Before embarking on voluntary ESL teaching in South America, you should fully familiarise yourself with the country that you intend to work in.
Here are a few things you should be aware of with regards to religion, cultural habits, and cuisine.
Unlike Asia and Africa, the continent of South America has only one major religion: Christianity. Approximately 90% of the people are Christians: 82% are Roman Catholics, and the remaining 8% belong to other Christian denominations. Judaism and Islam are also practised in South America; indeed, the largest Jewish and Moslem followings are in Argentina.
It should also be noted that a number of indigenous peoples continue to practice their traditional rituals, and tribal voodoo is still encountered in some Afro-Latinos communities.
The notion of personal space is physically a lot smaller than that in Europe, and it is considered rude to move away when someone enters your personal space. In Brazil, not saying hello or goodbye is considered rude. In Chile, wine is poured with the right hand. The cuisines of South America are extremely complicated to describe, and their characteristics vary from region to region and country to country.
Meat (especially in the southern countries), maize, rice, cassava, potatoes, meal, and quinoa are the major foodstuffs in the cuisines of a lot of regions. Nuts, fruits, and vegetables are amply abundant throughout the continent. The most popular beverages are coffee, rum, and beer: surprisingly, milk is not ordinarily consumed as a beverage per se.
Don’t forget – research the country you are volunteering to work in BEFORE you take up the post.
Read more: 7 Alternative Places To Volunteer Teach English As A Foreign Language