Argentina

I volunteered in Argentina for a month this summer (2014).

My experience in Argentina was truly amazing. The support once in country was excellent. There was always someone to help out and answer questions. I felt very safe and supported during my entire trip. The house managers were always there to be sure we had what we needed. The other volunteers were accepting and nonjudgmental of each other, and especially me, being quite a bit older than the rest of them. We all had a great time together; I miss them all! We had a wonderful experience and I would do it again in a minute!! .

The Spanish lessons were very good; spoken all in Spanish which really helped me a lot. The instructor tailored her lessons when students asked for a different format (dialogue/discussion, specific phrases, etc. shorter or longer lessons).

The house was great. Big living room and kitchen, dorm style and private rooms upstairs. Remember you are visiting an under-developed country so things will not be as they are at home; it's all part of the experience. I worked in the soup kitchen every day. If you want to do more than one project all you have to do is ask. My advice is to come with an open heart and an open mind, give all you can to the experience and seek the always-available advice of the volunteer team if you need it.

I had plenty of time on the weekends to travel to Buenos Aires and Igauzu Falls as well as Cordoba which was a bus ride away.

Please consider Argentina for your volunteer adventure, no matter what age you are! You won't be disappointed!

Thank you to Julio, Guillermo, Agustina, Ariel, Jose and Gisela for everything. You all helped to make my trip to Argentina unforgettable!!!!

I volunteer in Argentina and Brazil with IVHQ for a total of 7 weeks. This is an honest review of my experiences there.

One of the first things I was told in the orientation with IVHQ Argentina was that if I had a good review of them to write it on facebook and if I had a bad one to e-mail it to them! Depending on what project you are looking to do don’t expect to spend much of your time doing that! I applied for childcare and only spent 3 hours per day with children, an hour of that getting to and from the project. If you want to spend more time volunteering and actually feel like you’re doing something worthwhile you have to take it upon yourself and look for another project to volunteer on.
You definitely need more than basic Spanish to get by and the Spanish lessons there are overpriced, a waste of time and not useful!
The showers are a dribble of luke warm water. While the showers are low on my list of what I look for in accommodation when volunteering (and I have done a lot of volunteering abroad) after a while you do start to think where does my money actually go because it is not on the up keep of the accommodation!

My project in Brazil more than made up for Argentina, even with a 30 min walk, 1 hour bus ride and over 200 step journey! I started a brand new project on my first day and felt appreciated, supported and needed by the staff from the start even with the language barrier!
The house manager in Rio was NEVER there! We a lovely lady that helped with breakfast in the mornings but other then take items out of the fridge and put them on the table I can’t see what else she was needed from! The accommodation had cold water and barely any light. Again these things are low on my list as I’m there first and foremost to volunteer but comparing the price with what you get I can’t help but feel is it really worth it??

These bad reviews are kind of upsetting to me and don't seem to make too much sense... Before leaving to do a year abroad in Argentina, I was considering switching programs because of the bad reviews. I am really glad I didn't. My experience here and my experience with AFS has been absolutely amazing, and it seems that everyone else I've met on the program has the same opinion. My consejero is really nice, and helps me with everything. The host family placement has been very good for everyone i've talked to. The trips planned as part of the program have been very well organized. There is a chance that AFS is different in every country, and some are better than others, but I don't know. AFS Argentina is incredible. AFS USA seems a little less so, but still fine.

This past semester, I spent the most incredible four months studying in Buenos Aires through SOL Education Abroad. My time spent in Argentina was easily the greatest adventure of my life thus far, and I am very confident that SOL played a huge role in shaping such a positive, life changing experience. Buenos Aires is a city that is very unique, with a cultural mix of Latin America as well as European ancestry, creating a city that is full of vibrancy, passion and excitement! If you are looking for a lifestyle refreshingly different than the United States, with people that are confident, welcoming and fun-loving, Buenos Aires is the city for you.
If you have already decided on Buenos Aires, I highly recommend and encourage you to go through SOL; I truly could not be more thrilled with my choice. I did four months of language intensive classes at Universidad de Belgrano, which were fantastic courses that improved my Spanish immensely. Comparing these courses to classes in the US, you will definitely not be disappointed with the personalized attention and quality of professors.
Nearly every study abroad program goes through Universidad de Belgrano, so the classes and academic aspect is not what differentiates between the programs (you are in the same classes as people from different programs- so academically the programs are actually the same). What differentiates between the many different programs are the price, the different activities that is included in that price, as well as the level of personal attention you receive while abroad. Before choosing SOL, I spent countless hours researching different programs and can confidently ensure you that SOL is certainly the most affordable.
After arriving in Buenos Aires, it did not take long to see that SOL truly is the best program for numerous reasons. Not only was it the most economical, but it also offered an abundance of different cultural activities (easily 6 times more than any other program). I loved these activities! They were incredibly fun ways of exploring the city as well as learning about Buenos Aires culture. Typically we had about two or three activities a week that included tango lessons, empanada making, tours of historical neighborhoods/buildings, museum excursions, conversation clubs with locals, just to name a few. These activities were incredibly enriching for my experience in Buenos Aires and allowed for a true understanding of the city and way of life!
For me, the most important reason why I recommend SOL is the personalized care and attention you will receive, and the family-like bonds you will form through this program. The Buenos Aires program is lead by Raul, and facilitated by his son Rodrigo. I can easily say that these two individuals are two of the absolute greatest people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting in my life! Both are incredibly optimistic and always smiling- and their good nature really is contagious. I can ensure you that it is impossible not to adore them both. Raul and Rodri are caring, sincere, genuine, generous… I really could go on and on! They both want you to have the best time in Buenos Aires and they do everything they can to guarantee that you will.
Because SOL is a smaller program, you are going to get personalized attention to make sure you are transitioning smoothly and enjoying your time. If anything comes up, Raul is always there to help you out. For instance, at one point I had a medical concern; Raul set up my doctor’s appointment and Rodri accompanied me and waited until I was done just to make sure everything went okay. When living in a foreign country, it is very comforting to know you have someone looking out for you and I greatly appreciated the support that Raul and Rodri gave.
SOL also allows for a family bond that you won’t find in any other program! Our group of 12 began calling each other “SOLmates,” and really we were like a family. The day before I and another student left, Raul and his wife hosted a homemade lunch for all of us at their apartment as a way of saying goodbye. I really could not have asked for a more perfect way to end my time in Buenos Aires.
I can truly promise that you will be happy with your decision to study abroad in Buenos Aires with SOL. Not only is it the most cost-effective program, but much more importantly it provides an experience that truly is life changing. When going abroad, you are going to get out of the experience what you put into it- but SOL certainly makes it easy to make the very most of your time in Argentina. I am confident that I will keep in contact with Raul, Rodrigo and the students from our program for the rest of my life. I feel so incredibly fortunate to have had such a wonderful experience and I highly recommend this program for everyone!

I did a 8 weeks intensive spanish program as I planed to travel through South America afterwords. When I came I hardly spoke any Spanish, but now 8 weeks later I'm capable to speak with the locals and get around really well on my travels! The amazing thing is, you don't only learn a new language but also it opens the door to the culture of the countrys your travelling through. I recomend this experience to everyone, you will experience once in a lifetime oportunities and make a lot of new international friends!

I volunteered in the city of Cordoba for the Argentina Projects Abroad. The overall experience of the trip was absolutely incredible and had a large affect on my prospecitive of the world. I first decided to volunteer because I had a semester where I was not taking classes and was able to get the time off of work. I had only been out of the country once and had never traveled by myself. I wanted a trip that would place me out of my comfort zone and allow me to build my indepedence. This trip did just that! I do not speak Spanish very well so I was a bit overwhelmed traveling alone when I got about halfway on my journey as it took me some time to figure out the different airports but I wouldn't change a single thing. It tested my ability to figure things out for myself and my communication skills. Once I arrived in Cordoba I instantly felt extremely comfortable. I was picked up at the airport and brought directly to my host families house. My family was amazing and I had a blast living at the home for 3 weeks. I did have another volunteer as a roomate which was extremely nice because she had already been there for 3 months and could show me around the city as well as introduce me to other volunteers. During my placement I worked at a daycare facility with 0-4 year olds playing with them, planning daily learning activities, and helping out wherever I was needed with different task around the daycare. The kids were absolutely amazing and I instantly fell in love with them. It was a bit difficult at first because the other teachers and the kids spoke no english and I was not fluent in Spanish. I did pick up enough to communicate with the children and to feel comfortable instructing them on different tasks. We tried to focus on doing activites that would really help the children learn. We worked on colors, numbers, letters, made masks to learn the parts of the face, and colored Easter eggs to hang up the week of Easter. It was so great getting to know the kids and forming relationships with them. I loved getting to plan activities and really have freedom to plan what we would be working on each day. I also really enjoyed having the opportunity to meet so many other amazing volunteers! I made so many life long friends and it was so great to get all of there different stories. One of the weekends I was there was Easter weekend so we had Friday offf of work. Projects Abroad organized a volunteer trip for us that weekend to Mendoza which was incredible! We did vineyard tours, rafting, trekking, and mountain repelling off the side of the Andes Mountains. It was unforgettable. I would love to go back to Argentina or to travel with Projects Abroad to another location to volunteer for a second time. I learned so much about volunteering, the organizations, the country, and especially myself.

Dear Sir/Madam,

This is just a quick note of appreciation for the support that GIC Argentina has provided to my family. Our daughter is a recently graduated 18 year old who decided to study in Argentina. We selected GIC, based on web research, and we have been extremely happy with the program! In particular, Marcos Salusso has distinguished himself by his pleasant demeanor and his constant desire to be of help -- he has made the process simple and easy! In closing, we wholeheartedly recommend GIC to any student who might wish to study in Argentina! Best regards, Mark Schroeder

My review of my experience with Road2Argentina has come quite late because upon my return to the United States I was still dealing with residual issues that were unresolved when I left. Along with that I had to leave the program early - one month early- just because they could not provide me with what they'd advertised. But I will start from the beginning...

My absolutely terrible experience with this program all stems from extreme miscommunication and lack of help from the coordinators at hand. Before I went to Argentina I'd paid for and was given an assignment in a medial clinic for a medical internship I'd applied for months in advance. I'd received specific information about where I would be working, but I when I arrived in the city and began my first day of work I was taken to a clinic 2 hours outside Buenos Aires, was the only volunteer in a clinic, in a not so safe area. I was under the impression that this was not the clinic I'd been given information about because I'd done research before arriving and knew that the clinic they'd sent me information about was only 45 minutes away from where I was living. After making the 2 hour commute, one way, (4 hours a day), by myself for about 2 weeks, I approached the Road coordinators about this miscommunication. They then came to tell me that the information I received BEFORE I arrived in Buenos Aires was incorrect and the spot I'd been told I would be given had been filled. I was not aware of this at all until that moment and was furious that I hadn't been given ANY information before I was assigned to a completely different clinic so far outside of the city, as the only volunteer, making a commute on the subway, train, bus, and foot to get to a place where I did not feel safe and stuck out so obviously as a foreigner. So upon my realization that Road had assigned me somewhere else without notifying me, I became quite upset and requested to be moved to another medical position inside the city where I felt safer and did not have to make such a lengthy commute.

My request was not addressed for about 2 weeks, leaving me idle in the city as I waited for them to find another position for me. During this time however, I was also moved 4 times in total from a shared residence, to a shared apartment, to a hostel, and then finally into a home stay. This issue stemmed from the closing of Road House, (the shared residence formerly owned by the program), which I knew was closing before I'd come to Argentina and thus chose to be relocated into a shared apartment when it closed. When this happened however, I was moved into a more dangerous neighborhood, in an apartment that had not been previously inspected by any of the current Road 2 Argentina coordinators and was not somewhere I was comfortable staying in for 3.5 months. So when I requested to move elsewhere I was relocated to a hostel intermittently and then given a place in a home stay about two weeks later. The moving was exhausting and the final home stay I was placed in had numerous problems as well - such as flooding floors in my room and malfunctioning furniture - but at this point I was too fed up with moving to complain.

As for my internship position, at this point I'd been assured that there were no actual medical internships within the city but that I could volunteer in a place that had medical influences. I felt as if I really had no choice so I began to work as a volunteer in a slum area of the city. The job was much closer and more convenient, but it most definitely did not contain a medical aspect and I ended up teach English instead. This was another big strike against the program. But, the biggest strike Road 2 Argentina managed was when I found out that TWO other students in the program, that had come to the city AFTER I'd arrived, were involved in medical internships at a hospital 5 MINUTES AWAY from where I was living and from the coordinating offices for Road 2 Argentina. I approached Road 2 Argentina about this and questioned why they'd misinformed me about medical openings in the city and was given evasive answers that essentially summed up to, "you applied for something different." This, I assure you was untrue, because although one of the students who worked at the hospital had applied to Road far before I did, the other student had applied AFTER me, through the same exact portal, for the EXACT same position with the EXACT same application process and yet they'd received this position in the heart of the city and I'd been assigned to the provinces of Buenos Aires.

Upon making all of these realizations about the positions available that Road coordinators had misinformed me about and my lack of involvement in ANYTHING medical - which is what I came to Buenos Aires for in the first place - I decided it might be best for me to cut my 4 month volunteer abroad plans with Road 2 Argentina short by an entire month. I was stressed and tired from all of the moving around and the "miscommunication" the people at the program had fed me during me stay. Because I was leaving early I requested a refund for some of the money I'd paid for the program and thus encountered the issues I am continuing to deal with today in the United States.

So, in conclusion, my review of this program is so poor because of lack of communication and lack of desire to help the volunteer or student abroad that emanates so strongly from the coordinating staff at Road 2 Argentina. They were always very evasive about my requests and were slow to acknowledge my complaints, leaving my idle or uncomfortable for extended periods of time and only making changes when I forcefully demanded them or threatened to leave early (which I ended up doing anyway). I also know that specifically for the medical internship positions, the program advertises more opportunities than they have available. But, if you do choose to engage with the program and complete an internship, be absolutely 100% sure BEFORE YOU GO that the position they've offered you is legitimate and you will not be reassigned unknowingly upon your arrival.

Mente Argentina was much better than I expected! Everyone was so nice and I met tons of amazing people. They organized my whole trip: accommodation, classes, and lots of fun cultural and social activities - there was always something going on! The program coordinators were always available for any issues that came up and to help my plan my own outings, like going to one of the 7 wonders of the world, Iguazu Waterfalls. I worked on my Castellano (Argentinian Spanish) while getting to hang out with local Porteños. The program directors were so nice and made me feel right at home and the course content is definitely something that I have brought home to share with my family and friends. Thank you Mente!

I did an internship program with Mente Argentina at the beginning of 2013. Although they offer many additional services on their website which all sound great, many of these are able to be organised by yourself if you are willing to do your own research. My intention by going through Mente was to gain some work experience in a company, as organised by Mente. Unfortunately, my major problem with Mente was false advertising, the fact that they advertised an internship as something that it completely did not turn out to be. I found them to be extremely inflexible when it came to moving me on to a better suited internship. This resulted in a lot of resistance from them and then a hugely long period of not having anything organised while Mente took their time finding another internship which also did not turn out to be a viable option. I do not believe they do an efficient job in customising a decent work experience program, structured to fulfil your own needs. Based on all the money they want, and the poor job they do in organising the work experience and the lack of options they give, I would not recommend Mente Argentina.