Latin America Travel and Experience
Latin America Travel and Experience
Want to travel and experience Latin America?
Community with travel-loving fellow students passionate about Latin America. A deep dive into Latin American culture, nature, history, music, dance, and food. Unique cultural and personal encounters will create memories for life!
- 3-4 Week Journey in Latin America
- Latin American Food
- Music and Art
- Indigenous Culture and History
- Recent Latin American History and Politics
- Spanish
- Cultural understanding
Study Trip to Brazil and Peru
Join us in colorful Latin America! Experience the atmosphere, new cultural impressions, human encounters, big cities, rainforest, and tropical nature. Through the journey and the year on the program, you will learn about the region’s culture, history, contemporary issues, art, and food – gaining a deeper insight into the world around you.
A Social and Educational Year
On this program, you become part of a close-knit and inclusive community with students who share a passion for travel and interest in the world. The teaching is varied, with everything from cooking, dance, language, music, and history to deep dives into Latin American culture. Throughout the year, you develop cultural understanding, interpersonal skills, creativity, and reflection. You also get the opportunity to learn and practice some Spanish. We work with topics such as:
- Latin American Food
- Cultural understanding
- History and Politics
- Photography and Digital Storytelling
- Latin American Dance and Music
- Current Topics and News from Latin America
A study trip you help shape
In collaboration with your teacher, you plan the trip’s content and prepare for the encounters that await. The goal is to create safe, good and open encounters with people, culture and nature. Throughout the school year we work to understand the region we will visit: before the trip you learn about historical and cultural contexts, and along the way we document the experiences through photos and film that are later used for reflection and learning.
Destinations – focusing on community, learning, and cultural experiences
- Peru – Andean culture, crafts, and living history
Visit Machu Picchu and the Inca areas, learn about Quechua culture, textiles, and crafts, as well as explore village life with traditional market culture. - Brazil – nature, music, and Afro-Latin American culture
Explore the metropolis of Rio de Janeiro, experience music, dance, and culture along the coast, and visit the rainforest, indigenous people, and tropical wildlife.
Learning for life
Through encounters with people, nature, and culture, you learn about indigenous populations, colonial history, social inequality, climate, cultural heritage, and modern societies. You develop both academically and personally – and take with you experiences and impressions you will enjoy for the rest of your life.
Do you want to challenge yourself? This program is a unique chance to learn and experience something truly out of the ordinary.
Teaching
Language – Learn Spanish!
Throughout the year on the program, you will have the opportunity to learn some Spanish. Language is an important part of a culture, and it will be useful to know a few words and phrases when meeting locals on your trip. You don’t need any prior knowledge, and if you already have experience, we will adapt the level.
History and Politics
We learn about important historical and political events in Latin America, with particular relevance to Brazil and Peru. In preparation, we watch historical and cultural films, do thematic deep dives, and share findings with other students at the school. Conversation, discussion, and reflection are a natural part of daily life at the school.
Food, Music, and Art
We explore flavors, crafts, and art from across the region. You will learn to make dishes like ceviche and empanadas, and you will be introduced to traditional and modern art from Latin America. We also invite guest teachers who give us insights into dance traditions such as salsa, bachata, and samba.
Cultural understanding
Cultures are living and diverse. In Brazil and Peru, we encounter everything from indigenous traditions to Afro-Latin American and European cultural traces. We learn about Quechua and Aymara culture in the Andean region and various indigenous groups in Brazil’s rainforest areas. The focus is on understanding similarities, differences, and how culture and history shape language, people, and societies.
Photos and Travel Letters
Documentation of the travel experience is done through photos, audio recordings, film, and diary writing. After the study trip, we work with visual and digital stories, which are presented through photo exhibitions or events at the school. The trip provides unique experiences and perspectives worth sharing!
Featured Guests
- Cine Latino / local film screenings – film, culture, and conversations from Peru and Brazil
- Dance and music scenes in Bergen – salsa, bachata, and Latin American rhythms
- Latin-Amerikagruppene (LAG) – current affairs on environment, politics, and indigenous rights
- UWC – United World College
- Rafto Foundation
Course teacher Angela G. Vågenes
Angela has lived in Norway for many years but is originally from the USA. She is a trained singer and coach and has broad experience in travel and cultural understanding, fitness, food, and health. She is passionate about seeing young people find good ways to flourish and develop. She loves travel experiences and the art of finding sustainable good solutions along the way.
Teacher Nora Samset
Nora has a strong connection to Latin America after living in Argentina as an exchange student. She often travels back to spend time with her host family, friends, and the culture she has grown to love. A 6-month backpacking trip has given her broad knowledge of both well-known and lesser-known places in the region – experiences that provide a good basis for planning and navigating a study trip. She is passionate about encounters with new cultures and what arises when meeting people across backgrounds. Mate (South American tea) is always in her backpack, sparking good conversations.
As a teacher, she wants to give students good and meaningful experiences in encounters with people, culture, and landscapes, and to create a safe, inclusive, and adventurous community built on openness and curiosity.
This is what the students say
The study trip with the class was absolutely fantastic! The people in Mexico were so warm, social, and welcoming. You almost feel like you’re family with them. We got to experience many exciting activities, and my favorite was going rafting in the Lacandon jungle. Seeing and hearing all the birds and jungle plants while we rafted down the river and jumped over waterfalls was truly magical!
We’re really enjoying our time in the Latin America program! The atmosphere is relaxed, without any pressure or stress. We have a fantastic teacher we share lots of laughs with, and it’s great to be in a class with others who are interested in Latin America. A strong love of travel and curiosity about different cultures have brought us together.
Meeting indigenous peoples was one of the coolest parts of the journey. The pyramids and
the history behind it all is incredibly interesting. Temazcal – sweat lodge was a ceremony where we were “reborn”. A cool experience and very different from anything I’ve done before.
In the Latin America program, we learn a lot about Latin America in general, both its history and culture. It’s especially exciting to learn about lesser-known information that you typically don’t hear about in the news. One of the things I like best is learning to dance salsa and making Latin American food together in the school kitchen. The study trip is, of course, a major highlight, and we students get to decide a good deal of what we’ll do on the trip. The high level of student involvement is a big plus.
We got to travel the world, but also ‘bonded’ with people by traveling together. In our class, it was nice to cook together, go for walks in the local area, and it was especially beneficial to learn Spanish. We are left with so many great memories and friends from the class!
The Latin America program at the folk high school in Bergen is for everyone interested in history, culture, and human encounters. The trip is a once-in-a-lifetime experience! I can look back and tell myself: “Wow, we did all of that — it’s almost unreal.” This journey gives you new self-insight, knowledge, and experiences, while the group also develops an incredible bond and gets to know each other really well.
The Latin America program at the folk high school gives you a completely new perspective on life. At least, it certainly did for me.
Eirik
Opplev Latin-Amerika ,
23-24
Apply for a place at school now
Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis and processed in the order they are received. It is always a good idea to be early.
Latin America Travel and Experience – Prices
Registration Fee
NOK 2 800,-Food and lodging
NOK 99 000,-Semester Fee
NOK 12 000,-Group trip
NOK 5 500,-Line price incl. study trip
NOK 62 000,-
Total:
NOK 181 300,-
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the program for?
This program is for you who love to travel and want to experience Latin America. Do you want to learn some Spanish, dance salsa, go on adventure tours, prepare tasty dishes? This is the program for you!
Where do we travel?
In the spring, we embark on an unforgettable and rich study trip to Chile, Peru, and Brazil. Here you will experience big cities, mountains, culture, music, history, and nature – you will get close to locals in three different countries.
Do I need to know Spanish or Portuguese?
What do we work on in the program?
You will learn about, among other things:
- Latin American culture and history
- society and living conditions
- sustainability and global issues
- cultural understanding and reflection
- Spanish
Learning happens both in the classroom and out in the world.
How do we live when we travel?
We live in a simple and safe way, often close to the local community we visit. The goal is to get close to everyday life and culture – not luxury, but authentic experiences.
What can I use the year for going forward?
This year will give you:
- increased cultural understanding
- independence and mastery
- new perspectives on the world
- memories and experiences for life
This is valuable whether you plan to study further, work, or continue exploring what you want.