Fernetlovva
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- Mar 19, 2009
- Messages
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So I've just booked my ticket to Buenos Aires for April 8th, and I plan on being there for about 5 months. I'm a pre-med student who is taking a year off!
I've spent some time in South America - I was in Ecuador for 3 months, doing some volunteer work - and I absolutely loved it. I loved the people, the warmth (climate and personalities), I loved the language (and was getting pretty good at it, I think), the food, the cultural quirks...everything. Some of the best people I met on my trip were from Argentina, though. Incredibly friendly, even by South American standards, wonderfully relaxed and just great people. I keep in touch with a couple still.
Anywho, I had a few general questions and comments and I was hoping I could get some advice from some of the wonderful people on this board. First of all, I'm going in with about $5,000 US. That comes out to about 1,000 a month.
I've prowled the board a bit and I've seen varying comments on whether or not one can live on that, but I thought perhaps I might be able to get a more consistent answer if I spoke to my situation specifically. First of all, I want to rent a room, not an apartment. Looking on craigslist, I can see that renting a room can range from anywhere from 200-600 dollars a month. Well, that brings me to my next bit...I have no desire to live in the 'trendy' or 'upscale' part of town. I am NOT interested in living in a place in which I hear more english than spanish on the streets. Safe? Sure. But most important, to me, is that the neighborhood has an identity and a culture and a charm all it's own. I've read conflicting reports about San Telmo (sp?)...some say it's the Greenwich village of Buenos Aires, but others say it's as touristy as anywhere.
Any advice on that?
Likewise, as much as this is a holiday for me, I don't do anything extravagant except perhaps eat, and even then I don't like the upscale/high society looking places. I don't plan on doing any clothes shopping, save for necessities (and an initial investment on a mate gourde/bombilla). I DO plan on going out at night, to clubs and what not, semi frequently. So is it possible to live on 1000 a month, given these preferences, or should I budget more?
Moreover, I'd like to do some volunteering while I'm in Buenos Aires. Preferably something through one of the hospitals, as I have ample experience in the medical field, but really anything with kids or the under privileged. How easy is it to get involved in something like that once I get to Argentina? I have no desire to pay expensive program fees to do it, though.
An addition to the above is a question about teaching english/finding odd jobs around Buenos Aires...how easy is it? If I wanted to pick up some extra cash working for, say, 10-20 hours a week (for Fernet money or something) is that feasible, being a fluent english speaker, an intermediate spanish speaker, and having two (undergraduate) degrees, one in English?
Thanks all for your time, and I look forward to talking to you more soon!
I've spent some time in South America - I was in Ecuador for 3 months, doing some volunteer work - and I absolutely loved it. I loved the people, the warmth (climate and personalities), I loved the language (and was getting pretty good at it, I think), the food, the cultural quirks...everything. Some of the best people I met on my trip were from Argentina, though. Incredibly friendly, even by South American standards, wonderfully relaxed and just great people. I keep in touch with a couple still.
Anywho, I had a few general questions and comments and I was hoping I could get some advice from some of the wonderful people on this board. First of all, I'm going in with about $5,000 US. That comes out to about 1,000 a month.
I've prowled the board a bit and I've seen varying comments on whether or not one can live on that, but I thought perhaps I might be able to get a more consistent answer if I spoke to my situation specifically. First of all, I want to rent a room, not an apartment. Looking on craigslist, I can see that renting a room can range from anywhere from 200-600 dollars a month. Well, that brings me to my next bit...I have no desire to live in the 'trendy' or 'upscale' part of town. I am NOT interested in living in a place in which I hear more english than spanish on the streets. Safe? Sure. But most important, to me, is that the neighborhood has an identity and a culture and a charm all it's own. I've read conflicting reports about San Telmo (sp?)...some say it's the Greenwich village of Buenos Aires, but others say it's as touristy as anywhere.
Any advice on that?
Likewise, as much as this is a holiday for me, I don't do anything extravagant except perhaps eat, and even then I don't like the upscale/high society looking places. I don't plan on doing any clothes shopping, save for necessities (and an initial investment on a mate gourde/bombilla). I DO plan on going out at night, to clubs and what not, semi frequently. So is it possible to live on 1000 a month, given these preferences, or should I budget more?
Moreover, I'd like to do some volunteering while I'm in Buenos Aires. Preferably something through one of the hospitals, as I have ample experience in the medical field, but really anything with kids or the under privileged. How easy is it to get involved in something like that once I get to Argentina? I have no desire to pay expensive program fees to do it, though.
An addition to the above is a question about teaching english/finding odd jobs around Buenos Aires...how easy is it? If I wanted to pick up some extra cash working for, say, 10-20 hours a week (for Fernet money or something) is that feasible, being a fluent english speaker, an intermediate spanish speaker, and having two (undergraduate) degrees, one in English?
Thanks all for your time, and I look forward to talking to you more soon!
