Shi Dan in Argentina

My story

In October I went to Argentina, where the weather was lovely. I stayed in an apartment block, together with one other girl. The whole floor was reserved for interns. What struck me was that most of the interns were younger than me. My internship started every morning. I worked on various sports projects, and together with the other interns we went to the bus to travel to the neighbourhood. The first time I went there, I was really struck by it. It was remarkable to see a neighbourhood like that, because in Holland there are hardly any neighbourhoods like this.

On arrival, the children went upstairs, where they had lessons in a kind of classroom. After an hour we went out to the pitch, where we did all sorts of activities. It was different every time, but football was usually the focus. It was fun to join in, because the children were so passionate. After an hour outside we went back inside to eat. Other volunteers from the neighbourhood cooked every day, pasta for example, and it was always delicious.

After the internship we went back to the apartment block together and I was home again at around 1pm. After that I had the rest of the day to myself to explore the city. I also took on a hockey project in the afternoons, teaching hockey to young children. It was great fun to do.

I really enjoyed myself, but because I was there for 11 weeks, some things started to get a bit boring. I love nature, and although Buenos Aires is a big city with lots of parks, it was still different from what I’m used to. Summer was coming, so the hockey training stopped and I had even more free time. During that time I was able to visit lots of beautiful places, such as a day trip to Uruguay or the waterfalls.

All in all, it was an amazing experience that I won’t forget any time soon.

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

If I had to give advice to the next intern, I would say: don’t be afraid to try new things and ask questions when you don’t know something. It’s a great opportunity to learn a lot, both professionally and personally. Try not to worry too much about the unknown, because you’ll find that the experience teaches you a lot. I would also recommend taking good care of yourself, especially as the internship can be quite intense. Take the time to explore the city and culture, but don’t forget to relax now and then and give yourself room to recharge. Finally, work well together with your colleagues and the volunteers from the neighbourhood. Working together makes the experience not only more fun, but also much more effective.