Article by Charlotte Amey

Everyone has big hopes for a trip volunteering abroad, and sometimes it doesn’t work out quite the way you imagined. Here are some potential disappointments you may encounter and my advice, as a current volunteer, for dealing with them.

1. Buenos Aires

Expectation Anyone who is keen to travel in South America has a sense of adventure and a desire to push their limits. For those who haven’t ever travelled abroad for an extended period, South America may seem a daunting place to start. However, for those heading to Buenos Aires, some may be relieved to hear of the city’s reputation as the most ‘European’ city in South America, revered for its beauty and exciting nightlife.

Reality For some people, Buenos Aires may not present enough of a challenge and you may find yourself getting bored of a city that is too similar to home. All the Spanish you were expecting to speak goes out the window as the easiest people to get to know are your international room-mates, who all speak perfect English, drink in Irish pubs and go out to clubs like you would anywhere else in the world. For others, there will be enough differences to make you start appreciating life at home more, such as being able to flush your paper down the toilet rather than put it in a bin, or well organised bus timetables. Seeing poverty and shanty towns from your trip from the airport may be a shock and both tourists and locals will tell you horror stories of violent street crime and the machismo of the Latino men, and tell you never to go out in certain areas, let alone at night.

My advice Buenos Aires is a city that grew on me more slowly than I expected. The sights to visit are more limited than large European capitals and there is no beach to enjoy like in other Latin American capitals. The best way to get to know this city is through the locals, or people who have lived there long enough to know its more hidden spots and events. Language exchange nights and couchsurfing.com are great ways to meet people interested in showing you around, and are also a way to speak more Spanish and to feel more integrated into the local community. Crime and machismoare an unfortunate reality. You will talk to people who have been mugged to varying degrees of violence. Women will be stared at and commented on whatever you’re wearing. But you will also talk to many people who have never had any problems with crime at all, and you might notice that the comments men make are mostly harmless and complimentary, unlike in some European countries, where I for one have been aggressively insulted for wearing a skirt above the knee. Use common sense at all times but don’t let being scared ruin your time here. Everyone has a different comfort zone, but don’t forget to walk and take the bus rather than take a taxi everywhere and miss out on the adventure of finding your way around.

1. Volunteering

Expectation Most volunteers want to help and get to know the local community from the inside, as well as to have enough spare time for sightseeing, whilst not getting bored with staying in one place for however many months. You expect to arrive at your project and immediately be given training on exactly what to do, given tasks that are emotionally or creatively rewarding, and be constantly aware of how useful you are and how much you are making a difference to these people’s lives.

Reality Instead, on arrival at your community project, you might be greeted with what seems like indifference from the locals and given petty tasks that anyone could do, and you start to question why exactly you are there.

My adviceIt´s easy to be naïve about how involved you can be as a volunteer, especially if you are only there for a short amount of time. Don´t expect to be given huge amounts of responsibility straight away. Your bosses will have seen hundreds of volunteers pass through their organisation – some lazy, some irresponsible, some totally uninterested. It is up to you to prove that you can be helpful and don’t need to be babysat, so be proactive, remember the information you have been told and be friendly and talkative to everyone you meet. Eventually, you will gain people’s respect, and once that is won, you will find your experience a whole lot more gratifying. Of course, the longer you stay and the more effort you make with the language, the more likely you are to really ‘make a difference’. When I visited the soup kitchen, all the locals I met there talked about one of the volunteer girls that had left a month ago, laughing together about their memories of teaching her Spanish, proving that if you take a real interest, locals here will respond and you will leave a lasting memory.

1. The Future

Expectation You expect to become a ‘better person’ for having volunteered, more knowledgeable about the country and its customs, having learnt another language and made new friends for life. You´ll have something to add to your CV and experienced things that you can use when you´re asked to ‘talk about a time you overcame a difficult situation’ in a job interview, giving you more chance of having a successful career.  

Reality All this can be true. Volunteering will have changed you for the better, even if you feel unsatisfied with how involved you were in your project. Just by getting to know a different culture and adapting to another country, your perspective on the world will have widened. If you have learnt another language and made lifelong friends, all the better. It can indeed be very helpful when it comes to (re-)entering the job market, improving your sense of initiative, your communication skills and your confidence.

My advice Volunteering is what you make it. Making a difference isn’t achieved just by paying the donation to be a volunteer and turning up on the day. It is an active process that, if done right, will give you memories for life, a new set of skills and a real sense of achievement. Just don’t expect it all to fall into your lap. Follow me on twitter: @Charlotte_Amey

Von Sarah Breinbauer

Drei Monate sind nun vergangen und es fühlt sich noch immer an, als wäre ich erst gestern angekommen. Als Praktikantin des Kommunikationsteams war jeder Tag ein neues Abenteuer!

Als Studentin des Studienzweiges „Public Management“ bin ich es ja schon gewöhnt, nebenbei zu arbeiten. Das Studium ist berufsbegleitend aufgebaut und richtet sich daher besonders an Berufstätige aus dem öffentlichen Sektor. Es bietet eine ideale Möglichkeit, die praktischen Erfahrungen des Berufes durch theoretisches Wissen zu erweitern, aber auch die einmalige Gelegenheit, durch ein Berufspraktikum oder –projekt  in der eigenen oder einer fremden Organisation über den Tellerrand zu schauen und praktisches sowie theoretisches Wissen zusammenzuführen und sich selbst auf die Probe zu stellen. Nachdem mir nach vier Jahren mein Job im Museum als Infotrainerin und Redaktionsassistenz zu langweilig wurde, ergriff ich die Chance, in eine andere Organisation für mein Berufspraktikum zu wechseln. Nach den vielen organisatorischen und persönlichen Turbulenzen wie Bildungskarenz, Jobübergabe, Recherche zum Praktikumsthema, Semesterschluss  sowie den unkontrollierbaren Stimmungsschwankungen und dem ständig „leicht“ erhöhten Endorphin-Spiegel, bin ich nun hier in Buenos Aires als Teil des Kommunikationsteams von Voluntario Global. Meine Aufgabe war es, ein Konzept aufzustellen, um Public Relations nicht nur in deutschsprachigen Ländern, sondern auch in anderen Ländern der Welt zu implementieren und zu entwickeln. Außerdem durfte ich mich auch bei Marketing-Kampagnen über die diversen Social-Media-Kanäle miteinbringen. Da meinen KollegInnen und mir immer der persönliche Einblick in die einzelnen Projekte von Voluntario Global gefehlt hat und es dementsprechend herausfordernd war, die Projekte für die einzelnen Kommunikationskanäle inhaltlich darzustellen, durften wir gemeinsam Projekte besuchen und Fotos, Videos und Interviews erstellen. Wir besuchten das Gemeinschaftszentrum „Los Pibes“ in der Soup Kitchen, sowie den Kindergarten Pim Pom in Barracas und das Projekt „Organic Garden“ in Charcras. Das waren meine schönsten Erfahrungen, denn so konnte ich mir selbst ein lebendiges Bild davon machen, wie so ein Tag als Freiwilliger in den einzelnen Projekten aussieht. Gleichzeitig ist es aber auch ein ganz beengendes  und tiefgreifendes Erlebnis, mit eigenen Augen zu sehen, wie sehr die wirtschaftlichen und sozialen Probleme eines Landes so viele Menschen tangieren können und wie viele davon heute von Armut und Unterernährung betroffen sind.

Als Freiwillige des Kommunikationsteams war ich zwar nicht täglich wie der Großteil der Freiwilligen „draußen am Feld“, fühlte mich jedoch stets gebraucht und konnte meine Ideen und meine beruflichen Erfahrungen ideal in meine Arbeit einfließen lassen. Was mich am meisten fasziniert hat, sind der kollegiale Zusammenhalt und die Bereitschaft sich gegenseitig zu unterstützen, zu beraten, zu respektieren, aber auch über kontroverse sozial-gesellschaftliche Themen zu diskutieren und von Menschen aus anderen Ländern mehr über deren Kultur und deren Politik zu erfahren.

Mein Praktikum hat mir die interessanten und herausfordernden Seiten einer NPO in Argentinien gezeigt und mir viele unterschiedliche Kulturen näher gebracht. Dabei habe ich so viele neue Freunde und interessante Menschen kennen gelernt, die mir sehr ans Herz gewachsen sind und das VG Haus zu einem heimeligen und gemütlichen aber auch chaotisch-verrücktem Zuhause gemacht haben. So hatte ich bereits nach 2 Monaten die Nase voll vom permanenten  Abschiednehmen. Jetzt, wo mein Praktikum schon dem Ende zugeht und ich oftmals gefragt werde, ob ich als Freiwillige etwas bewegen konnte, kann ich sagen: Ja! Auch wenn der Unterschied nicht all zu groß ist und es einem selbst gar nicht wirklich auffällt, fühlte ich, als ob schon die bloße Anwesenheit in den einzelnen Projekten bereits eine sehr große Veränderung ist. Kommt man als Tourist in dieses Land, wird man wohl kaum die Kommunikationsarbeit einer NGO verstärken oder ein Gemeinschaftszentrum von innen sehen, man wird auch nicht mit den Kindern in La Boca ein Picknick veranstalten und sich dabei mit Jonglierbällen und Springseilen die Zeit vertreiben, man wird nicht beim Bau eines Organic Gardens helfen und Avocadobäume pflanzen oder mit den Kindern im Kindergarten tanzen und Lieder singen. Das, was man an Erfahrung zurückbekommt, ist es wert, alles liegen und stehen zu lassen und ohne zu überlegen die Reise auf sich zu nehmen.

Article by Markus Stiefelbauer

Voluntourism (the combination of volunteering and tourism) is an amazing experience. Having all the advantages of being a tourist combined with doing something good, makes it without a doubt a very fulfilling and valuable experience for the volunteers. Still, the question remains: How can volunteers really make an impact?

Most of us want to change the world at least a little tiny bit. Even more so when working as a volunteer, offering time, knowledge and dedication. But what does “making an impact” mean? Is it about changing the world? Is it about seeing a progression? Something the project coordinators would tell future volunteers about even 2 years later? Or is it the complete opposite? Due to the limited time of most voluntourists is it impossible to make an impact, so are they one piece of a puzzle helping to have impact in the long run, when they have already gone?

Tooka is working in the medical center for 2 months. She helps the doctor to check up on babies and toddlers. If Tooka is not there, the doctor does everything on his own. Hence she can help, but does that mean that she is making an impact? Laura is working in the Soup Kitchen. She cooks lunch for the local community. If she is there, food can be served earlier than when she is not. Is she creating an impact? What about Markus? He works in the communications team, maintaining all social media channels, writing blog articles and making videos. Does that kind of work really make a difference?

Let`s tell the stories again: Tooka is working in the medical center for 2 months. She does the check-ups, so the doctor can concentrate on his/her expert skills and treat every single patient better, especially due to the huge amount of patients needing help every single day. It is a very valuable work, but exhausting as well - for Tooka and the doctor. Since they get along really well with one another, the doctor enjoys his time at work more than being alone. This, in turn, provides him with the necessary integrity and tactfulness he needs to deal with difficult patients, which is quite common since many patients come from difficult backgrounds.

Laura is working in the Soup Kitchen. But Laura is not alone, she came here with her friends Grace and Laura. The 3 girls have known each other for years, which is easy to see. They have fun and laugh while getting on with their work. Grace speaks only a little bit of Spanish, so Laura usually translates, what Estella, the coordinator, is saying. On the other hand Estella always feels proud when she is able to express something in English, and so she has lots of conversations with Laura, enriching her cultural knowledge and experience. Of course, all the community people recognize the great vibes and that the meals are prepared with love.

Markus is working in the communications department. He is going out to the projects, doing interviews and making videos following the motto “Do good and talk about it”. Local people are always curious about the videos. On one hand, many of them are a little bit camera-shy. On the other hand, they are delighted to talk about their projects, about all their difficulties and achievements. They are delighted that people are interested in them and that people care about them. And delighted that hopefully many people will take notice of their respective projects. Because they face many obstacles, and the more people help, whether as a volunteer or with financial aid, the stronger their belief in a better future - especially for the babies, the toddlers, the kids - the future!

It is this perspective that makes the difference. The perception of the volunteer makes the difference. The impact is not a crater in the landscape, it`s a tiny little change in peoples’ lives. The crater might have vanished tomorrow, but the memory in people`s hearts persist. Isn`t that changing the world a little tiny bit?

With over five hundred million speakers worldwide, Spanish is the third most spoken language in the world, behind Mandarin and English. As the world becomes an increasingly interconnected place, knowledge of a second language is quite commonplace. Many students around the world are interested in improving their language skills through immersion. Because of this desire to achieve fluency, volunteering abroad has been an attractive proposition for adventurous young people around the world. Working everyday in a foreign language helps you pick up colloquial phrases while drastically improving your listening and conversational skills.

According to a recent survey by Voluntario Global, over 90 % of volunteers claim that their primary reason for choosing Argentina as the location for volunteering is to learn Spanish. But choosing Spanish-speaking destinations doesn’t imply that all the volunteers are fluent in the local language. In fact, many of the prospective newcomers and current volunteers have little foreign training. But regardless of your level of proficiency, it is only natural to be nervous about the language barrier.

Therefore, the logical question to ask is, is there a language barrier and how will it affect your experience? Of all the applicants that applied to work with Voluntario Global, 12% reported to have zero previous experience with Spanish, while 29 % reported that they spoke a basic level of Spanish. Obviously, a limited capacity to communicate yields some frustration, but that frustration can serve as a learning experience and an interesting opportunity for you to push yourself outside your comfort zone. The best time to immerse yourself in a language and culture is not when you are already fluent in the language. By choosing a country whose language you do not know well, you will be exposed to listening to it all the time: on the train, in the streets, in restaurants, in volunteer projects, etc. This constant exposure serves as thousands of hours of training because you get used to the sounds and cadence of the language.

Even by using your limited vocabulary with locals, every person you meet can become a conversation partner and an opportunity to practice. As a foreigner, showing that you have learned a few words of the language demonstrates to locals that you respect them enough to put in the effort to connect with them. Because of the respect you showed them, they feel compelled to help you learn their language. You can lean on the natives’ complete knowledge of the language when explaining concepts to absorb new phrases, slang, and cultural idiosyncrasies. That subtle student-teacher relationship that forms between you and your local conversation partners is a meaningful and rewarding human connection. Because even small successes, like someone understanding a simple request, can feel like colossal victories when done in a foreign language.

In addition to improving your abilities of verbal expression, you may also discover other effective and more universal methods of communication, such as body language, which can help enrich your experience. When you realize that even people in a different country understand that rubbing your stomach is a sign for being hungry, that universal sign language becomes another tool to lean on when you forget a word or phrase. And after recognizing what you are trying to communicate, your language partner will teach you the word or phrase for your future reference. Soon you will have acquired quite an extensive vocabulary without even realizing how many words you pick up.

To demonstrate some of these points, we interviewed some of our volunteers who  claimed to have a very basic or nonexistent level of Spanish prior to arriving in Argentina. Allison Tran Phan from Australia said, “Although at first, It was hard to communicate with the teachers, I had no trouble communicating with the kids because I use a lot of body language and hand gestures.”  While Tooka Zokaie of the United States said, “Just from shadowing my doctor, I've picked a lot of medical language, such as the names of diseases and medicine. The vocabulary that I've learned at the clinic has also come up in other places. It's been a great and fun learning experience overall."

As said before this teacher-student relationship causes strong bonds to form among the two people involved. One of the most rewarding experiences some volunteers have had is because of the fact that they do not speak the local language. Because it is difficult to explain the concepts behind cultural idiosyncrasies in simple terms, people try to teach the volunteers by using physical examples rather than explaining it in words. For instance, instead of verbally detailing the history and cultural importance of mate (typical Argentinian beverage), they may invite you to share a mate with them and their friends to demonstrate how it’s a physical manifestation of the trust that bonds people together.

The feelings of acceptance and connection to the local people and culture by speaking their language are both unique and gratifying. Although many people are friendly to tourists that travel to learn more about their culture, locals treat you differently if you have made a concerted effort to be an active member of their way of life. That acceptance and respect is greatly satisfying and may encourage you to be more adventurous in the future. Who knows? You may discover that you have a passion for languages or that you make lifelong friends of the people you meet. It takes a creative and brave person to take the risk of immersing yourself in an unfamiliar culture, but the benefits of doing so are both unexpected and valuable.

In summation, your experience is shaped as much by your attitude and open-mindedness as it is by your prior knowledge of the language and culture. As Jimena Rodriguez, Volunteers Coordinator at Voluntario Global, said, “It's more about the personality or attitude of the volunteers because there are many different ways to connect and communicate.” Sharing a cultural connection is not only about language because there are universal aspects of being human that help us all connect. No matter how fluent you are, you will encounter difficulty in some capacity. But your resilience and willingness to humbly allow others to teach you will enrich your experience in more ways that one.

Lujan Zoo, located an hour and a half outside Buenos Aires, is not like most zoos. The zoo’s remarkability does not come from the animals inside its property, however. The zoo’s exhibits do not fare from the standard selection (lions, tigers, bears, etc.), and the property itself is run-down compared to many zoos in the United States (dirty footpaths; ducks, geese, and even llamas wandering around the property). What does separate Lujan Zoo from other zoos, however, is the fact that the zoo allows visitors the opportunity to get up close and personal with the animals.

Obviously, danger is one of the first concerns on peoples’ minds when they become aware of this unique policy. How is it possible that patrons can pet lions, bottle-feed tigers, and even allow bears to eat food directly from their mouths without getting mauled? Apparently, it is due to the zoo’s method of raising the animals, which revolves around constant interaction with people. The big felines receive the most attention; as soon as new cubs are born, trainers employ a variety of methods in order to reduce the animals’ violent instincts, including using vocal commands to teach the animals to recognize the difference between food and human body parts, as well as raising them in the presence of dogs in the hopes that they model the dogs’ peaceful and obedient behavior. In addition, trainers are always present when guests are interacting with the animals, and the animals are kept fed so that they remain satiated. The training seems to be working: since the zoo opened in 1994, there have been no attacks or other violent incidents involving the animals.

However, not everyone believes allowing humans to interact with the animals is in the best interest of either groups. The Born Free Foundation, an international animal rights group, has started an online petition asking authorities to launch an investigation into the zoo’s practices. The petition states, “No one wants to see animals forced to behave in ways which are abnormal and degrading to them, and no one wants to see Luján Zoo (or any zoo) putting its visitors at risk.” In addition, the Association for the Defence of the Rights of Animals (ADDA) and Association SOS Vida (both animal rights groups) have criticized the zoo for allowing close contact between humans and animals, saying its puts people at risk. Finally, the animals’ unintuitive behavior toward visitors has prompted many to accuse the zoo of sedating the animals.

These are all legitimate concerns, and I’ll admit that I harbored some of them myself when I visited the zoo with a group of friends. I couldn’t believe that it was possible such dangerous animals could act so calm around humans. However, after looking more into the Lujan Zoo’s practices, I believe it is at least plausible the animals’ behavior is due to training and not sedation (although I am of course not an expert). Admittedly, it would be ideal for the animals to be living in the wild. However, according to representatives of Lujan Zoo, many of the animals there are sick, undernourished former house pets people brought into the country illegally and discarded once they became bored with them. Although it would be ideal for the animals to be living in their natural habitat, they can no longer survive in the wild due to being born into captivity. The zoo is their last form of protection.

When I first heard about Lujan Zoo and its unique hands-on policy, any concerns I might have had about its ethical practices were momentarily cast aside in favor of a chance to interact with lions, tigers, and elephants. However, walking around the zoo, my concerns about whether or not the animals were being treated well kept popping back into my thoughts. Although I was satisfied by the zoo’s explanation, others might not be. It is up to you whether or not Lujan Zoo is a must-see attraction, or a cause for concern. http://voluntarioglobal.org