Volunteer in Chile Feedback Nick Lauer Teaching Program

1.- Why did you choose to volunteer in Chile La Serena, what program(s) are you doing and why?

Volunteer in Chile: My school offers a program that funds international service trips every summer and I have wanted to do one for a long time. Volunteers in this program are encouraged to find new countries that have not been visited by previous volunteers and hence I settled on a few options. The reason that I picked Chile out of all of these options as my destination is that it is a Spanish speaking country that is relatively safe and stable. The government is in control and unlike some other South American countries, foreigners run very little risk of danger.

What program: I am in the Education program where I teach Chilean students in their English classes. In this program, I go with different English teachers and teach many different sets of students throughout the course of my day. My work consists mostly of helping give lessons, answering questions, offering support with activities and, more generally, engaging the students in their learning of English.

Why this program: I chose to do this because I think that I am friendly, positive, and work well with kids and that this would be the best use of my abilities. Other programs such as the orphanage or elderly care center were also options, but because of my proficiency in English, I thought I could offer the most help through the Education program.

2. What was the most surprising thing you experienced while in the program?

Volunteering Program: I was initially told that I would be working with younger children around the ages of 4 to 5 in a kindergarten-type setting where I would be teaching numbers, colors, basic grammar, etc. While I did teach a few younger classes (one 3rd grade and one 5th grade), I spent the majority of my time with 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th graders. While this wasn’t what I was expecting, I was glad to work with people similar to my age and I actually found it to be easier to relate to the students.

Volunteer Chile La Serena from A Broader View on Vimeo.

Host Family: I was surprised at how easily I was able to assimilate into everyday life with my host family. My host mother welcomed me and made me feel at home and spoke slow, understandable Spanish that allowed me to join in the conversation. I found that I could consistently have a meaningful discussion with my host family which was critical to feeling at home in a new country. Mealtimes were just like at my house and my host mother was always willing to ask me questions to stimulate conversation. Furthermore, my host mother was constantly looking out for my needs, a privilege that I was not expecting.

Country: While I had read in other reviews about the dialect here in Chile and how it is both riddled with slang and also quite fast, I was still a little surprised by just how different it was from the Spanish I had been learning in school. While this was initially a source of concern, Vilma was great at talking slowly and clearly for me, and other Chileans are happy to do so if you politely ask them to do so. In my time here, I quickly got used to the Spanish and for volunteers who are ready and willing to improve their language skills, the new dialect should not be a problem.

3. What was the most difficult thing you experienced while in the program?

Volunteer Program: I came to Chile in a time where the kids in my school were at the end of their semester and were therefore not learning new material. I had hoped that my program would entail some teaching of new content, but this seemed not to be the case. However, this was something beyond my control, the control of A Broader View, or even the teachers.

With this lack of opportunity to teach, I had to take initiative to help the children in any review activities that they were doing and found myself constantly trying to find a place where I could be of assistance. Ultimately, I think that I effectively used my time and made a difference in an area other than purely teaching.

Host Family: I really did not find anything difficult about my host family. My host mother was absolutely wonderful and made everything easy.

Country: Again, I found the language barrier to be the most difficult thing for me in Chile. While the conversation with my host family was good, with other people I often had to ask for them to repeat themselves two or three times and much slower (grant it, the Chileans were happy to do so). While I got by fine, I think that conversing with everyday people and talking to native speakers was something I found to be difficult and something I tried to overcome during the course of my stay.

4. Any tips for future volunteers….

Clothing: I (along with many of the other volunteers who have come before me) recommend that you bring warm clothing on your volunteer trip to Chile. I came in the winter time here (June-July) and high temperatures were usually in the 50-60 °F range. While this may seem manageable, without sun it can be quite cold, and I recommend that you bring a heavy winter jacket as well as some lighter sweatshirts and pullovers.

The low temperatures usually dipped into the 40s and occasionally into the high 30s. Without heating, which virtually all buildings in La Serena lack, this can be quite cold and I highly suggest that you bring a hat, gloves, warm socks, heavy jackets, sweatpants/jeans, and other warm clothing.

Sightseeing: I personally loved my visits to the Elqui Valley (Valle Elqui) and Isla Damas. These are two of the most popular tourist attractions in the La Serena area and your host family will most likely recommend these to you. I second that recommendation and found these two places to be some of the highlights of my trip. In addition, visiting the neighboring city of Coquimbo is a nice ½-day excursion and the Cross of the Third Millennia is a unique landmark that I suggest everyone should see.

Donations: I bought a small gift (little American flags) to my school and they were very well received by the students. I gave them to 5th-grade students, whose faces lit up when I told them I had a gift. I think that bringing a small gift/handout is a good idea but not necessary. Also, check with your program to make sure you are allowed to hand out gifts.

Laundry/internet: The laundry and internet in my home were incredibly easy. I paid up front for the internet which cost about $10.000 Chilean pesos for 3 weeks ($15 USD) and the connection was pretty good. For laundry, I paid at the end, after seeing how many loads I need to do in total (I only did 2) and it costs $3000 Chilean pesos for every use ($1.50).

My host mother was great in helping me with the laundry and even did it for me one time when I was away on a tour (not something you should expect).

5. Other things volunteers should know about:

a.- City/town: The town is quite safe, at least during the daytime, and I think it is during the nighttime as well (I never was downtown during the night.) The neighboring city of Coquimbo is a slightly poorer area but common-sense practices should get you through 100% fine. One thing to note is that the walk from the host house to the program could be significant.

In my case it was about a 35-minute walk to the school I was working at but I am sure this varies from program to program. Make sure to either become comfortable with public transportation or a moderately long walk in the morning and afternoon.

b.- Weather: As mentioned before, pack accordingly and plan for cool/cold temperatures. If you bring the right clothes, you will be good but failure to pack properly could result in some cold days and nights. In terms of rain, the winter doesn’t have that much rain, but a safe play would be to pack a rain jacket or other waterproof material just in case. (It only rained once, and that was the day I got here). You can always buy locally sweaters (alpaca at the Recova or a jacket at the mall)

c.- Local People: Again, the local people are great and are willing to help you understand their language. One precaution that I recommend is having a member of your host family come with you to buy street goods the first time if you are not fluent in Spanish just to make sure that nobody is ripping you off and that you know the ropes of how to negotiate a price in a different language.

If you are not buying any products (such as goods at La Recova) then this a non-issue but if you plan on doing so, considering asking your host mother or father to come with you.

d.- Tours: As previously mentioned, I took a tour to the Elqui Valley as well as Isla Damas which I absolutely loved. I highly recommend doing both of these tours, but they are not necessary, and there are plenty of other tours available. I also recommend a nighttime tour to Mamalluca Observatory in the Elqui Valley which has some of the clearest night skies in the world.

The tourism industry is definitely big here in La Serena and there are many options for your weekends. Vilma or your host mom can help you set up whatever tour you need as well as giving you suggestions if you would like to go to other places on the weekends.

6. Personal Paragraph (Gap Year program testimonial), detail as possible:

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my time here in Chile. It was an eye-opener for me to see a new culture, a new language, and a new way of life. I learned so much in my three weeks here and wish I could have stayed longer. My Spanish has vastly improved and I have learned things about teaching children that I never realized would be needed. I have formed connections with people here that are going to last for a long time and I hope that I have left a lasting impression on those who I taught and worked with. While I did not expect to be doing the sort of work that I ended up doing, I think that I utilized my skills by helping the teachers with what they needed in the circumstances that I was put into.

I think that if I were to do this again I would probably want to stay for a longer period of time because these three weeks went by so quickly and there’s so much more than I want to do here. I have accomplished my goals with this project and feel that I have expanded my world as well as helping to enhance the world of the children and teachers who I worked with. I will never forget my time here in Chile and I look forward to continuing my service in the years to come.

7. How would you describe your:

Accommodation: My accommodations were quite nice. My host mother had a large house with lots of rooms and a separate area for the volunteers to live. I was alone when I was here, so I had a lot of space to myself as well as my own bathroom which was quite nice. The bed was warm, which was great whenever the nights were pretty cold here without Heating, and there were plenty of blankets if I got cold. My room and bathroom were always clean, and Vilma made sure that she took great care of me my belongings and the house in general.

Meals (favorite): The food here is plentiful and delicious. My host mother consistently made great meals with a wide variety of foods and always took into account what foods I liked and avoided those that I did not. My host mother was a good cook and always made more than enough food for me so that I would not go hungry.

Some of my favorite meals include the chicken empanadas, a classic dish from Chile, as well as the corn soup that by host mother made. I got to try a lot of new foods and expand my palate to some of the traditional Chilean dishes, drinks, and condiments.

Security: Security was not an issue for me here in Chile. I never felt threatened or in the slightest bit insecure and the downtown area as well as my house were completely safe. At night, I could walk around my neighborhood without any concerns and did not feel unsafe in the slightest bit. I had heard that the neighboring city of Coquimbo was a little less safe, but I cannot confirm this because I never spent a lot of time there.

Host family: The members of my host family were some of the most caring, compassionate, and thoughtful people that I have ever known. They were always checking on me to make sure that I was okay and genuinely cared about my well-being here in Chile. They always made sure that I was fed, rested and ready to go for the day and also help integrate me into Chilean culture. By offering a meaningful conversation at the dinner table and opening my eyes to new information about Chile they made me feel at home here in a city far from home.

8. What was your memory of this trip?

Program: My favorite memory of the program during my trip was my last day when I was with the 5th graders. On this day they had already finished their exams and had a free period. We played games where I taught them English words through a variety of different activities and I also handed them out some little American flags. Seeing the joy on their faces and seeing them jump up and down during the games was incredible as well as knowing that some of the games we were playing were actually teaching them words in English. This was a great experience and I will remember it for a long time.

Host Family My favorite memory with my host family was probably when we went to Coquimbo. My host mother’s husband, my host father, was home for 4 days after returning from his work. We took a driving tour of some parts of Coquimbo and stopped at an old pirate fort. This was really exciting, and we saw some penguins and other wildlife as well as getting to see the old ruins and a cannon. After this, we ventured up to the giant Cross statue that is in the middle of Coquimbo and I went up it in an elevator and got to see the view of the top. This was incredible, and I was able to see all of La Serena as well as Coquimbo and out over the Pacific Ocean and I got to share this experience with my host family.

Country: It is difficult for me to pick a single best moment from my entire trip in Chile, One thing that really stood out to me was my visit to Elqui Valley. This was an amazing tour where I got to see some of the different geographies and different cultures of Chile. We stopped at an indigenous pueblo where some indigenous tribes still live, we ate fresh grapes off of the vine and we stopped at a great restaurant where we ate traditional Chilean food with tradition Chilean drinks. There was so much great scenery – rivers, mountains, plants, Wildlife – and it was truly an amazing experience.

9. How were the local ABV Coordinator, the staff, and the support provided in-country? Be as detailed as possible.

The local support staff was incredible in helping me to adjust to the Chilean society and get situated with my program. The coordinator, Vilma, was also my host mother, and she was great at organizing tours, setting me up with the school, getting me acquainted with the city, and so much more. On my flight into the country, my layover was delayed by four hours and I ended up missing a connecting flight to La Serena. Vilma and the A Broader View staff were great in adjusting to this setback and responded quickly to emails with pragmatic solutions. I found my experience to be smooth, easy, and without too much stress. This was a testament to the program design as well as the in-country support by Vilma and others.

Other reviews to read:

Volunteer Chile

Volunteer in Chile

I’m a student at Cary high school. I’m from Cary, North Carolina, USA.

I chose to volunteer in chile to help the school in there attempts to become a more bilingual population. I wanted to practice my Spanish as rigorously as I could and I had been informed that Chile is notorious for its Spanish being more complex.

The host family was very nice and I found it very surprising how alike we were in terms of political and social views. I was able to have several discussions with them about how the politics in Chile were similar to those in the United States.

One thing I found difficult was learning how to use the public transportation. Me and Adrienne would spend up to and hour in the cold mornings searching for a “taxi-colectivo” that wasn’t full. Not having air conditioning was another thing I had to get used to.

I recommend that other volunteers pack warmer clothes. Its usually 50 degrees Fahrenheit. The temperature doesn’t change much throughout the week. During the week ends I would recommend going to places like isla damas. Volunteers should really take advantage of the days they have off.

Volunteering in Chile

My accommodations were very pleasing and I was very satisfied. Silvia, our host mom was a very good cook and I was always looking forward to what she had prepared for us. I loved her rice. I’m not a fan of fish but Silvia made the best fried fish I have ever had. I never felt like I was in danger so I don’t have anything to complain about when it comes to my security. My host family was amazing and I didn’t miss my family at home since I had them for company and they made me feel comfortable in my new home.

My local coordinator, Vilma was amazing. She made sure we had things to do on our days off. I didn’t really feel the need to ask her for any assistance, but I was confident that if I needed anything that I could depend on her.

Why Chile: I chose Chile because it is the safest country in South America

What program: orphanage

Why this program: I have always been interested in working with kids and I wanted to help and support children who need it the most

2. What was the most surprising thing you experienced while in the program?

Program: I wasn’t really sure how hard it is to watch and entertain all the kids at the same time and how well they are taken care of.

Host Family: My host family was super nice, I felt very comfortable and I really liked the food!

Country: I didn’t expect Chile to be so European, I have been to Costa Rica before, so I was hoping for a little bit more South America flair…

3. What was the most difficult thing you experienced while in the program?

Program: It was sometimes hard to know how to deal with the kids because I didn’t  know what they were allowed to do.

Country: I thought it would be way warmer than it was… And at first the public transport system can be challenging

4. Any tips for future volunteers….

Clothing: warm clothes!!

Sightseeing: Isla de Damas, weekend trip to Valparaíso

Laundry/internet: Has to be paid separately (described in website, guides)

5. Other things volunteers should know about:

a.- City/town: It is nice, but there is not so much going on there, the mall is ok and there is a cinema, the Beach is far away (4 miles) , but cool

b.- Weather: in the morning it is always chill and cloudy and during the day it normally clears up and gets (more or less) warm (Spring time)

c.- Local People: the locals are very friendly and helpful, but also shy and mostly don’t know any english

d.- Tours: Isla de Damas is nice and a trip to Valparaíso!

6.  Personal paragraph (volunteer program testimonial), detail as possible:

This was the second time I volunteered and I am really Grateful for this wonderful experience. The orphanage is far and not even in La Serena it took me normally at least 45 min by bus (traffic its 8 miles from the house) to get there… I really enjoyed playing, feeding, helping the kids it is such a nice (and sometimes exhausting) work. In the evening I normally went to the gym where I made some really good friends! Now, I am looking forward to traveling around and get to see more of Chile! :)

7. How would you describe your:

Accommodation: It was really nice, I had my own room and shared a bathroom.

Meals (favorite): I loved them all, after eating  rice and beans for 2 months I was really Grateful for all the delicious food I got served!

Security: I always felt very secure, Chile is Nummer 29 worldwide from the safest countries (US is number 94)

Host family: My host Family was very very nice, I got along very well with them, especially Vilma always made me feel welcome!

8. What was your memory of this trip?

Program: I loved all the kids, everyone we and unique! The “tias” do an excellent job with the kids, half of the time I even forgot that it was an orphanage….

Host Family always friendly, helped me with everything I needed, we talked a lot in Spanish so I could improve my Spanish skills

Country: Chile is a very interesting country, 4000km long (which I definitely underestimated), long history and worth a trip:)

9. How was the local ABV Coordinator, the staff and the support provided in-country:

very good, I didn’t need any special help, but I am sure it would have been provided kindly

Volunteer Chile: Teaching Program

1. How was the local ABV Coordinator/staff and the support provided in-country? Volunteer Chile: The local ABV Coordinator was amazing and incredibly helpful. My coordinator, Vilma, always was there if needed. She was always checking in with me to see how I was doing, and would contact me immediately if any issues or concerns arose.

2. What was the most surprising thing you experienced?
   1. Host Family: My host family was first of all amazing. Silvia and Obriel, along with their four kids, created some of my best memories of my trip. The most surprising thing I found out about my host family was their lifestyle, and the lack of heat in the house. At night, it got cold.
   2. Country: The most surprising thing I experienced in the country as a whole was how helpful everyone was, even though most people didn’t speak English.
3. What was the most challenging thing you experienced?
   1. Host Family: The language barrier was the most challenging thing I experienced with my host family. Chileans speak incredibly fast, and it is sometimes hard to understand simple words due to the cultural differences of the language.
   2. Program: The most challenging part of the program in total was not the teaching aspect, but actually the transportation here in Chile. I took a colectivo, or shared cab, everyday from my host family’s house to the school where I worked. My first week using the colectivo was hard for me, because only certain colectivos take you where you want to go. Then once you have the right colectivo, you then need to tell the driver where you would like to go. Many times, the driver would not know where I would want to go, and I would have to describe the area. It was during my second week, when I realized the best way was to ask the driver if they knew where your desired destination was, before you got into the car. This made things much easier. After learning how to use the colectivos, they became second nature. (Always take the same numbers on the top of each colectivo they have specific numbers for specific routes)
4. Any tips for future volunteers…( clothing, travel, personal items, donations)
   1. Bring layers if you are staying during the winter that you can travel in, as well as sleep in.
   2. Don’t be afraid to ask for help, people in Chile are very friendly.
   3. Try your best to talk to locals, they provide great insight on the city and culture alike.
   4. Visit the Elqui Valley, I went with two other ABV volunteers and it was wonderful.
   5. Make friends here, they can help you experience more of the city.
5. Other things volunteers should know before coming here: (that’s not in the ABV orientation guide)
   1. It get very cold during the night, pack layers.
   2. Make sure to practice your basic Spanish phrases just to have a means of communication, but don’t worry if you are not fluent.

6. Personal paragraph about the experience (ABV Program Testimonial):

I absolutely loved my experience in La Serena as a whole and working at the Colegio (school). I experienced many different areas of the culture traveling all over the area with other ABV volunteers and friends that I made at the school. It was an incredible opportunity that I learned so much from. A Broader View was great, I will defiantly use them for any future trips.What was your favorite memory on this trip?

1. One night we had a barbeque where we all sat around the grill talking and eating amazing food.
2. Experiencing the city with my friends, and walking on the beach while sunset.

8. How was the ABV USA support prior traveling?

They were great, I had no problems. Volunteer Chile

Teaching Program in Chile