Overall, a positive educational experience! So that my days would be full, I agreed to work for three organizations while in BsAs: IFEP (research organization of the national parliament), Creer y Crecer (think tank of the powerful leader of the PRO political party) and Amartya (an NGO with a socialist slant focused on issues like education, fair trade etc.). I worked on research projects (i.e. Functionality of the Freedom of Information Act in Argentina and in Capital Federal; Comparison of the "Big City" Gubernatorial Issues and Political Platforms in the US with the Issues of the Province of Buenos Aires and Potential Political Platforms). At Amartya I was to work on fundraising and grant writing.
I enjoyed the high-level placements. And even if I wasn't included as much as I would have liked, they look great on my resume all the same. I worked with some very interesting, intelligent and passionate people at Amartya, Creer y Crecer and IFEP and through my interactions with them feel more comfortable in choosing a very defined field of study for a Masters (and perhaps PhD). I also now have a functional level of Spanish, which will certainly be beneficial when I am applying to my intended graduate programs.
I do think it would have been helpful to take an intensive Spanish languge course PRIOR. In my experience, every organization for which I would have liked to work required a conersational elvel of Spanish. I feel that to be an effective member of the team at the organizations dealing with research in political & public policy issues, like IFEP and Creer y Crecer, one would need at least high-intermediate to advanced spanish conversation skills. The positions at these organizations are not for anyone with less comprehension & conversation ability. Because my own Spanish conversation skills were less than fluents, I think I missed out on a bit.
I lived by myself, when I first arrived, and then a homestay. I found it much cheaper and more fulifiling to live with a Spanish speaking family. My conversation skills and fluency progressed more rapidly during my homestay than when I was living alone. I cannot recommend it more highly. My advice to other program participants is to do the homestay or stay with a group of other international students, if only for the first few months, but don't get a single aprartment to live by yourself.
My Int'l Program Director, Lorena, was amazing. She answered all of my e-mails and phone calls in a timely way. She went out of her way to make me feel welcome in BsAs and to include me in group activites in the city and countryside. She is very serious about her job and about making sure that her interns are doing well. She went out of her way to organize dinners and other outings so that all interns could have the opportunity to eat and interact with each other.
The application and interview processes were easy and well organized. Overall, I had a wonderful experience in Buenos Aires. I was able to meet and interact with high level political players as well as to gain insight into the political and economic environment of a Latin American country. The city itself is phenomenal - alive and vibrant, like the portenos themselves. I would certainly recommend Buenos Aires to anyone intersted in learning more aobut Latin American politics and developmental issues.
Program:
Volunteer Abroad
Location:
Argentina
Posted:
Dec 21, 2008
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