Excursion to La Costa By Luke Thursday, October 20th, 2022: My alarm went off at 4:15am, allowing just enough time to make it to Sauausí Centro before the bus took off for the coast. After 9 hours of driving, sleeping, snacking, resting, and a lot of Bad Bunny, we arrived at the beach of Puerto … Read More

Working at A Women’s Shelter in Cuenca By Mina After only two months, I already know wholeheartedly that I am living to the fullest, and learning so unbelievably much. Even after such little time here in Cuenca, I feel like part of the family at home, part of the foundation at work, and part of … Read More

Tell Us Something We Don’t Know By Maxine I recently got an email from my grandpa in the U.S., who liked to send me work games/fun facts on a regular basis. He asked me to “tell us [my grandparents] something we don’t know.” At first, I was stumped by this prompt. There’s too much to … Read More

Amigos de Cuenca By Emma About a month and a half ago, we were all winding down at classes at Amauta and starting up our internships. During the time classes were happening, most of us were working part-time until classes ended and we started up full-time. But for four of us – Bridget, Isabel, Solomon, … Read More

PEOPLE By Olivia My first host family challenge is chronicled in a notes doc titled “PEOPLE.” It reads: Tanya — natural remedies Jonny — vet guy with horses Rubén — soft-spoken, auto engineering Marisol — fancy government job Juanito — small nephew (6), Minecraft, dinosaurs Josué — big nephew (12), FIFA, TikTok Ceci — biker … Read More

Working With Children: Ecuador vs U.S. By Heather My name is Heather and I’m working at a primary school in Ecuador for 4-year-olds. In the states, I have experience working with children that are a variety of ages but mostly 3 and under. I feel like my experience has helped prepare me for a lot … Read More

Feels Like Home By Isabel I remember getting on the flight from Houston to Quito, sitting between a stranger and a window, taking off, and for the first time feeling like this was actually happening. I think Covid ruined my ability to be excited without fear of whatever I was excited about being canceled or … Read More

Stress and Simplicity By Solomon If there is one thing that I value above all else in my life, it’s simplicity. I have found that the more I can strip away from the extra, unnecessary complications of life, the happier I become. This is apparent to me when I embark on activities such as spending … Read More

Celebrating My 18th Birthday By Mirabel I am here to tell you about how my 18th birthday was celebrated in Cuenca, Ecuador. I think the line that I wrote in my journal “the fact that I have cake crusted in my hair means that it was a good day” pretty much sums it all up. … Read More

Sharing Traditions By Charlie I remember minutes before our “talent show” pleading with Olivia to change my host family following an epiphany about how awesome it would be to live with grandparents. Looking back I want to thank Olivia for not agreeing to this request as I have never been happier to not get what … Read More