Accommodation with an Ecuadorian Family

Living with an Ecuadorian family has three key advantages: You get to know Ecuadorians, share their way of living and practise your Spanish throughout the day. This will greatly speed up your learning. Manuel has personal ties with a few families that are happy to welcome you in their midst.

For a daily rate of $18 you receive:

• a private room
• three daily meals (daily rate with two meals: $16, only breakfast: $14)
• weekly laundry service

Please let Manuel know in your application from if you prefer vegetarian food or if you are a smoker to find an appropriate family for you.

Hostel / Apartment

Staying in a hostel or even renting a room / apartment is also an option. Manuel will be happy to recommend hostels in various price categories (starting from $10 per night) and can even make advance reservations. If you decide to rent a room or apartment for a long-term stay he will assist you in finding the right location and negotiate fair conditions and prices. Manuel will always recommend safe and reliable accommodation. Please state your exact requirements in the application form.

Placement in volunteer projects

Working as a volunteer makes sense: While practising your Spanish you work hand in hand with Ecuadorians to make a difference in people’s lives. Manuel has good connections to a number of projects in the different fields of social work. He will arrange for you to work in the project of your choice.

Some of the projects include:

• Fundacion Reina de Quito
• Fundacion Esperanza
• Centro de la niña trabajadora (Cenit)
• Fundacion Remar
• Programas de voluntariado "Simon Bolivar"

As experience has shown, it is hardly possible to do volunteer work without a basic knowledge of Spanish. Therefore Manuel strongly recommends taking two weeks of Spanish classes before starting work in your volunteer project. From then on Spanish classes and volunteer work can be easily combined (e.g. Spanish classes in the mornings – volunteer work in the afternoons).

Cultural program / excursions

Manuel knows Quito and the surrounding areas like the back of his hand. Introducing you to well-known sights of Quito will be his pleasure. Manuel will take you on a journey into Quito’s past, telling you stories and showing you the attractions of Quito which are only known to locals and cannot be found in travel guidebooks.

Quito offers a wide variety of sights, including: La Cima del Panecillo, La Basílica de Quito, El Parque Itchimbía, El Teleférico, El Parque Metropolitano among many others.

The surrounding areas of Quito also feature a long list of attractions. In small villages scattered along the “street of the volcanoes” you will experience the simple rural lifestyle of the sierra. Choose from many destinations, such as La Mitad del Mundo, El Mercado Indígena de Saquisilí, Las Aguas Termales de Papallacta or the famous Mercado de Otavalo.

All the destinations can be reached by bus. Manuel can also provide advice for longer trips (see below).

Traveling

Manuel can offer you both advice and active help planning and booking your journeys in Ecuador and beyond. He helps you to book flights, recommends tour agents and will know an answer to almost all of your questions.

Manuel also teaches a special course called “Spanish for Travelers”. In this four-hour unit he will explain local differences in the use of Spanish and teach you special vocabulary and expressions useful for traveling South America. This course unit can be easily included in your daily Spanish classes. Just ask Manuel!

Airport pickup service

Manuel will pick you up at Quito’s international airport “Mariscal Sucre”. He will organise your safe transfer to your homestay family or hostel, guaranteeing a hazard-free start of your time in Quito.