Posted 15 Mar 2010

People looking to volunteer abroad may like to take a leaf out of the book of an American graduate who is to up sticks and head to South America.

Katherine Hale has moved to Argentina, where she will spend the next eight months, Bowling Green Daily News reports.

After completing her spell at Western Kentucky University in 2007, the 24-year-old has now been awarded a 2009-2010 Fulbright English Teaching grant.

She said: "This is a great opportunity to get teaching experience, learn the culture and improve my Spanish."

Ms Hale will be working as a language assistant at the National University of Villa Mara in Cordoba.

In addition to working 18 hours at the school, she hopes to volunteer at a local orphanage where she will teach literacy skills to pre-school children.

Earlier in the year, an awards ceremony hosted by Hostelworld.com announced that three hostels in Argentina offered the best Latin American places to stay – with Hostel Lao in Mendoza claiming the top prize.

Category: South America