Volunteer Opportunities in Ecuador Quito

1- How were the local ABV Coordinator and the support provided in-country?
Laura and her family were amazing. They were so welcoming, and they were always there to help me whenever I needed something. If I needed anything I could ask Laura. She gave me suggestions on things I could do as well as tips on how to be safe with I’m traveling. She and her family really cared about me and wanted to make sure that everything was good. I loved getting to know them and their adorable dog Zach.

2- What was the most surprising thing you experienced?
The most surprising thing I experienced was how sweet the people are. I interacted with many of the local people while on my job and I found that they were so nice, welcoming, and happy. They were so sweet to me and were patient with me when I didn’t understand what they were saying to me. I was also surprised at how amazing the city of Quito is. It is so vast and beautiful and truly amazing city.

3- What was most difficult to experience?
The most difficult part of my experience was the language barrier. I came to Quito with high school level Spanish. I quickly learned that that was not enough. The first few days were tough getting used to everything being spoken in a different language. Laura and her family were great at trying to help me understand.

The most difficult part was during the first few days at my job when I had to speak to the nurses and patients in Spanish. I quickly learned how to ask them basic things about their health and after a few days, I noticed that I was started to understand more and more and I was able to say more and more.

Go to Ecuador

4- Any tips for future volunteers… 
It is cold here in the mornings and at night so definitely bring pants, long sleeve tops, and a sweatshirt or two. When you go out try to layer because in the morning it might be cold but by midafternoon it will be sunny and warm.

Bring comfortable clothes because after a long day at work it was really nice to be able to come back and change into something comfortable. Bring your laptop or other devices because the house has WiFi. I brought sterile gloves and gauze pads to my site to donate.

Volunteering Ecuador

5.1- Other things volunteers should know:
Bring a photocopy of your driver’s license and passport with you. Leave the actual passport and license in the house you are staying at and take the copies with you when you go out. Also, try to bring bills that are $10 or smaller because some places won’t accept large bills. Bring a small bag that you take with you when you go to your site or go around the city.

6- Personal Paragraph (ABV Program Testimonial):
I am so grateful I was able to go on this trip. I learned so much from Laura and her family along with the nurses and patients at my site. Every day I would wake up excited to go to my job and get to see the nurses and patients. When I would come home I was able to walk around and explore. I had so much fun getting to know the city and I will always love Quito. It has been an experience of a lifetime and I cannot wait to return here someday.

7- How would you describe your accommodation, meals, security (e: host family, on-site, shared)
I stayed in the host family’s apartment. I stayed there with Laura’s family. The house was very clean and nice. I had my own room and I was able to come and go as I pleased. The food was amazing and dinners with the family were so great. The apartment is very secure. I never once felt scared or unsafe.

Volunteer Ecuador

8- What was your favorite memory of this trip?
My favorite memory of this trip is taking the family dog, Zach, on walks with Laura’s son after dinner. It was really nice getting to walk around and just learn more about Ecuador and the family. One weekend I went to Mitad del Mundo with Laura and another volunteer. I was such a great experience and such an amazing day. I also went to Teleferico one day with one of the volunteers. There you take a chairlift up the mountain and you are able to see views of the whole city. It was breathtaking.

9- How was the ABV USA support prior to traveling?

The ABV USA support was great prior to travel. I had to change my dates a couple of times and they helped me change them without a problem. Whenever I had a question about my trip I emailed them, and they would quickly respond to me. I also called them a couple times just to be sure about dates and booking my flight and they were always available and willing to help.

10–Are you willing to speak to other potential ABV volunteers?

Yes, of course!

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1- How was the local ABV Coordinator/staff and the support provided in-country?

I didn’t talk much to my local coordinator, solely because I had most of my things in place for this trip. The in- country coordinator was very helpful. German showed me around the fun places of Quito, told me which places I should visit on the weekends, and encouraged me to come to events held at the school.

2- What was the most surprising thing you experienced? Name 2

Program: How many doctors and medical students are actually at the hospital to help, and finding out my first patient on my internal medicine rotation has stage 4 cancer and nothing can be done to help him because of how fast it spread.

Host Family: How good the food is, and how open the family and nice the family is.

Country: How safe the country is compared to others (even the us), and how beautiful every part of the city is.

3- What was the most challenging thing you experienced?

Program: Not having much work to do because there are so many people at the hospital, and trying to understand the spanish (even with 6 years of lessons)

Host Family: I really can’t think of anything.

Country: sometimes the language barrier, and because you’re a tourist some people take advantage of your money.

4- Any tips for future volunteers… (clothing, travel, personal items, donations)

1.     You really don’t need as much as they say you will, 2-3 scrubs are fine, there is laundry.

2.     BRING A RAIN COAT, sunscreen, hat, and also buy your toothpaste/shampoo/face wash in the US, it’s way cheaper there.

3.     Go to otavalo, mitad del mundo, the coast, everything in the end is worth it, so if yourre questioning going somewhere, just do it.

4.     Have an open mind with everything, don’t eat the street food until your stomach is accustomed (2 weeks), try the ice cream (its great), and the empanadas.

5.1-Other things volunteers should know before coming here:

(thats not in the orientation guide)

a. know your money limits before you come, set limits per week, dont go crazy.

b. ask questions, dont be afraid, theyre here to help

c. 2weeks to a month is enough time to enjoy the place without getting homesick and such, set your time here with everything like that in mind.

d. the tap water isnt bad, bringing a filter water bottle will do.

6- Personal Paragraph about the experience (ABV Program Testimonial):

It took me 3.5 weeks out of my 4 to actually start falling in love with the country. I loved how cheap it was to travel around ecuador. The taxis are sooo much cheaper than ubers so I took advantage of that. I can tell that my spanish has gotten way better and I am more confident when I talk. And the hospital wasn’t what I thought it would be. I wanted more of a hands on place with patients and I didn’t necessarily get that here. I did learn a lot about different diseases/ conditions patients were admitted with, and how to communicate effectively with patients with the little spanish I speak.

Volunteer in Ecuador

7- How would you describe your accommodation, meals, security, friendliness, quality others: 

meals, accommodation, saftey, friendliness, I would all rate a 10/10. The meals were great (way healthier than what I am used to), I felt very safe always around quito, whether I was with others or by myself, my host family made it seem like I was at my own house, and every one you see will say hello or good day.

8- What was your favorite memory of this trip?:

Program: seeing the patients get healthier

Host Family: feliz de ano was crazzzzy. but a good crazy.

Country: the beach was beautiful, 10/10 would go again.

9- How was the ABV USA support prior traveling? (who helped you, emails, phone calls, chat online, how fast did you got an answer, did you got all your answers)

I would rate it like a 5/10. there was an incident where my dates were changed and I was charged $120 more and I was not contacted at all about it. I only found out about it when I saw my itinerary 2 weeks. so communication could be a little better. I was also told I would work 8-12 then 2-6, and when I got to ecuador I was told I only work 7:30am to 12:30pm. I also did not need nearly as much things to bring like the emails said. I didn’t even use half of it.

9.1- Who did you find Abroaderview website (keywords, search engine, word mouth to mouth, recommended by .., other)

I googled ‘medical mission trip’ and found abroaderview.

10 – Are you willing to speak to other potential ABV volunteers?

yes.

1- How was the local ABV Coordinator/staff and the support provided in-country?

The coordinators and staff were wonderful, especially when aiding with excursions to the Amazon and the Galapagos.

2- What was the most surprising thing you experienced?

The two most surprising things were the automatic inclusion by the family and the differences between Mexican Spanish and Ecuadorian Spanish.

3- What was the most challenging thing you experienced?

The most challenging part was the learning the language. I did not know any Spanish before coming here. As I was learning it, the other languages I knew seemed to blend, especially with vocabulary. The most difficult part was separating them.

4- Any tips for future volunteers… (clothing, travel, personal items, donations)

1. Try to learn as much Spanish as possible before coming. It will help with faster immersion.
2. Bring any medication you think you will need. It’s always nice to already have it, especially if you wake up in the middle of the night needing something.
3. Make sure you have packed an umbrella, raincoat, sweater, and a bag to put them all in. The weather can change drastically throughout the day, especially in the Spring. It normalizes in the summer.
4. Always walk with your bag in front of you to avoid your belongings from being stolen. The less friendly you look, the less you will be approached on the street when walking alone during the day.

5.1-Other things volunteers should know before coming here:

1. Do not come with any expectations. Instead come with an open mind and you will enjoy life here.
2. After 7pm, do not walk or use any public transportation. Use a taxi instead, this prevents you from being robbed. It’s worth the extra few dollars in order to keep your belongings, I didn’t have any problems but just in case.
3. Anything you pack, assume it’s possible that it could be stolen or ruined. Do not bring your favorite belongings but bring things that make you happy.
4. Have good bartering skills. At the local markets, you can barter for the price. Never take the first price offered. Keep your money hidden so when you go to “check” how much you have, say you only have xx amount on you. They typically accept that price.

6- Personal Paragraph about the experience (ABV Program Testimonial):

Volunteering abroad in Quito was the experience of a lifetime. I worked in the emergency room of the Hospital. I was able to learn and aid in procedures, something that I would never be able to do in America without attending or completing medical school. I would be excited every day to go to the hospital and would try to stay as long as possible. Afterwards, I would head back to the family’s house where you immediately felt loved and cared for. The family is so sweet and considerate. We talked, we laughed, we worried, we ate all together. I wouldn’t trade anything for this.

7- How would you describe your accommodation, meals, security, friendliness, quality others:

My accommodations were wonderful. The family is so sweet. They cooked all of my meals for me and made sure that I was doing okay on a daily,sometimes hourly basis. I was immediately included to be part of their family from the second I entered the door. Security was fine, it is like living or visiting any big city. You need to be smart and careful with your belongings.

8- What was your favorite memory of this trip?:

I went to the Galapagos during one of the weekends I was here. You are allowed to take 2 days off to visit the islands. I was there for a total of 4 days and visited 6 of the islands. It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I swam with penguins, seal lions, sharks, sea turtles. It was absolutely wonderful and I will always cherish those memories and the people I met.

9- How was the ABV USA support prior traveling?

Anytime I had a question, it was answered either in minutes online, or within a few hours if I sent an email. The response time from the organization was  quick.

9.1- What do you think about the reservation system online?

It’s a good system for the most part. It works better on Firefox than Google chrome. It unfortunately stopped showing my project summary on Google chrome.

9.2- Who did you find Abroaderview website

I honestly just googled volunteering abroad. I ended up finding this organization, which seemed to have everything I wanted. I continued to research the organization to ensure that it was a legitimate organization and not a scam.

10 – Are you willing to speak to other potential ABV volunteers?

Absolutely. I will be happy to answer any questions that they have.