Matthew in Argentina
Participant
Matthew
Programme
Internship
Country
🇦🇷 Argentina
Duration
20 weeks
Short bio
I’m Matthew and I’m 20. My passion is sport. I study Sport Studies and went to Argentina for my third-year internship.
How satisfied were you with the support from Holland?
The support back in Holland was good. I didn’t need a great deal of support, but whenever we were in touch everything was always really pleasant and well organised.
My story
“A period abroad is always valuable, of course, but this project lets you dive much deeper into Argentine culture. And believe me: that culture is amazing.”
Matthew · internship in Argentina
Well, what a time.
I went to Argentina for my third-year internship. I’d always wanted to do an internship abroad, and now I’d finally taken the plunge. Through this organisation I got in touch with a project in Argentina. That country was already high on my list, mainly because I’m a huge football fan. Argentina is, of course, one of the biggest football nations in the world. Even so, it was never a destination I’d really thought about before, but somehow it really appealed to me.
From the moment I arrived I loved it, and it actually only got better. A period abroad is always valuable, of course, but this project lets you dive much deeper into Argentine culture. And believe me: that culture is amazing.
Sharing is at the heart of life in Argentina. Everything is shared: from drinking mate together to the meat from the parrilla (barbecue). That sense of togetherness and hospitality makes the culture really special.
In the first few weeks you get to know the children on the project and communicating with the locals gets easier and easier. Slowly you build a bond with the children, and every day I looked forward to going to the project.
The schedule was very flexible (even as an intern you get enough time to work on your college assignments). You usually spent the morning and part of the afternoon at the project. After that the rest of the day was completely yours. That gave you all the freedom to explore the area and plan fun activities.
It’s precisely because of that flexibility and free time that you get to know the other volunteers/interns really well too. Together we made amazing memories and had experiences I will certainly never forget.
I haven’t regretted my choice to go to Argentina with this organisation for a single moment. This experience has given me memories I’ll treasure for the rest of my life and has also given me a new perspective on the world.
My goal now is to bring a bit of Argentine culture back to Holland… including by drinking a nice mate every day ;))
What advice would you like to give future interns and volunteers?
Firstly: do it
Secondly: if you do it, try to be as open-minded as possible towards the new people, cultures and experiences. That makes it even better than it already is.
Matthew’s photos
