Rewarding & Excellent Experience

My experience with UBELONG was fantastic from start to finish. The application process was swift, the feedback did not take long and once I was accepted, I felt prepared and comfortable for my trip. The interactions with my mentor, Adriana, were very helpful as was the Preparation Booklet which did an excellent job of addressing almost all of my questions and concerns ahead of the trip. Anything that wasn't in the booklet, Adriana answered quickly and thoroughly.

The living situation in Quito is a home-stay which houses many volunteers, allowing you an intimate view into Ecuadorian life while also being in the company of other volunteers. Many volunteers stop in Quito for a few days on their way to the Galapagos Islands or the Amazon so I was able to meet many different people from all over the world, a very cool experience. The opportunity to get to know an Ecuadorian family while also making new friends with the other volunteers could not have been better.

Teaching English to Ecuadorian children was really fun and rewarding and it was a great way to get exposure to Ecuadorian society. The kids are incredibly cute and so good-natured, and it was amazing to see how quickly they warmed up to the volunteers. I felt a strong bond with the students and I was very sad to leave them on my last day. My UBELONG experience was an amazing way to really get to know a new place and I plan on traveling to other parts of the world with them in the future.