• VOLUNTEER IN ARGENTINA
Viernes, 03 Junio 2022 17:10

A long weekend in Patagonia

Written by Kasia Pendlebury
Rate this item
(0 votes)
Bariloche was not somewhere I’d heard of before coming to Argentina. Rather, I discovered it through recommendations from locals and the Instagram stories of exchange students. In most aspects of my life, I tend to plan and research diligently before doing something, but on this trip I took a step back and barely glanced at the guidebook or google images before going.

I took a flight very early in the morning from Jorge Newbery airport and, after 2 hours, arrived into a very cold Bariloche. In my ignorance, I had thought of Argentina as a ‘hot’ country before stepping foot on its soil, having no concept of the sheer land mass of the nation and just how far south it extended. With some trepidation I was driven by my friends to our Airbnb, a bit delighted to not be in a hurry to go anywhere on the roads and enjoying the panoramic mountain views I grasped by tilting my head in all angles to peer out of the different windows of the car.

In hindsight the days all blend into one. The famous road of the seven lakes that ended in San Martín de los Andes, getting slightly lost in desert land, sitting in the sun by the lake, and climbing on logs like my twelfth birthday was still just around the corner. We star-gazed and waited in anticipation for the super flower blood moon to creep across the sky. We drank wine and cooked, with varying degrees of success, meals that we enjoyed for their flavour or for their failure.
Read 6853 times

Related items

10 years remembering Armin: A local hero in a world of international heroes

 In 2008, almost 10 years after my first visit to Latin America having just qualified as a Spanish teacher, I arrived in a cold, grey Buenos Aires. The plan was to spend 2 months volunteering with a relatively new volunteering charity called Voluntario Global. Back in 2008, Valeria Gracia and Armin Díaz, the original founders of the organisation, had set up a grass roots organisation that worked, principally, out of two community centres in impoverished barrios of the Argentine capital. What was unique about Voluntario Global, and remains true today, is that it looked to bring together the energy and enthusiasm of international volunteers with the local members of the poor communities of Buenos Aires who believed that change in their lives, and those of their neighbourhoods at large, was possible through international co-operation and partnership.

Crèche Argentine (English version)

 

            The crèche is not just a place where your children are welcomed and cared for, it is an institution with a deep history and wonderful human values. Indeed, founded by women many years ago, it was a way for them to combine the useful with the pleasant, but above all it was a matter of necessity. Unable to look after children and earn money, they had to find a solution to both problems. So, by building their own crèche, they were able to keep an eye on the children but also develop a business. The beginnings were not easy, sometimes having to bring food from home to feed the children they were looking after because of the little money they had. But with ambition and courage they succeeded and now allow other women like them to do the same thing by getting a job as a teacher, cook or cleaner in the crèche and also to be able to drop off their children. Most of the women working in this institution are, in fact, accompanied by their respective children, sometimes even in the same class.

Voluntario Global Ambassador Arthur Vandeputte

Volunteering Project: I worked at an English school. Outside of the city center in Buenos Aires (Pablo Nogues)

June 2022

Volunteering at the early childhood development center: Jack's experience

On our way to El Alfarero, a small preschool on the southern border between Buenos Aires Ciudad and Buenos Aires Province, the two sides of industrial development exist in close proximity and stark contrast.

Neil's Tips: Argentina and the dollar

Coming to Argentina the first time, I had no idea how complicated the exchange rates and access to cash would be, if you don’t want to lose money!

Argentina: A Dream Fulfilled

Argentina. A land of many ecosystems and one of the largest countries in South America. As a young adult, I dreamt of visiting Argentina, especially after reading Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara’s, “The Motorcycle Diaries,” and seeing the movie thereafter. Although the story and book focused on Che Guevara’s life, images of the Argentine landscape could not escape my mind. So, I decided to learn more about Argentina’s ecosystems and communities in various parts of the country via my studies.

BA GUIDE: How to feel more at home in the city

Getting to a new city can often be overwhelming, especially one as big as Buenos Aires! There were lots of things I did when I first got to the city to settle in, and some things that my friends did that I didn’t. From my own experience, and having spoken to them, I’ve compiled a guide of how to feel comfortable in the wonderful cosmopolitan metropolis that is the city of Buenos Aires.

How to Help When Things Seem a Bit Hopeless

In a time full of uncertainty, it can be hard not to feel despair as the news cycle makes the state of the world seem ever more desperate and beyond repair. This can be made worse by social media, which exposes us to (often unverified news) on a constant loop, making it very difficult to feel anything but anxious and powerless. Unfortunately these feelings, understandable as they are, stop us from taking action. The more dread we feel, the more paralysed we become and the less likely we are to mobilise. And whilst any one individual is unlikely to effect great change, there’s a whole lot that we can do together! That’s why volunteering can be a great way to get involved with a community, and break this cycle of feeling powerless. But sometimes it can be hard to know where to start, so I’ll share a few tips with you that have helped me:
Login to post comments