"I wanted to tell you thank you soooo much for having the opportunity to go teach in China. I honestly wouldn't have gone so early in my life without Cultural Embrace. :) I experienced so much and it was the best experience of my life so far. It makes me want to travel and explore the world and how different each and every culture is. I have a new personal goal to visit every continent before the age of 26 :) Hopefully I can meet this goal in the future, but you helped start this incredible journey ahead of me. I loved every second in China. Yes, there were some difficult times, but the whole experience of meeting new people, new language, new country/culture was AMAZING!! I can't tell you enough." ~ Deana, USA ~ Teach in China
 

"I just wanted to say thank you for all your help with finding a placement here in Mexico and answering all my questions.  I feel very good about my job here and can´t complain.  Your program really put my mind at ease in finding secure placement overseas." - Sophia, USA ~ Teach in Mexico

"I LOVED Spain and my host family was AMAZING. They are so nice and made my trip extra especial. I know we will be good friends forever. I want to thank you for helping me find the greatest host family ever! I really hope to go back someday, but this time for much longer. Now, that I got a taste of what it is to travel and experience new things, I am definitely doing it again. THANKS!" - Cecilia, USA ~ Language Living in Spain

”I highly recommend Cultural Embrace to anyone looking to see the world. The staff makes sure you are set up before you leave and that you will be taken care of once you reach your destination. I have researched competitors' offers and yes, Cultural Embrace does indeed give the best value. At the same time, what you see and experience really can't be measured in monetary terms. This has been a rewarding opportunity for my fellow volunteer teachers and me. We have explored various parts of Chile and Argentina; been aired on local TV; and even had the priviledge of meeting Michelle Bachelet, Presdient of Chile. I wouldn't trade this experience for anything.”  -Jennifer, USA  ~ Teach in Chile

"I can honestly say that I love coming to school everyday … When I have to leave these kids, it is going to be one of the hardest things that I will ever have to do. The only thing that I wish is that I have made the same impact on my students as they have made on me.”  -Justin, USA  ~ Teach in Chile


"I have made the decision to teach English in Chile through Cultural Embrace so that I can work on my Spanish while imparting wisdom upon the niños there. Although I was a little nervous about the prospect of teaching English since I’ve never done it before, I was comforted by the fact that I will be working alongside a Chilean teacher in the classroom; basically it’s like having teaching training wheels. My dealings with Cultural Embrace have been great. They were in constant communication with me to help me figure out any problems that may occur with the recent Chilean earthquakes. Their mission statement of "discover the differences, share the possibilities" is something that I have found to be true in all of my travels abroad and is something that I can’t wait to apply to my time in Chile!" - Carolyn, USA ~ Teach in Chile

"Everything is going very well here in China! Tom and I both arrived without any problems, and the staff here has been extremely welcoming and helpful.  The accommodations are also very nice.  We have also already done a great deal of exploring and there is so much more to see!" - Shawn, USA ~ Teach in China

"I could write volumes about the experience... but probably the most enlightening for me was forcing myself into a situation of total frustration: where every day is filled with despair and flailing your arms as if you were drowning.  A few weeks of that is enough to change anyone's life even a little.  And after that, there's this period of growth on a scale that you could never experience in your homeland (speaking your native language).  And once you settle into the new environment- living like a local- THAT feeling is indescribable!" - Bret, USA ~ Teach in Mexico

"I am on my third day teaching now and I have been busy with creating lesson plans and well, teaching. My day is set up is with a homeroom class from 8:30 to 10:20, then a picture dictionary class from 10:30-11:20, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. After that class I have a two-hour break. At 1:30 I have an oral English class, then another one again at 2:30. Usually, at night, there are optional activities that we can do with the kids. Yesterday, we took all 200 kids to a field and had a little competition. The events were a three-legged race, wheelbarrow race, balloon toss, and a relay. We got 1st in the wheelbarrow and relay. For the relay, they had to balance a balloon on a badminton racket, run to the other side, and hand it off. My kids pushed the tied part into one of the crosses of the racket’s string. I know almost all of my homeroom kids’ names, and they are all very well behaved. I am pretty lucky to have them. In one of my afternoon classes, there are two younger girls from Korea. They are adorable and their English is very good. I’d say they are about 7 years old. Today, we stayed an hour extra to have "conversations" with the kids. We got to choose our topics, so I just chose sports. Probably not the best subject for me since they all love basketball, and then baseball, the two I know the least about it. Everything here is going really well though. It’s very tiring teaching all day, and my previous thoughts that I could never be a teacher for a career are being confirmed. I am getting paid a fair amount more than I thought I would for teaching, so that is awesome!" - Chris, USA, ~ Teach in China

"I experienced the 'real China' and it was great! I will always look back at all the fond memories of an interesting job, very sweet and kindhearted people, great Chinese food and EXCELLENT TRAVELING OPPORTUNITIES!"  – Anup, Canada ~ Teach in China ’01-’02, Teach in Poland ’03-’04, Teach in Mexico ‘05

"I sincerely believe that in order to truly know yourself and the world you live in…you need to get out there and experience it! I have had the chance to do some traveling already in my life, but I wanted to do something more than just travel for a week or so and be a tourist....The application process went smoothly and Emlyn and Julie were both very helpful with any questions I had about the program or China itself. The program itself was very reasonable it was just the flight that was expensive. Once I arrived in China we had arrangements to stay in a dorm in Beijing for our week of orientation. We were provided with meals and cultural excursions until we received our placements...It was nice to not be alone. I liked that I had my one on one time with my students, but I also liked being around other teachers as well so we can plan or bounce ideas off of each other. It was nice to experience Chinese people and culture, but also nice to have other Americans there with you to share the experience. So I felt like the structure of the program gave me the best of both worlds...I am immensely happy with my decision to go to China with Cultural Embrace. They were very helpful and professional through the whole process and Emlyn even came to China to meet us and make sure everything was perfect with our placements. It was such a good experience that I am thinking of planning another trip with the company" - Meridith, USA ~ Teach in China

"You know me too well :) I am great, and can be your poster mom! I can tell any one and every one about the wonderful experience's Angelina is having, she is quite the kiddo around here...I happen to believe in your philosophy about making the world a better place through connecting on a more personal level. My daughter Rachel already wants to go to Spain for her tenth grade experience thanks to Angelina's positive experience in France:) Thank you again Emlyn for all you have done I wish you all the best." -Rene, parent of Angelina (Work Au Pair France)

"I had an amazing summer. Thank you so much for making it happen for me. And yes, the Central pub was much better. I’ve actually been back a couple of times to visit!" -Zoe, USA ~ Hospitality Work in the UK

"I just wanted to thank you and your company for making it possible and facilitating me in the process of working abroad in Paris, France. Not only did I acheive my goal of improving my French, gaining work/life experience in the European sector, but in additiona I feel like I have grown within as a person. While abroad I was able to live, work, and gain the knowledge of how it is to survive the 'real world'. An experience that I will take with me and surely share with others!" -Michelle, USA ~ Work in France

"Things are going really well. I've been homeschooling the kids and doing some gardening work and its so fun." Kaylyn, USA ~ Outback Work in Australia

"I really did have a great time working abroad with Cultural Embrace!  My goal was to work, and then take that money and travel around Europe.  Every week I went to a different country or city on my days off, and that is what made this experience so wonderful.  My roommate Roxanne and I got along very well, and I had a few other friends at the hotel who I enjoyed being with...I enjoyed decorating and setting up for the weddings more than anything, even though they were also the longest days...I stayed in a hotel room the entire six months, and did feel the full room and board was a good deal." -Megan, USA ~ Hospitality Work in the UK

"I really had a great time in England, and I am so glad that I found Cultural Embrace because I don't think I would have done anything like this or had the same experience without CE.” -Sarah, USA ~ Hospitality Work in the UK

"A week into my Cultural Embrace placement in London I found myself in elegant Richmond.  Dangling my legs off the embarkment of the river Thames, I watched rowing teams glide by, geese skim the surface of the water and planes descend from the sky to nearby Heathrow, all while the sun was setting!  I felt refreshed in this new and open world.  It is hard to do those feeling justice.  No logic, just pure emotion.  That sort of contentment you receive every so often when you ask yourself 'is there somewhere else I'd rather be?' and answer 'no' with a grin.  Cultural Embrace facilitated a Kerouac backpacking dream come true for me that has since changed my life." - Scott, USA ~ Hospitality Work in London.

"Everything is going great so far. I say so thus far only because I do not want to ginx myself, or wakeup from this dream. My time so far in Spain has already been an unforgettable one. I have already seen things most people only dream of seeing, and I have already done things most people only dream of doing. I can't thank you and everybody at Cultural Embrace enough for helping me obtain this opportunity. I realize it is your job, but y'all were persistent and really seemed to care and take pride in your work. I can appreciate that, and I do appreciate it greatly. 
I do not know how, or where you found the host family I am staying with, but they are great. They wash and fold my clothes, and the father even offered to iron my clothes if need be. Javier (the father) cooked some homemade paella on Tuesday, and I must say, that is up there on my favorite dishes. I just finished the last of what he cooked on Tuesday and cannot wait for him to cook it again. As far as the Sangria, I have not tried it yet. I am not much of a wine person, but I will take a sip in your honor.
I had my first day of work this afternoon. Although my Spanish is not the greatest, it is coming around, and although Sr. Cercos' English is not the greatest, I had a great time at work today and I think it will be an interesting time to say the least. Again, I do not want to ginx myself so I will leave it at that. I am truly privileged to be working on this project. It will be absolutely gorgeous when it is all said and done. I hope I can visit again to see it completed." ~ Russell, USA ~ Internship in Spain
 

"I am having a great time here.  The placements, both of them, have been wonderful.  I am absolutely loving the one here in Salvador, I wish that I didn't have to leave when I do but all good things come to an end right.  Please send a big thank you to all of those that assisted me at Cultural Embrace." - Nicholas, USA~ Internship in Brazil

"There are so many fun experiences- this makes me really think about enjoying my life for just that- not the photos or any physical things, but the memories and experiences." - Katrina, USA ~ Internship in Spain

"I recently graduated and decied to go to London before attending law school. I wanted to find the best way to maximize my time overseas as well as get a good first-hand experience in the field of law. Since my primary interest is international law, an internship seemed like the best option to get the right leevl of exposure. I did some research online, and came across Cultural Embrace's website. After I contacted them, they have been nothing but insightful, resourceful, and prompt in scheduling my interviews, providing housing arrange-ments, and getting me familiar with London and local transportation prior to my arrival. Every time I called the Cultural Embrace office they were very helpful with any and all of my questions. Through Cultural Embrace I was able to successfully secure an internship with the House of Lords in Parliament for six months." - Cheryl, USA ~ Internship in London

"This internship has given me a good insight into the Chinese working environment in Fortis Intertrust.  It is highly different to the working environment in Europe. Interesting and good Education!" - Hardeep, England ~ Internship in China

"Thank you so much again for organizing my internship in Sydney. It was a really precious time there! I learned so much with my internship, and made a lot of friends whom we still keep in touch together. It was very nice experience! Thank you again!" - Kentaro, Japan ~ Internship in Australia

"My internship went well. Everyone was very accommodating and welcoming! Your local coordinator in charge (Andrea) is AWWWEEESOME! She took very good care of me and ensured that my internship was exactly what I wanted. I'm working with the municipal government of Perdro Aguirre Cerda on this program called, "24 Horas". The program deals wtih delinquent teens that have committed some sort of crime. Once we receive the names of the children, we conduct interviews with the families to diagnose if they are high or low risk. We ofer free legal, psychological, and financial services to the teens and their family members. Additionally, the program puts on several programs used to educate kids on various topics. For example, currently, I have to come up with an activity that educates teens on AIDS and AIDS prevention...My job mostly consists of interviewing the families (along with one of the psychologists) attending the activities, and now, coming up with an activity on my own. It's a pretty emotionally intense program, but so far, so good! :-)!" - Erika, USA ~ Intern in Chile

"I am having a great time so far, and I love it here and I love working with the kids. I am actually currently working with an organization by the name of Rotary Club in California because they have found out about my trip and wanted to donate basketball shoes to all the kids who I work with in the program. My coordinator who I worked with in Texas at Cultural Embrace has been very helpful.  Talk to you soon have a great day.  =)" -Adrian, USA ~ Internship in Brazil

Thanks for checking in--everything's going well. I enjoy the job, and I've learned a lot about loans and mortgages. I really think it will be a good resume booster, and good experience overall. I enjoy my boss and the people I work with, so I'm doing great." - Price, USA  ~ Internship in London

"I would like to take this opportunity to compliment your staff's excellent support because this is an extraordinary summer journey and unique experience for Christine. As a parent, I would rate your program as A+ for the following reasons:
1) Christine was carefully and safely protected and guided by your local coordinators during her program.
2) Christine lived with a home-like family and was given a warm, welcome, and was well-cared for by her host family.
3) Christine was given an opportunity to work at a hospital for experience. She made good friends with many patients, nurses, and doctors.
4) We are given the constant update about her status, which is a relief from us.
Thanks again for the wonderful program and experience." -Dr. Lee, father of Christine, ~ Intern in China

 

"Everything´s going really well here. My Spanish instructions are going really well, and my host family is awesome, probably the best one according to many people. Your partners may have been wrong regarding my spanish, because after today´s lesson I see how much more i need to learn. :) And a funny thing, Julio is my instructor, and I hear that he taught you as well when you were here. Thanks for all your help!" - Amir, USA ~ Volunteer in Guatemala

"Turning a slope in the Blue Mountains into a set of stairs - very cool and a good sense of satisfaction afterward – a little bit of creativity and a lot of teamwork go a long way! In fact, the entire project was the best I’ve seen and would gladly work on it for 10 weeks straight if I could! Paul is an amazing team leader who made the experience so much better – he was really great (and a good cook on the barbecue, too). Thanks! An excellent experience!" - George, USA ~ Volunteer in Australia

"I just wanted to touch base with you, I've been in Guatemala for two weeks and a few days now, and I absolutely love it. My host family is great, I climbed a volcano and went to a beach by the name of Monterrico. I work at a library with children every day and I love it, and I'll continue Spanish school for my last two weeks as well. Thank you for everything!" – Stephanie, USA ~ Volunteer in Latin America

"India has been absolutely crazy--but definitely wonderful--so far. From Mumbai we went to Lonavala where we were based during the trekking and ashram stay. The trekking was really cool and the Ashram stay was really nice as well. We did yoga twice daily and were also able to get massages, mud packs, etc. during the day which was really well-timed to follow the trek.The food here has also been amazing...I'm going to be working at the ASRO HIV/AIDS Care Center, there are 7 AIDS orphans there (who are all HIV+) and they are on summer holiday from school right now so I will be able to spend a lot of time with them as well which is exciting. The facilities are really nice as are all of the staff that we met today, so I'm really looking forward to working there." – Alyssa, England ~ Volunteer in India & Thailand

"My experience in Costa Rica was truly life changing.  Cultural Embrace gave me the opportunity to experience rural life and provided adequate flexibility to allow me to travel and explore Costa Rica.  The work was rewarding and the leisure time was always a blast.  Experiencing "farm life," and contributing to the community were essentials of my C.E. experience, the life-long friendships I established far surpass any other aspect of my trip.  Overall, I believe the Costa Rica volunteer program is one of exceptional qualify and of immense value to anyone who experience it."  -Joe, USA ~Volunteer in Latin America

"My trip was awesome! The family is great...the Spanish classes and yor local support were indispensable! They got me a job to work at a local medical clinic...We also saw the running of the bulls down La Calle Xalteva. One of our friends ran in it and sait it was the most exhilirating day of her life. Thanks so much for all your help! IT wouldn't have been as unforgettable without all your assistance!" - Hilarie, USA ~ Volunteer in Nicaragua

"Thank you so much for helping us organize our volunteer vacation trip to Guatemala. Your local coordinators were extremely helpful in making sure that everything went according to plan. We enjoyed staying at the guest house and loved the homemade meals cooked by Adela.  Adela was such a joy in the house and we managed to communicate well enough with our non-existent Spanish. We also appreciate the extra effort that your coordinators made in ensuring that we were well looked after for the entire week – the drivers were always punctual and courteous; Luis, our private tour guide for the week, was extremely accommodating; and the office staff went out of their way to make sure that everything went well for us.  In addition to our volunteer work in San Mateo, they also arranged for us to visit another orphanage during the week. We loved working with Juan Jose and the children in San Mateo. I think we surprised him with our ability to move cinder blocks up the hill – despite being five somewhat small women, we formed an efficient assembly line and moved all of the blocks as requested. We also had a chance to teach English to the children, a daunting task as it  was a last minute request!  The girls loved the children and would have easily stayed on longer than our one week period." - The Ho-Tai Family, Canada ~ Volunteer in Guatemala  
 
It was a wonderful experience and, for my daughters and nieces,  a most memorable trip.  Thank you again for all of your patience in answering my numerous questions and for providing us with this last minute volunteer experience.  We will certainly contact you again for any upcoming volunteer trips in the future.

"Thanks for checking in.  Patti and I are having the best time traveling... Vietnam is an amazing place.  So far our program is great.  There seems to be a lot of fun things to come." - Rachel, USA ~ Volunteer in Vietnam

 "I was met at the airport and greeted like I was someone special. The culture shock and depression did begin once I got there, but as your Cultural Kit explained that was normal and I was expecting it. The Spanish lessons and volunteering for the street children I worked with were wonderful. Thanks for the great trip and lifelong experience." – Kerry, Canada ~ Spanish lessons & Volunteer in Guatemala

"I hear from Michael almost every day by email. He is loving life and has met a variety of people...His host family is very nice. Just thought you may want to know he is doind well, and we appreciate all of your assistance, especially with limited time to organize everything. I think I may fly down the last week to see him and all his new friends!" - Barbara, parent of Michael ~ Volunteer, Spanish & Surf Classes in Costa Rica

"The Italian classes are great, I’ve learned a lot and feel that I’m mastering the language much faster than if I were taking classes at school. I’ve even taken a cooking class, which will let me know how to make these delicious meals when I come home!" – Melissa ~ Italian language & cooking

"We're home from our great China trip. And it was really great! The students and faculty agreed that it was a life-changing experience that exceeded all expectations. The arrangements you made were excellent, as were the guides and transportation in both Shanghai and Beijing...We definitely want to work with you again next year!" Dr. Turk, Journalism Professor  ~ China Faculty-Led program

"This trip was absolutely fantastic in every aspect of Costa Rica that I hoped for. The staff (in Austin) and guides (in CR) were far better than expected. They always tended to our needs, before we left for the trip, and while in Costa Rica. They insured that all of our wishes were met. Traveling wiht a group of high school students can be worrisome, but they always made sure that everyone was comfortable and happy...I hope to take this or a similar trip again!" - Donna, Biology Teacher/Group Leader ~ Costa Rica Eco-Adventure Trip

"I think the time we spent hanging out with these kids was priceless. SOme of their backgrounds were heartbreaking, and seeing them so well fed, happy, and normal was very comforting...Just wanted to say THANK YOU SO MUCH for all your help. It's definitely an experience that we won't ever forget, and thank you for setting it all up!" Monika & Volunteer Impact from University of Illinois Alternative Spring Break ~ Service Trip in Mexico

"Cultural Embrace's trips are so innovative and you provide such exceptional service. I have been impressed with each trip you have arranged, and how smoothly things have run, the capability of the local travel guides, and the overall enriching experience. In no way the typical, run of the mill tour." Carolyn, ~ Australia/New Zealand '08; Nicaragua ' 07; Ecuador '06