Ecuador Eco Volunteer

Archive pour la catégorie ‘Learning Spanish’

Here are two testimonials from an Australian couple Angela and Jye the first for the time they spent studying spanish in Riobamba and the second is about their experience volunteering in the jungle inside the Amazon Rescue Center

Riobamba Spanish School

Ecuador Eco Volunteers organized for us private tuition in the bustling country town of Riobamba. The classes were great and we learned a lot very quickly! With the teacher speaking only Spanish to us, it forced us to learn how to ask the right questions to assist in accelerating our learning. Our teacher was energetic, patient, and listened to our needs in what to focus on during our brief 2 weeks there. We were even luck enough to accompany another teacher from the school to a local comminuty to help teach English for school children. Such fun! And aside from learning a lot, the courses were very affordable, and we were able to stay at the oh so comfortabel house provided by Eco Ecuador Volunteers. It was all too easy!

Volunteer in Amazon Rescue Center

Our time with Medardo and his family – human and animal alike – was beyond what we had ever expected, but what we hoped for! We spent two weeks at the Amazon Sancturary, where rescued animals from macaws to turtles to caiman live free in safety to recover from their otherwise dismal fate of illegal trade.

Each day we had to be ready for whatever task or activity Medardo had in mind, and simply go with the flow. Generally, around the several hours for cleaning, path grading or gardening, we had a blast feeding the birds, hanging out with the monkeys, and going on searches to feed and swim with Bambi, Medardo’s dearest tapir.

The rainforest setting is stunning, and perfect for the chilled afternoons, that lead into balmy evenings accompanied by a textured chorus of frog song.

We were fortunate enough to head out for an evening on a frog research mission with a biologist, as well as help out the local community of Mariscal Sucre, creating a sign to be used to deter fishing and hunting in the area. Painting this was in amongst the football games with the forever smiling kids!

Overall, it was a fantastic and chilled volunteer experience. We shared in Medardo’s love for the animals, whilst having plenty of time to ourselves (to practice, practice, practice our Spanish!) and we never felt overworked nor exploited on our volunteer experience. I would recommend it to anyone who loves animals, can appreciate rustic living in remote locations, likes a little physical labour, and has a big heart.