The Beginning

For the past seven years, I have spent my summers helping other people have adventures. It was a relatively easy summer job, although not quite what some people imagine. This year, I got to embark on my own adventure.

When I heard about a teaching abroad experience in college, I was immediately interested. I've always had a passion for Spanish (anyone remember that one time I almost changed my major?). I begged my dad for weeks and he finally said yes. I submitted all my paperwork, got all of my reference letters, and set my sights on that five weeks in Costa Rica.

Fast forward two weeks and the program has been cancelled. This was the first time I heard about Worldteach. A friend suggested I try this program since my university let me down. Fast forward through some complicated circumstances and two whole years and you find me here, in Ecuador, volunteering with WorldTeach. My first time on an airplane. My first time out of the country. My first time traveling with absolutely zero people I know. My first time halfway across the world without my best friends. What an adventure.

When I arrived in Quito, I didn't know what to expect. Certainly not the beautiful views of the mountains, the friendly Ecuadorians that make every effort to communicate despite language barriers, my new friends in the WT program. I didn't know I'd fall in love with this country, despite it's faults and flaws. It's like a good book you can't put down. Every part seems too good to be the stopping point, you just have to get to the next page.