International Volunteer Improves Spanish and Completes a Six Month Teaching Project in South America
Vancouver, BC (PRWEB) April 28, 2015 -- Tom Grey, a citizen of the UK, recently returned home after traveling to Ecuador to volunteer as an English teacher through CrossContinental.org. While there, Tom was responsible for preparing classroom materials, such as tests and games, teaching in class, and arranging sports activities for the children. He was also able to significantly improve his Spanish language skills through interaction with the host family and the people at the work project.
Weeks after arriving in Ecuador, Tom reported, “Teaching’s been going well, I recently managed to engage a few students I was struggling with by playing some English music and giving them a basic French lesson. They now seem much more interested in languages, thankfully! I’ve also been helping them prepare a play they wrote and will be performing next week." Tom continued, "The kids are so sweet too, and being in a small place I always end up running into them around town, to the extent that today I saw one of the little girls waving at me in the mirror as I was getting my hair cut...”
While there, Tom also got a chance to see the sites of Ecuador and had a lot of fun doing so. Although on weekdays he was usually busy volunteering and spending time with the kids, he usually had weekends free to travel around the country. He enjoyed lots of long bus ride where he was able to get to know people; he traveled to Zaruma down near Loja where he was given a free tour of some working gold mines by a local historian there; and he also journeyed to the highlands to see the Carnival of Guaranda with friends.
He also loved his home-stay experience abroad and stated that, “Living with my hosts is good too. There was a new baby in the family as of a couple of weeks ago, so loads of family members have been dropping in to see her. Also, two volunteers from Denmark arrived to teach English and they're staying with the family too."
While Tom had a few issues gaining the children’s interest when it came to teaching English, he found that incorporating games and fun activities into the curriculum made the kids more engaged to learn. The whole experience made Tom realize how important it was to include a little bit of fun while teaching, as it is a great way to hold the attention of young children.
After the successful completion of the program, Tom highlighted his teaching abroad experience by saying, "Teaching has been a fantastic experience, especially working several months and really getting to know all the kids."
He also mentioned how much he loved and appreciated the volunteer abroad program through CrossContinental.org. He shares, "I'd definitely recommend it for people who want to: learn a lot about teaching, work with kids, improve their Spanish, live in a very peaceful and beautiful part of Ecuador, and feel they've made a difference."
Access valuable resources or plan a life-changing trip at https://www.CrossContinental.org.
About CrossContinental.org:
Cross-Continental Solutions provides affordable yet flexible international learning programs, including volunteer abroad, intern abroad, cultural immersion, language study, and gap year programs. A large variety of work placement options are available such as: Teaching, Healthcare, Community Development, Business Coaching, HIV work, Care-giving, Orphanage Work, Journalism, Photography, Wildlife, Agriculture, Environmental Protection, Microfinance, Tourism, Marketing, and more. Programs are available at many locations around the world, including Africa, Asia, and Latin America. By living and working side by side with locals, participants gain an exceptional cross-cultural experience and the opportunity to truly make a difference. For more details, visit CrossContinental.org.
Jian Leslie, Cross-Continental Solutions Inc., http://www.crosscontinental.org, +1 604-700-6096, [email protected]
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