I am originally from Argentina even though I often don’t feel that I come from there anymore.  I will never forget my first week of class at Permian High in Odessa, Texas and then one of my classmates asked me where I was from and I said Argentina.  His reply was “Argentina in Texas??” I wasn’t really sure how to react at that point…  

After Texas I went back to Argentina for college and of course, I was the “foreigner” of the class.  I would write the date in “English” format and my notes where half in English, half in Spanish.  I was probably the only person whom nobody could borrow notes from.  Yay!! hah, hah.  Anyway, it was there where everything started “officially.”

My first job was at a small language school, where I was in charge of student services.  My main responsibility was to make sure all the students learning Spanish had a good experience, were satisfied with what they were doing and help them in logistics.  That then turned into different other shapes and forms and in the end I was in charge of the Internship and Volunteer program where I worked closely together with AmeriSpan.  Yes, AmeriSpan, the innovative US partner we had at the time (we are still partners) who would come and visit us with great ideas and innovations! 

We grew closer together as time went by, both organizations grew and they both supported each other in their expansion.  But that wasn’t enough for me, I decided as an 18 year old, I would take a break from Argentina for about 3 months and go back to the US.  You can imagine my boss’ reaction to this, but I was young and I gave him no choice.  One of the things I did was work from Philadelphia for a month at AmeriSpan.  This worked really well and brought both organizations even closer together.  We have similar views and most important of all, we both change lives.

Anyway, years went by and I was the “US eye” of the Argentina school.  Every issue went by me to make sure our US students would get their expectations met.  To top it all off, I moved to Philadelphia after college and worked for AmeriSpan for 1.5 years.  Yes, you read correctly… start everything again from the beginning: a new job, a new city, a new country, a new group of friends, a new LIFE!  Again, this was my…mmmmm… I have probably lost count but… the 9th city where I have lived.

Some of you might have spoken with me while I worked at AmeriSpan, some of you on facebook, or skype.  All in all, I continue advising students on what their best option is on traveling abroad and many times show them that traveling abroad is a MUST.  It is no longer enough to go to college and continue with your MBA… your education is not done if you haven’t traveled abroad.

Where am I now?  Guess?  I come and go between Argentina and the US. I have already made friends with officials at immigration in Cordoba since I see them so often.  I work with the chain of Argentina schools, both from Cordoba and Miami as Commercial Manager and travel all over meeting universities, partner organizations and program providers.  I have experienced a culture shock to my OWN culture once and consider myself a citizen of the world.  I talk about going to the other side of the world just like if I was going around the corner and people can no longer keep track of where I live.  

Life is short, live it fully!

See AmeriSpan's Spanish schools in Argentina

Save $200 on Argentina programs

Read about Connie's innovative boss and how he got involved in study abroad

Connie has also been active in charitable work, founding Go Give an Opportunity which assists Argentinians in paying for school books, uniforms and tuition.  To sponsor a student or make a general donation click here

So another week in Uruguay…a success, it's still cold but we are managing to have some fun!  This week Juan had another little field trip, this time to a part of Montevideo called Ciudad Vieja, the old city.  It's beautiful and pretty "old."  It is where the city began, so there's a lot of history to look at and learn about, it's beautiful!  We also saw a restaurant that George Bush ate at when he came he to visit a few years ago, I thought that was interesting, hahaha!!  

I've been a little under the weather this week so I've been trying to go out and have fun, but also go home early and try to get lots of sleep, so I've done things like go to the movies instead of walking through the city if I don't have to.  Or take a bus or taxi instead of walk. So one activity that we did this week was a little "intercambio," where some English learning students came over to our school and we spoke with them in Spanish and visa versa. We shared some wine, and tea, and cake and some good conversation, it was great!!

I'm so excited about this weekend because we are going to Buenos Aires, Argentina to spend the weekend, so I'm sure I'll have a lot to talk about next time!

Click for more information on AmeriSpan's Spanish school in Uruguay.

Click for more information on how to become an AmeriSpan Delegate.

Read all of Angela's blogs from Uruguay.

By Keeya J, Guest Video Blogger in Montanita, Ecuador

In this video, our guest video blogger, Keeya, and her friend, Tiffani, take us on a tour of the Spanish school in Montanita. Later, they sit in on a class where they have been volunteering to teach English and interview the teacher. Keeya is participating in the  Spanish & Surfing program in Montanita. 

See Spanish in Montanita Ecuador.

By Keeya J, Guest Video Blogger in Montanita, Ecuador

In this video, our guest video blogger, Keeya, and her friend, Tiffani, take us to the school where they have been volunteering to teach English. Later, they take us to a party at the Spanish school. Keeya is participating in the  Spanish & Surfing program in Montanita. 

See Spanish in Montanita Ecuador.

The
Caribbean Coast definitely has its own vibe, much different from that of the
Pacific. Immediately as I stepped off the bus, I felt the tropical heat
saturate my face in rays of glory, heard the melodic pulse of Bob Marley’s One
Love, floating through the open windows, saw the turquoise waves lashing at the
worn surfboards through the crisp layers of palms, and inhaled the herbal
scented air of Puerto Viejo.

The
pirated taxis dropped us off at our weekend home, Rocking Js. I handed over my $6
to the receptionist and she handed me my locker key and a sheet. Next we found
our room, meaning an open pavilion hosting 40 hammocks and lockers. Awesommeee!
We locked up our backpacks and started exploring this crowded, huge outdoor
habitat. Next to our pavilion was another wall-less hut fill with hammocks.
Across from that and on the second floor were the rows and rows of tents for a
dollar more. And if one really felt like splurging, they could acquire an
inside dormitory for a whopping $8. And then of course came the personal
cabinas, and then the Kings palace for the comfort priority. The bar/restaurant
was packed with gringos and Ticos alike together dancing and waving lighters to
everything from Pink Floyd to Oasis to DMX. Yes, the Caribbean has a vibe of
its own.

The hostel
seemed to be home to more then just tourists. Our new dog friend accompanied us
to the beach the next morning, a 15-minute walk along the shore and through the
woods where we must have passed through a tribal birthing ground of strange,
brilliant-orange colored crabs. These tennis ball sized creatures showed of
their flaming claws whenever we got too close to their nest of underground
tunnels.

Of course
the beach was magnificent, the sun sizzling, and the water very revitalizing.
My friends rented surfboards and we all laughed at one another trying to even
just get the board past the first set of 10-foot waves. When it was my turn I
was glad that everyone had taken to sunbathing instead of watching…as I found
it extremely difficult to even attempt to surf…in a bikini. After I half
drowned just twice and was able to stand up a massive three times, I considered
my efforts successful and retreated to land.

At the end of the day we packed up to return to the
hostel calling to our dog friend, Big Mac, that it was time to go. She barked
her approval and trotted ahead to lead the way through the fire-crab kingdom
back to the bonfire that awaited us at that crazy hostel on the Caribbean.

Click for more information on AmeriSpan’s Independent Teen program in Coronado, Costa Rica.

Sadly this is my last blog about Peru…

So we left the somewhat modern civilization that I had come to
know for the past 5 weeks and ventured into the rainforest/jungle/selva/amazon
(whatever you want to call it) there were all sorts of animals. We took a
30 min plane ride into Puerto Maldonado and were met by a guide who took us on
a 1 hr bus ride to the Tambopata River. We were given all natural,
rainforest snacks of fresh banana trips, a local cocona juice, tiny (finger)
bananas and the most famous, brazil nuts. We boarded a small boat that luckily
had a good motor and were on the river for about 3 hours with some occasional
stops for animal sightings. We were given another local delicacy for lunch: a
fried rice dish in a banana leaf that we disposed of in the water when we were
done. We very much felt like jungle people! 

Once the boat dropped us
off at the lodge we hiked up some makeshift wooden stairs that they have to
rebuild every year because the river rises at least 10 feet in the rainy season,
and walked about 20 minutes to the lodge. Our first view of the lodge was
surprising because it seemed very nice. We were greeted by cool towels and cool
pineapple juice with our introductions for the lodge. We ventured down the
pathway to our rooms that only had 3 walls (aka one entire side was completely
open to the world outside. There were no lights in the lodge only candles
and lamps (lit for only 4 hours a day) and no hot water but there was running
water and mosquito nets for the bed so I was pleased. 

Since we arrived a little early we were able to hike into the
jungle and up the 30m tower in hopes of seeing some birds as the sun set. We
didn’t see too many birds but did hear plenty of insects as the sun went down.
However it was an absolutely incredibly view of the forest since we were level
with some of the taller trees and could see for a few miles versus a few feet
from within the depths of the forest. Adjusting to the little light available
and finding critters of all sorts (David loved watching the frogs eat insects)
was a little tough but nonetheless a learning experience.  We all
double-checked our mosquito nets to make sure they were intact and tried to get
a few hours of sleep.

We were supposed to leave at 5:45 the next day to go to the lake
at sunrise but it was raining so our guide said nobody would be out there. Once
it stopped raining we made our way out to the lake and were able to see some
really neat, noisy birds in the trees and a bunch of fish surrounding our boat.
Later that day we went on a walk with a shaman that resides and works by the
lodge and he showed us many of the medicinal plants that he uses including the
hallucinogen that is very popular with shamans (ayahuasca). We took a boat ride
across the river to a local farm where we walked around and got to try many of
the different things that grew there including a stick of raw sugar cane!

The next day we did actually get up at 4am and go a little
upriver and through a path that was at times slightly harrowing to reach the
most amazing spot of the adventures there, the bird clay lick. For a short time
each day the birds (parrots, macaws…) go to this place and eat the clay
because it neutralizes the bad things they may eat. We saw some of the most
gorgeous sights of hundreds of birds frolicking in the trees near us. We
just sat mesmerized for quite some time. Later that day we went to the mammal
clay lick but we were told it was always less likely to see things. There was a
monkey climbing around in the tree near us so we really made our own path in
the woods trying to see him but he decided to take a nap and we never got a
great view of him. Our last night concluded once again with superb food (all
the food was absolutely delicious and like almost all the other food I had in
Peru very natural and mostly local). I somehow managed only to get 4
bites which were well worth the time spent in the rainforest!

We journeyed back to San Diego for about 30 hours and I left with
one of the best experiences of my life.  Now that my Spanish is a little
better I definitely want to return to South America.  If you want to hear
any more about the adventures let me know but I don’t want to bore the rest of
you with any more details. Hope everyone is doing well and I look forward to talking
to you all now that I’m back (well after the 12th I’ll actually be free from my
MCAT lockdown mode).

Here is the link to my Picasso albums online.  I don’t have
time to put up captions until after the 12th so check back after then if you
want to see what the pictures are actually of, sorry!
Album 1   Album 2

con amor,
Jamie

Click for information on AmeriSpan’s language programs in Cusco.

Click for information on AmeriSpan’s SALUD program in Cusco.