The first thing to say is that this
country is everything I hoped it to be and more. The people are exceptionally friendly,
the food truly remarkable and the prices, well, you know they’re good. My host family
is very accommodating, although for the first few days communication was difficult.
However, my Spanish is improving quite quickly. Quicker than I'd expected in fact.
I’ve just about reached the point of holding a conversation, which is quite satisfying.
Just meeting the people here is enough. My ‘new family’ have made me feel very welcome
and I am actually starting to feel quite attached to them.
The whole concept is something I believe you should encourage prospective volunteers
to do. It’s not enough just to stay in a youth hostel and be a Spanish speaker for
a quarter of the day - total immersion is the only way if you are serious about
speaking Spanish.
I am really feeling part of the scenery here, although the blue eyes are a dead
give
away of my nationality. Gracias dios por mi pelo marron! I feel a kind
of fraternity with the people here, give me Argentina ahead of the USA any day.
In terms of safety, I can’t speak highly enough of Argentina. As long as you exercise
a degree of self-restraint and common sense then you are quite safe here. There
is also a sense of community and family that we have sadly lost in the UK. It is
quite normal for my family to have a meal with family and guests, whereas in the
UK we reserve this for special occasions. It seems that everyday here is a special
occasion. This country is already beginning to feel like home.
El instituto is a very good place to learn Spanish. The quality of teaching is high.
As you know, I am a student teacher and, unlike most students, I have a keen appreciation
of what it takes to teach. The class sizes are good and the interaction is one to
one when it needs to be or group work when it needs to be.
In terms of the activities, I have done two so far - a tour of the city and a trip
to the mountains. The tours are well managed and thorough in terms of their content.
I can’t speak highly enough of my experience so far. It has been
difficult in terms of the language, but then I’ve not been here long. But now I
am interacting. Everywhere I go I am speaking Spanish, about a variety of subjects.
This is the advantage of here over Spain, you can’t get away with speaking English
anywhere! Viva Argentina!!! Y vivo la vida latina!!!!
Last Wednesday we went on a tour of the Bodegas. Much Vino was tried. A good time
was had by all. I bought a bottle of the finest they had for the princely sum of
$15 Pesos, which is less than 3 Pounds. Unfortunately, it won't be sampled by the
folks back home. Hard to keep the cork on a good bottle of vino tinto here. The
Malbec here, specifically in Mendoza is some of the best in the world and I can
honestly say (having lived in France) that the local produce here really is exemplary.