Makena's Buenos Aires Blog

Internships Abroad

2010-10-06T04:44:00Z

Alright, so I know that you are probably going to think I’m crazy for suggesting you do an internship during your time abroad. I mean, isn’t this supposed to be the time when you take easy classes, travel, and just generally party it up?? Well sure, that’s all part of the experience. But I believe you can do all of that and gain valuable experience working in a foreign country at the same time. Better yet, I’ve done it! I want to share my story with you today in hopes that you too will consider the enriching experience of completing an internship while you are studying abroad.

I came across my internship sort of by accident. A friend of mine who was also studying International Business had discovered RelevanSi via one of their online searches for interns several months before and had done some work for them virtually in the past. When she heard that I would be studying in Buenos Aires, she recommended I contact them about a possible internship. My curiosity was piqued when I looked them up and discovered that they are a startup company that provides online marketing and programming services to green businesses and NGOs. This combination of marketing, a startup company and the green movement seemed right up my alley, so I sent them an email with my resume and expressed my interest in doing an internship during my time in Buenos Aires.

After a series of emails and a Skype interview I was hired! We agreed to a minimum of 15 hours a week of work for a minimum of 3 months. They gave me the option to complete the internship for school credit, but seeing as it didn’t really fit any of my open credits, I decided to just complete it for the experience. My first day was the week after I arrived in Buenos Aires, and I’ve been there ever since!

At the RelevanSi Office

I had the good fortune to be placed with a host family that lives a 15-minute walk away from the office, so I walk to work every morning and spend 3 or 4 hours there before walking and taking the subway to school in Belgrano (another part of the city) for my classes in the afternoon. I get home from classes at 5:30 Monday-Thursday, with plenty of time to do my homework and relax or go out with friends. Friday I work until noon and then I have the rest of my weekend to explore the city or travel.

Because of my interest in social media, blogging, and PR, I opted for a PR (rather than a marketing) internship, which has allowed me to really delve into all of these areas. In addition to working in social media (Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn), I have written for the company blog, written articles and interview responses for other sites, and even written and acted in an article/video project describing the process of working with RelevanSi! Now that I am in my last weeks at the company, I am busy putting the finishing touches on a PR Internship Manual, organizing the PR department’s Wiki server, and training some of the great new PR interns to take my place when I’m gone.

As a side-note: all of our work is done in English (since most of RelevanSi’s clients are from the US) but because of the international nature of the company and their employees, there are often up to 5 or more languages being spoken in the office at any given time.

Although taking on this internship has been a big commitment, it has also been one of the most rewarding experiences of my time in Buenos Aires. I absolutely love the people I’ve met, and I’ve learned so much from working in an international company in a field that interests me. They have consistently challenged me to learn, grow, and do my best work, while also being flexible enough with my schedule to allow me to travel and enjoy the beautiful country of Argentina.

Everyone wants something different from studying abroad, and no one can tell you whether doing an internship is or isn’t right for you. I can only go from my experience - which has been incredibly positive -when I tell you that I would highly recommend looking into it as an option. However, I also want to caution you not to take on more than you will be able to handle. If you know yourself and you will only end up regretting the commitment, or worse yet, not fulfilling it, then an internship abroad is not for you. However, if you are curious about working in other countries or just want to continue learning and gaining work experience, then this could be the perfect opportunity for you to expand your horizons even further.

Tips on Finding Internships Abroad

Although a service can be a great way to find an internship abroad (see below for some recommendations), I would highly recommend that you look into it yourself as well. You will be surprised what you can find if you try. Here are a couple of tips to get you started:

ü Email friends and family that know people in the country where you’ll be studying. Ask them if they know of any companies or non-profits that hire (or would consider hiring) international interns

ü Check Craig’s List and do searches online for companies that may have placed ads or write-ups about looking for interns – be sure to check these companies out thoroughly before making any sort of commitments though! Use common sense to avoid scams.

ü Tailor your resume to match the kind of position you will be applying for. Include any relevant work experience, language capabilities, etc. Draft a nice introductory email and attach your resume whenever you reach out to contact an organization about a position.

Resources

RelevanSi (Buenos Aires)
www.relevansi.com
Typically hire interns for marketing, PR, & sales. Occasionally finance as well.
Email hr@relevansi.com if you are interested

Connect 1-2-3
http://www.connect-123.com/
This is the program another intern went through to find RelevanSi. It is one of countless programs of its kind. This one offers placements in South Africa and Argentina.

Know of any good internship placement programs you think I should feature here? Email me at makenasage@gmail.com with the info and I’ll look into them!

Day Trip to an Estancia

2010-10-06T02:46:00Z

Our second API-sponsored day trip was to an Estancia, or ranch, about 90 minutes outiside of the city of Buenos Aires, where we spent a relaxing day horseback riding, eating, singing, dancing, and soaking up the sun.

We met up early on a Saturday morning to take a bus to the Estancia, which is located near the small town of Capilla del Señor. Most of us slept through the bus ride, and were astonished to wake up after such a short time in a place so peaceful and beautiful, yet so close to the bustling city of Buenos Aires. Our resident director wanted to make sure we had an authentic estancia experience, so the one that we went to is actually a working ranch where this family lives and raises polo horses. They had a wonderful breakfast laid out for us when we arrived and we spent the first hour or so just relaxing and enjoying the good food.

Eating breakfast

After that, our group split in half, with some of us going to ride horses for about half an hour and the others taking a walk around the ranch. We were the first group to ride horses and although I am far from a pro, I was delighted to note that my 8 hours on a horse in Salta did something for me when one of the female gauchos (gauchas?) remarked that I looked very comfortable on a horse. While I still wouldn't quite call it comfortable,half an hour of riding on flat ground was definitely a breeze after my last experience! ;)

One of our hosts demonstrating the technique we would use to guide our horses

The 2nd group leaving for their ride

While we waited for our asado lunch to cook, a random handstand contest erupted . . .

Our delicious asado lunch

After lunch we were regaled with a singing/guitar/harmonica performance and we alternated singing along and practicing our folk dances as he sang . . .

The musician who regaled us for hours with traditional folk music . . . and even some Beatles!

Singing along

Breaking out my folk dancing skills

The rest of the day was spent lounging around in the sun, watching the gauchos barrel race, and just soaking up the fresh air and beautiful surroundings. Before we left we had another tea/coffee with torta, then said our goodbyes and thanked our hosts for one of the most relaxing days we'd had in Argentina so far . . . :)

Soaking up the sun

API Folk Dancing Class

2010-09-09T06:21:00Z

Since I am writing 2 different blogs about my study abroad experience (and trying not to repeat posts) you'll find that a lot of what I post on this blog is related to program-sponsored events and my thoughts and reactions to the experiences I'm having while studying abroad, while my personal/school blog tends to deal more with non-program sponsored events and other miscellaneous posts. I just wanted to mention that briefly so you don't think that the only interesting things I am doing are the program-sponsored activites and trips that I keep writing about. Don't get me wrong, they are a blast, but they are only one piece of a much larger adventure that I am having in Argentina. :)

Our latest adventure was a folk-dancing class that took place in the API office last week on what happened to be both our resident director and one of the girls in our program's Birthday! After some homemade cake and mate, we began . . .

Enjoying some cake and mate in the API Office

Our Folk Dancing Teacher Showing Us Some Traditional Instruments

Folk Dancing!

Girls that study abroad far outnumber guys, but we make do with AWESOME FOLK DANCING SKILLS!

2 hours later, we had visited all of Argentina through the music and dances of each region, from the northernmost parts (Salta, Jujuy, etc.) to the southernmost city in the world (Ushuaia). In the words of our program director, "there is much more to Argentina's music and dance culture than the tango." The teacher did put on a couple of tangos for us at the end though, so the people in classes could show off their new skills and the rest of us could give it a whirl for fun. :)

We are going to an Estancia on Saturday to ride horses, eat some Parilla and soak in the gorgeous (fingers crossed!) spring weather, so keep an eye out for updates and pictures soon! In the meantime, midterms are next week so I'm going to keep this post short and say chau for now!

Besos,
Maki

API Cooking Class

2010-08-28T21:33:00Z

Last week we had our 2nd cooking class sponsored by Academic Programs International (API), the program I am studying abroad with in Buenos Aires. During our first cooking class we learned how to make empanadas and a traditional Argentine cake (whose name I can't recall at the moment) at our resident director Carmen's house. This time we met at API's office and learned to make Milanesa, Humita, and Alfajores.

Our resident director, Carmen, explaining the recipes we are about to make

Milanesa is a traditional Argentine meal which consists of thin, tender strips of beef which are battered and then fried or baked to a golden perfection. Humita is a sort of stew made out of corn, creamed corn, peppers, onions, broth and other delicious healthy ingredients. And alfajores are one of the most popular desserts in Argentina. Although they can become quite decadent, including everything from white chocolate to gourmet cookies, we made the simplest form of alfajor, which is essentially 2 cookies encasing dulce de leche (sort of like an oreo but with different ingredients).

Tenderizing beef for the milanesa

After our resident director Carmen explained what we would be cooking and taught us all of the Spanish names for the ingredients we set to work chopping, mixing, tenderizing and sneaking bits of alfajor-dough. When everything was done we sat down together and enjoyed the delicious meal we had helped to create.

Cultural events like these are one of my favorite parts about studying abroad. They give us the chance to spend some quality time with the people in our program, to learn more about the country we are studying in, and to relax and (in this case) enjoy some tasty Argentine food.

Besos,
Makena

Day Trip to Colonia, Uruguay

2010-08-22T22:42:00Z

Yesterday we took our first program-sponsored trip to Colonia, Uruguay. It started with us catching a boat (called a buquebus) from the port in Buenos Aires (in Puerto Madero) which would take us across the Rio de la Plata to Colonia, Uruguay. While most of the boats take about 3 hours to make the crossing, API had reserved the faster boat for us so that we would have more time to explore Colonia. Thus after an hour of relaxing, browsing the on-board duty free shop and drinking maté with our tour guide Gaby we arrived to the small town of Colonia, Uruguay.

Drinking maté (traditional Argentine tea-like drink) with Gaby

Chilling with a cannon in Colonia

A short walk brought us into the town center and we spent the first couple of hours walking around and visiting a couple of museums, which had everything from old art and artifacts to dinosaur bones! We then stopped for lunch in the plaza at a great little restaurant which had traditional Uruguayan food as well as some amazing homemade pastas and desserts. I had the spinach ravioli with parmesean in a sage sauce and split some tres leches cake for dessert. Heavenly!

Walking through the quaint streets of Colonia

The restaurant where we ate lunch in the plaza

After lunch we headed to the lighthouse where we climbed dozens (or maybe hundreds?) of winding steps to the two balconies and took a bajillion pictures of the breathtaking view of the Rio de la Plata and the town of Colonia. A little more walking around and it was time to head back to the buquebus station to get our passports stamped and take the boat back to Buenos Aires.

The lighthouse

The view from the top of the lighthouse

Although it was a fairly short trip it was great to get out of the city for a day and just relax and spend some time with the rest of the group. I feel so blessed to have chosen a program for study abroad that I love so much. I've heard some stories about people in other programs not getting along or getting placed with bad host families, etc, but I'm happy to report that everyone in our group gets along great and we all love our resident director Carmen, our tour guide Gaby and our host families. :)

Part of the group hanging out on the buquebus back to Buenos Aires

I'm excited for our trips to an Estancia, to Tigre, and to Ushuaia later in the semester as well as our API Gives Back day of service. Keep an eye out for posts and pictures!

Besos,
Makena

Thoughts on Time Management

2010-08-20T16:41:00Z

I've been doing a lot of thinking lately about how I want to spend the rest of my time while I am studying abroad. I have been in Buenos Aires for over 2 months now and I have a little less than 3 months left (I did the early-start intensive language month which is why my trip is so long). When I arrived I did what I always do and filled my schedule with all sorts of plans and commitments. I took on an internship 15 hours a week, a full class schedule (5 classes, all in Spanish), blogging, dance classes, weekend trips, and so on. I am so happy I did because I have had such a full experience so far. But another part of me has started to wonder: is it too much?

Anyone who knows me well will tell you I am a bit of an overachiever (or maybe more than a bit). But one of the great effects of studying abroad is that it is making me relax about a lot of things. That in turn is making me question some of the ways I have done things in the past, and whether or not I want to continue to do them the same way. This sort of self-reflection is something that has happened to a lot of my friends here. There is something about getting out of your normal environment and going to a place where no one knows you that really makes you look inward and get to know yourself in a new way. For example, I have made the decision since I arrived here that I want travel to be a big part of my lifestyle and career after I graduate, and I am even considering living outside of the US or going to graduate school abroad. For another, I am questioning some of my patterns and whether or not they are really in line with who I am and who I want to be . . . which leads me to time management.

So far the conclusion I've reached is that I would like to find a balance; something between the usual harried, 4 hours of sleep per night, work hard/party hard lifestyle I'm used to and totally letting go of any commitments (other than school). I might do my internship for only 3 months, rather than 4 for example. And I'm going to try to stop stressing out about trying to do and see EVERYTHING while I am here, and instead just do my best to live in the moment and enjoy whatever comes. I am already in love with this city and having the time of my life. Not seeing every sight or going to every event isn't going to change that.

Here's to a new, more relaxed Makena and an unforgettable 3 months . . . :)

Besos,
Makena

Hard at Work at my Internship in Buenos Aires

Exploring Puerto Madero, Buenos Aires

A Fun Night Out with My Friend Courtney

So What's It Like Studying Abroad in Buenos Aires?

2010-08-07T20:27:00Z

Hi everyone!

For my first blog post I'm going to do a bit of an overview of my experience so far, to get you all caught up on what I've been up to over the past 7 weeks!

I arrived in Buenos Aires on June 18th and spent the first few days in orientations, meeting my host family and getting a feel for the city and the language. Even though it was only a 2-hour time difference from my home-state of Texas, adjusting to the language and change of pace left me pretty tired for the first week or so. Despite that and the cold (seasons are reversed here so it's winter right now) I immediately fell in love with the city and it's people.

Because I chose the early-start option for my study abroad program, my first few weeks of school consisted of 5 hours a day of Spanish class. It was intense, but worth it to help me get a feel for the language before I began my semester classes which are taught completely in Spanish. In addition to going to class, I had also set up an internship before I arrived in an online green marketing firm. After class each day I would make the 45-minute commute to my office where I worked for another 3 hours, exploring the world of PR and social media. Evenings were spent doing homework, going to tango classes, and spending time with friends. My time here was off to a busy, but amazing start.

I've taken two trips in Argentina so far. The first was to Iguazu Falls, in the northeastern part of the country. These spectacular waterfalls span the border between Brazil and Argentina, much like Niagra Falls span Canada and the U.S. Although I've never been to Niagra, from what I've heard Iguazu trumps it by far. And indeed, I can't imagine waterfalls more beautiful than these. In addition to the falls I saw dozens of rainbows, hundreds of butterflies and even some wild monkeys! I highly recommend this trip to anyone coming to Argentina. It is truly incredible.

We had a week vacation in between the intensive language month and the start of the fall semester so me and two girlfriends set off to explore the northwestern/central part of Argentina for a few days. We spent a day in Tucuman and ended up spending the rest of our time in and around Salta because we loved it so much. I would definitely recommend the latter as a destination if you have time. We saw the Quilmes Ruins, visited a winery in Cafayate, horseback rode through the mountains for 8 hours and explored the city, among other fun adventures.

The fall semester started two weeks ago and I have been busy adjusting to taking classes in Spanish, my new work schedule, and getting to know all the great new people who came to Buenos Aires for the fall semester. I am super excited about the months to come and already dreading the thought of going home in November. In the meantime I am just trying to soak everything in as much as possible.

Thanks so much for joining me on my adventures! Feel free to check in from time to time for updates and contact me if you have any questions about studying abroad or Buenos Aires.

Besos,
Makena

Some Pictures from My Trip So Far

The Beautiful Colored Buildings of La Boca, Buenos Aires

In the Rose Gardens of Palermo, Buenos Aires

With Some Fellow APIers after Watching the Argentina-Greece World Cup Game in Plaza San Martin, Buenos Aires

The Breathtaking Iguazu Falls in Northern Argentina

Horseback Riding Through the Mountains Near Salta in Northern Argentina

In the Mountains Near Tucuman (photo courtesy of Jacquie Tolson)

API Loves Buenos Aires! With Mark from API in Plaza San Martin (photo courtesy of Kelsie Rogers)