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Transitions Abroad Magazine September/October 2005 Vol. XXIX, NO. 2

Issue Focus: Educational Travel Overseas, Volunteer Travel Abroad, Working Abroad, International Careers. Regional Focus: The Balkans, Central Asia, Eastern Europe, Middle East

In Every issue

Information Exchange
Traveler’s Almanac
Book Reviews
Program News & Notes

Abroad at Home
When You Can’t Hit the Road, Hit the Books Kelly Westhoff

Interview
Jean-Marc Hachey: Living and Working Abroad Clay Hubbs

Features
A Day in Montenegro Rob Sangster
Trekking in the Balkans Mary and Bill Burnham

Immersion Travel
Jordan’s Ancient Wonders Meryl Sargent
Learn Spanish in Guatemala or Spain Kate Gustafson
Language School Homestays Michael D. Kerlin
Central Asia Travel Tips Jessica P. Hayden

The Resourceful Traveler
The Benefits of Becoming a Local Tim Leffel

Local Encounters
Winter in St. Petersburg Michele Peterson

The Senior Traveler
The Other Middle East Alison Gardner

Back Door Travel
Discover the Next Prague Rick Steves

Living Abroad
La Vida Local Jan Morgan

Volunteer Travel
The Best Resources William Nolting
Making the Most of Volunteer Vacations Doug Cutchins & Anne Geissinger
Volunteer Vacations to Fit Doug Cutchins & Anne Geissinger
WorldTeach Alicia Seegers Martinelli
South Africa’s Lion Park Sergio and Pat Pastore
Teaching in Brazil Natalie Andrews
Combating AIDS in Tanzania Melanie Williams
Coming to America: Students Learn the Horrors of Border Crossings Julia Malette and Robin Bravender
Ecovolunteer in Argentina Ande Wanderer
Volunteers Receive More Than They Give
Dharamsala Mandi Mkeogh
Tanzania Ben Gerrish
Lima Margaret Carleton
Guatemala City Penelope Bridgwater

Working Abroad and International Careers
The Best Resources William Nolting

Working Traveler
Choosing a TEFL Course Tiffany L. Hendrix
First-Time Teaching in Asia Lucia Novara
Japan Job Fairs Zoe McLaughlin
Staying in Europe for Free Lisa Cordeiro
Jobs in Ukraine James Hydzik

International Careers
USAID Work Abroad Jessica P. Hayden
Canada Wants You Ramona Grenier

Education Abroad
Delay the Real World Colleen Kinder
Serve and Learn Hannah Kane
Arabic Study in Cairo Rose Aslan
The Impact of Service Courtney K. Peters and Travis C. Stalcup
Study in Eastern Europe Kristine Zamastil-Vondrova
Study in Lithuania Dominique Farrar
Immersion in Russia Melissa Barton

Transitions Abroad
At the Crossroads Bina Sheladia

 

From the Editor

In the July/August issue we profiled Peter Knowles, a 77-year-old who founded the nonprofit organization Hearts Helping Hands to provide supplies and equipment to farmers in Tanzania after he volunteered there with Global Service Corps. When the article was published, a reader contacted him to say how thrilled she was to learn of an organization that accepted volunteers her age.

Few seniors seem to realize how many volunteer opportunities are available to them, and how much they have to offer host communities—both in life experience and professional experience. If you are a senior interested in volunteering abroad, you may want to read this issue’s featured section on volunteer vacations (page 34). You might also revisit the July/August 2005 issue, in which Senior Travel editor Alison Gardner highlights more than a dozen organizations that offer ever-more-popular senior-friendly volunteer vacations. (Peace Corps, for example, has seen a rise in volunteers over age 50 from 1 percent to 6 percent in just a few years.)

A common discovery by older and younger volunteers alike is that when serving communities they gain more than they give. Volunteering is, after all, one of the best ways to meet local people and immerse oneself in the host culture. Volunteers routinely work alongside community members, share meals, and experience their day-to-day life.

If you’ve always dreamed about volunteering overseas but are not sure how to go about it, read the advice of Doug Cutchins and Anne Geissinger in “Making the Most of Volunteer Vacations” and “Volunteer Vacations to Fit” (pages 35 and 37). They help you ask the right questions for finding the organization best suited to your needs and interests, and they cover the three stages of a volunteer experience itself.

If this issue’s firsthand reports, as well as those archived on www.TransitionsAbroad.com, spark your interest, Bill Nolting’s volunteering abroad resource section (page 34) will provide you with all the tools you need to start planning.

The younger generation is fortunate to have much guidance in arranging volunteer experiences. As Hannah Kane points out in “Serve and Learn”, many study abroad providers offer structured service-learning options, which combine academic study with community service. Students’ experiences in and outside the classroom reinforce each other in a way that builds deeper academic understanding, greater cultural awareness, and hands-on skills, while making a positive real-world impact on a community.

Courtney Peters and Travis Stalcup cite an example of music and Spanish major Caitlyn Bodine, who enrolled in a music therapy service-learning project while studying in Santiago, Chile. Caitlyn provided valuable help to children with mental and physical disabilities, and she also came away with a career goal: to be a music therapist.

For many recent graduates and students like Caitlyn, as well as professionals seeking a career change, volunteering or interning abroad is an opportunity to gain experience that can lead to a future career or enrich a current one. As Jean-Marc Hachey, author of The Big Guide to Living and Working Overseas, emphasizes in his interview with Dr. Clay A. Hubbs (page 12), building international skills and gaining knowledge on "how to interact with people from other cultures in a cross-cultural work setting" is critical to finding overseas employment.

The good news is that in today's shrinking global community you are more likely than ever to find a job abroad. For starters, you can explore the options described in this issue’s work abroad articles. You can also get help from Bill Nolting's extensive resource section on international careers, job listings, and short-term paid work and internships abroad.

In the January/February issue, Work Your Way Around the World author Susan Griffith will update her annual resource section on the key short-term employers worldwide.

Sherry Schwarz

Transitions Abroad

Publisher and Editor
Sherry Schwarz
Founding Editor and Publisher
Dr. Clay A. Hubbs
Web Content Editor
Gregory Hubbs
Design
Nashima Gokani
Advertising Manager
Kate McGrail
Office Manager
Patricia Bolognani
Intern
Julia Rosen
Intern
Victoria Churchill

Contributing Editors

Alison Gardner (Senior Travel)
Bill Mohan (Teen Travel)
Cynthia Harriman (Family Travel)
Deborah McLaren (Responsible Travel )
Edward Trimnell (Language Immersion)
Kathy Widing (Travel Books)
Michele Scheib (Disability Travel)
Rick Steves (Budget Travel)
Rob Sangster (Independent Travel)
Ron Mader (Ecotourism and Latin America)
Susan Griffith (Work)
Volker Poelzl (Living)
William Nolting (International Education and Work)
Zahara Heckscher (Volunteering)

On The Cover
A traditional Jordanian Army band musician playing the bagpipe in the main ampitheater.

Alissa Everett is a freelance photographer based in San Francisco. Her journeys have taken her throughout the Middle East, Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Americas. She has been published in numerous national and international publications, including: The Sunday Times of London, BBC, CNN, NBC, Associated Press, and Sunset Magazine.

Mission Statement
Founded in 1977, Transitions Abroad is the only publication dedicated to work, study, living, and immersion travel abroad. Its purpose is the dissemination of practical information leading to a greater understanding of other cultures through direct participation in the daily life of the host community.




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