I really liked the mix of languages, cultural knowledge but also the constant help from Joshua from administration questions to more specific topics as cultures, architecture (in my case), history or local politics. I felt like I could ask whatever question I had and always got the help I needed :)
The impact of cultural knowledge in this setting cannot be overstated. Understanding different cultures enhances empathy and collaboration among students. When students engage with diverse perspectives, they are more equipped to tackle complex global issues. This exposure prepares them for careers in international relations, business, or any field that requires a nuanced understanding of cross-cultural dynamics.

Overall, I'm very grateful for my time in El Terreno. The program worked closely with the community, allowing you to really experience Ecuador and the local culture. It's clear that the program is aimed to give back to the community and help to improve the live's of those living there. Joshua was super supportive of the other interns and I. He closely listens to your goals, while also being able to offer you suggestions on what could make your involvement even more exciting. Joshua helped to organize multiple trips into the local community, outside of Atandahua, which enriched my entire trip even more. I got to work closely with various professionals, and after working on so many hypothetical projects in school, this brought a certain level of realistically to the project and made everything even more interesting. The man we worked to design a cabin for during my 6 weeks there, was super sweet and humble, which really made you want to do good work and create a good design. There's a wide variety of activities you can do on the weekends in your spare time, which gave a nice balance of work to pleasure, and the opportunity to explore the rest of Ecuador. I'm super happy with my experience and would honestly recommend it to anyone interested in traveling and doing work like this.

The kind of opportunity you are infinitely grateful for! I loved everything about my fantastic trip to the Ecuadorian Andes in the center of the country, discovering ancient vernacular building techniques of local families, which were around 120 years old or more, and having the opportunity to meet local architects. The touching contact with the local population has been a great opportunity to practice my Spanish and get to know their incredible culture. Absolutely grateful to Joshua for his support and dedication to the project and for making my internship such a wonderful moment in my journey through South America.

Doing my internship at El Terreno in the rural Andes was an extremely valuable learning experience. Thanks to the human-centered character of my internship, I got to work with many locals, and discovered new methods of participatory research. I appreciate the most, the variety of skills that my internship have taught me. Besides conducting my qualitative research, I made myself to learn Spanish faster, networked with various stakeholders, hold a workshop with teenage girls and improved my graphic design skills.

Working with the community and learning about the challenges they encounter was a strong motivation during my internship. I loved engaging with the local stakeholders and realizing possible solutions with my teammates. Although, the topic of my research was at times challenging, I enjoyed every day that I worked on my project thanks to the friendly atmosphere at El Terreno. And waking up every day with the view of Chimborazo is pretty awesome too!

After doing an internship of 6 weeks at El Terreno I can say without hesitation that I loved the experience. Joshua is open for the different goals and experiences people strive for, making it easy to create a well suited programme. It allowed me to develop myself in a new environment wherein I could learn new things as well as giving something back. Next to this more practical side, living with Joshua and the other interns was a really pleasant experience. The group activities we organised made the work / travelling experience nicely balanced, while on the other hand it was also possible to decide when to join these activities or not. Lastly the location, Atandahua itself is a rural quiet place which gives it a relaxing atmosphere. In the direct surroundings there is enough to do during the week and the central location allows for easy trips throughout Ecuador during the weekends.

You can feel that this Project comes from the heart and that the main motivation is improving the quality of live for the local community. The love and energy that Joshua and Karina put into the work is omnipresent and create a wonderful atmosphere.

I was nervous to spend such a long time away from home, in a country where I couldn't really communicate with anyone... But from week number two I was hooked and the time went by way to fast. I loved the life in the casa communal with the other volunteers, the interaction with the local community, visiting the market on Sundays, the Spanish lessons, the excursions linked to the internship organized by Joshua, the planning and construction work on Ginas House and the Weekend trips with the other volunteers. I felt very comfortable in my homestay and by the end it was really hard to say goodbye.

After my Bachelor in Architecture, I worked 4 month on an adobe construction site. It was an abandoned building, which we transformed into a tourist accommodation, to serve as an extra income for a local Family (who was super cute and lovely btw). I enjoyed working closely together with the local community - there were 2 Builders that teached and supported me on the construction site (again very lovely people) and an Architekt that helped me with my design and planning work.

Joshua was always there to guide my internship and I had a lot of freedom. I wanted to use this opportunity to both do the planning work and implement my designs on the building site, which worked out amazingly. I learned a lot about my perfession, but also about myself and my place in the world. I would fully recommend an internship with El Terreno - no matter what profession or interests you have.

I'm so thankful for my time at El Terreno! I spent my time there as an architecture intern and got to do a very large variety of things, like different scales of designing, planning as well as working hands on with construction. El Terreno is a place where there's always new things to do and new ideas coming around. The work atmosphere is very open, explorative and motivated, and your wishes, needs or thoughts and ideas will surely be taken into account, even encouraged!

El Terreno is a project that in every aspect has people in focus, it's very clear how important it is and I'm in no doubt that it's impact in Atandahua will have a very meaningful and longlasting effect! Speaking of, the people both in the project as well as the village are so incredibly nice, and it feels like a very safe place.

I'm really grateful and inspired by the work of Joshua and Karina, not to mention the amazing volunteers and interns that I met, and all of our good times together! I loved doing trips together during the weekends, and as the project is situated in the middle of Ecuador, you can go pretty much anywhere. (I would recommend leaving at least a week of travel after the project to have more time to explore though!)

All in all it's an experience I'll never forget, and I definitely recommend it to anyone who is ready and up for immersing themselves in Ecuadorian culture, learning a ton(!!), working hard, meeting amazing people and create unforgettable memories! If you're thinking about it, do it! All the best! //Elise

I had the privilege of interning at El Terreno for 6 weeks, where I worked on a water project and was able to learn so much and make a difference in the community.

I worked with a great team, did a lot of hiking to water sources, talked to community members, learned a lot from our mentors Sebastian and Cristian, researched solutions to improve water quality, and was even able to collect water samples and conduct experiments at the local university. Joshua was very helpful in providing support and giving me the freedom to decide the direction of my internship.

Working on the water project gave me the experience I needed to secure an internship for a global engineering company, and I am forever grateful to Joshua and El Terreno for helping me achieve my goals.