cultural travel

For those looking for a more immersive cultural and language experience in Mexico, volunteer tourism, also known as “voluntourism,” is an excellent alternative and one that is being considered more and more. You don’t have to be an adventure traveler to appreciate this alternative method of traveling, but you do ned to have a passion for getting to know the real insides of a country and to give of yourself while receiving a transformational experience of a lifetime. Volunteer Tourism,Read More ...

I’m not sure at what moment it hit me, but this summer I was determined to take my three kids, ages 9, 6, and 5 abroad for a cultural immersion experience. I wasn’t sure where we were going yet, I only knew that I wanted to be immersed in either the French or Spanish language and culture. Why did I want to do this? Well, 34 years ago I was born in Mexico City, Mexico, to a Mexican mother andRead More ...

I get a bit jealous when I read about other contributors’ travels to visit family in Spanish speaking countries. What a great way to not only connect with family, but also to reinforce the Spanish being taught at home in the United States. Unfortunately, I don’t have family abroad to visit, but I was convinced that my own children would greatly benefit from the experience of visiting another country and being immersed in Spanish. Back in high school I startedRead More ...

This picture is a perfect reflection of how we are trying to raise our daughter with multiple cultures and multiple languages. One foot lies on the northern side of the equator representing her North American (Mexican-American) roots while the other foot lies on the southern side of the equator representing her South American (Ecuadorian) heritage. This may be a stretch, but I think it’s an appropriate one considering our meager attempt to add a third language, but her lack ofRead More ...

Editor’s note: This is Part 5 in a continuing series by Amy Conroy. To read the other parts, go here. What is ‘normal’? ~ the question of my life ~ To be honest, life in Mexico is really not so different than life in the U.S.  The details vary and one might say there is more ‘flavor’, but the basics are the same: Jack has soccer practice, Calvin does art class, Cecilia is starting gymnastics.  I grocery shop, we goRead More ...