Global Service and Language Programs

  Ecuador

Duration of Program: 2-4 weeks
Typical Duration of Program: 2-4 weeks

Description: You will spend three weeks in Quito living with a carefully selected Ecuadorian host family, in a quiet residential area of Quito. You will spend four hours each morning in classes with a maximum of five persons each, followed by lunch at home with your host family. The afternoons will consist of excursions and work at an impoverished rural school building outdoor climbing equipment, helping with English, and teaching basic hygiene. You will also visit important sites and museums in and around Quito. Each weekend will have excursions to Indian markets and National Parks where you can bargain for hand woven textiles, ride a horse up a steep mountain or relax in a hammock on the grounds of a centuries-old hacienda. Week four will take you to the Machalilla National Park on the west coast, to Isla de la Plata to see Galapagos birds and whales, and to thermal hot springs.

Highlights:
- Homestay with Ecuadorian family
- Language Instruction
- Community Service at local schools
- Excursions to markets, national parks, Isla de la Plata, thermal hot springs
- Each group of 10 will have a group leader from CIEE who is experienced in student group travel, who will meet the group at the departure city, conduct an orientation to the program and remain with the group for the duration of the trip.

Qualifications: Participants must be between 15-18 years of age. No previous Spanish skills are necessary, but students with a basic knowledge will progress at a faster pace. Participants must be respectful guests in their families,
serious about their commitment to learning Spanish and to social service, be flexible, enthusiastic about meeting new people and in good physical health.

Cost in US$: 3, 995

Program Does Not Include
* Transportation to and from our gateway city
* Passport or Visa fees
Medical fees for immunizations deemed necessary by your personal
physician prior to travel
* Personal spending money or phone calls

Experience Required: no

Age Range: 15-18

Participants Travel to Ecuador in Groups

Typically Participants Work in Groups of 5-10

Application Process Involves:

• Phone Interview
• Physical Exam/Health Records
• Transcript
• Written Application

Council on International Educational Exchange's Mission Statement: CIEE's mission is to help people gain understanding, acquire knowledge and develop skills for living in a globally interdependent and culturally diverse world. We approach our tasks aware of the great responsibility we are given to help mold tomorrow's citizens in a complex and fast-changing world. We are committed to being a truly global organization. We continue to open new offices, establish new programs, and form new partnerships on every continent. We have initiated exchange activities between and among many of the newer countries we now serve and expect this pace to quicken in the coming years. We move into the next century, and into our next fifty years, with lofty, but achievable, goals. We are proud of our past and excited about our future and our ability to contribute to the world in which we live. CIEE moves forward with the same spirit of commitment that has already made us a worldwide leader in international education and exchange.

Year Founded: 1947