Evelien during her internship in Buenos Aires

Hey! Who are you and where are you from? Where do you study/live/work?

I’m Evelien, a (Motion) Graphic Designer from Arnhem (the Netherlands). I’m also a student at University of Twente. I’m currently in Buenos Aires (Argentina) for a short internship.

What was the first thing you thought when you got off the plane? (bus/train/car)

“What time is it?!?!?!?!?!” The flight was pretty long, longer than any flight I’ve previously been on. So I was kind of disoriented. My second thought was “where is the Tienda Leon?!”. The people I’m staying with advised me to take the Tienda Leon to their house. It’s a really good and cheap bus/shuttle service you can take from the airport to an address in the city.

What was the most shocking difference between your home country and your new country?

Things are more chaotic and definitely less organized in Argentina than they are in the Netherlands. For example: going grocery shopping takes aaaaaages because of the long and slow moving lines at check out.

What does your usual working day look like?

I walk to the office everyday. It’s a nice 25 minute walk and a good way to soak up the atmosphere of the city. The company I intern at has kind of lined out for me what to do, so I make a list every morning of things I want to be finished with at the end of the day. Then during the day I work on motion graphics and do some video editing.

What's the working-atmosphere at your internship-company like? 

The vibe at the company is relaxed and very creative. For me that’s a good fit. Since the moment I started, all my colleagues have been very nice and helpful to me. 

Did you ever feel homesick? How did you cope with this?

I never get homesick, so I did no have to deal with that. One thing I do miss is my bike, which makes me realize just how incredibly Dutch I am. And I kind of miss some typical Dutch stuff, since I crave bitterballen every now and then.

Did you feel at home in your new country? Why (not)?

Yes, especially for the duration of my stay. The people are all very friendly and helpful. I found a room to stay at through homestay.com. The host family has been great. I do sometimes miss having my own apartment though, since I have one back home.

Please give us tips about who to befriend when living abroad. The Russians? The Irish? The Chileans? (Honestly, we want to know some gossip about other internationals you’ve met.)

I befriended some locals (which is a must, btw!) and some Americans. There are some American staying at the same host family as where I’m staying at. Everybody has been great. I always enjoy hanging out with Americans, partly because there is almost no language barrier.

Describe the inhabitants of the new country in three words.

Very friendly, loud and proud. And boy, do they love soccer/football. Which actually helped making me feel at home.

What did you learn from your experience abroad? Was it the loving community you liked? The cheap cocktails? The overwhelming nature? Or was the experience less helpful than expected? Details, we want details!

I learned that Buenos Aires has an amazing and very rich culture and history (which I already expected!). I love the cuisine, the people and the city in general. I also learned that there are no differences in being a (Motion) Graphic Designer in Buenos Aires or in the Netherlands, which makes sense. And finally, I learned to be grateful for how well organized things tend to be back home.