Fausto Guida, Alfonso Lasmartres and Timoteo Betoledrtres, 25 June 2026
Adiós!
Friday marked the last day of school for our three short-stay Argentinian boys. They have had a busy ten weeks in New Zealand, and they will take many memories of their time at Otago Boys’ and their stay in New Zealand back home with them.
MY EXPERIENCE IN NEW ZEALAND
Fausto Guida
Hi I'm Fausto Guida and I´m going to talk about my experience here, First of all I came here because the cousin of one friend’s did the experience two years ago and I thought that it could be good to come here to improve my English, take a look at what New Zealand’s rugby is like and also have the experience of being out of my comfort zone by being in a new place. This was a challenging decision because I had to leave my friends and family for three months.
Talking about OBHS, when I go back to Argentina, I will miss that we only have 6 hours of school and we start classes very late (8:50am) compared to Argentina. Also, here I enjoy the fact that most of the time I only have to type things and I don't have to write by hand like in Argentina. Apart from school, I will miss the landscapes of New Zealand; here the houses have carpet and it’s nice to walk around in socks - back home we always wear our shoes inside.
I have had a good time here. People are kind to me and I’m never bored. I have also had a lot of time for doing things after school and I can sleep more than 9 hours every day! In Argentina, activities finish very late. Most days I get out of school at 4:30pm in the afternoon and I have rugby training from 6pm to 8pm. During my stay, I have also enjoyed going to Queenstown, Long Beach to do rock climbing and visiting Baldwin Street.
When I go back to Argentina, I will eat all the food that I haven't eaten here like milanesas and asado. I will also meet with my friends and family a lot. I will go to drink mate (herbal drink) with friends or family or go to play football with my friends. In conclusion this was a good experience which has helped me to value things that seemed common in my home that now I miss.
Alfonso Lasmartres
I chose Dunedin, New Zealand because a friend of my dad called Carolina recommended this experience a lot, and also she said that the school was very good and organised with sports. Carlonia told me that during this experience I was going to have another two students from my city (Mendoza) and we were going to stay two nights in Auckland before going to Dunedin. Auckland was actually very fun, but it was not what I expected. I thought it was going to be bigger with more things to see or do. It wasn’t too bad and I had a great time. I arrived in Dunedin and I stayed the first night with a different family but after the first day of school I went to the house of a family that I am staying with. I think my host family has been one of the things that I liked most here in New Zealand. They are very friendly, I eat better than I expected, they take me to some places like beaches, and they even invited me to Christchurch to watch a rugby league match there.
The school is very good and big. I always have a good time here with my friends and I think I have learned a lot of English. One of the main reasons I came here was because of football, the training and the matches. I like that we play against other high school teams. I loved the city, in the centre there are good places to eat, buy clothes and other things, and in the outskirts of the city I liked the rugby fields, the botanic garden, and particularly the landscapes. I think the best thing was when a friend invited us for four days in Queenstown. We played board games, did outdoor activities like the luge or mini golf and we stayed in a beautiful house.
Not everything was as I had expected it to be. I think the English here is very difficult to understand and to have a fluent conversation. The thing that disappointed me the most was football. Except for the 1st XI team, the rest of the school football teams felt more social than competitive, unlike back home in Argentina. My host family made me think the food was always very good here, but I found eating out to be expensive and not as tasty as I had hoped. Although there were a few disappointing things I encountered, overall, the positives were a lot more than the negatives.
I had a very good time here and would like to stay longer. Time has passed very quickly! At first, I thought I wouldn’t miss Dunedin when I returned home, but the more I think about it, the more I will miss it. I'm sure this experience has made me mature and grow a lot. When I am older, I will remember this as one of the best experiences I ever had and when I move to another house without my parents it will be much easier.
My Kiwi Adventure: An Unforgettable Journey
Timoteo Betoled
To be honest, deciding to study abroad can feel overwhelming, but picking Dunedin was easy for me. My mum did an exchange in Christchurch and Queenstown when she was younger, and since my sister went to Ireland a couple of years ago, I knew I wanted my own adventure. Plus, back home in Mendoza, Argentina, I play rugby so coming to New Zealand, where the absolute best players are, was literally a dream come true. I still remember landing in Auckland on April 16th and just staring out the window. Coming from a super dry place, I couldn't believe how insanely green everything was!
My months at Otago Boys’ High School have honestly flown by. The best part about school here is the sports; everyone plays at least one sport, that's incredibly difficult to find in Argentina. I’ve made some awesome mates in class and, of course, I played rugby even though I got injured and was out for 3 weeks. My host family was very nice, although I felt very uncomfortable during the first few weeks. They completely opened their home to me, looked after me, and showed me what the Kiwi lifestyle is about. I’m so grateful for everything they've done.
Outside of school, I've managed to do some pretty amazing travelling. I loved exploring Tunnel Beach right here in Dunedin, but getting to visit Queenstown twice was definitely the highlight. I went once with my Argentinian friends and then again with my host family, and both trips were unforgettable. It’s funny because Mendoza has beautiful mountains and rivers too, but the landscape here is just completely different from anything I’ve ever seen back home.
Saying goodbye is going to be so hard, and I'm seriously going to miss the green hills, the school spirit, and the friends I’ve made. When I finally head back home to my parents, Maximiliano and Samantha, and my sisters, Josefina and Makena, I’ll be taking a massive piece of New Zealand with me. Huge thanks to everyone at Otago Boys' and to my host family for making this the experience of a lifetime. Kia ora and thank you!