Oscar in Argentina

My story

I had the best time of my life in Argentina. I did a 6-week internship. The Power of Sports organises everything really well. You end up in a fun, beautiful and safe place. The hostel where you stay is in a wealthy and safe neighbourhood. Everything is also just around the corner. Supermarkets, little restaurants, takeaways, nice little parks, shops, and public transport is also easy to reach from the hostel. You can also hail a cheap taxi in the street. From here you can easily get anywhere in Buenos Aires. The sports lessons you give are at different places and in different neighbourhoods. The target group also differs from day to day. The variety makes it fun, so every week feels new again. The support from The Power of Sports is also well organised. You get an internship supervisor and a project supervisor. You see them almost every weekday.

Your project supervisor almost always comes with you to the projects. This is for your safety as an intern/volunteer, and it’s easier to have an interpreter if you don’t speak Spanish. I didn’t speak any Spanish when I went to Argentina, and that is the main language there. I took 20 hours of Spanish lessons, which are arranged through United Through Sport. After these lessons understanding gets easier and easier, and by the end of my internship I could speak better and better too.

You’re free at weekends and can go and do fun things. For example, I spent a weekend in Uruguay, travelling there by boat. I stayed in a hostel in the capital, Montevideo. I also flew to Brazil for a weekend, to the Iguazu Falls. This really is a wonder of the world and a must-see. Together with my fellow student I took a helicopter flight over the falls and the Iguazu National park. We also did the boat tour that sails right through the falls. It’s a truly fantastic experience.

You can also have a great night out in Buenos Aires. There are lots of different nightclubs you can easily get to by taxi. A taxi ride costs next to nothing. As a football fan, you really have to go to a match in the Argentinian league at least once. I went to five different matches myself.

I went to Boca Juniors, River Plate, Racing Club and Independiente. The stadiums here are all huge and the fans are on a different level from those in Europe. The atmosphere is amazing. It is hard to get tickets, but with the right connections you can get them safely.

I learnt so much during this internship and made lots of friends. I’m definitely planning to go back to Argentina next year, but for longer. If you have any questions, you can email or call me. You can ask Ruben from The Power of Sports for my contact details.

How long was your internship?
6 weeks

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

– Check carefully beforehand whether you can apply for a grant or funding through your course. In my case this was well organised, and it saved me a lot of money that I would otherwise have had to pay myself.

– Plan fun outings and places you want to visit in advance. There’s so much to see and do in and around Buenos Aires. You can never do everything, so decide what you really want to see or do.
– The Iguazu Falls in Brazil are definitely worth a weekend trip!!