Teach Children Music in Peru

During my multiple experiences throughout my college career volunteering or studying abroad, Vive Peru was by far the best. As a teacher, my experience in Peru gave me a sense of flexibility, confidence, and preparedness that could not be taught in my college classes. Coupled with incredible volunteer experiences that could easily be applied to our lives back at home, we were given opportunities to travel that were very well supported by our outstanding staff. The staff not only helped us prepare day in and day out for our volunteer sites but also took time to help us plan our weekend travels so that we could be safe while having an incredible time. Vive Peru gave me a valuable experience that I could not have gotten anywhere else. I not only recommend this volunteer experience highly to any education major, but also to anyone else looking for a volunteer experience in Peru.

I volunteered as an engineer in the winter 2012-2013 session for Vive Peru. I was a freshman in college and this was my first time traveling outside the country. The engineering project that winter session was building an internet tower for a school on the outskirts of Trujillo. This was a lot of hard work, but in the end was one of the most meaningful experiences I've had. We had successfully installed the tower and had it working by the end of the session, and the kids at the school and the administration really loved it. Outside of the project, I stayed with host parents in Trujillo along with the other engineer in the program and a student in the health program. The host parents were very nice and consistently went out of their way to make sure that we were having a good time and that all of our needs were met. On some of my free days, I helped out the social workers at a boys' home and I also went with one of my roommates to the health clinic he volunteered at. These were both very fulfilling experiences. Overall, the program is very well rounded with amazing staff that makes sure the volunteer work you are doing will impact the community. You are also free to travel to other areas in Peru on the weekend. I highly recommend this program to anyone looking to travel abroad and gain experience helping people. The sessions vary in length, so if you are like me and haven't traveled a lot the winter session is great, as it takes place over winter break. I hope you consider volunteering with Vive Peru!

VivePeru gave me the chance to teach music to Peruvians as well as perform with their local professional symphony. To have the opportunity to be immersed in a culture and be heavily involved in its classical music scene was a very significant positive experience in my life. I had the freedom to design my schedule around my private lessons and had the support of my fellow volunteers and the staff- they even attended my performances! My experiences in Peru with Vive made me more open-minded and satisfied my desire for adventure, and it also helped me discover that I really want to be a music teacher, which is the degree I am currently working toward!