Program Reviews

It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. My Spanish improved more than I ever imagined it would, I made special connections with so many people, and I learned so much about a culture I would never have an opportunity to learn about in school. One of the most memorable moments of my experience happened during the classes that we were teaching to the second graders. We asked them to draw a picture of their families, and our host cousin drew my partner and I in her family portrait.

My time in Cocle was an interesting one. We started the day helping in the building of a retaining wall, and continued on to lunch. After lunch we would wait for about two hours for nobody to show up to our campamentos. This was upsetting, but it was simply a stutter in the amazing time I had with AMIGOS.

In the end, I would definitely recommend this program to anyone looking for a "fantastic summer experience" as Amigos says. I know each day-to-day schedule was different and unique but mine included Getting up, teaching school, waiting/working on class schedules until dinner, dinner at a different house each night, playing soccer on the way home, spending time with my host family, and then going to bed at 9 PM.

I really liked my schedule, but my CBIP did not require the help of the vols or community members, as the school hired workers to do the job, so after school there was not much to do until dinner other than wait for the kids to get home and plan classes. I would suggest that volunteers take up a side project to enlist the help of community parents if they feel they have too much time on their hands.

As for the PSUPS, my route had a rather incompetent one who always gave us last-minute instructions, started inappropriate conversations, and harsh negative feedback only for one of my partners. A lot of the staff did not connect with the volunteers and did not get along/ made the volunteers constantly feel like they were on thin ice.

While in San Pedro, I taught children about the environment and did fun activities with them. Also, my partner and I built 6 fuel efficient stoves and planted 100 baby trees. It was great being in a small community with only 1 other American. Our supervisor would come visit and check on us once a week, but otherwise we were in charge of our own project. It was awesome to have that much responsibility at such a young age(17). Working with the community on sustainable community development was really fun, and making connections with community members was unbelievable.
After coming back from my summer, I definitely saw myself as a more independent and confident person, and that was really cool to see. I would recommend and AMIGOS experience for anyone.

I had a wonderful experience in Azuero. I was placed with a great partner and had an amazing supervisor as well. In addition, I absolutely loved my community. The people were not only friendly and welcoming, but they were motivated to participate and help out in projects. We were able to begin a youth group, paint and install doors into the community center, plant many trees, etc. I felt as though the community was greatly impacted by our presence, and we were of course incredibly impacted them too. I spent most of my time playing with the children in the community and had the best time playing fun games and activities with them. Our Campamentos were definitely a highlight to the summer. I also really enjoyed having a rotational meal plan because it allowed me to meet everyone in the community; however, I did struggle with the amount of food they gave us as well as the grease that saturated almost every meal. Regardless of the food, I loved being immersed into Panamanian culture and feeing as though I was Panamanian too. I learned several traditional dance moves, sang to Spanish songs, played fun card games, and learned how to cook some Panamanian dishes. Living in Azuero for eight weeks could not have been a better experience, and I am so happy that I decided to participate in AMIGOS.

This was an amazing experience. I lived with a host family and got a complete immersion experience. Working with the kids in the community was really rewarding. It was hard because you can't talk to people at home except for once, in the middle of your stay. One staff member, your project supervisor, comes once each week to talk to you about your project, health, and emotional state. They help you with any issues that come up. You have one or two partners, who are also volunteers, in your community to work with.

I absolutely adored my six and a half weeks spent in Turega, Cocle, Panama. I believe that the best part of the program was just being able to meet new people who live completely different from you, yet are also so similar. Though the program ideals of teaching and leading classes were a small part of the overall experience, the truly memorable events that made me feel like I was leaving the greatest impact were the times that I would sit and laugh with my host family and friends. The times that we would share stories, play games, or fall in the mud are the moments that I remember the most. Busting out to Shakira with my slightly eccentric host sister or playing soccer in torrential downpours with the community youth are just a few examples of small instances that nonetheless left a tremendous impact on me. Amigos was definitely an eye opening experience in regards to different cultures and language, yet more than that, I learned a lot about myself as a person. I learned what I was capable of doing and what frustrations I just needed to let go. I wouldn't trade those six and half weeks I spent there for anything!

The Amigos I participated on in Ecuador has made me think about everything that I do differently. I am much more appreciative of everything that I have. I also feel connected to a whole community and feel like I have a second family. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to try new things.

On a day to day basis, I would teach in the school, build part of a fagone, eat lunch at a random families home, play with the kids and hang out at home. At night my family always sat around the fire and talked until bed and ate dinner. It was definitly an amazing experience. We got to do some really cool things that the people of Paraguay do such as make chipa, work in the fields, peal oranges a cool way, cook and play. I wish I could do it again.

Amigos is one of the best things you can do with a summer, and one of the best decisions I ever made. I lived in a rural farming community and really bonded with my host family. I'm still in contact with them, and I think about my experience all the time. I became more independent, mature, and improved my language skills. I highly recommend Amigos to all high school and college students.