First
Impressions:I had my
first meeting with the law firm today. I am very excited to be
here. Everyone is so friendly and helpful. The City is amazing, and I cant
wait to explore it. All the Travellers
[volunteers] are so nice also. They have been
showing me around.
Melina, Adriana and Maria have been great. I am very
happy with how organized this placement is. I have decided to take some
Spanish classes, and Adrianna is going to set that
up. Thank you for all your help, and I will be in touch to let you how
everything is.
Half way Through:
What experience do you feel you gained? I have gained
more legal experience in different areas of law and I have improved my
Spanish. Additionally I have met many wonderful people, and learned more
about the Argentinean culture.
What was the best thing about your placement? I worked on many
interesting projects and I had the opportunity to write a comparative law
paper with my supervisor.
What type of person do you think this placement would suit? I recommend
the person graduated from law school because most of the work I did required
some legal knowledge. I also suggest the person knows how to speak (or at
least read and write) Spanish at an intermediate level because most of the
work I was given was in Spanish.
Overall I have had
a great experience here at the law firm, one that I will not forget!
NAME:
Robert Hope
AGE:21
PLACEMENT: Law
Experience at FIRM 1 (Non-Spanish speaking)
COUNTRY: UK
My first impressions are promising. The people are very
friendly and proud that you have chosen to visit their city. As a foreigner
they are intrigued as to where you come from and want to know as much as
possible about you.
Having only limited Spanish at the moment I find it quite
difficult to converse confidently with them but I am starting lessons
tomorrow with a private tutor that will aid my progress.
The other volunteers are accommodating and we all get on
well.
There is so much to do and see in the area that the
hostel could not be in a better position as it is close enough the
micro-centre but also far enough away to walk easily to the parks and
shopping boutiques. The hostel is clean and comfortable and I already
feel at home here.
I
don't start my placement until Thursday at the earliest but
I will let you know how that goes in the near
future.
After his placement:
This was taken from an
email that Rob sent Melina and Adriana, our organisers in Buenos Aires,
after his placement finished.
Hola, como estas?
como es BA?? I miss it so much! I arrived in NZ on Monday and have spent the
past 6 days making my way down to the south island, where I arrived today,
and on to Queenstown for next weekend. The country is very beautiful, very
differing landscapes in close proximity and the people are overly friendly.
But I think I’m homesick from BA.....
The more I spend time here the more I like
it, but I also realise more and more everyday how much I miss BA. I haven’t
met anyone who has travelled in South America, everyone tells me its too
dangerous, until tonight. I have just met 2 Irish girls who stayed in
millhouse and cant wait until they return to South America. So after
spending the last hour talking to them, and evoking many memories, I thought
I would send an email. I hope you are both well. Thanks for all your help
when I was in BA, I appreciated it so much. Rob
NAME:
John Conway
AGE:
28
PLACEMENT:
Law
Experience at FIRM 2 (Spanish speaking)
COUNTRY:
Ireland
What experience do you feel you gained?
Like any work placement there are days when I'm busy and days when I'm not.
Overall, the experience has been very varied and I've had good exposure to
what it's like to be a Commercial lawyer in Buenos Aires. The staff here are
very friendly and have been keen to get me involved as much as possible. I
have visited the Commercial Court. I attended a meeting at a client's
office. I have researched trademarks and registration procedures on my own
at the National Intellectual Property Centre. I have translated documents
from Spanish into English. One day I visited the Law faculty with one of the
lawyers and attended one of the lectures she gave. The experience has been
definitely been worthwhile. It has encouraged me to pursue this career when
I get back home and the little Spanish that I had beforehand has improved
immensely.
What was
the best thing about your placement? I think the highlight has been
attending the client meetings. It was very interesting to listen to the
issues that the client had and how the lawyers were proposing possible
solutions.
Would you recommend this placement to anyone else and what type of person do you think this placement would suit?
Definitely. This office is quite small in a good way because you get to know
everyone and they are genuinely interested in how you are getting on. At
times it can be frustrating when my 'Spanglish' lets me down but it's a
great way to learn a language and get some worthwhile experience at the same
time. You definitely need to be able to use your initiative and work on your
own. You can't be afraid to ask questions. You also need an open mind and a
good sense of humour because obviously things are done differently here
sometimes and you have to see the funny side of things.
A typical day?
I usually start at 9 and finish at 1 or 2. When something is needed urgently
I stay longer but this doesn't happen very often. The lawyers spend some
mornings at court so it can be quiet first thing in the morning. If anything
needs to be translated or reseached the secretary explains it to me. I have
proof read documents and they always encourage me to ask questions. I gave a
couple of English lessons to the lawyers explaining English legal terms.
Overall I'm very happy. So
far everything has worked out fine. The host family are really nice and the
house is great. They really help me to practice my Spanish and they are
extremely knowledgeable about Buenos Aires so that really helps.
NAME:
Aaron Weston
AGE: 22
PLACEMENT: Law
Experience at FIRM 2 (Spanish speaking)
COUNTRY: USA
What
experience do you feel you gained?I'm half finished with
the placement, so far I've been exposed to the daily tasks at a law firm in
Buenos Aires. This is not easy to explain because the easily overlooked
details are the most important. This is the best place for me to practice
Spanish as well, which is nice.
What
was the best thing about your placement?All of the people at
my placement have been very friendly and helpful.
Would you recommend this
placement to anyone else?Yes, but I would say it is only for someone with a lot of patience
and a good Spanish background.
NAME:
Vassiliki
Kapelos
AGE: 23
PLACEMENT: Law
Experience at FIRM 1 (Non-Spanish speaking)
COUNTRY:
Canada
What experience do you feel you gained?With
respect to the law placement, the experience has been invaluable in that I
have been exposed to Spanish more intensely than had I simply been a
tourist, thus allowing me to learn more at a quicker pace.
As
well, I have been introduced to how business is done in another country and
seen firsthand the possibilites allowed by international business.
What was
the best thing about your placement?
The law placement is my favourite part of the trip so far, the people I am
working both with and under (especially those I have been working under)
have provided me with much guidance and have really enriched the experience
for me.
Would you recommend this placement to anyone else? Definitely
What type of person do you think this placement would suit?
Someone whose interests lie in international business and/or law and who is
self-motivated i.e. you can’t expect the work to be handed to you, you have
to ask for it when necessary (don’t be shy)
Was their anything that you weren’t told before you went away that you think
future volunteers should know? Knowing
Spanish is pretty crucial to feeling as though you are not a tourist, if you
don’t know it already, definitely take lessons.
A typical day? My days are
pretty busy, but I like it that way. I wake up at about 8am, have Spanish
lesson from 9-11am, work from 12pm – 7pm and then some days I might have a
teaching placement until around 9pm at the latest. Dinner usually after 9pm.
NAME:
Joanne Hutcheson
AGE:22
PLACEMENT:
Law
Experience at FIRM 2 (Spanish speaking)
COUNTRY: UK
Hi
Vicky,I am so sorry it has taken so long to
reply. Having a great time over here.
I love
Buenos Aires! Totally different to what I was expecting (I think I was
expecting a third world country, no electricity,
no water...). It's a beautiful city and there's
so much to do - haven't done much exploring
outside of the city yet but am hoping to do so soon. What has struck me the
most, is how friendly people are over here, everyone makes an effort to talk
to you and lets you speak in Spanish even if you're
making loads of mistakes.
I'm
nearly at the end of my second week working in the law firm - I'm really
enjoying it, it was difficult at first because I didn't
understand the Argentinean
accent, but all the lawyers are very friendly and are giving me loads of
interesting work to do. I'm taking Spanish lessons
for a month to sort out my grammar and
already its improving!So, so far so good. I'm
having a great time.Love Jo xx
NAME:
Philip Clemo
AGE:
23
PLACEMENT:
Law
Experience at FIRM 1 (Non-Spanish speaking)
COUNTRY: UK
Hi Vicky,
Everything's going well here. The hostel is great and the people are really
nice. I have my first meeting at the law firm this morning so I'm meeting Melina in
the centre and she's going to take me there.
Buenos Aires is gorgeous, I really love it. Its very
obviously a city of rich and poor but its great good knowing that there's so
much to see and do and that I probably will struggle to do it all in three
months!
Thank you so much Vicky. If it wasn't for all your help
and hard work I wouldn't be having this amazing experience.
Yours,
Phil
During his placement: What experience do you
feel you are gaining?
In terms of the legal placement, operating in a different legal system for a
company that deals with important clients is a great experience. The main
experience is living in a foreign country and getting to meet and know the
people. I find Argentinean people fascinating and that is an amazing
experience!
So far what is the best
thing about your placement?
My Spanish has improved a lot and is continuing to do so. I’m taking lessons
here which are really productive and worthwhile. However, this is not as a
direct result of working in the law firm. The best thing about that is
getting to research and discuss unfamiliar areas of law.
Would you recommend this
placement to anyone else?
In a heartbeat.
What type of person
do you think this placement would suit? You have to be able to work off
your own initiative and have a real interest in the law or you’ll be bored
witless. As regards living over here in general, it may sound obvious but
don’t come if there’s someone or something that you’re going to miss so much
that it spoils your time. If you can’t handle that trade off then you
shouldn’t come.
A typical day? On the days I have a
Spanish lesson I get up at 07:45, get ready and get the subte to my class
(about 3 stops). I have that for 2 hours then subte it to work usually for
about 1145. I start on whatever work we’re doing at the moment, usually with
Lucy, and this has ranged from writing a shareholders agreement for a
venture capital firm to preparing for a bondholder meeting for a large
client. We take about half an hour for lunch usually around 1 and try to
leave around 4. I tend to come back and chill for a bit and then either go
out or cook some dinner and watch a DVD (there’s a rental place nearby). I
try to get to bed for 2 but you never get to sleep before 3 so a baby-style
nap after work is a good move!
The body clock
adjustment is a big thing here. It’s not physically demanding but its a
culture shift in a big way. Going out for dinner at 10 and clubbing until 6
is awesome but a bit of a shift from the English way of doing things.
NAME:
Tessa
Jones
AGE:20
PLACEMENT:
Law
Experience at FIRM 2 (Spanish speaking) and Spanish lessons.
COUNTRY: UK
What experience do you feel you are
gaining? My Spanish has definitely improved a great deal since I have
been here. I express myself much more fluently and clearly now and I am much
more confident when speaking to Argentines at work, in the family I live
with and in social situations. I have also had a good exposure to law and
legal Spanish which has greatly improved my knowledge of how the law works
in Argentina and what an Argentine lawyer does on a day-to-day basis.
So far what is the best thing about your
placement? There really has been so much that I have enjoyed about
living and working in a different country. It has been a really good
experience to be independent and find my own way in a foreign country. I
have also really enjoyed working in a legal environment and improving my
knowledge of how a law firm abroad works. Finally I have loved getting to
know a different people, a different culture and a very different country to
what I have grown up with. I will definitely take away some great memories
of Argentina.
Would you recommend this placement to
anyone else? Definitely, although I would advise anyone thinking of
doing a placement to think really hard about what it is going to be like
being away from home and living in a foreign country, and decide if they are
the kind of person that can do that. It's not for everyone and if there is
something or someone you are really going to miss, it's probably better not
to do it.
What type of person do you think this
placement would suit? Someone who is fairly independent, has a sense of
adventure and a desire to learn about another country and their legal
system. I would also add that being able to speak Spanish, no matter how
little, is a huge advantage as most people here speak very little, if any,
English and are so grateful if you can speak their language.
Can you think of any improvements that
could be made to the placement? No. I have been really impressed by
Travellers. The placement has been really well organised, both in the
build-up to my departure for Buenos Aires and during my stay here. I have
really felt well looked after.
Can you describe a typical day? My day
begins at 9:30 in the law firm. As the firm is quite a small firm in terms of
staff, I am generally kept busy throughout the morning doing various tasks
such as legal research, translations and administrative tasks for different
people in the office. I leave the office at 1:30, have a quick lunch and
then head off to my Spanish lesson between 3 and 5. I am set homework for
every lesson, usually a translation, a grammar exercise or a short essay,
which I discuss with my teacher before moving on to read a newspaper
article, a short story by an Argentine writer or an article about an aspect
of Argentine history. In the evenings and on the weekends I go out with some
friends I have made while I have been here, explore the city or take a short
trip to a nearby town.
NAME:
Emma Burgess
AGE:
24
PLACEMENT:
Law
Experience at FIRM 1 (Non-Spanish speaking)
COUNTRY: UK
What experience do you feel you are gaining? In terms
of my work placement I am gaining a valuable insight into the workings of
the Argentine legal process. I am exposed to legal documentation, cases and
draft documents, am learning the processes involved in preparing legal
advice, and compiling and presenting commercial cases in court. In more
general terms by undertaking a placement of this nature I am experiencing
life in Buenos Aires in a much more acute way than simply experienced by
travelling. I genuinely feel part of the city when I travel to work in the
morning on the Subte, and interact with Argentine people to a much greater
extent than I would otherwise be able to do. Consequently I feel I am
developing a better understanding of the history, culture, language and
character of the country.
So far what is the best thing about your placement?
The organisation of the Travellers placements in Buenos Aires is of an
exceptionally high standard. The work placement is enjoyable, insightful,
and obviously thought has gone into the choice of the firm itself and the
choice of accommodation. My favourite aspect of the experience is simply the
opportunity to live in Buenos Aires.
.
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