I have been here in General Villegas for almost 2 months now. It’s hard to believe that it’s September already! I am teaching the New Westlands School and I work about thirty hours a week. My classes vary from teaching adults one-on-one to assisting children with their oral exam preparation. The children attend the school outside their normal school hours and mostly the juniors come in the morning and older students arrive in the afternoon. They even have a kindergarten class. Although it’s an institute, it really feels like a normal school to me as there are classrooms, lots of books, skipping ropes in the playground and even a school t-shirt.
Villegas is bigger than it seems. The population is about 20k and there a substantial hinterland. I have become a regular at the park and ice-cream parlor, although the local night-club has not been receiving my custom yet! My host family has been giving me a crash course in all things Argentinean and they have been very welcoming. I think I have also though them a few things about the norms and customs of Ireland. I will never forget the look on their faces when I made a cup of tea to drink after dinner!! I have worked at two of the weekend English Immersion camps. They were on at an estancia near Pigue called La Nancy. It’s a beautiful place; wide fields, beautiful sunsets and striking mountains in the distance.
Additionally, I have started my Spanish classes. We are reading the BFG by Roald Dahl and I love it. The bar was set high at the beginning, as we started reading a famous Argentinean novel which was recently adapted on screen and won an Oscar for best Foreign Film. It didn´t work out! Next we tackled some Jorge Luis Borges, a emblem of Argentina. It was all so atmospheric, reading a classic and drinking coffee. Another failure! I am content with the BFG at the moment! I am hoping to go to Iugazu Falls in October and perhaps fit in some more trips at the weekends between camps. So far, I am enjoying my experience. I feel that I am learning a lot about myself and life in a country like Argentina. It’s so far away from Europe so I´m interested in finding out about the way they view the world here.
Villegas is bigger than it seems. The population is about 20k and there a substantial hinterland. I have become a regular at the park and ice-cream parlor, although the local night-club has not been receiving my custom yet! My host family has been giving me a crash course in all things Argentinean and they have been very welcoming. I think I have also though them a few things about the norms and customs of Ireland. I will never forget the look on their faces when I made a cup of tea to drink after dinner!! I have worked at two of the weekend English Immersion camps. They were on at an estancia near Pigue called La Nancy. It’s a beautiful place; wide fields, beautiful sunsets and striking mountains in the distance.
Additionally, I have started my Spanish classes. We are reading the BFG by Roald Dahl and I love it. The bar was set high at the beginning, as we started reading a famous Argentinean novel which was recently adapted on screen and won an Oscar for best Foreign Film. It didn´t work out! Next we tackled some Jorge Luis Borges, a emblem of Argentina. It was all so atmospheric, reading a classic and drinking coffee. Another failure! I am content with the BFG at the moment! I am hoping to go to Iugazu Falls in October and perhaps fit in some more trips at the weekends between camps. So far, I am enjoying my experience. I feel that I am learning a lot about myself and life in a country like Argentina. It’s so far away from Europe so I´m interested in finding out about the way they view the world here.
By LIANA LEONARD
Nice photos! Good experience!! I also want to go as volunteer in Argentina in January! I hope to fullfill the work
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