Semana Santa!

Easter week is celebrated in Spain with week long processions and manifestations of faith! Already known for its festivities and holidays, Spain's way to celebrate is particularly interesting. People dress up in costumes that are supposed to represent the Nazareth people. They wear hoods that are cone shaped and drape a cloth in front of their faces to keep anonymity. Different fellowships will have different colored cloth and varying details in their costumes.

During these processions, statues or floats are carried and on the day of Easter Sunday, bells are heard throughout the cities in Spain. Spaniards celebrate Easter as a religious holiday. However,once again, it's a great time to be visiting Spain, to experience first-hand their traditions and festivals. Celebrating in Spain is unlike celebrating anywhere else in the world!

$300 Off Your Volunteer Program

Get involved! As you know, April is national volunteer month, and in celebration, AIDE Abroad is offering $300 off any of our volunteer programs! Sign up by Friday, May 13th and you will receive this special offer!

Why are we doing this? We want as many people as possible to have access to our international volunteer opportunities! We want you to join the cause and be able to travel abroad this summer and volunteer in a community in South America or South Africa!

Don't miss your opportunity to work with children and teach them English or art! Or work with endangered sea turtles in a small surf town in Costa Rica. Whatever you choose to do, you can know that you are volunteering for the greater good and at the same time have an adventure of a lifetime!

April is National Volunteer Month

So how are you planning on giving back? No ideas yet, AIDE Abroad is offering specials all month on our international volunteer programs. You can travel to Ecuador, Peru, Argentina, Costa Rica, South Africa or many more to work with a local community and truly make a difference! Sign up this month for our volunteer program and then travel this summer so you can spend 2 or 3 weeks, or maybe even a few months! Check out some exciting opportunities on how you can help:

1. Work with teen mothers and their children in a local center in Costa Rica
2. Help rescue and rehabilitate wild animals who are living in shelters in Costa Rica
3. Educate the local community in Ecuador on the risk of HIV/AIDS
4. Assist in rainforest conservation in a UNESCO World Heritage site and the largest national park in Peru

There are many opportunities to give back based on what your skills and interests are. If you are still wondering why you should give back this summer and participate in April's national volunteer month let me give you a few more reasons: You can build your resume through service learning and utilize the skills you've learned in college or university AND you can interact with locals on a day-to-day basis impacting not only their lives but your own as you will broaden your view of the world and learn about the culture of others.

Let us help you figure out the best program for you! We are passionate about service learning and traveling abroad and we feel that you should be too! Get involved today!

What it's like to Work in a Medical Clinic in Peru!

We recently sent two girls, Kelly and Kari, to Cusco, Peru, to intern in a medical clinic. The girls were both hoping to learn Spanish, gain some medical skills and learn more about the healthcare system in Peru.

Kelly Field described her experience by saying: "This is how I felt on the entire trip! Free, happy, and ready to start my new career as Physician Assistant. Machu Picchu was amazing!"

Kari also describer what she loved most about the program: "I really enjoyed working in the clinic and interacting with patients from the rural Peruvian villages. I loved getting to hear them speak their native language and feeling that my presence made a difference in their medical treatment."

Check back later for more photos from their internship in the medical clinic!

$100 off featured programs in March!

We just sent out our March news letter with $100 off our Internship Spain, Teach Germany, Volunteer Guatemala and Work Outback programs! Check it
out!
http://mim.io/8d1de

Get a jump start on your foreign language!

We all know the best way to learn another language is to immerse yourself in the country that speaks that language! AIDE can arrange opportunities for you to travel abroad and take 1 week to a few months of language classes, to truly become fluent. Not only will you learn the colloquialisms of the country you are in, but you will learn vocabulary that isn't taught in a textbook.

Are you excited yet? Ready to start practicing?

There is an excellent tool that help you prepare for your trip by starting to train you ear to the accent of the specific country you choose. (Remember, the accent in Argentina is very different than Mexico or Spain)!

Check out glovico.org for more details. Basically you have live lessons over skype with a native speaker of the country of your choice! Through these conversations you can get a jump start on your foreign language skills.

As always, you can write to us with any questions you may have!

Volunteer Abroad

http://gotvolunteer.blogspot.com/p/check-out-these-organizations.html

Get in the spiriit of volunteering! AIDE had meaningful programs that transform the lives of volunteers and local communities worldwide! Contact reinventyourself@aideabroad.org for more information!