Just Go

This program was perfect for a someone like me. It gives you enough freedom to really find yourself and plenty of guidance if you are confused or lost. The month-long orientation was extremely helpful. It is crafted to make you feel as comfortable as possible with your new environment, new language, even with your new colleagues. My field directors were really cool people. They don't act like parents or bosses. They do whatever they can to make sure you are safe and sound. And in extreme cases, they will stop what they are doing an come to your site to assist you. All of this is to say that my transition to into my new situation was smooth thanks to this program.
Be prepared to work. When I arrive at my site in Esmeraldas, Ecuador, I assumed I would be a teacher's assistant or work with children in the community. Some of my colleagues did get those types of assignments, but not I. I was given the responsibility of a university professor. Structuring curriculum, grading papers, assigning project, uploading official grades. It was a challenge but a welcomed one. You've been warned.
Then there's the culture. Man, oh man. Culture. It's everything. Your new world will change the way you food, language, friends, family, humor, love and everything else.
I highly recommend this program to anyone, like I, who is reluctant to begin working right out of college and you think you might like teaching, or, in the case of some of my colleagues, you just want to try something different.
I'm still here, by the way! Five years after my initial journey, I still live and work in Esmeraldas. I am now a full-time professor with benefits and have an Ecuadorian wife and son. So, just go! If your heart is in the right place, it could change your life forever