Old Norvicensian Gautham Narayanan (15-19) recently took part in a volunteering trip to Buenos Aires, Argentina. Here he reflects on the trip and his experiences:
I distinctly remember the insecurities I felt in the days preceding my flight from London Heathrow. This culminated with me breaking down in tears a few hours before my flight thinking: is all of this worth it? Will I even enjoy my experience? I believe that this experience, whilst unduly short for reasons out of my control, has helped me to become a stronger, more self-sufficient person who is able to embrace different cultures. I would urge any of you that have a chance to go travelling to do so: it is an opportunity to develop like you never thought possible and meet diverse people that end up becoming lifelong friends.
After arriving in Buenos Aires I met my taxi driver and another Dutch volunteer at the airport and immediately felt at ease with this new, challenging opportunity. Over the next week I had the chance to volunteer as a tennis and hockey coach with the charity “United Through Sport”. My volunteering opportunities opened my eyes to how privileged we are to have an amazing education and upbringing. The children that we worked with had the bare minimum but were always smiling and showing positivity: so surely we can do the same, even during these times of uncertainty? I encourage you all to take pride in helping others in any way possible: it is an extremely gratifying process!
If you want to learn a new language, the best thing you can do is to speak with the locals. Everyone in Buenos Aires was incredibly helpful and supportive of foreigners making an effort to speak their language. I had the chance to answer many questions in Spanish posed by the curious, amazing children that I helped during my stay. Until you spend time with these children, you will never understand how incredible they are and what a difference even small gestures can make in their lives!
Of course, I did not just volunteer in Buenos Aires. As you can imagine, the atmosphere out there is truly incredible. If you get a chance to travel embrace the memories, make friends, but please stay safe!
The most unforgettable thing I managed to see was a local division two football match between “Argentinos Juniors” and “Canuelas”. If you are a football fanatic, or otherwise, it is mesmerising to be a part of an Argentinian football matches atmosphere. For anyone who is interested in sport, I would highly recommend spending the money to go and see an extremely memorable sporting event.
Another highlight of my time in Buenos Aires was being able to visit and give supplies to the charity La Casita, on behalf of Norwich School. Although not open for the children because of the Covid-19 situation I managed to get an insight into how the charity worked through Rodrigo Cuevas, the leader of the charity operations. It is truly eye opening hearing the stories of what some of these vulnerable children face in everyday life and I hope, when things are more stable in the world, to be in a position to help these children improve their lives.
Finally, my lasting impression of the city is that it is filled with many humble, kind-hearted people that make everything easier. I would also recommend trying the local cuisine, for example “empanadas” or “mate” (a local tea-like drink - not for the fainthearted!!) I assure you that there are many incredible sites to visit, that I unfortunately did not get a chance to see. These include Iguazu Falls, La Boca and La Recoleta cemetery, (there is a bar very close to this for those who are interested!!) amongst others. The only place I did get a chance to visit was Puerto Madero, a breath-taking place with beautiful scenery and unrivalled architecture. It is very interesting, in my eyes, how nestled deep within a high-class area such as this was “Rodrigo Bueno”- an impoverished slum where I carried out hockey coaching. Throughout this trip, I learnt that poverty and suffering can manifest itself in any area and does not get affected by race, gender, social class, sexuality, ethnicity or any other factor. If I had one piece of advice it would be to look out for one another and try to accomplish one selfless act per day without fail.
If you have any aspirations to travel as a volunteer in any upcoming gap years, I am more than willing to help you as a sporting ambassador for a company called Sporting Opportunities. Please feel free to contact me through any social media if you have any queries. The company organises volunteer sports coaching placements in a variety of destinations including Argentina, South Africa, Ghana and Saint Lucia and support the charity “United Through Sport’ to have more volunteers in each of these destinations as well as raising awareness of the charity. To those of you planning to study a sports related course (EG sports management) Sporting Opportunities also offer an 8-12 week minimum sports management internship abroad.
I would like to finish by wishing the U6 leavers good luck in the future and I empathise with you guys finishing in the uncertain, unexpected manner that you have. To all of you, stay positive, keep contact with each other, and keep mentally and physically engaged in these tough times. I firmly believe that everything happens for a reason and everything will work out in the end. For now, cherish all the many memories you have of each other, stay safe, and most importantly look after yourself and your family!
Gautham has made a video of his time in Argentina, which you can watch on YouTube here
