Photo 1: view from my working place, Vicky´s office
Background: TAMK has some exchange universities in South America, one of them is Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires (Unicen) in Argentina. When I started to plan my exchange with our international coordinator Riku-Matti Kinnunen, I told him that I am interested to go to Tandil for three reasons: one of my students, Johanna Velling, was here two years ago and another student, Minna Raitapuro, is going to study here next spring. I also wanted to improve my Spanish skills and third, I have been in Argentina before and I really like this country.


Now I have been here in Tandil for two weeks and time really flies! Tandil is nice, small and peaceful town 370 kms south from Buenos Aires, with about 150 000 inhabitans. Tandil is surrounded by small hills, sierras, and has lots of cultural activities, organized also by Unicen. City center is more or less empty at siesta time, around 3 to 5 pm. and full of life in the evenings between 8 to 10 pm. when families go for shopping, young people hang around, people are sitting in cafeterias and bars before going to dinner.
Photo 2: Faculty of Arts, from the left:Victoria Fuentes, Secretaria de Extensión, Cristina Dimatteo, Secretaria Académica, Carlos Catalano, Decano and Maximiliano Napa, No-Docente

I am mainly working at the Faculty of Arts, which is located in the city center of Tandil, just beside the main square and park. I will also have some lecturers at Department of Languages and next week a lecturer and workshop at the Faculty of Economics, which is located in the campus area, about 7 kms from the city centre.

Photo 3: Students working at Unicen Campus 18.11.2008
More reports from Tandil during next week!