Spanish language/volunteer progs in Latin America?

erewhon

So, I've been at my current job in HIV research for over five years, and am ready to move on, but feel like I have less career direction than I did five years ago. I've been weighing many options for my next step, but keep returning to at least a temporary (one to three months) detour in Latin America to build my spanish skills and do some volunter work. There are so many programs out there to choose from, but it's really tough to compare merits and to know exactly what I'd be getting myself into with each. Basically, my goals are to 1. improve my spanish, 2. keep busy with some sort of enriching work, 3. explore a new place. The areas I am most interested in are southern Mexico, Ecuador, and Argentina, although I am open to any possibility. b,121b,121I'm looking for strutters that might have done something similiar and may have some pointers for me or names of organizations that they had good or bad experiences with. Also, any resources on the web for finding good programs would be very helpful. I'm casting a very broad net here, so the more info and suggestions the better.b,121b, 21Thanks everyone!

resk

I have not done similiar, but i have lived in Ecuador (Guayaquil and Santo Dominingo de los Colorados) as a shorty, and am also involved in HIV work (I am a HIV specialist pharmacist, work inside of HIV specialty office in Miami Beach).b,121b,121I say go to Latin America, do it while you can.

tallbobsmoke

I spent 6 weeks in Guatemala a few years ago. I enrolled in a language program in Antigua. Lots and lots of language schools there. I just spent a few days checking them out and picked a small one. I stayed with a family and had 2 or 3 hour one on one Spanish classes every day. I met quite a few people that were doing volunteer work also, but don't remember who they were working through. A lot of foreigners there which makes it an easy transition, but I became a little annoyed by how much English was spoken in the streets. If I were to do it again, I'd probably go to Xela (Quetzaltenango) to study. Fewer foreigners. b,121b,121After two weeks, in Antigua I traveled all over the place. Lago Atitlan, Semuc Champay, Livingston, and ended my trip in Belize. b,121b,121Good luck.

pcmr

Ive done a lot of work in peru (5 years)b,121b, 212 things i would suggestb,121b, 21GO TO LATIN AMERICA WHILE YOUR YOUNGb,121b,121best choice ever for the culture language and low cost and for a dose of REALITYb,121b,121now as far as volunteering its a bit trickierb,121b, 21you want to be doing helpful REAL work that benefits the people directlyb,121b, 21I worked for a peruvian NGO that my friends had verified was legit and needed helpb,121b, 21you dont want to get trapped in a lot of these bullshit programs that visti campusesb,121b, 21and are all like : learn spanish! build a school! help small children!b,121b, 21its such an enriching experience on a personal level and it will defnitly help you find direction afterwardsb,121b, 21so look for reputable partners from your local ngos in your area or intl organizations and find one that is fitting for your skills where you will be most usefulb, 21b, 21the travelling and language will come naturallyb,121b, 21but working in an area where you can truly contirbute something will make you muchy morew appreciated and your experience much more fufillingb,121b, 21good luck andb,121b, 21DO IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

erewhon

/font1

Quote:/font1h,121b,121I have not done similiar, but i have lived in Ecuador (Guayaquil and Santo Dominingo de los Colorados) as a shorty, and am also involved in HIV work (I am a HIV specialist pharmacist, work inside of HIV specialty office in Miami Beach).b,121b, 21h,121

font class="post"1b,121b, 21Do you have any preference between the areas you lived in Ecuador? I'm thinking that if I were to go with Ecuador, I would opt for a more remote location rather than a major city, but I still don't have a good sense of what urban life is like there. b,121b,121If my HIV background could be a ticket to an opportunity somewhere, I'd be willing to go that route, but I'm ultimately hoping to go into a new field.b,121 b,121 b,121b, 21/font1

Quote:/font1h,121b,121I spent 6 weeks in Guatemala a few years ago. I enrolled in a language program in Antigua. Lots and lots of language schools there. I just spent a few days checking them out and picked a small one. I stayed with a family and had 2 or 3 hour one on one Spanish classes every day. I met quite a few people that were doing volunteer work also, but don't remember who they were working through. A lot of foreigners there which makes it an easy transition, but I became a little annoyed by how much English was spoken in the streets. If I were to do it again, I'd probably go to Xela (Quetzaltenango) to study. Fewer foreigners. b,121b, 21After two weeks, in Antigua I traveled all over the place. Lago Atitlan, Semuc Champay, Livingston, and ended my trip in Belize. b,121b, 21h,121

font class="post"1b,121b, 21That sounds like a good itinerary. Guatemala is high on my list too, although I know two people who recently had separate bad experiences in programs there, which kind of turned me off a bit- probably unfairly. b,121b,121 b, 21/font1

Quote:/font1h,121b,121b, 21you dont want to get trapped in a lot of these bullshit programs that visti campusesb,121b, 21and are all like : learn spanish! build a school! help small children!b,121b, 21so look for reputable partners from your local ngos in your area or intl organizations and find one that is fitting for your skills where you will be most usefulb, 21b, 21b, 21h,121

font class="post"1b,121b, 21Yeah, I see so many websites that make me leary, but I don't feel like I have enough information to go on. I guess checking with a few local NGOs might be the next step. I haven't expanded my search beyond the internet.

pcmr

guatemala is abeutiful country that has many of the haqrsh realities facing LAmerica enclosed in its small territory..just like it has the variety of fauna of LA within itb,121b, 21you NEED to go beyond the internet man...unless its with OXFAM or UNICEF or save the children and the likesb,121b, 21the most important thing you need before going down for your experience is a CONATCT YOU CAN COUNT ON that will greet you and show you around if not the adventure can be unfufilling and frustrating and ultimately pointless

resk

I'm ecuadorian, so I was living with my family and didn't rally have a choice where I wanted to live.b,121b, 21Guayaquil is the largest city in ecuador, much higher paced. Moderate-high crime. Though recently it has modernized quite a bit. b,121b, 21Santo domingo is much less modernized, a lot of unpaved roads, much less city like, etc

young_cream

I want to do the same in el salvador, been a few times