Volunteer in Buenos Aires, Argentina

Hello, I'm Julia, and I have been here with Mente Argentina for a while. I am volunteering with vulnerable children. We go to a children's shelter. It has been very, very good, and a really nice time with the children. I have also been doing Spanish lessons every morning. I had not had a Spanish class in a long time, and I have gotten along a lot more than I thought. I am not sure there is such a nice city. I can't get enough of it. The people have been so good to us. I have been living in a student residence. I have met a lot of people from all over the world at once, and it is very nice. It makes it really good fun. It is a great place to go and learn. I would definitely recommend the program. It was really easy. They set me up with Spanish lessons and volunteering, and I could put in the hours I wanted. Everyone has been set up. On my first week we went on a walk, which was a really good way of meeting other people. I kept in touch with them, and then we all did a meal, so that was really good.

Hello, my name is Savannah, and I'm from Louisville, Kentucky. I am at a university, majoring in Spanish. I came to Buenos Aires through Mente Argentina because it was very highly recommended by my advisors at my school. I am super happy I did it, because throughout the two months that I have been here volunteering, they have been connected with me the whole way. There are always events that you can go to on their Facebook, and they are more than happy to answer any questions that you have. I volunteered because, more than anything, I wanted to practice the language, castellano, and I already spoke Spanish pretty well. The volunteering program was also super awesome, because I was able to work with kids and with people outside of everyday Buenos Aires city life, so I was able to see a completely different side of the city that usually you wouldn't be able to see. I am very happy that I came through Mente. They have been with me every step of the way, and I have gotten to know multiple different areas inside Buenos Aires.

I love Buenos Aires. I thought it was the most beautiful city, and I will be back. My Spanish has improved, even though I am now speaking in English. I also had lovely experiences visiting Salta, Jujuy, Mendoza, and Iguazú. I certainly would like to thank Mente Argentina. They couldn't have been better. Thank you.

Hi, my name is Gil. I'm 23 years old, and I'm from Israel. I was participating in the Mente Argentina program in the last month, and it was the most unbelievable experience of my life. When I first saw the option to combine courses, and to learn Spanish, and all kinds of things, in an international environment such as Buenos Aires, it sounded sometimes too good to be true. When I saw this option to do it with people from all over the world, I knew it was something I wanted to do, but I never imagined how good it would be. Over the last month I took Spanish classes. I took bartender courses, and I combined it with volunteering and worked with children from difficult backgrounds. The whole experience was just great. The volunteering itself was so satisfying, and everything was delivered above my expectation. The personal support we got here is crazy. Everything you need, you can ask for. The staff here is the first to ask you if you need something. They are very kind, and they do a very, very good job, and they are very organized. When you get to a program like that, the fact that you are doing the whole thing with people from all over the world makes everything ten times better. The program makes you meet people from all over, Germany, Europe, everywhere. The fact that there are so many cultures and so many places makes it so great. Social life here is unbelievable. With all of that, the fact that everything is happening in Buenos Aires is the best. It is a great city to meet people and a great place to do all these courses. The social life here, the nightlife here, the food here, the warm people, and everything. The whole experience just motivated me to volunteer in different places, and to travel, and to do programs like that in so many other places. It was just great. I recommend to anyone who has any expectations regarding this program to stop hesitating and come here.

My name is Madison Greggson. I'm from Utah, and I'm doing an internship in human rights, and I learned a whole bunch through this. I was encouraged, not really forced, to use the Spanish I learned in high school and build off of that. I met many new people and learned different cultures from all around the world. I learned some street smarts, so that was very helpful. It was an overall great program. I got to work with kids and elderly people. It was great.

Hi, my name is Lauren Rojos, and I'm from Southern California. I'm here in Buenos Aires with Mente Argentina. I love the place, and I really enjoyed my time here. It ended up being a really rewarding and awesome experience. I worked with children every day. Most of the time we spent a lot of time playing and working at the park, and teaching them things along the way, and it was a really great experience to be immersed in Argentine culture and to see another side of the city. I also took Spanish classes here, which were incredibly helpful. I would say that in my two months here, I learned more Spanish than I ever learned in the four years of high school that I took in California. I live in a student residence with a lot of other international students, and that's been incredibly fun. Most of the people I hang out with on a day-to-day basis here are from that residence, one of them being my roommate. It's in a great location. I actually couldn't have asked for a better location. It's in the heart of the nightlife of Buenos Aires, Palermo, which is fantastic, because that means no expensive cabs home. There's always a great place to go to dinner, and a good place to spend hours in cafés. With Mente, there are a lot of ways to meet other Mente students, which is awesome if you want to branch out from your living situation and meet other people. They set up organized day trips. I took the day trip to Colonia, Uruguay, which was really great. We spent the day in the sun, away from the city, drinking wine and watching the sunset over the ocean. It was fantastic. Other things I did with Mente were the Boca game, which was a pretty wild time. Boca is one of Argentina's main soccer teams, and you can definitely tell the passion that Argentinians have for soccer, just being at the game and feeling the atmosphere. Most of the time, when I tell people about my experience in Buenos Aires and what is a must, I say you have to go to the park on the weekends, because it's one of the best ways not only to have a great time but to be immersed in Argentine culture. You go to the park and it's a beautiful sunny day. There's usually live music, lots of street vendors, and then hundreds of families and people, groups of friends sitting there passing around their mate, chatting and having a good time. That's definitely one of the things I'll miss when I go back to the United States, because it doesn't have that same culture. I loved La Bomba del Tiempo. Mente sets up this Bomba night, and it's an outdoor concert that consists of about 20 drummers, and usually they'll have a guest instrument of some sort, like a guitar or violins. One time I went, there was a saxophone. It's every Monday night, and I was here for two months and I went four different times, so that says a lot. I definitely recommend doing that if you come to Buenos Aires. And of course the Buenos Aires nightlife is fantastic. There are lots of bars and clubs and boliches, and there's anything you would ever want to do at night here. There's something for everyone, which is great. If you're more into the boliche scene and you want to stay out till 6 in the morning dancing, then you can do that. If you want to go tango dancing and have a glass of wine with a nice dinner, you can do that. You can go to concerts. There's something to do every night in Buenos Aires, and that's great. I definitely recommend Mente Argentina. They really have your back. I ran into a few mishaps on my trip here, and every step of the way they were with me and here to help me do things I wouldn't have been able to do otherwise, such as find physical therapists. They're pretty good about getting back to you in emails. You email them and they get back to you straight away with an answer, which is great.

I'm from the United States, and I did an eight-week program here with Mente Argentina, doing Spanish and a little bit of volunteering. I lived in an apartment for the first four weeks and then moved into a homestay for the second four weeks, which I thought was a good mix of some independence and then also practicing my Spanish more. I did the intensive Spanish program, which was great, but I preferred it when I switched into the private lessons, so that was definitely something I would recommend. The volunteering was great also. It was a great way to practice my Spanish and to get to know a different part of the city and more of the people. Overall it was a great experience, and I really liked it. It definitely put me out of my comfort zone, and I learned a lot. Mente Argentina was a great help, so I definitely recommend them.

Hi, my name is Laura. I'm 18 years old, and I volunteered with Mente Argentina for two and a half weeks. What I did was, I went to a place called La Maza, which means the life raft. Basically, all these kids were coming off the streets, and they would come there, and they could feed them and give them clothes, and during the school year they have classes there, because these kids have been on the streets. One of them was out on the streets when he was ten years old. These kids have really different stories. It was quite an experience getting to know them all. Apart from that, Mente gave me lots of opportunities to go out in the city. I like it a lot. There is lots and lots of culture here. Basically, wherever you turn you are going to find something new, whether you are experiencing tango or tango classes for the first time, or you are walking by the Pink House, which was originally painted with cow's blood. There is just so much history behind everything.

Hi, my name is Maggie Newton-Johnston. I go to Boston College, and I am here with Mente Argentina for the Spanish program and also volunteering. My favorite part about Mente has been, in the time since I have been here, getting to know the administrators, in addition to all the students and all the people who come through and stay here. It has been incredible. There are about two activities every week, and all of them are really fun. This past week we all packed together and went out to the famous cafes, and last week we went to Fuerza Bruta, which is an incredible performance show. The community in general, having that here, being able to go back to my host family, having a wonderful host family, they are loving, and they really helped me with my Spanish. The other people that I have met here, being able to travel around and continue with them, feeling comfortable with that, having a lot of amazing adventures, and exploring the city in general, has been great. That is my favorite part.

Hi, I'm Beatrice, from England, and I did the intensive Spanish course and the volunteer program with Mente Argentina. It is a good start to learn Spanish, the teaching, and living in a really nice apartment, where great people are doing the volunteer program.

I'm Mitchell Stern. I'm from Chicago, and I am here volunteering at a specialty clinic. What I enjoyed the most during my experience here was my Spanish class, because I had a really energetic, fun teacher, and it just made me happy to go there every day. I love the connection between the hospital and my Spanish classes. I feel like I was definitely able to use my class time in the hospital, since no one spoke English there. That was a challenge in the beginning, but I think I overcame it, and I really appreciate that.

Hi, my name is Sukhjeevan, and I did volunteering and the Spanish program with Mente in Buenos Aires. I stayed in Palermo, which is a really good place, and the residence that we stayed in was right next to a main plaza in Palermo. There are loads of pubs, bars, and restaurants, loads of choice, and you are not really that far from anything. Location-wise, it was perfect. We were close to the center, the obelisk, all of the main tourist sites, but we were also close to cafes and bars, so it was really good. The residence itself is very family-oriented, and I would say it is a very safe neighborhood. The people, the maids who work there, are so lovely. They are really welcoming, and they really come to make sure you are okay and make sure you are safe and happy. It is really cool. I also had Spanish for six weeks. I paid for group lessons, but I ended up doing one-on-one lessons instead for a short amount of time, which I think helped a lot. I came to the program with just a few lessons from a few years ago. I am leaving now able to communicate. The Spanish class definitely was worth it, in my opinion. The Spanish school really invested a lot of time in their students. The teachers are very friendly. I really like the fact that the lessons aren't taught by switching back to English. Everything was done in Spanish, so you get some of the Spanish culture, and you pick up a lot of phrases and a lot of words, and the style of speaking and the accent, very quickly. I definitely recommend the program. I think it is something that is worthwhile doing. You are going to take a lot from it.

I have been doing programs in Argentina. I have been doing Spanish, doing volunteer work, and just exploring the city. I did Spanish classes for the first three weeks. They were very small, so we were able to learn, and we also spoke a lot. That was really good for Spanish, and especially for me to refresh everything I knew. After these three weeks I felt ready to continue without the Spanish lessons. This was also because of my volunteer program, which I also really liked. In my volunteer program I have been organizing many events, and I have done this with other people from South America, which was also really great again for the Spanish, because you are really in an immersion setting. I have really enjoyed doing this. I have been able to meet a lot of people through this volunteering as well. We have also gone to a lot of places. We have gone bowling. I also had a dance night. My favorite activity was going to a really beautiful place nearby. I also got there by bus from Palermo, and I think that was one of my favorite places here in Buenos Aires. For the rest, I really enjoyed the city in general. I really liked the vibe, and the fact that there is life every second of the day, and that there is also a really impressive nightlife. The public transportation, in my opinion, was really well organized. I have mainly taken the subway. I have used the colectivos, the buses, a bit less, because I haven't really figured out yet exactly how they work, but I definitely recommend them. I also recommend walking, because it is a great way to explore the city. I have also really enjoyed the food here. Especially the sweets are really good. The people are also really friendly, and they are always willing to help me further with my Spanish. In general it has just been a really cool experience. I am a bit sad that I am only staying for five weeks, but I am definitely planning on coming back very soon, so that I can explore more of the city, perhaps even more of Argentina.

Hi, I'm Amanda, and this is Socrates. I'm with the Mente Argentina volunteer program. It was a great program, because my best friend from home and I wanted to come to Argentina and volunteer and practice our Spanish. Mente was great because they set us up with a hospital to volunteer in, where we got to practice Spanish and interact with little kids, and we made so many great friends there. We met so many amazing people, and through Mente we were able to meet even more people. They had a lot of excursions and social activities planned, so we never felt like we were alone here, and it was an amazing experience. I love the culture. I love the food, the language, the shopping here, and the SUBE, how you can get everywhere for nothing on the SUBE or the bus. It's incredible. Our host family was amazing. Mente did a great job finding us the perfect homestay. It was a really awesome experience. I'm sad to leave.

Hola, I'm Mika from Sydney, Australia, and I was with Mente Argentina for a month. I did a volunteer program, and I looked after the children while the mothers had classes on cooking and nutrition and appointments with doctors. I really enjoyed the volunteer program. It was really great to spend time with the children, and as the days went on we kept growing a stronger bond with the kids. When I first arrived in Buenos Aires, they gave me an orientation and told me all I needed to know about the city, how to get around, and the transport. They gave me a mobile phone and a SUBE card, and it was really great. They organized for me to stay at a student residence in a perfect location, next to the buses, really nice restaurants, and the supermarket. I loved it at the residence. All the students are really great and really nice. I made lots of new friends, and we still stay in touch even though they've left. We have a lady we all call Mama, because she's like a mother figure. She cooks dinner for us and she makes breakfast for us, and she's the best. She's always there to listen to us when we need to talk, and we're going to miss her so much. I've really enjoyed the Argentinian culture, living in Buenos Aires, being independent, and learning all the new vocabulary. I've really enjoyed this experience.

If I could talk about my favorite things, they would be my homestay. If you have an opportunity to stay in a homestay, you definitely should, because mine totally changed my life. My sisters are like my actual sisters, and my mom is like my actual mom, and I got to work with her at the hospital twice a week. We got to hang out and sit in on actual patient and doctor interactions, and I also got to work with the kids. My second favorite part about Mente Argentina is all the excursions and trips you can go on. You get to hang out with all these super cool people, and it's one of the best experiences of my life.

We volunteered through Mente Argentina. We built adobe houses, sustainable houses, for people who couldn't afford them. We also built a school in a suburb of Buenos Aires, but we lived in the center of the city. We stayed here for four weeks, so we were able to really see everything the city had to offer, which is a lot. This city is very fast-paced. The people are really nice, and the culture was so different from American culture, which was awesome to see.

My name is Savanna, and I'm from Louisville, Kentucky. I go to university, and I'm majoring in Spanish. I came to Buenos Aires through Mente Argentina because it was very highly recommended by my advisers at my school, and I'm super happy I did. Throughout the two months I've been here volunteering, they've stayed connected with me the whole way. There are always events you can go to on their Facebook, and they are more than happy to answer any questions you have. More than anything, I wanted to practice the language, castellano, and I already knew Spanish pretty well. The volunteering program was also super awesome, because I was able to work with kids and people outside of everyday city life, so I saw a completely different side of the city that you usually wouldn't get to see. I'm very happy I came through Mente Argentina, and they've been with me every step of the way. I've gotten to know several different areas in Buenos Aires, and I'll tell you, it's a good place to come to.