Saratoga News

Participants in the Amigos de las Americas program (from left) Amanda Posner, Joseph Kim and Evalani Meyer say they had a great time in spite of the hardships.

SHS seniors experience living in Latin America

By Michelle Alaimo

Three seniors from Saratoga High School say they had the best summer of their lives working for eight weeks in Latin America for the Amigos de las Americas program. The program sends volunteers to various Latin American countries for four- to eight-week stretches to perform community service work.

Joe Kim, Evalani Meyer and Amanda Posner say the experience has affected them deeply, and all said they will never forget the host families with whom they stayed.

"It will really change your life forever," Kim says. Meyer adds that the trip was such a big cultural experience because one does everything that their host family does for entertainment.

The "three Amigos" each worked in a different part of Latin America on a different project. Posner spent eight weeks in the remote town of Sabana Grande, Costa Rica, working in community sanitation.

Kim and Meyer also spent eight weeks on their projects. Kim spent his time in Misquilli, near central Equador, working on an environmental education project that involved building guinea-pig pens. Meyer worked on human immunization in Itaugua, Paraguay.

Kim says they worked in other areas in addition to their main projects. The three gave lessons to local children in dental health, handed out toothbrushes and showed the children how to brush their teeth. They also taught English and general health education, such as how diseases spread, to local townspeople. In addition, Meyer helped educate people about AIDS.

Intensive training from November 1996 to May 1997 helped the volunteers prepare for their experiences, which in some cases included working in areas without running water. The once-a-week sessions teach everything from building latrines to handling culture shock.

Amigos must raise their own funds to help pay the $3,000 it costs to participate in the program. The fee covers airfare, training materials, supplies for their main projects, staff support and room, board and transportation within the host country.

Each student was paired with at least one other Amigos volunteer in their area.

Amigos are required to be at least 16 years old and have at least two years of Spanish before joining the program. Once in Latin America, Amigos speak only Spanish.

Amigos de las Americas is a private, nonprofit organization that began in Honduras in 1965, Gladys Bernyk, Santa Clara Valley chapter president, says. She adds that the program does not send volunteers to countries without an invitation.

"It's a great program," Posner says. "It really enriches your life. It's not easy but it's worth all the bad stuff because [the experience] is so rewarding."

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