Gap year - American Field Service

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6e klas aso | 383 woorden
31 maart 2012
1 keer beoordeeld

1 keer beoordeeld

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Meer informatie

You’ve just finished secondary school and you don’t have a clue about what you want to do or study next year, or you are graduated and want to get some experience before you’re going to look for a job; then you can opt for a gap year. There are many possibilities of things you can do in this year: you can do voluntary work, take an intensive language course, travel the world, travel and earn money, or you can join an organisation such as AFS (American Field Service). AFS immerses teenagers in a different culture. They place them in a native family in another country, there they go to school, or they go working for free on local projects and sometimes they do their last year again there. But AFS also offers programmes of community service, by example building a school in Africa, or teaching a language to other people.

During the World War, there were some people that voluntary helped ambulance drivers from the American Hospital. They called themselves ‘the American Field Service’). In World War II, this American Field Service sent people to different countries and places like Europe, India... for help. Many people appreciated what these people did and in 1947 the organisation AFS arose, inspired by the heroes from the past. The benefits of intercultural studies like AFS are that you can pay your way, you can prove yourself that you can face a big challenge, you meet a new culture and you’ll also meet new people, you can build solid foundations for the future,...

AFS has exchange programs in more than 50 countries. If I had to choose a country, I think I would go to Spain or to England, so I could learn the Spanish language, or to improve my English. I think that would be an impressive addition to my CV. To be quite honest, I won’t join an organisation such as AFS. I know it’s a great chance to get more independent and to get confidence, but I think that it would be too difficult to go study again after an exciting gap year. I would miss my family and friends too much, and I think that it’s also too expensive.