Volunteer Teacher on the Peruvian Beachfront

Hola, qué tal?
That was basically all my spanish when I arrived in Peru last year. But that, a big smile on my face and a thirst for adventure were enough for the beginning of what would be a fantastic journey. Right out of highschool I knew I want to travel the world and Latin America was my dream destination! Originally my plan was to just get there and backpack around. My mum was not so keen on the idea of me travelling alone in countries I don’t even speak the language of. To comfort her I agreed to learn the language first somewhere and then start travelling after that. And in hindsight this ‘compromise’ was the best decision ever.
I ended up in Pimentel, Peru, a beautiful little villlage at the ocean, for a three month stay to learn the language properly and do some volunteering work.
Firstly, learning the language in a school was really good for a total beginner like me. The classes are super small. In a group of three or four people everybody got special attention. And the young peruan teachers were always there to give advise and to help out with your weekendtrips.
Secondly: Volunteering. I tought English at a local elementary school. Even though English is not my first language it was good enough to teach some kids the basics. In the beginning it was hard because my spanish was not really great and the kids didn’t know any english. But it was awesome to see how after a couple of weeks we were able to communicate. Teaching in general was a great experience and I learned a lot myself, I could practice my spanish and working with kids was fun (and as fun as it was, I knew after, that I don’t want to do it for the rest of my life, which I was a seriously considering before going there).
Besides working and learning there was enough time to discover the city and area with friends.
Pimentel has a couple of nice cafés and a bar and of course most importantly the ocean. If you want to get some city life, you can always take the Combi to Chiclayo. Peruans are super open and friendly and I met a lot of great people, some at the school I was teaching at, some at the surf school and the beach and of course the other volunteers at language school became friends as well.
Pimentel became a second home for me. It’s the place I learned surfing and dancing Salsa, it’s where I met the most amazing people and where I’ll always come back to when the ‘Fernweh’ is getting too strong.
I met so many amazing people here, that when I eventually started travelling for half a year I was basically just visiting friends I met during my three month in Pimentel. I can encourage everybody to combine learning the language with some volunteering work and Peru and especially Pimentel is a great place to do that, you’ll learn a lot and make friends for life. I would always do it again.
One last tip: Don’t forget sunscreen, it’s ALWAYS sunny in Pimentel ;) And take as much mosquito repellend as you can. Those little things can disturb a beautiful night at the beach quite fast!!