Suzanne in Argentina

My story

During secondary school and the course I did afterwards, I’d already had Spanish lessons. That wasn’t enough for me, so in the gap year that followed I went travelling around Latin America. For four months I visited 6 different countries on the continent (Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia) and I fell in love with it. So the decision to go back to this continent was an easy one for me.

As well as these fantastic outings, I was also really impressed by the projects of United Through Sport.

I didn’t have many expectations of Argentina, so they were well and truly exceeded. The people at the hostel where I stayed (Artfactory Guesthouse) were super hospitable (shoutout to Diego). The volunteers of the foundation in Argentina, ‘United Through Sport’ (UTS), and the students staying there were really nice and you clicked with everyone very easily. I had to get used to the Argentinian work culture, but that was the only thing, I felt at home there really quickly.

The days and weeks flew by. Every evening there were people going out to do something in the city, so you never had to be bored. We did lots of things together. If we stayed in for the evening, we cooked and ate together, played beer pong, had a games night or watched a film together. When we went out, we enjoyed the nightlife in Buenos Aires or took in other highlights of the city, such as watching a tango show or a football match.

During my internship I didn’t only work on the projects. I was given plenty of opportunities to take the initiative myself, and that was great, because I was bursting with ideas!

For anyone who’s worried about going to the land of meat: as a vegetarian you can get by perfectly well there too! In the rest of South America it’s a bit trickier, but Buenos Aires is very modern and has lots of vegetarian options and even plenty of vegan places to eat. For those who do love meat: enjoy it, they have an incredible number of Argentinian specialities and choices. It’s nothing like the meat in Europe, so delicious..

I had really underestimated how big Buenos Aires was. I think that even if I stayed there for a year, I’d still be discovering new places. Because of the many migrants who came there in the past, the city is very diverse and has a lot in common with the Western world. That’s why I’d definitely recommend everyone to stay there for at least 2 months, only then have you really seen everything and got to know the city!

The great thing about this experience is that you don’t just see the touristy side of the city, but also the less pleasant side.

At weekends I explored the different neighbourhoods of Buenos Aires, went to Santiago in Chile and discovered the Argentinian cities of Mendoza and Tigre. I would also have loved to go to Iguazu and Uruguay, but sadly the coronavirus made that impossible.

As well as these fantastic outings, I was also really impressed by the projects of United Through Sport. They have five different projects (sports, childcare, healthcare, construction and teaching), and I got a taste of all of them. The great thing about this experience is that you don’t just see the touristy side of the city, but also the less pleasant side. The deprived neighbourhoods were really confronting for me, and personally I can get really angry about the divisions in the world. By working on the projects at UTS Argentina in Buenos Aires, I felt I was helping a little to reduce these divisions. Because despite the poverty there, it’s fantastic to see how happy, grateful and full of life these people are.

I had really underestimated how big Buenos Aires was. I think that even if I stayed there for a year, I’d still be discovering new places.

During my internship I didn’t only work on the projects. I was given plenty of opportunities to take the initiative myself, and that was great, because I was bursting with ideas! I mainly worked on fundraising, sponsorship, social media (Instagram), being the volunteers’ confidential adviser and improving the structure of the organisation.

I did, experienced and learnt such an incredible amount during my stay in Buenos Aires. A huge thank you to United Through Sport Argentina and the people I met along the way. A blog is too short to describe it all, I could write a whole book about it.

If you have any questions about this trip, don’t hesitate to get in touch with me! I’d love to tell you about the best experience of my life.

Would I ever go back? I’ve already started planning, yes..

Phone number: +31621692758
Email address: suzanne.van.nes@outlook.com