Dear Vicky
[Vicky Boughton is Travellers UK Project Co-ordinator for Argentina],
I promised I'd give
you some feedback once I'd finished the placement. Sorry it's taken me a
while - I've been taken up with travelling, in Guatemala at the moment!
I've had some trouble with the form, so if it's ok, I'll just write some
general thoughts.
I chose the tango
placement as something which would be a bit different, give me an
opportunity to do something creative and give me an insight into the local
culture. It certainly met all these aims, and most of all was a lot of
fun. I enjoy dancing as a pasttime, but I think anyone could have a
go at this.
Volunteers in
Argentina enjoying their free time!
I would definitely
recommend that you continue to use Mel as the dance teacher for any future
placements. Having seen some of the more "traditional" dance schools
in action during the tango festival, I feel that his teaching style was
much more flexible and able to meet the needs of different individuals. It
was also a lot more fun, taking in different styles and music. He
was very easy to get on with and always helpful in recommending places to
go to dance, or shows to see.
The combination of
the individual private lessons with him, as well as one group lesson per
week also worked well. I learnt things in different ways at the
different classes, and it was good to meet up with local Argentineans at
the group class.
All in all, I fully
recommend the tango placement as very rewarding, creative and great fun. I
found Melina and Adriana really nice and very approachable too!
All the best,
Suzanna Long
Sally Blake
To read about a volunteers experience of
Tango in Buenos Aires please check our the Blog of Sally Blake, a Travellers
volunteer embarking on an adventure to perfect her dancing skills! www.sallycat.wordpress.com
Claudia Pristasova on her Tango and
Spanish Placement
At
the beginning of her placement:Hello,
I'm having a really good time and everyone here is so nice and helpful.
Melina and Adriana are so cool. I've already had two tango lessons which
were so much fun :-) My Spanish lessons are going well too. As it comes to
Argentinean lifestyle I need a bit more time to get used to it as I'm not
used to eating so late or going out at 2am. Saying that I must admit that I
had fantastic weekend partying.I’m really happy
and thank you so much, love Claudia
Towards the end of her
placement:
What experience do you feel you gained?I’ve learned a lot
about Argentina, the country, tradition and lifestyle
What was the best thing
about your placement?Tango lessons were so
much fun
Would you recommend this
placement to anyone else?For Spanish at
university I would recommend 2 months if a total beginner (in level 1 we
learnt present and future tense, then past tense in level 2 :-( Tango lessons are great and you learn about the culture at the same
time
What type of person do
you think this placement would suit?A person interested in
learning a language or anyone interested in doing something fun (tango)
A typical day?
My day
starts at 9 or 9.30am when I have my breakfast and get ready. I have tango
lessons at 11am and it takes 20 - 30 minutes to get there by bus depending
on the traffic. Tango finishes at 12.30pm. Afterwards I walk to the
university to have my Spanish lessons (10 minutes). I get back to our ‘home’
around 5pm and when I feel like it I go to the gym or just hang around with
other Travellers. We eat late and go out late :-)
.
+44 01903 502595
