the internship work there was plenty of room to explore the country. At the weekends I took domestic flights to places including Bariloche and the impressive Iguazú Falls, which I visited from both the Argentinian and the Brazilian side. I also went to Uruguay by boat and finished my trip with a visit to Rio de Janeiro.

As a football lover, there were two moments I’ll never forget: going to a Boca Juniors match at the iconic La Bombonera stadium, and a Fluminense Football Club match in Brazil. The atmosphere, the passion of the fans, the fireworks, it was a real experience in itself.

This internship was a special experience for me. I didn’t just learn a lot about giving sports lessons in a different environment, but also about what it’s like to live in a completely different culture. It was sometimes challenging, but above all very educational and amazing to experience. I look back on it with great pleasure and would definitely recommend it to others who love sport and are open to adventure.

What advice would you like to give future interns and volunteers?

An important tip: make sure you speak Spanish, or at least have the basics. Teaching in Argentina without Spanish is a real challenge. It might sound obvious, but I noticed there were quite a few fellow interns, myself included, who didn’t speak the language well. That sometimes makes communicating with children, colleagues and even everyday life difficult.