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More Students Going to Latin
America
By Jamie VanGeest, mndaily.com
The Southern Hemisphere is
looking a little more attractive
to students looking for
adventure.
According to the Institute of
International Education, the
number of U.S. students studying
abroad in Latin America
increased by 14 percent from
2002 to 2003.
Brazil had a 26 percent increase
in the number of students
choosing to study abroad there,
and Chile had a 30 percent
increase.
The four most popular countries
for study abroad in Latin
America are Mexico, Costa Rica,
Chile and Ecuador, according to
the institute.
Katherine Moss, a program
associate with the University’s
Learning Abroad Center, said she
has noticed a steady increase in
the center’s study abroad
programs to Latin America
through the University.
In particular, she said, she has
noticed more people traveling to
Venezuela.
“Instead of studying biology in
the lab, you have the
opportunity to study tropical
ecology or field biology in the
tropical forest of Venezuela,”
Moss said.
Brad La Nasa, a senior travel
adviser at STA Travel, said he
has noticed more students going
to Latin America during the last
several years.
Many of the trips he has
arranged include tours of the
rainforest and volunteering
opportunities.
La Nasa said many students are
going to Latin America because
it’s cheap and they want
something different from Europe.
Marketing senior Jacob Marek
traveled to Central America last
summer.
In the three weeks Marek was
there, he traveled to Costa
Rica, Panama, Belize, Honduras,
El Salvador and Guatemala.
Marek said he had been to Europe
but wanted to try Central
America because it was something
different for him and it was
affordable.
“I think that the people in
Central America were much
friendlier; someone would invite
us back to their house and you
would meet 20 more people,”
Marek said.
While Marek was in the
rainforests of Costa Rica, he
took a canopy tour, which
allowed tourists to swing from
tree to tree on cables.
“You’re a hundred feet in the
air swinging around looking at
monkeys and birds,” Marek said.
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