When making my decision to live and teach abroad three years ago, a major concern for me was language. How will I communicate? How will I get what I need? Will the locals understand me? How will I make friends? Learning the spoken language is obviously one of the most essential steps in getting to [...]
Archive for the ‘Careers’ Category
A How-to-Guide to Fulbright English Teaching Assistantships
Howdy from the United States! As wonderful as it is to wake up in my own bed, overindulge in American food, and catch up with family and friends, I miss Brazil. Luckily, the few Brazilians I know in Philadelphia have tolerated incessant invitations to hang out, helping me to matar a saudade do Bras[...]
Trabajo: Job Hunting, Working Abroad, and “Real World” Work
“So… when are you going to get a real job?” I think many people, especially of my parents’ generation, see working abroad as a filler for the time period between college graduation and the entry into the American professional world, as a way to productively delay the start of adulthood. [...]
Trailblazer: Creating Your Own Opportunities
I am a trailblazer. What does that mean? I call myself a trailblazer because I have created my own path in Guatemala- I am a co-founder and ongoing developer of G22 Green Connect, a Guatemalan based organization which is dedicated to environmental education and is still in its development phase. Whe[...]
So you’re thinking about the Peace Corps?
My journey into the field of international development was bred from a mix of wanting to be like Indiana Jones and a champion for world peace. I also really liked the idea of getting paid to travel around the world and interact with local people. That being said, I didn’t always want to be a P[...]
La Vida: Teaching English in Quito, Ecuador
First off, thanks Rob for the recent guest series on various volunteer and development opportunities. Your experiences and incites were concise and objective, great advice to the budding idealist in Latin America. While reading your entries and others on the site lately, I have been deeply consid[...]
Guest Post: To Kiva Fellow or not to Kiva Fellow, Eso e’ la pregunta. (Part III of III)
Today’s guest post comes from Rob Gradoville, a current Kiva Fellow, Rotary Scholar, and Fulbright Fellow in Cusco, Peru. Since 2005, Rob has been thinking about the best way to provide the basic services that rural folks in the developing world want and need most: clean water and electricity[...]
Guest Post: To Kiva Fellow or not to Kiva Fellow, Eso e’ la pregunta. (Part II of III)
Today’s guest post comes from Rob Gradoville, a current Kiva Fellow, Rotary Scholar, and Fulbright Fellow in Cusco, Peru. Since 2005, Rob has been thinking about the best way to provide the basic services that rural folks in the developing world want and need most: clean water and electricity.[...]
Guest Post: To Kiva Fellow or not to Kiva Fellow, Eso e’ la pregunta. (Part I of III)
Today’s guest post comes from Rob Gradoville, a current Kiva Fellow, Rotary Scholar, and Fulbright Fellow in Cusco, Peru. Since 2005, Rob has been thinking about the best way to provide the basic services that rural folks in the developing world want and need most: clean water and electricity[...]
Don’t Cry for Me Argentina! A Volunteer’s Last Day
Yes, you might as well picture me as a brunette Madonna crooning from a balcony “Don’t cry for me Argentinaaaa, the truth is I never left yoooooou.” Because it’s true, I didn’t leave. I am still here. As much as I complain about Buenos Aires being a massive city, the booby trapped sidewal[...]




