Volunteer in Mexico - Adelante Abroad

I had the pleasure of staying in a home in Oaxaca and fully delving into my creative side, which improving my Spanish. I had the chance to paint a wall mural, which led me to painting a chilaquiles vendor in the local park. I also designed and illustrated for multiple companies, with the freedom to work where I wanted and on my own schedule. Oaxaca was magical, and I made so many friends who I still keep in contact with. Other than doing lots of art in Oaxaca, on my own time, I took 2 cooking class, a woodcarving class, did yoga weekly, got a Mayan massage, travelled to many surrounding towns, and so much more.

I spent three months in Oaxaca studying psychology. Understandably, this is a difficult discipline to study as an intern due to the often confidential nature of the work. Despite this, I felt that the program coordinator Carlos did a great job connecting me with local psychologists to learn, assist with presentations, practice Spanish, observe therapy sessions, and even lead sessions on my own. I wanted to learn what it would be like to work as a psychologist and I feel Adelante helped me reach this goal. I also was afforded plenty of time and flexibility to travel throughout Oaxaca and to spend time with my brilliant housemates. The language courses were much-needed and I felt much more prepared going into my work placement having that introduction. The best part of this experience for me was the housing placement. Myself and the girls I lived with were placed with an extremely hospitable family from Oaxaca. Talking with them was the best practice I had for my Spanish. They were also some of the most pleasant people I have met and I felt they really embraced me as part of the family.

If you are thinking of traveling with adelante, I recommend it. It was extremely affordable compared to other programs I have seen. The process was as stress-free as possible, from the pre-departure materials and interviews, the arrival and integration with language classes, and the departure, everything was well-organized. It was also important to me to have independence and to be able to tailor the program to my goals, and this was fulfilled. Everyone I worked with from Adelante was pleasant and helpful. If I decide to study away again, I will likely choose adelante.

If you are thinking of traveling to Oaxaca, also, I recommend it. Some of the best food I’ve had on my travels, some of the kindest people I’ve met, and some of the best places to visit, from the vibrant city to the ruins to the mushroom mountains and to the beaches on both sides. One could spend a lot of time studying and traveling Oaxaca, and by the end, they will want to make it home. Carlos was great as a program coordinator. If you have any concerns about speaking Spanish, I entered the program knowing a decent amount of Spanish but mostly unable to communicate at all with native speakers without great trouble. Through the classes and being integrated I quickly grew in confidence and was able to communicate much more clearly.

if you have any specific questions about the program you want to ask a former participant, I am happy to chat. My email is Jacob.gerber@alumni.furman.edu. Bon voyage.

I did a legal internship in Oaxaca for three months with Adelante and it was an incredible experience. I made lifelong friends both from the program and locals. I was extremely happy with my internship placement and the family I lived with. My spanish has definitely improved and it really helped with my university application and I will definitely be returning to Oaxaca!
I learnt so much from my internship which will help me in my career but also had enough freedom to get to know the city and do other activities as well as learn new hobbies and develop other interests.

I had an incredible 3 months doing a business internship in the beautiful city of Oaxaca.
Oaxaca is one of the best places in the world, you will fall in love with the city very quickly. The food is amazing, the weather is hot, the people are incredibly friendly, the city is safe and the scenery is 10/10 everywhere you look!

Over the 3 months I have gained valuable experience in business and in learning Spanish - it is genuinely the best way to learn! My colleagues were incredibly accommodating of me and I feel like I have gained a lot of experience from working with them.

Adelante organised everything very quickly and the communication was great whenever I had a concern or a question I needed answering. I cannot recommend it enough!

My Graphic Design Internship through Adelante Abroad aligned with my values and what I was looking for in a first internship experience.This was an important experience for me focusing more on what I am looking for in my career and the workplace itself. I am grateful to have been apart of this program especially outside of the United States (and in Oaxaca, Mexico) to learn about how it is to work outside of my primary comfort zone. This not only helped me find different ways to communicate with others but also how to work with different types of people.

The teachers I had in the first 2 weeks were great and shared useful tips on local hot spots. I found this to be an invaluable introduction to my time in Oaxaca and a great way to meet new people.

Equally my internship at a printing studio was fabulous and I feel it greatly contributed towards my competence in Spanish.
The housing with Irma, Octavio and Leti the cleaner was one of my favourite things about my experience as they made me feel so welcome and really helped me settle in with ease.

Oaxaca is a beautiful place, just the right size to explore and close to many other must see locations. I would love to go back!

I spent two months in Oaxaca de Juarez with the Adelante volunteering program for working with kids. My time there was amazing, being able to experience local life and history of the state. The housing location was in a great spot, and my landlord was unbelievably kind. My time at the language school was also great as I met and made wonderful friends from around the world and also received a one-on-one tutor which helped me immensely. I also met great people at my internship. The program truly opens you up to many differing walks of life and exposes you to so many new things - not just originating from Oaxaca. The trip being my first solo travel forced me to become independent and actually rely on myself instead of using others as a travel-buddy crutch. When Adelante says that the program is for independent travelers, they're not kidding. This is where I point out the major lack of communication. I won't go into detail, but the program really is like moving to a foreign place by yourself and figuring everything out by yourself. There were a few rough patches but I didn't let them bother me during my time there. You'll run into problems, like no water or power, but you adapt and overcome. I really enjoyed my experience both the good and the bad, but if lack in communication and cultural confusion bothers you I wouldn't recommend this type of program.

What one pays for, essentially, with Adelante, that one couldn't find by themselves, is great contacts. It's difficult to find internships in other countries for a variety of reasons and Adelante does all the hard work for you. Adelante also helps to provide an essential structure to this internship, defining the number of work hours, the assigned tasks and expectations. This is incredibly important, as so much of the experience is unstructured and up to the volunteer.