Incredibly enough, I have finished my six month volunteer and work experience in Ecuador. I have mixed feelings of sadness to leave this great country, and excitement to return home to see my family and friends. All of my various work and volunteer experiences here absolutely gave me a true feeling for the culture and life in Ecuador. I absolutely adored teaching children English at my aunt’s school, marveled at the work being done by the microfinance organization and was impressed with the efficiency of the local bread store. I can only hope that my short time helping each of these organizations was impactful.
As I prepare to leave, the one nagging question I have is how to keep this experience alive. After embracing the country, the culture and the people, how do you make sure this is not all a distant memory a year from now?
I understand that for many people who choose to volunteer abroad for a short period of time, all they are looking for is a once in a lifetime experience. However, I know there are many people like me out there who don’t want this to remain a collection of memories. I want to continue to strengthen my relationship with South America through work and travel. I suppose my biggest fear is that upon returning to my “normal life” I will lose sight of all the promises I have made to myself while being here.
Fortunately, when I head back to the United States I will be attending graduate school and will have more flexibility in making sure my desired career path keeps me connected to Latin America. I can definitely stay current on cultural events offered at school and keep up my Spanish skills through classes. At the very least, I think its important for all of us who volunteer and work abroad to come back as positive ambassadors for the country we have come to love. We can dispel negative myths and inspire those who are considering taking the same leap.
I obviously don’t know what the future will hold for me, but I do know that when I return to Chicago in a few short weeks I absolutely will have left a little piece of my heart in Ecuador.
For more on Ecuador, check out posts by La Vida Idealist blogger Dan Malin.
Latest posts by laurenfoukes
- 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
- Saludos de Ecuador! - January 4th, 2010
