Projects Abroad High School Project in Argentina

I was almost 17 and I signed up for the 2 week education in Argentina for Highschoolers. It was my first time ever being out of the country so it was an amazing experience in the way that I was living in a whole new culture. Out of the 14 high school volunteers, I was the only one signed up for the education program- the other two programs were human rights and medical. My first week I went to the school I was assigned to, however there were only 1-3 kids depending on the day (and one was a 1 yr old that slept the whole time). Most days I would do nothing in terms of interacting with the kids. While I understand that this can be unpredictable, I feel that a little more organization was needed on the Projects Abroad side. It required many phone calls with higher up people in the program to try and switch projects- it was not very easy. I finally switched into the human rights program, though, and so I felt a little more immersed in the culture there. However, one of the main downsides of the whole program was the amount of time we got to spend in the community. We had to have 24 hr surveillance at all times, which could have worked fine, except that there was not enough staff to take us out often. This meant we were cooped up in a small courtyard for most of the trip. On the weekends, though, we went to a farm and had a cookout with locals and did a scavenger hunt in the city, but those were the few times we actually got to see Córdoba. The food was descent and the housing felt very secure and friendly (with 4 other girls in the program). My flight was actually cancelled the night before I left, along with a few other people. Since I had let Projects Abroad book my flights, I expected assistance from them in getting me on a new flight. I received none, and my parents had to call in the middle of the night to work something out. I ended up staying for an extra 2 days and they ended up being the best days of the trip. Only one other person could not get an earlier flight, and since we were technically not part of the program anymore, we were allowed to stay at the same residence but come and go as we wanted. We were able to figure out how to take the bus to the city and walk around the markets and eat at different restaurants. I wish that we had more freedom to do these things during the two weeks with the program, as this was the time that I felt fully immersed in the culture, was able to talk to locals in Spanish, and take initiative- all things I signed up wanting to be able to do. I don’t think I would recommend this specific program to others simply because I didn’t get to see and experience as much of Argentina as I felt the program had promised when I signed up. Also I think that they falsely advertised the education program, as I had the impression hay I would be teaching lessons to the kids. However, if you have not been outside the country much and want to get out of the bubble of your own city and culture, I would definitely recommend doing a program similar to this, as it really opened my eyes to all the new things I have yet to experience in the world.

My experience with Projects Abroad was really incredible. I would highly recommend this program to anyone who is considering a career in medicine because it allowed me to figure out if I can handle it before I spent the thousands of dollars to attend a nursing program. It also gave me a taste of what I may want to specialize in because I experienced a variety of different environments inside the hospital. It is a very difficult process to view a surgery in the United States, so if you're interested in doing so, consider this alternative.

Essentially, each weekday morning, my roommate and I woke up, had breakfast, packed our lunches and supplies for the day, and waited to be picked up by one of the coordinators to be brought to one of the local hospitals. We would arrive, talk to the doctor who agreed to accept us for the day, and tell him or her where we wanted to go from the options given to us. In the two weeks I spent there, I was sent to pediatrics, nursing, the emergency room, and best of all, the operating room. I was able to watch three surgeries (as in, standing next to the patient, asking questions to the doctors), and it confirmed nursing as a career path for me.

If you're choosing between a medical camp at an American college or an opportunity abroad as I was, hands down choose the latter. It is not only a better experience since you are traveling the world, but it is unique and makes you stand out from the rest of the future med school applicants. This program in particular allows you to experience living with a host family, learning and practicing Spanish, traveling Argentina, and working in real hospitals with real patients. Everything that I was hoping to experience was checked off of my list before I left. I would highly recommend this program.

Everything about the trip was wonderful. The staff were all very guiding and caring and the housing families were very protective and kind towards us. The work load was very manageable and very interesting. The weekends were filled with trips to historic sites or traditional shopping markets. We even went on a zip lining expedition through the mountains. Very cool to be exposed to a completely different culture while learning about medicine. Would recommend 10/10

My time in Argentina through Projects Abroad was extremely fun. I had a great time at our weekly social events, and met lifelong friends. Through the human rights and law project, we visited girls' institutions, cooked for the homeless, and organized a campaign on pedophilia. Lastly, we also took classes on international law and prepared for a mock trial that we had at the end of the two weeks.
The staff was relatively kind and the coordinator Vicky was helpful and listened to us when my roommates and I needed to speak to her. My host family was also relatively kind, but we did not see her much, which ended up being a drawback because we weren't able to form a close relationship with her. Also, she spoke English to us, which was a bit frustrating as we had came to Argentina specifically to speak Spanish. However, she did all that she could to make us feel at home, and made the most amazing dinners.
Overall, i am extremely glad that I participated in this program as it allowed me to give back to the world and this community. I also met amazing people that I still talk to and see on vacations. Definitely recommend!

The Project's Abroad High School Special is an excellently run program.Within that category I chose the program Medicine and Spanish for 2 weeks. I was thoroughly impressed with the immense variety of volunteer opportunities. I chose the program I did because it suited the fact that I wanted to become a doctor as well as it allowed me to practice my Spanish language skills. The program coordinators provided excellent support and provided transportation (a mix of public and private). As a minor, I found this very comforting as I was alone in a different country. The lady I stayed with, Dora, was very friendly and very entertaining. She took great care of me and made sure that I always had enough to eat. The volunteer placements were very unique and my activities ranged not only in type but also intensity. Some days we met locals and tried local culture and activities (such as zip-lining and going to the market), while other days we spent at hospitals shadowing doctors and watching surgery. The joy with the high school special is that you go with a bunch of other people your age. As a result I have made some extremely close friends who I will keep in contact with for a while. Overall, I was thrilled with the quality of homestay family, food, and volunteer placement.

In the summer of 2014, I found myself in a small hospital in the Argentinian country side, wondering how lucky I was to have found a program that gave me this opportunity. When I first began my search for a program to do over the summer, I was pretty conflicted. I really wanted to study abroad, but I also really wanted to do some sort of medical program since I would soon be heading off to college and wanted to confirm that I wasn’t making a huge mistake doing pre-med. To top it off, I couldn’t do a program that was the entire summer either. The search wasn’t looking too great, until I found Projects Abroad. I went abroad to Argentina with Projects Abroad on their High School Specials’s Medicine and Spanish in Argentina. It combined going abroad, medicine, and flexibility.

After the uphill battle of convincing my over protective parents to let me go (the staff of Projects Abroad helped by providing other volunteers each other’s email addresses so we could coordinate plane flights and know each other a bit before getting there), I was off to Cordoba, Argentina. There, I visited various hospitals from the city to the countryside, viewed surgery from right behind the shoulder of surgeons, received a workshop and a lecture by a surgeon, had a tango lesson, went to a karaoke party, visited La Cumbrecita, to name a few activities.

I also met amazing people, none of whom I’ll ever forget: the staff, the other volunteers, as well as my host family. My host family from the very first day, made me feel like a part of the family too. The encouragement they gave me when I attempted to speak Spanish, the conversations we’d have at the dinner table, the jokes we laughed about; all are memories that I’ll cherish forever. For anyone debating whether or not to go abroad, I strongly recommend that you go out and experience the world.

When searching online for a volunteer program abroad, I couldn't have found a better program than Projects. I signed up for the High School Special focusing on Medicine and Spanish for 2 weeks. They helped with every aspect of planning my trip and made sure to stay connected with me up until my landing in Cordoba. As I stepped into the arrivals area I saw the smiling face of one of the coordinators and I knew my trip would be one I remember for a lifetime. I made friends from all over the world and was able to feel like I was giving back to the community also. Everyday I looked forward to our next trip to the hospital or to the next medical conference. The coordinators helped us whenever we had questions and I know that I have gained a new Argentinian family from my amazing hosts. Projects Abroad made volunteering, learning, and traveling all at once an amazing experience and I would recommend it to everyone I know.

This trip made for one of the best summers of my life, if not THE best. For two weeks, I lived with an incredible host family while taking Spanish classes and volunteered in a group in the afternoons. An average day would go like this: my roommates and I would wake up and have breakfast, then walk to the PA office to have Spanish class for two hours. Afterwards, we'd come home, eat lunch, and then head back to the office before taking the bus to El Vagón, a place where kids in the neighborhood spent time in the afternoons. With them, we played fútbol, did arts and crafts projects, ate snack, etc. The kids were from about ages 4-14 and they were so sweet–always hugging and kissing us, playing with us, and helping us with our Spanish when we got stuck. After coming home by about 6:00, we'd have some down time before dinner. Some nights, PA organized socials for us–for example, while I was there we went bowling, had a tango lesson, and a karaoke night! All the leaders were so nice and always were there to answer questions. My host family was the best–by the end of the trip, I really felt like I had become a part of the family. The Spanish classes were conversation-based and there were different levels, so you were tested to see which one you would be in (but it was a very low-pressure test). I really liked it because it was so different from some of the Spanish classes I've had before–we talked about things we all really cared about, but in Spanish, learning tons of new words every day. Overall, I would really recommend this program to anyone looking to volunteer in a fun way while learning Spanish. The only thing I would suggest is to at least know basic Spanish before you go: that way, you won't feel completely lost.