Internship in the Sacred Valley, Peru

My best friend and I got the amazing opportunity to intern in Peru for 4 months in 2019 through Linguistic Horizons. The usual internship is 2 weeks studying nutrition and natural medicine. We however, asked if we could study nursing specifically and stay for 16 weeks instead. Nicole worked with us to fully customize our time in the Sacred Valley. When we asked to change locations for more exposure to different kinds of medicine, Nicole was prompt to assist. We were able to work in a local natural medicine clinic, a tourist urgent care clinic, and a physical/speech therapy clinic for children with special needs. She also curated many excursions throughout our stay at our request including- hikes throughout the Sacred Valley and trips to Machu Picchu, Lake Titicaca, the Manu jungle, and and epic overnight hiking trip through the Andes. To say this internship was life changing would be an understatement. 6 years later i am still telling stories from the 16 weeks we lived in our little back house in Urubamba!!

If you want to learn about Peruvian culture and improve your Spanish while working at a local organization that matches your interests, Linguistic Horizons is the program for you. In my interview with Nicole, the program director, she took into account my specific work interests when placing me in my internship. In Peru, I had the freedom to explore Urubamba (a wonderful town where we stayed) in my free time while feeling comfortable with the support of Nicole and other interns. Nicole also helped me schedule additional weekend excursions, giving me even more opportunities to explore the indigenous culture and incredible mountain scenery. I had the opportunity to stay with a host family, who were some of the nicest people I’ve met. I felt very comfortable throughout the entirety of my four weeks in the program and felt very well supported by Nicole, my host family, the other interns, and my co-workers with anything I needed. Some highlights of the program were the flexibility in organizing my internship to fit with my interests, the organization and efficient administration of LH, the lasting bonds I’ve created with all of the people I met, the opportunity to improve my Spanish at home and at work, and the unique immersion I experienced. I highly recommend choosing Linguistic Horizons if you are hoping to immerse yourself in a new culture, connect with locals, feel safe in a new country, speak Spanish, and learn about different lifestyles.

Linguistics Horizon provided me the most AMAZING experience doing an internship abroad. I worked in a daycare in Peru assisting children in their everyday tasks. From assistance to placement, finding somewhere to live, ensuring I was surrounded by people of my age & demographic I can hands down say I reflect on this experience as the best summer I have ever had. 20/10 would do again!