South America - Ecuador & Peru
South America changed me in more ways than I can articulate, or know. Everyday I think of it and notice the mark it left on me . . . . I do not think I could describe my gratitude in any amount of words.
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Please take a moment to view our newest page with You Tube videos of past South America groups.
ECUADOR
Orientation:
After arrival in Quito, head straight to the cloud forest for orientation. Here you begin your orientation at a secluded backpackers’ retreat where you’ll get your feet on the ground and learn more about the Ecuador, Peru, the program and each other. During this time you work on communication skills, team-building activities and setting your intentions for the semester. Because it’s the beautiful cloud forest, there’s plenty of fun and adventure to be had: trekking, mountain biking, horseback riding, white water tubing and canopy zip lines to name a few.
Language Study:
Spend 2 weeks studying Spanish in a one-on-one setting. Each morning begins with 4 hours of language study while living with and perfecting your Spanish with your own homestay family. Afternoons are free to spend with your families, participate in cultural activities like traditional cooking or salsa lessons or explore the city’s museums and cathedrals. Sneak away on the weekend to mountain bike the 5,900 meter Cotopaxi volcanic mountain or relax in the hot springs of Papallacta.
Community Development and Cultural Exchange:
Head north to the quaint town of Otavalo, home of the largest handicraft market in South America. Spend the weekend in and amongst the ethnic diversity of Ecuador's Andean peoples and watch the city come alive.
Just outside of Otavalo, we head to the rural school of Padre Chupa. Our days may be spent teaching English, building a computer room, teaching computer basics or whatever needs the school and staff have expressed. This is a rich opportunity to see the agricultural and rural side of life that sustains much of Ecuador. Again this is another great opportunity to practice your Spanish while giving back to the community.
Environmental Work:
After language school, descend back into the Ecuador cloudforest volunteering with an environmental conservation organization known as Fundacion Zoobrevivan. This 2500 hectare reserve is dedicated to protecting the ecosystems and wildlife of Ecuador from the devstating effects of logging, mining, and hunting. Your days will be spent reforesting the reserve, learning and teaching sustainable/low impact farming techniques, maintaining the botanical gardens, or monitoring and researching the presence of the vulnerable Spectacled Bear.
You will also participate as a community member of Rio Muchacho, an organic farm located just outside of the coastal surfing town of Canoa and the port city of Bahia de Caraquez. Here you will spend a week learning the principles of sustainable farming and living practices-like utilizing alternative energy sources, such as solar and biogas (That’s right! Putting methane to good use!) as well as the importance of ecotourism, zero waste, and fair trade. Learn the practices that have earned Bahia de Caraquez the bragging rights as Ecuador’s first “Ecocity.” Being so close to Canoa, you can spend your weekend swimming, surfing, paragliding, horse riding, mountain biking or relaxing in a hammock under the coastal sun.
Free Travel:
The grand finale of Ecuador: student directed free travel. This is your opportunity to put everything you’ve learned about travel, leadership development and more to the test. Design and implement your five days of free travel. Perhaps the group will want to surf the amazing pipeline of Ecuador. You may slip down to Vilcabamba to explore the secret of the oldest living people on earth. Maybe your group will hit the culturally diverse Afro-Ecuadorian community of Esmeraldas. Wherever you choose, it sure to be a grand adventure as the planning and implementation are up to you!
PERU
Language Study:
We’ll start our Peru study abroad adventure perfecting our Spanish with another 2 weeks of language school in the unique “white city” of Arequipa, Peru. You will again have the opportunity to practice your Spanish skills with a homestay family. Afternoons can be spent exploring the unique geology in the foothills of the El Misti volcano or getting deeper into the lessons of politics, cultural studies or the ethnic diversity of Peru. On the weekend explore the spectacular Lago Titicaca and travel to the floating islands or raft the rapids of the magnificent Colca Canyon.
Community Development and Cultural Exchange:
After descending from the peaks of the Andes at 13,000 feet, through the cloudforest, you journey into the Amazonian Basin to a jungle community only accessible by boat. Here you will spend a week in a cultural exchange with the Matsiguenka tribe in the village community of Shepitiari. Here you can learn the ways of life in the jungle while living in a grass hut. You will give back to the community and volunteer in Peru by participating in a shared construction project. You will also have the opportunity to learn to make a canoe from hollowing trees, create your own bow and arrows for hunting jungle wildlife, teach English in the school and even hear from the local shaman/medicine man on the healing powers of the jungle plants.
After the jungle immersion, the group returns to Cusco to catch up on email, laundry and amenities before entering into spiritual retreat.
Spiritual Retreat:
Appropriately named, we head to the Sacred Valley for our spiritual retreat. This is where we take a little downtime to integrate all that we have learned from each other, our travels and the communities we’ve been a part of. This is an opportunity to try some Yoga, pay attention to our bodies, minds and spirits, integrating it all in a breath-taking atmosphere.
Machu Picchu Trek:
The colonial town of Cusco is also our launching site for the grand finale of our semester, Machu Picchu. Spend 4 days trekking through the remote villages of the Sacred Valley and mountain passes of the Andes to the phenomenal ancient Incan city of the clouds, declared one of the new Wonders of the World. This is a strenuous hike with opportunities to take local transport in the event that it's needed. It is one of the most beautiful and sacred walks in South America as well as the world.
Program Details
Program Dates:
Spring 2010: February 10 - May 4, 2010
Fall 2010: September 8 - December 1, 2010
Group Size:
A maximum of 12 Students & 2 Adult Leaders
Eligibility:
Ages 17 and Up
Academic Credit:
Up to 18 credits available
Language Requirement:
None
Admissions:
No deadline - applications accepted on a rolling basis until 2 weeks prior to start date.
Program Fee:
$8,900 program fee includes all food, accommodations and scheduled program activities for the duration of the program. International airfare, health insurance and spending money are extra. International airfare estimated at $1000; internal flight estimated at $350. For information on Financial Aid click here.
This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to explore a part of the world that is rich with history and tradition, and learn about yourself in the process. If you are interested in practicing your Spanish-language skills, Carpe Diem’s South America study abroad program presents the perfect way to hone your skills. If you're just getting started learning Spanish this program will be the perfect opportunity to learn how to read and write and live it.
Carpe Diem offers exciting opportunities to travel, study and learn about the people of South America, all while making a difference in the communities in which you’ll stay. By studying abroad in South America with us, you'll scale mountains, work on meaningful construction projects and experience the unparalleled beauty of Peru and Ecuador. Study abroad in South America and learn about a world you never knew existed.
During many of our semesters you can count on teaching being one of the many types of volunteering that takes place. This recent team that was on our South America program was teaching English to some of the local school kids using the old standby of "Heads, Shoulders, Knees and Toes." For more videos please visit our You Tube page.
