Ecuador: Santa Elena

One of my favorite aspects of being an AMIGOS participant is the homestay experience. I got to spend 4 weeks with a host family in Ecuador, which was an amazing way to connect to the culture. A big part of why I enjoy speaking Spanish is the ability to talk to other people and learn from them. I had an incredible host family who was so open to sharing their life with me, and I had so much fun spending time with them and learning how to cook or play games that they enjoy. I also learned more about myself and how to form deep connections with people in a short amount of time. I love the opportunity to get to live in a place for a few weeks, rather than just visiting the touristy parts of a country. It means that I got to connect with my host family, but also with others in my host community who worked on the project with me or just saw me walking around and wanted to talk. The freedom that AMIGOS gives participants is a beautiful responsibility because it means that we can explore the community we're living in without our hands being held the whole time. The standards of conduct are easy to follow and don't prevent fun and exploration. AMIGOS can definitely be a challenging experience, but both times I have done it, the highlights have been more than worth the challenges.