Julius in Argentina

Participant

Julius

Programme

Volunteering

Country

🇦🇷 Argentina

Duration

5 weeks

Short bio

I’m 18 and had just finished secondary school. I went to the project in Buenos Aires and helped there with PE lessons/football projects.

How satisfied were you with the support from Holland?

I was very satisfied with the support from Holland. I had 2 calls before I left, which made it very clear what I could expect in Buenos Aires. For any extra questions, I was given the number of a volunteer who was already there. That was really nice and meant I could set off well prepared.

My story

“I could also train with a hockey team 2/3 times a week, which was a great experience too and was well organised”

Julius · volunteering in Argentina

My arrival was well organised: I was picked up on time and could go straight to my room. In my first week I went with the other Dutch volunteers to Salta in the north of Argentina. This was a really fun trip and it’s how I got to know the others well. So the second week it was time for my first project days. I had two projects, Amarilla and Cacupé, both in the Barrcas neighbourhood. Amarilla was a slightly smaller school, where we often started with a running game or tag. After that we played football. The class ranged from 8 to 15 children. I really enjoyed this project, because with the small number of pupils you could easily remember their names and build a bond with the children. The other project, Cacupé, was a bigger school where you often had 2 classes. The school had 2 sports locations. One was a football pitch, and when we taught there it was very similar to Amarilla. We started with a running exercise and then played football. When we taught in the inner courtyard, we often did running or throwing relays. I also found Cacupé a really fun project, often with lots of enthusiastic children.

The new flat we’re in now has a lovely roof terrace and a communal area where you can relax comfortably or have a good chat or play cards with the other volunteers. The location of the flat is great too, the only shame is that it doesn’t have a washing machine. (I think that was going to be sorted, though.) Luckily there are plenty of launderettes nearby.

On top of that, the projects were usually in the morning and you were done around lunchtime. You often still had the late afternoon and evening to entertain yourself in Buenos Aires. We had a football match 2/3 times a week in the evening, with the volunteers playing against Argentinians, which was great fun! I could also train with a hockey team 2/3 times a week, which was a great experience too and was well organised by The Power of Sports. All in all, I really enjoyed it and I can definitely recommend it!

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

I spoke a bit of Spanish myself, so if you’d like to have little conversations with the children, I’d recommend having some basic Spanish. The children don’t speak English, but with the help of examples and hand gestures you can usually manage.