In the IES Abroad program, Service Learning internships are considered especially high maintenance.  In Buenos Aires, the dedicated students who take on these vicious schedules are members of an elite squad known as the Service Learning Seminar, Section 1.  These are my stories.  

Well, my first interview for my internship was really sketch.  Run down portion of town.  2nd floor of an abandoned building.  No door.  Broken windows.  Cardboard on the floor (which I can’t really judge because Uncle Chen’s also has cardboard on the floor and wonderful things come from that place).  There’s actually a hole in the wall through which the Distribution Dept. sells magazines to the vendors who are all homeless or in vulnerable situations.  We also toured the art studio that is nicely decorated, I just wouldn’t breathe too deeply.  Also, it’s right next to a highway.  Not only couldn’t I understand them at because of the large quantity of decibels flooding the building, but also because in my group interview was a girl from BA, a guy from France and me.  3 languages, 3 interviewees.  Oh yeah.  

They were really nice though.  And, all in all, it’s no more messed up than some of the other places I’ve worked and volunteered.  The director is really smart and very well spoken.  I was just a bit overwhelmed by the process.  We were shepherded from room to room when the former became unavailable due to other workers needing the space.  Ultimately, the 7 of us ended up in the directors office, sipping tea in our styrofoam cups poured from a thermos.  When the director spoke to us, she explained the situation first in Spanish, then shot me a look to see if I understood.  9 times out of 10 I had only the basic idea of what she said, no details.  She would translate a bit, then repeat the process in French.  I was impressed that she could change her language so rapidly.  

If I choose this as my placement site, I would shadow a woman who works there for a couple of weeks, then be able to assist in art classes, with distribution, and maybe even give English lessons.  I have mixed feelings about this spot.  

Then, I interviewed on the other side of the tracks.  Literally and metaphorically.  On Avenida Sante Fe, a ritzy street lined with boutiques and caf�s, this high rise boasts a security system that prohibits visitors from entering before going through two speaker confirmations.  I was also welcomed with an elevator and large spiral staircase.  The secretary showed me to the conference room decked out with projectors, a long ornate table, and a full blown fireplace.  After accepting a coca light, I was asked to wait for the others to arrive.  

10 minutes later, 2 women enter with a plate of cookies and chocolates chattering in Spanish.  The primary woman I interviewed with – I don’t really know her name… – was very disappointed that I don’t speak Spanish well.  I told her that if the requirement was any higher than intermediate from IES, that I wouldn’t have considered interviewing, so there must have been a miscommunication.  The other girl from IES there can’t really speak Spanish that well either, but acted like she could, so she didn’t get in trouble.  I’d rather not make myself sound like a fool when I can prevent it.  I’m quite embarrassed that I can’t speak Spanish.  It seems sometimes like it’s inappropriate to be here and to be so illiterate.  Unlike many of my classmates, my primary goal for studying abroad is not to be fluent when I leave.  I’m confident my Spanish will improve, but to learn this language is not the primary reason I came to study abroad.  

Regardless, the point is that I didn’t have the ability to comprehend the interview in the manner in which she wanted me to.  She spoke English, but reminded us a couple of times through our hour and a half spent together that English is very hard for her.  She was speaking about 90 miles per hour in English, so I think she might have been exaggerating a bit.  The organization, Tzedak�, is really incredible.  They distribute free medicines to 11,000 people every month and have a Holocaust survivors program.  Also, they were really pushing for us to stay involved when we travel home by holding fundraisers within our networks at school and work to support their efforts. 

Ultimately, both places said they would like to have me volunteer there, but the internship is only one piece of the puzzle.  There is a seminar that accompanies the Service Learning Internship.  It’s all about the history of human rights in Argentina, a very sad, long and gory history.  I was thinking this class was more about exploring current organizations and the government’s role in human services.  It’s not.  And there are weekly field trips.  So, that’s 8 hours of interning, 2 hours of class and 1 or 2 field trips a week.  That’s a big commitment to a class I kinda don’t want to take.  

My other option is to switch to the English as a Second Language Seminar – where students are taught how to teach.  It’s 4.5 hours a week and a 2 hour class where we prepare our lesson plans.  I have teaching ESL experience and think it will be pretty fun.  Plus, I have friends in that class.  I think I might switch, but I have to decide pretty much immediately.  

Thoughts??

Location: Buenos AIres, Argentina