Program Reviews

From the time I submitted my application to the time I landed back home after my internship Panrimo was there to answer any question I had. Being they are a smaller company I was known on a first name basis and received answers back to my questions via email within 24 hours. My program was customized to me so I would get the most from my experience. They asked me if I could intern anywhere where would I want to intern and even though my top choice, the National Museum, was closed for renovations they still found me an internship in their history department. I would do this internship again and would defiantly recommend Panrimo to anyone looking for an amazing experience abroad.

From the beginning, I was very impressed with Panrimo's attentive staff, as well as with its professional website and catalogue. I really felt like they wanted me to have the best experience possible, and that they make a significant effort to personalize my program according to what I was looking for.

The orientation materials provided by Panrimo were a very helpful introduction to the city, and the support they gave me after I got there was much appreciated as well (I received a one-on-one city tour a few days after I arrived).

I stayed in an apartment in the downtown area with a host family, and that was definitely one of the highlights of my trip. The family was incredibly nice and did everything they could to make me comfortable. The food I got at my homestay (I signed up to receive breakfast and dinner Monday through Friday) was very, very good, and was a lot healthier than the average Argentine diet. When I was on my own for meals I never had a problem finding delicious food, and there were plenty of nearby grocery stores, cafes, and restaurants.

The four week intensive Spanish class that I took had about ten students, and as such I was unable to practice speaking as much as I had hoped (we focused mainly on grammar). That being said, I think the average class size is much smaller. At least the school was very close to my homestay!

Not being fluent in Spanish was the main barrier for me in terms of cultural integration, although my language skills did improve significantly while I was there. Other than that, by the time I left I definitely felt comfortable in the city, knew my way around, was familiar with the local customs, etc.

The Buenos Aires coordinator was very nice and helpful but sometimes it seemed like he had other stuff going on. This was never really an issue, and I certainly never felt ignored. Panrimo has optional trips to other parts of the country, but doesn't organize any meet-ups for the students in each city. As long as you're willing to make friends on your own and be independent, you'll be fine -- that's the kind of experience I was looking for, and it turned out great.

Panrimo found me an excellent internship with a local NGO that was a perfect match for my academic interests. Furthermore, my home-stay family was incredibly nice and accommodating and did everything possible to ensure I was comfortable and had a wonderful summer.

Like any big city, you do have to be careful in Buenos Aires. Theft is the biggest problem here, but as long as you're smart and sensible you should be fine. My laptop did get stolen (through no fault of Panirmo, of course), but it was really more of a financial inconvenience than a practical one. My host family graciously gave me an old desktop computer to use in my room, my internship provided me with a laptop to use while I was at work, and Panrimo's staff did everything they could to help out with the situation.

Now that I'm back in the US, I really miss the home-made dinners and chatting with my host parents every night.

Going to Panrimo was the chance of a lifetime, and I never regret doing it. It was hard at times, sure, but the good times are the ones that I really remember. The stares faces of men on the metro, or some of the other unpleasant experiences my first day…haha! But I don’t even know where to begin talking about all of the great things: learning a new language, skipping classes to enjoy the architecture and the cultural as well as the great food! ;) Overall, we had some pretty amazing times.

I spent 2 months in Edinburgh for a psychology internship. Panrimo offered placement in Stirling, but when the coordinators could not find a perfect match for me in the city, they searched elsewhere. Finally finding a psychologist in the University of Edinburgh, I was set up for an internship that was better than I could ever imagine! Housing and everything I needed was set up for me by Panrimo, and when the university changed the plans without warning, the Panrimo coordinators had the problem fixed within hours. And that includes the 6 hour time difference! At the internship, I spent 3 days a week in the university doing research and 2 days in a local hospital clinic. My days started with a 20 minute walking commute. The city and surrounding landscape was beautiful and full of interesting history, so every day was exciting. The research was challenging, but extremely interesting and I learned a lot about my future career. I interacted with local people at the hospital clinic, which gave a completely different perspective from the paper and computer work. I was finished around 4:30 PM everyday and had the night to explore the city. Coming to a new country alone was scary at first, but at the same time, it forced me to step outside my comfort zone and make friends by talking to strangers at restaurants, pubs, and coffee shops. I learned so much about the culture, especially with the festivals going on during the summer! On the weekends, I made a number of trips outside of the city, including castles, the southern borders, the Highlands, and Loch Ness. I got to see not only Edinburgh, but also the other famous and amazing sights of the country! This was one of the best experiences. I will definitely be returning to Scotland, only this time, I'll remember to bring more comfortable walking shoes.

My day usually began with waking up, having a baguette on the way to the metro station to get to school by 9:00am. My classes were challenging but I can't say I didn't learn a ton! I was usually finished with class around 4:00pm, which left the evenings for getting lost and then finding myself again after stumbling into the most unique places. Dinner followed around 8:00pm with friends for the American Business School. Many evenings were spent walking around downtown and observing the breathtaking architectures at night, most of which were lit up in some way.