<p>Well, I’m a student from India, and I recently realized that if my plans for the US work out (hoping really hard right now, of course!), then, once my Board exams are over in March, I’m going to be pretty much free till September…
That’s six months.
And I want to do something!
Travel abroad (especially if it involves learning a language) is extremely appealing. But even volunteering or working at a job would be great.
What are the options available to me? Also, what options cost the least, or have scholarships available? Probably wanting to earn is a bit of a stretch, but- ah, I can wish!</p>
<p>I have read about IFRE, that lets you volunteer abroad. You don’t need to be a U.S. Citizen.
[International</a> Volunteers Destinations](<a href=“http://www.ifrevolunteers.org/destinations.php]International”>http://www.ifrevolunteers.org/destinations.php)
Ghana is reasonably priced. </p>
<p>How about one of the across the U.S. on a bus tours for 34-36 days of your break? Do any of these fit in for you? Kind of rough accommodations but the prices are great.
[USA</a> Expedition - Green Tortoise Adventure](<a href=“http://www.greentortoise.com/adventures/cross.country.usa.expedition.html]USA”>http://www.greentortoise.com/adventures/cross.country.usa.expedition.html)
Washington DC, New York, Boston, San Francisco and a lot of the U.S. in between.</p>
<p>You might be able to find a program that allows you to work at an amusement park/theme park or at a summer camp in the U.S. There are some program for foreign college students but I don’t know how exactly they work. There are always a lot of international students working at Cedar Point, and there are dorms.
<a href=“http://www.cedarpoint.com/public/jobs/general/miscellaneous.cfm[/url]”>http://www.cedarpoint.com/public/jobs/general/miscellaneous.cfm</a></p>
<p>Kibbutz ulpan programs in Israel let you live, work and learn Hebrew or Arabic
[Kibbutz</a> Program Center | Kibbutz Program Center](<a href=“http://www.kibbutzprogramcenter.org/]Kibbutz”>http://www.kibbutzprogramcenter.org/)
You’d meet people from all over the world and many backgrounds, who come to Israel for these experiences.</p>
<p>If you’re l8 you could also see if volunteering with Magen David Adom (Israel’s Red Cross) fits your goals.</p>
<p>My friend & her adult kids worked at an orphanage in Tibet. Their efforts were greatly appreciated. If you’re interested, I can try to get more info.</p>
<p>I second trying international volunteering! </p>
<p>Another option is going abroad to teach English (assuming you’re comfortable with it & from your writing it appears you’re very fluent).</p>
<p>Thank you so much for your replies!
I’d love to volunteer abroad, but teaching English, especially if it involves learning a new language myself would be the best thing ever (I began learning French a year ago)… finances are a problem though.
I’ll check all the links right now… HImom, I’d greatly appreciate it if you could get additional information.
Thank you once again!</p>
<p>PS: I’m not 18 yet. Will turn 18 in June.</p>
<p>I think you should sleep until 2:00 PM every day, play video games until 5:00 AM, and be cranky with your parents and siblings. You’ll never have this chance again!! :rolleyes:</p>
<p>But I already do that weekends! Some novelty would very much help, n’est-ce pas?</p>
<p>Some more informative advice?</p>
<p>Sushmita, have you tried a search of College Confidential, using the words “gap year” or “gap year program”? There are many old threads on this topic. The challenge will be wading through to find those that might occur within a half year. </p>
<p>Go to back to the forum pages for Parents Cafe, Parents Forum, and College Life. At each location, look at the top right of the page to click “Search This Thread.” Type your keywords in the window.</p>
<p>Important: Look for where you can unclick a bubble of “show results as posts” to “show results as threads.” Click for “threads” so your results will be more on-topic.</p>