Medicine Study Abroad Programs in South America

I spent two weeks in Guatemala with Maximo Nivel. My Spanish level was minimal when I arrived. I felt like I was able to have a basic conversation and move around the city with the Spanish I learned. My homestay was very nice, and the staff here solved any issues I had; I would definitely do it again.

Living in Costa Rica for 4 weeks has been an incredible experience. It helped me integrate myself into the culture, language, and nature of the country. I was able to learn Spanish for 4 weeks with no Spanish to being able to form sentences and talk Spanish in tandem with not only my teachers but with the locals. The staff have been excellent in taking care of all my needs including changing accommodations, health issues, checking up regularly. This experience is 5 stars overall!

I am happy to report that I’ve had a magically adventurous time here, my Spanish has noticeably improved, my hosts were kind and accommodating, and the Maximo and Inca Trails staff were wonderful. Special shoutout to Martha and Susan! They are amazing teachers and people. I’m sad to be leaving but happy to be heading home renewed, inspired and closer to fluency. You all run an excellent program!

I learnt Spanish with a native speaker, she was very kind. There is a very nice atmosphere there. The teachers teach very well. They have a professional approach to learning. They come up with games that make it easy to consolidate words.

My experience in Maximo was absolutely perfect. It was my first solo travel ever and I felt absolutely guided through it. My teachers Runnia and especially Francis were perfect. It was super fun in the classes which made the learning feel less boring but super fun and rewarding. The staff around the organisation is great, some of the nicest people I’ve met. The cooking and dancing classes are well organized and super fun. They also do their best to adjust classes to your expectations. Wishes are not seen as criticism but rather as a possibility to make the clients happy. Quepos/Manuel Antonio itself is a nice town, offering great beaches nice accommodations, aswell as bars and most importantly great people! I will remember this trip for a long time and I’m super happy I made my experiences in Costa Rica with Maximo. I hope to return one day.

When I left for Chile initially, I will admit to being nervous. Many of my friends were going abroad together to larger programs more endorsed by my school, or to English speaking countries with diminished cultural barriers. However, I knew that I wanted a more unique experience, and one that was also justifiable with my pre-health aspirations. The SIT Chile program was truly that and so much more, and I am so glad I left my comfort zone to pursue it! In this review I will talk about a few of my favorite places we visited. Our journey began in Santiago, but the next stop of Arica was where we spent the majority of our time. In Arica, I had the opportunity to integrate into a loving and supporting host family, with whom I talked for hours over meals, went on weekly ice cream trips, had fun at the beach, went on shopping trips to the mall, grocery store, and corner store, and more. They were the family I spent most of my time with, and by the end of the program I had become incredibly close with them. Near Arica, we visited the city of Putre. Putre was my favorite place of the entire trip, however I will admit this occurred after an rocky start. When I first arrived, while I got along perfectly fine with my host family, I did not feel the strongest of connections. However, when I ultimately decided to return alone for my internship period, the program was exceptionally accommodating in allowing me to change to a different host family with whom I had interacted with. I became very close with my second host mother, who worked at the hospital I was doing my internship at. She would pack lunches for me, watch movies with me, and helped me integrate into the hospital community with whom outside of work I would go out to eat or get pizza and play card games. During my internship in Putre, I was completely integrated into the local community despite being the only white person. In my internship I had the opportunity to go on rounds in the breathtaking surrounding communities and assist the staff in delivering primary care in the rural Chilean Altiplanos. In the community I had the opportunity to partake in the Aymaran Cruz de Mayo festival, which involved singing, dancing, hiking and eating traditional Chilean barbeque. I became very close with the Aymaran indigenous medicine doctor who worked alongside western medical practitioners in the hospital, and during this festival he essentially adopted me into his family. I also had the opportunity to participate in the Aymaran K'illpa in the nearby community of Visviri, who also accepted me with open arms. Being accepted into and experiencing the communities of Putre and Visviri has left a profound impact on me, and I am so grateful to the SIT Chile program for facilitating this. A few of my other favorite places we visited during my time in Chile with our program were Temuco, Entre Rios (near Nueva Imperial) and Pucón. These southern cities were incredibly green, with visually stunning rolling hills, lakes and coastal towns. They also held strong ties to the local indigenous Mapuche culture. In Entre Rios, I was fascinated to learn how an incredibly strong traditional Mapuche indigenous culture works in combination with the western medical system. I also lived with a large family on their farm for week, where I enjoyed banter with my host sister, assisting the middle aged family members on the farm, and being spoiled with delicious traditional Chilean meals by the grandparents. Temuco was a larger bustling town, a capital of the south, while Pucón was essentially an alpine vacation getaway. Separate from the program with a few friends during long weekends we also visited La Paz and San Pedro de Atacama. If you go on this program be sure to make time for independent travel, as the experiences I had in these locations were amazing. Overall, the program provided me with exceptional support from both the directors and host families. The experience and global health minor I gained will be directly applicable to my future aspirations in pre-health. The academics were usually lighter, although there were times which were demanding. However, I always found that putting in effort was enough to warrant good grades, even with my initial difficulties of Spanish mastery. If you are willing to put yourself out there and experience immersion into a beautiful culture, then this is the program for you!

Máximo Nivel offered a wonderful Spanish immersion experience in San Jose, Costa Rica. The staff are incredibly friendly and the entire institute is very well organized. The methods used in class really encourage conversation and useful practice of your linguistic skills. Within even just the first few days of my program, I felt as though I was already breaking down the barrier in my language learning journey. If you’re interested in immersing yourself in the Spanish language, Máximo Nivel is a must!

I had two different Spanish teachers throughout my 7 weeks - Angie and Dulce. Both were amazing teachers and I learned so much! I learned not only lots of Spanish grammar, Guatemalan slang words, and conjugations, but also about the culture and history of Antigua and the Guatemalan people. The classes were always so much fun! Thank you Maximo Nivel!

I really loved my experience. I was scared of coming here alone but I met some really cool people and made some great memories. So I was never alone. The staff and my teacher were great. I’ll be back!

Rogelio taught me what it means to be selfless & serve the community without being funded by the missions that do not resonate with what´s being offered. Keep the values, stick with what resonates. Love is an endless act of forgiveness, forgiveness is an endless act of love! Forgive all, love all! We are one, blessings! I love you all!

Administration and staff were excellent. Without their united team effort the our program would probably would not have happen. As the actual program, excellent visits, although unfortunately visits to the University of Costa Rica Department of political science and law school didn't occur given the problems of getting further off the ground no one's really to blame

While at my time with Maximo, I had a lot going on back at home. Ultimately, I felt that being here in Costa Rica has allowed me to learn so much about myself as well as my fears. In which Michael and Gabby contributed to. The immense support received not just by Maximo but specifically by Michael has been the most significant to me. There is nothing I could say to express what it is that I feel within. I have never met anyone like Michael, I say that from the bottom of my heart. I have never been someone who cared about losing friendships, yet I feel that I’ve established such an amazing friendship with Michael that it brings sadness to my heart knowing that it may be a while until we meet again. You are blessed to have such amazing staff. As someone observant, I watched as Michael took on each and every responsibility. I could feel how he felt, and witnessing first hand how he quickly responded to each scenario was honestly impressive. I’ve never met someone as loving, and soft. With a light that brings joy to others. I feel extremely blessed to have met them.

The political, cultural and environmental activities organized by Maximo were wonderful. Our guide for our two weeks was Michael and he is the best guide ever. He took care of us, changed plans on a dime if needed and was a lot of fun. Based on this experience I would recommend Maximo’s study abroad programs in Costa Rica.

I had a wonderful time at Maximo, learning Spanish each day with my teacher and participating in several cultural activities on the weekends (Lago Atitlán, Tikal Mayan Cultural Site). It has been a pleasure to experience Guatemalan culture and I hope to return soon!

My experience studying spanish with Maximo Nivel has been one of the best experiences in my life. The people I met, the city of Cusco, the instructors at Maximo- all of it was amazing. If I could stay longer I would, and I did end up staying 3 weeks longer than planned. I highly recommend to anyone wanting to travel and study spanish abroad.

I have attended two other Spanish Immersion programs. Maximo Nivel is very organized and structured. Great program. I plan to continue studies with Maimo Nivel in Puru or Costa Rica. Both group and private classes were excellent.

This program was so incredible! It really opened my eyes to new experiences, new people, and new perspectives! The entire staff was so helpful and engaging!!! I am extremely thankful for this program and the opportunities and people it brought me!

First solo trip and volunteer experience... and must say I couldn´t speak more highly of Maximo. For their on-going support, their hospitality and charism. I was a bit nervous stepping into a new environment and not knowing what was expected, however everything was made so smooth and lovely! Maximo crew also did an amazing job changing me to a new location that was more supported to my personality! Big love from Aussie land hehe!!

I am so glad I came back here. I came here 7 years ago to learn spanish for the first time. My teachers Francis and Marianela were amazing. Not only are they great at teaching concepts and rules of grammar very clearly, they are also very good at being aware of what words they use to communicate with their students so their students can understand. I always wanted to come back and I am so glad I did. Even though I had to review a lot this time, I feel I learned the topics better this time around. It was so great to see my old teachers again. They are very fun and easy to talk to. The school itself was also very helpful and organized. Karen is so nice and helpful. I had 2 friends come to stay with me and she organized their transportation to Quepos. Everything went off without a problem. Victoria was also very helpful in organizing tours for me. All of the tours were amazing and went very smoothly. They have more offerings this time around than my last time here for extra activities which was also great to see. I cant recommend Maximo Nivel enough. I will always cherish my time here.

The school is wonderful and very clean. All of the people at maximo are very kind and helpful.Todo fue excelente recomiendo a la escuela mucho. Aprendí bastante. Este es mi segundo año visitando Maximo Nivel.