Hi, I'm Marlene from Germany! I spent seven months in Ecuador with Fiides, and I want to share five things I learned here. The first is speaking Spanish. When I arrived, I couldn't speak at all and had to learn, which was very exciting. The second thing I learned was about Ecuador's culture. I had the opportunity to travel and appreciate how wonderful its culture is, as well as learning about its history. I met a lot of people. The third thing I learned was in my project, where we worked with people with disabilities. Many times, I didn't know how to act and learned to handle those situations. Next, I learned about myself. I discovered a lot about my limits and things I wanted to improve, among other things. And the last thing I learned was to face fear because you realize that even if you're afraid, it's easy to meet people and make friendships. It's very interesting how you practically create a family on the other side of the world.

Upon first arrival, Quito seems like a fascinating chaos for almost anyone. Nestled in the valley of towering mountain ranges, the idyllic setting truly doesn't quite fit with the bustling, noisy reality that this city is. Street vendors on every corner, shouting matches between bus and taxi drivers, a chronically overcrowded metro with passengers trapped between its closing doors and seemingly operating on no discernible schedule, not to mention the sheer magnitude of the place - it can all be a bit overwhelming. After commuting three hours a day between my project in Parque Carolina and Tumbaco, a small suburb on the outskirts of Quito, I can tell you that there comes a day when you figure out which bus to take, which metro line to follow, and how to navigate this urban madness. Now, I can hardly imagine returning to my quiet, mountain-less home in Germany without missing the constant hustle and bustle of downtown Quito.

Hello, I'm Henrike, and I work at Maria Trocatti School. It's a very good school and part of a foundation, so most of the children come from low-income households. Because of this, the school provides them with materials, uniforms, support, etc. What I like the most about the school is definitely the children because they are very open and interested in you and have a lot of love to give. I worked with the English teacher, helping her correct homework, and I also gave them a German class. In this project, you have the opportunity to present your own projects, so just go there and have a lot of fun.

We work at the Santa Marianita Home project. If you chose this project, we congratulate you as we think it's a beautiful project. We really like the people we work with because they are very kind and have welcomed us warmly. You are going to have a great time, especially with the children, as they give you so much love. It's incredible. What we like the most is getting to know the children but also the people who work with us. They make you feel very welcome. For us, this is the best project that Fiides has, so come and enjoy the children, Ambato, and Ecuador.