Deep Immersion and City Living in Cuenca, Ecuador

Name: Deep Immersion and City Living in Cuenca, Ecuador
Brand: Amigos de las Americas
SKU: 271122
Rating: 4.67 (3 reviews)

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4.67 Rating

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Location

Ecuador
- Cuenca

Length

12 - 52 weeks

Program Tags

Conservation Cultural Immersion Hands-On Learning Language Immersion Post-High School Social Justice Volunteer Abroad

Financial Support

Need-based funding, 529 Plan eligibility

Health & Safety

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Program Details

Activities

City Exploring Hiking Sightseeing

Timeframe

Academic Year Fall Spring

Housing

Host Family

Primary Language

Spanish

Age Min.

Age Max

Pricing

What's Included

Accommodation Activities Meals Park Fees Transportation Travel Insurance Visa

Last Updated: Jan 10, 2023

Last Reviewed: Feb 09, 2020

Wish List

3 travelers are looking at this program

About Program

Spend a semester or year in the scenic Andean city of Cuenca! Study Spanish and complete an internship with a local organization in this amazing setting steeped in rich history and culture. Working alongside colleagues at your internship, you'll learn to develop, support, and implement a sustainable service project. Dive into topics like community development, social justice, collective action, and cultural humility. Live with a host family to get the full immersive experience of living abroad and becoming part of a new community. Have the adventure of a lifetime exploring a new country and traveling to must-see spots!

This program is currently not being promoted on Go Overseas by its provider. Check with Amigos de las Americas for the most up-to-date information regarding the status of this program.

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Program Highlights

Speak Spanish, take Spanish classes, and maybe even pick up some Kichwa!
Volunteer with local partner organizations like indigenous-owned community tourism projects or sustainable farms
Travel across the country and visit places like Cajas National Park, the Pacific Coast, and Andean peaks
Immerse yourself in Ecuadorian culture
Leadership training and mentorship

Popular Programs

Cuenca, Ecuador: 2022–2023 Semester or Year

Live with a host family and intern with a local organization! Immerse yourself in the rich, Andean culture and city life in Cuenca. Focus on environmental sustainability, education and youth development, social impact, or arts and cultural preservation. Explore the region and go on group excursions to places like the Amazon, a visit to an indigenous community, the Pacific coast, national parks, and the highlands near Cuenca.

Program Reviews

4.67 Rating

based on 3 reviews

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Rating Spread Gap Year

5 rating 66.67%
4 rating 33.33%
3 rating 0%
2 rating 0%
1 rating 0%

Housing 5
Support 4.7
Fun 5
Value 4.7
Safety 4.7

Showing 1 - 3 of 3 reviews

I participated in the Cuenca Gap semester from January-June 2019, and it was truly an amazing and transformative experience. I think the Amigos program did a great job of helping participants settle into their lives in Cuenca, by spending the first week in a hostel with fellow participants while getting used to the city, and then by spending the first month in intensive Spanish classes to prepare participants for their placements. My host family was incredibly loving and supportive, and I really felt like I became a part of their family and vice versa. I felt supported by Amigos staff in Cuenca, but not in an overly-stifling way. Every 2 weeks, we had check-ins with supervisors, just to make sure everything was going well, but they were always available if we needed them for anything. We also went on trips to different parts of Ecuador every month, including to the beach and to other cities, which was really amazing as well. All in all, I loved my time with Amigos and would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a gap program that provides structure but is not overbearing. I think my favorite part was that supervisors really treated us like adults, and we were pretty much living independent lives in Cuenca while knowing that there was support available if we needed it.

If you did this all over again, what's one thing you would change?

The one part of the Amigos program that I wasn't overly crazy about was coming in in the spring semester. I loved that there was the option to only go for a semester, but at the same time, it was weird coming in halfway through other people's program, when they had already formed bonds and were well-established in the city. I don't know that the year-long program would have been right for me, but I think knowing what I know now, I would switch my semesters and participate in the fall instead of the spring.

Trip to Giron waterfall with Spanish school

My gap semester with Amigos was an incredible and formative experience. I think about Cuenca, my dear host family, and the lessons I learned there almost daily. Amigos did an excellent job finding a loving host family for me—they were wonderful and I hope to visit them someday. Although I did not imagine myself with the internship I had (I volunteered at a preschool in the city center), I now realize it taught powerful lessons in patience and self-advocacy. I also came to understand the great privilege it was to have any sort of job in a Latin American city. Most of my coworkers had been through extensive schooling and were in charge of these giant groups of kids day after day for years. I could get up and leave whenever I wanted!

The language classes were very thorough and streamlined (they don’t waste time teaching vocabulary or grammar tenses you will never need to know). The highly structured format of the language school field trips and monthly Amigos excursions are perfect for someone who has never traveled solo in a different language before. As someone who had previously done this, there were times when I felt we were being babysat. However, I came to appreciate the safety, included transportation, and insider access we had as a group.

I took advantage of the independent travel opportunities we had during the semester—and these trips were some of the highlights of my time in the country. It was during these smaller group trips that I really learned about myself and how I function in groups. All the while, we had the insured support of our supervisors who were just a few hours away (another thing I took for granted but now appreciate, looking back on all of the things that could have gone wrong).

The supervisors I had were great people with a plethora of knowledge and well-seasoned opinions of Cuenca. Though I did not require as much support as some of the other participants, I am again glad they had my back just in case.

Overall I recommend this program to open-minded, inexperienced travelers. While young adults from all walks of life can benefit from some way in this program, the open-minded, inexperienced travelers in my cohort enjoyed the program the most.

You’ll gain language skills, intercultural competency, and friends from all over the world (Ecuador, the US, and Europe!) Best of luck!

What was your funniest moment?

I lived with a family of five: two parents, three kids. The youngest of the kids (five years old) was the goofiest and chubbiest boy I have ever met. There were too many funny “Gabo moments” to just pick one. Some of my favorite include him barging into my room to read me stories early in the morning and watching action movies like Jurassic Park together.

My time in Cuenca was extremely difficult especially the first two months but it challenged me to grow in every aspect of my life! It gave me professional work experience, improved my Spanish, and allowed me to create friendships with Ecuadorians and participants. I appreciated that every participant got their own room in the host family home. It was a great mix of integration with a host family while respecting that participants need space. We were able to go on excursions to the Amazon, too! It was hard to get used to a new environment and family, but with time you really get to know everyone.

What would you improve about this program?

They have a 4 month and 8 month option. I did the 4 month option, but I felt like the first 4 months were still me getting adjusted to living in a new country. Those that stayed for longer definitely got more out of it since they were able to enjoy the second half with more of a sense of what was going on.

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Questions & Answers

Alumni Interviews

These are in-depth Q&A sessions with verified alumni.

Why did you choose this program?

I chose AMIGOS because I had done a program with them in Nicaragua when I was in high school. Their gap year program seemed like the next step up and I was able to have an internship while I was abroad.

Their program was also one of the more affordable ones I found and felt more authentic because of the host family experience. They also highlight that you learn grant writing through your internship which has been a marketable skill going forward.

What did your program provider (or university) assist you with, and what did you have to organize on your own?

AMIGOS set participants up with an internship depending on their interests and previous work experience, a host family to stay with, Spanish classes, and excursions every couple of months. They also had about a week of training in Texas that served as an orientation.

If you wanted to leave the city and plan your own trip, you totally can, but you would need to organize that on your own! Otherwise, everything you needed was taken care of by AMIGOS.

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What is one piece of advice you'd give to someone going on your program?

I would say stay for the entire year! The program is extremely challenging but you get the hang of it after a while! Those considering the semester option might not have enough time to assimilate and make the most of their time in Latin America. And take dance classes before you go, trust me on this one.

What does an average day/week look like as a participant of this program?

An average day starts with waking up and eating breakfast with your host family, then walking to the bus stop and going into downtown where you would either go to Spanish classes or your internship. I usually met other participants for lunch or ate with my internship supervisors at their house.

After work, other participants and I would meet at a dance or yoga class. I always ate dinner with my host family and if it was on the weekend we would end the night at a discoteca!

Going into your experience abroad, what was your biggest fear, and how did you overcome it? How did your views on the issue change?

My biggest fear was the notion that taking a gap year or semester was a waste of time. It was hard to watch my friends go straight to college when it felt like I was taking a break. But as it turns out, my time abroad was extremely valuable.

Apart from learning grant writing and perfecting my Spanish, many participants and myself also found a lot of clarity in terms of what we wanted to pursue when we returned to the US. I changed my major as soon as I got to USC, largely in part from my experience at my internship in Ecuador.

What's your favorite memory from your time abroad?

As an avid backpacker, I was able to spend time in the national parks around Ecuador hiking and exploring. I expected to find some strange plants and animals but no matter how many warnings you get, the first time you run into a llama is really something. Especially when they spit.

About Amigos de las Americas

Founded in 1965, AMIGOS is the safest, most authentic volunteer and immersion program in Latin America for young people ages 13 to 22. Volunteers get the opportunity to explore a new country, learn Spanish, and make a positive impact by working on a community service project side by side with local peers and community partners. Our relationships...