Amigos de las Américas

My 15 year old daughter went to Costa Rica with the Amigos program and came back an improved version of herself! Her eyes were open to more of the world, the kindness of strangers, and learned what she can do emotionally and physically that she didn't know she could. In addition, her Spanish is improved, she learned to cook some new dishes, she offers to clean up things around the house (she NEVER did that before), and she (shockingly) loved not having her phone pinging at her for 3 weeks. She didn't miss her phone at all and in fact prefered the calm, quiet life she had in La Brunca. As a result, she has turned off Notifications on her phone so she is a little less addicted to it. As a parent, I felt like she was well prepared for the trip by Amigos. And she really enjoyed her host family. My brother did an Amigos program over 30 years ago when he was in high school. I was hopeful that it was still the same great program that it was for him. I'm happy to report that it was even better! Highly recommend even for kids who don't think they can do it. They will find out quickly that they can do an Amigos trip and much more. Let your kid find their wings with Amigos!

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I had an amazing time in Panamá. I lived with a great host family that welcomed me and two other Americans into their home. I learned what the day-to-day life is like for people in a small, agricultural community, and improved my Spanish through conversations.

My daughter spent 6 weeks in Chimborazo, Ecuador with AMIGOS the summer after her junior year in high school. She had a great experience living with a host family, practicing her Spanish, helping to build a greenhouse, learning how to harvest potatoes, helping her host family cook local recipes, and learning about the indigenous Kichwa culture and language. AMIGOS has been putting programs together for students for many, many decades, so they know how to put together a program that is safe and supervised, culturally appropriate, has ethical community service, and provides the necessary pre-trip training. The staff are available for questions and conversation before signing up for a program, after signing up, and while your student is overseas. This is a great opportunity for your child to get outside their comfort zone, get away from their electronic devices, and immerse themselves in another culture. They will return having experienced great personal growth. My daughter loved AMIGOS so much that this was her second summer program. She also did the AMIGOS program in Costa Rica.

I had an amazing time on my Amigos summer program this past summer. I came out of the experience very much changed, with lots of different perspectives and ideas. I learned about environmental sustainability, the impacts of pollution and unsustainable practices, Costa Rican culture, and of course, improved my Spanish. The volunteer opportunities were involved, educational, meaningful, and had an impact on the communities that would last beyond our leaving. I spoke to and played games with kids and adults from the towns we were in, and formed a permanent connection with my host mother, who I stayed with for 10 days with 2 other guys. That host family experience was one of the most valuable, since my family taught us so much without even trying. I would 100% recommend Amigos to anyone and everyone, and I am staying involved with the organization through outreach and possibly more summer programs.

This was truly an incredible experience. When I first got there I was terrified. But I met the other 12 volunteers there with me and I have never gotten so close to strangers so fast. It was so fun being able to see them on Thursdays in Guamote (a small town near our communities). I did things there I will never forget. I harvested potatoes, ate guinea pig, danced with locals, and so much more. It was a little cold there which was so nice coming from Texas in the HOT summer. I remember being so excited to see my family and friends again the entire time, but then we left and it was so sad. My partner and I said we’re gonna go visit our communities again in 10 years. It was a once in a lifetime experience and I don’t think I’ll ever be able to compare it to anything else. It changed who I am as a person and the way I think. My Spanish improved and I still say the few kichwa phrases I learn to my friend to confuse them!

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I know everyone will say this, but this an experience of a lifetime. You have an opportunity to travel with people you have never met before, in the breathtaking Andes Mountains, detox from you phone, and work with the land through Indigenous ways. If the finance is a problem, AMIGOS does an amazing job with making sure everyone can go, no matter what. If anything, just give it a look...it will change your life.

I loved Amigos, it was so fun and eye opening, and I feel like I know not only so much more Spanish that before, but I also I know so much more about the unique, diverse cultures in Costa Rica. Specifically, how people are practicing sustainable agriculture and adapting to climate change, which was so cool and interesting to learn about through immersive, hands on experiences. All in all, I would highly recommend Amigos if you are in the mood for a life changing experience, and a super fun time.

What makes this program unique is how authentic your experience is. You get to live a family and through your experiences with them acclimate to life in their community. My host mom was one of the kindest and most patient people I have ever met, despite how I struggled to communicate in Spanish. It was a pleasure to be welcomed by every person that I met, and I was happy to be a volunteer so that I could give something back to such an amazing place.

This is our son's second trip with Amigos, and both have been unmatched experiences for him. As a parent, I can't recommend it highly enough for improving all sorts of skills and attitudes. It'll probably change the course of his life. Go, son, go!

The culture immersion was great and one of the highlights of the experience. I was able to connect with so many members of the communities and learn from so many great people. We had multiple exertions including touring different cities, a geothermal plant, and a university. We learned about and did hands-on projects with solar panels and solar energy. My Spanish improved so much over the three weeks and by the end I felt way more comfortable having conversations in Spanish. All of the food we had was amazing! We did a lot of hiking and got to swim once in a river after an exciting boat ride. The two communities where we stayed with host families were beautiful and I had so much fun exploring and learning about the communities. Overall I was super happy with my experience, I made lifelong friends from the US, Nicaragua, and Honduras and I had so much fun.

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In the summer of 2022 I participated in the Amigos trip "Ecuador: La Costa," in Session B. I spent 3 weeks near and on the Ecuadorian coast. During my trip I learned about new cultures, practiced my Spanish, tried new food, participated in several community service opportunities, explored the community I stayed in, spent time with locals, and made some of the best friends I ever had. I gained more independence, confidence, and life experience than I ever could have imagined.

We spent an incredible time in Costa Rica, it was spent on four different places making it easier for us to get to know Costa Rica. Close to the international park La Amistad, the pacific in park Marino Ballena, and also national park of Chirripo. Such great sights, fresh air and great people. The attention by the staff and community members was memorable, it is what made the trip unforgettable. Nonetheless, the exchange of culture and volunteering that we did made us grow and learn about different situations on the world. I loved my trip to La Brunca!!

I was extremely impressed by the level of organization and professionalism of the amigos staff and local San Diego chapter contacts. Their passion to create a safe and impactful experience while stressing service with humility really made this program stand out from so many other organizations. The La Sierra program was perfect for my twins who had a strong Spanish language background and had done a fair amount of international travel previously. I would highly recommend this program!

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This unbelievable experience is one I will never forget! AMIGOS's La Brunca program allowed me to fully immerse myself into Costa Rican culture and feel truly at home, even in a foreign country. Yet it still pushed me out of my comfort zone and gave me various opportunities to grow at a person and as a leader.

This was a unique growth experience for my daughter. As a parent, I appreciated all of the pre-departure training, details about the upcoming adventure, and the instagram photos while my daughter was abroad. I always knew she was safe and I was excited to hear about all of her adventures broad upon her return.

AMIGOS was an amazing opportunity to learn about a completely different culture. I learned so much about everyday things that I take for granted. I also made tons of friends from all around the world that I still keep in touch with. Such a unique and fun experience!

Mi experiencia en la zona de La Brunca francamente me cambió la vida, el compartir por 22 días con personas de otra lengua, país y cultura me hizo aprender muchas cosas, entre ellas el idioma; al estar durante este tiempo con ellos tuve la oportunidad de desenvolverme en mi idioma no nativo, esto tuvo como consecuencia un mejoramiento masivo de mi lengua secundaria. Además de esto en La Brunca viví experiencias irrepetibles y enriquecedoras, con las comunidades, los paisajes y los procesos de producción sostenible, sin duda estoy muy agradecido de poder haber sido parte de esta experiencia, que sin duda la repetiría!!

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This program became the trip of our lives. It was the most unique opportunity to create great lifelong friendships, and the perfect way to be fully immerse in my own culture and get to know more about it. Just by living in the community and sharing with the locals made it more special, and gave us the chance to feel more connected to their lifestyles and how they are working towards creating a more sustainable community. Also, this program made me reflect about different areas that I need to improve for personal development. Besides, we had the time to be grateful about our own lives by learning to enjoy and being completely present in the moment. On the other hand, I think the staff should improve in many different ways, this is because of when in certain moments we had a bunch of free time and there wasn’t many options for us to spend time together as a group. And I feel like when I wanted to give my own ideas of activities, I didn’t received enough support from them. Most of the time, the four coordinators were kind of rude with all the group, specially when they had a bad attitude and didn’t have a lot of joy for working with us. Maybe the experience would have been more enjoyable if they had taken different decisions, and in my case, I can say that was the negative part of the program AMIGOS. Finally, If we talk about the food, I can say it was the healthiest diet ever… even for me as Costa Rican, I was really happy for eating fresh and local products.

This program was a unique experience. It was a great way to meet new people and fully immerse yourself into a new culture. The fruit is delicious and every morning there is usually fresh juice and plantains. Make sure you come over-prepared. Bring cold and hot types of clothing and rain gear. Research about the types of things you might need. Bring a full med kit of all the things you might need throughout the month. The packing list does not include everything you will need.

Estar en el programa de AMIGOS fue una experiencia que definitivamente cambio mi vida. Como voluntaria de Costa Rica, pude tener la oportunidad de estar en una experiencia inmersiva junto con personas de otras regiones y culturas mientras aprendía más sobra la mía. Pude aprender más sobre mi país, mi cultura, mis costumbres y reflexionar sobre las diferencias culturales que permiten que exista diversidad en el mundo. La experiencia junto con otros voluntarios, hace que podamos expandir nuestro conocimiento acerca de las distintas visiones de mundo que pueden existir. Una parte de las actividades planteadas en el programa permite conocer más acerca del mundo que nos rodea, enfocándose en un desarrollo sostenible, por ejemplo, conocer más acerca de las implicaciones que tiene el consumo y el impacto que nosotros, como humanos, estamos teniendo en el medio ambiente. La otra parte son espacios que ayudan a interiorizar con uno mismo y conocerse mejor. Por último, me gustaría añadir una cuestión que, en lo personal, me pareció muy bueno del programa: la política de no tecnología. A pesar de que al principio puede ser difícil dejar de lado el teléfono, estando en el programa uno entiende el por qué. Esto permite dar un respiro de las tecnologías que tanto están arraigadas en nuestro día a día y nos permite conectar mejor con las relaciones interpersonales y con la naturaleza. Definitivamente la experiencia en AMIGOS cambió mi vida y me dejó muchas enseñanzas que seguiré poniendo en práctica el resto de mi vida.

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