I went to Cusco, Peru, on the Language and Cultural Immersion Programme. As there was no one else at my Spanish level, I had four hours of private Spanish lessons from Monday to Friday. This had its pros and cons. My lessons were tailored to my needs, I could work at my own pace, and my teacher really pushed me to improve my speaking skills. However, concentrating for four hours of one-to-one lessons could be tiring, and it also meant I had fewer opportunities to meet other people on the project. I had a good amount of free time to explore, and booking my Machu Picchu trip through the project was a real highlight. It was well organised and communication was excellent throughout. I also stayed with a Peruvian host family, which was one of my favourite parts of the experience. They were incredibly caring and welcoming, and living with them encouraged me to speak more Spanish in everyday situations. I also loved trying their homemade Peruvian food. My advice to future volunteers would be to make the most of every opportunity to practise Spanish, even if you make mistakes, and to get involved in activities and trips outside the programme. Overall, it was a great experience in a beautiful part of the country
