I have now been living in Ecuador for nearly three months. It seems unreal to me that just a few short months ago I showed up in this country not knowing Spanish, never having taught before and never having lived abroad. Needless to say, I was nervous when I arrived. But after three months I’m starting to get the hang of everything, and I’m really excited and honored to be sharing my experiences with the La Vida Idealist blog community!
I am currently living in the town of Tumbaco, Ecuador where I am the English teacher at Maria Clara Diaz Mejia elementary school (more commonly referred to as Sendero School). We teach Nursery through 4to de Básica which spans the ages of two years old to eight years old. I am currently teaching English to all the grades except for 3ro de Básica, which adds up to 140 kids.
My aunt owns the school, which is how I was able to find this opportunity. The school continues to grow each year, having started with just 10 kids to its current enrollment of 160. Seeing the school continue to evolve proves to me that my aunt is really serving a need here in the community (tuition at our school is more affordable than most) and that each day her school is making a difference.
I’m also spending one day a week volunteering with FINCA Ecuador, a microfinance organization, in Quito. I am the marketing volunteer there and so I have just been helping with anything they need in the Marketing department. I’m learning more about the microfinance industry through this position and enjoying getting some insight on how the small business sector is developing here.
I’ll be here in Ecuador until the beginning of April. I plan on traveling for a few weeks after I complete my teaching and then afterward I’ll be returning to Chicago. I hope to be attending school in the fall for my Masters in Business Administration, but I am still waiting to hear back from programs.
Hopefully my experiences here in Ecuador will give you all a deeper insight into this beautiful country and what life is like here. Even better, I hope that, as you read about my stories trying to make an impact in this community, you’ll maybe feel inspired to make an impact on yours. Either way, I’m excited to be another voice in this great group of idealists!
Latest posts by laurenfoukes
- Saying Goodbye to Ecuador - March 29th, 2010
- At Some Point I Became Lorena - March 15th, 2010
- Aftermath of Chilean Earthquakes - March 7th, 2010
- Taking the Plunge - March 1st, 2010
- Lo bueno, lo malo y lo feo - February 20th, 2010
- My Country, 'Tis of Thee - February 8th, 2010
- Forget Language Teachers...I've Got Kids - January 31st, 2010
- Staying Flexible - January 25th, 2010
- Pollution Matters - January 22nd, 2010
- "...But Is It Safe?" - January 11th, 2010
Thanks Dan! Teaching children is tricky, but their excitement to learn outweighs any of the challenges.
Kristi – how exciting to head to Peru! For how long? I found that just diving in head first is the best way to get going. Previous volunteer experience ran the gamut…working with kids, the homeless, education, etc. But all previous experiences had been in Chicago or Michigan. But a helping hand seems to be received the same universally – with gratitude.
I think you’re very brave and very smart for challenging yourself so completely. I’m convinced that there’s no harder job in the world than teaching small children. anything. Especially in a foreign language.
Great to hear from a volunteer who has never lived abroad before. I’m moving to Peru in August to volunteer at an orphanage and I’ve had some people question if I’ll be able to handle living abroad since I haven’t up to this point. I sometimes second guess whether I’ll be able to handle it but reading your post encourages me not to worry. What prior volunteering had you done before you got to Ecuador?