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October 24, 2010

What is Culture Shock?

One of the main points that we always touch when considering the pros and cons of working or volunteering abroad is the idea of culture shock. Imagine that you are in a new country where you:

* Don’t speak the language
* Don’t have access to a network of friends or family
* Can’t get home to see your family frequently

This means, you are likely going to run into some odd situations. For example, in Chile (and other South American countries) you have to weigh and pay for your food and bread at different sections around the supermarket, before you checkout. This might seem like a minor detail, but imagine that you are new in town and just want to get some groceries, and when you go to pay, everyone is yelling and pointing…this can be disheartening to say the least. This is culture shock.

October 22, 2010

Business Jobs Abroad for Recent Grads

An article on today’s ABC News on Campus section tackled the ongoing trend for students who, facing a recession and limited job market upon college graduation, are looking for alternatives to the traditional U.S. job market, and more and more they are looking for these alternatives abroad. According to the article, India, China and the Middle East are the top choices out there for people looking to get into American businesses abroad – most of the companies hiring are actually U.S. based companies who are expanding into new markets.

October 17, 2010

Free and Low Cost Volunteer Abroad in Africa

The continent of Africa is one of the most diverse in the world, with more than XX countries making up the the giant land mass. The region also has a strong relationship with the United States in the form of missions and relief – the ongoing rebellions and fighting in many countries in Africa have left millions of its citizens in refugee camps, a large number of which are controlled by the United Nations or large relief groups.

October 8, 2010

Love music, art and travel? Find a cruise ship job!

Usually when we are focusing on work abroad, cruise ships don’t come to mind But few other industries can give you the opportunity to see such a large part of the world while doing what you love. There are all kinds of jobs on cruise ships, from food service to entertainment. Many people who love playing and instrument or singing can find success working the cruise ship circuit as part of the house band or other entertainer.

October 5, 2010

Top 5 (Random) Tips for International Volunteers

If you’ve neen reading this blog, hopefully you’ve gotten some really useful information about volunteering abroad. We’ve covered visas, organizations, resume tips…and of course there is more to come! There will always be some little things, little pieces of advice, that doesn’t necessarily fall into any category or section. That’s what this post is for! I’ve spoken to some of my veteran volunteer friends to come up with the top 5 things that people always forget to tell you before you volunteer abroad. These are the unlikely, random and interesting pieces of advice that you can only really get from someone who has volunteered abroad in the past. I hope that you find it useful!

September 26, 2010

Volunteer Abroad Profile: Cross Cultural Solutions

Today I’m going to briefly highlight one of the “big dogs” of overseas volunteering, Cross Cultural Solutions. This large volunteer placement organization is going to pop up again and again through any search for “overseas volunteering” or “volunteer abroad” that you might type into your search engine. They cover five continents (North America, South America, Asia, Africa and Europe) and for the past 15 years, more than 25,000 volunteers have participated in their programs.

September 24, 2010

Getting the News while Living Abroad

The first few months living and working in a foreign country can be daunting for a number of reasons, including language barriers, access to friends and not feeling part of your new community right away. It can feel especially strange to not be familiar with the names and faces on the news – politicians, celebrities, even local personalities. So how do you keep up with the news while you are living abroad?

September 19, 2010

Free and Low Cost Volunteer Abroad in Asia

Just like our last post spotlighting free and low cost volunteering opportunities in Latin America, this week we will focus on volunteering in Asia. Many of the work and volunteer study abroad experiences in the Far East focus on teaching and tutoring English, but there are many other ways that you can lend a hand to local organizations. This post will focus on opportunities working with children, but keep an eye out for subsequent post about the environment, human rights, and much more.