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As part of my studies in The Netherlands, I’m interning abroad in Buenos Aires. In addition to my work at the Sanatorio San José, I took part in the university extension program, “Clinical Music Therapy,” at the Hospital General de Agudos Dr. Teodoro Alvarez.I still remember vividly my first day at the hospital. I had been in Buenos Aires for six weeks, and I was already getting used to it: beautiful people talking Rioplatense Spanish, Mate, and Tango. I was already observing music therapy sessions at the Sanatorio San José. After my first day at the Alvarez Hospital, I had many novel things to process and upon which to elaborate. There were many new faces to get accustomed to, but also many patients willing to get better. Conditions were tough for the people working at the hospital. In retrospect, German public hospitals seemed like luxury hotels. I was amazed by the number of people we would fit in the same room for a professional meeting: people would sit on chairs, on the floor, or even stand up for the whole meeting. Many times they’d interrupt each other, which made it even harder for me to follow. I was shocked when I entered the clinical ward for men: patient rooms had no doors. You could hear everything from the halls, where a lot of people were talking and walking by. The rooms were very large, and thin walls separated each patient’s personal space. I felt as though there was no intimacy. In the center of the room was where the meetings took place. This meant additional noise for the patients to deal with. Getting better in these circumstances seemed nearly impossible to me.As time went on, I had the opportunity to visit the clinical ward for women, obstetrics care, ICU, and mental health and addictions unit in the day hospital. In most areas, I could observe the music therapy work. The observations most often took place on the mental health and addictions unit. I observed group music therapy sessions weekly. I also attended the interdisciplinary meetings, which deepened my understanding of this specialization.I am bringing back to Germany many memories, professional experience, and new knowledge. This experience has impacted the way I think and act in both my professional and personal life. I learned how many things can be accomplished with little resources. I saw successful music therapy sessions held in tough conditions and with few instruments. This experience made me feel grateful for some of the things we have in Germany, such as good quality instruments, nice settings, and good working conditions, including paid holidays. I also realized that at times Germans reflect a lot and worry about different things. In many situations, I worried about things that, over there, didn't matter. If I had to put a title on my experiences in Argentina, it would be “it can be done.”Seeing the many different ways of practicing music therapy in the Hospital piqued my curiosity. Within the hospital, I witnessed the challenges that may arise from implementing music therapy in a new department. I hope to grow the practice of music therapy by developing new programs in Germany. Furthermore, I learned a lot about Argentinian music. I learned about their folkloric musical traditions, such as the tango and the boleros. I learned that Argentinian people put a lot of importance on the lyrics. I learned that you can also use recorded music in music therapy, and I hope to implement that in my work in Germany as well. My time in Argentina and the internship were very precious to me, and I want to thank everyone who joined me in this journey.Lina Schmidt, Music Therapy Student from GermanySave
