BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Lauren Booth, an Illinois Wesleyan University sophomore, is finding her study abroad program is about more than textbooks and tourist sites – it’s also about a hammer and nails. Booth is part of a new kind of study abroad opportunity allowing students to perform volunteer work in the developing nations where they study.
“I wanted to experience life in a developing country, and I knew there were volunteer options integrated into the program,” said Booth, a Hispanic studies major, who is currently studying in Santiago of the Dominican Republic.
Students in the program spend time with local residents. Booth, who arrived in the Dominican Republic in January of 2007, has been in the country for four months. During her time there, the Des Plaines, Ill., native has taught English to residents in Santiago, traveled to a rural village to build latrines with the Peace Corps, and helped at a local orphanage. “We painted furniture, cooked meals and played with the children,” said Booth of her time at the orphanage. “We also had a ‘salon day’ for the kids. It was an amazing experience.”
The goal of any study abroad program is to immerse students in the life and culture of a different country. In developing nations such as the Dominican Republic, that means seeing day-to-day struggles. “I learned first-hand the effects of extreme poverty,” said Booth. “I also learned about myself, and what I am capable of doing to help.”