Media Centre for Volunteer in Ghana

Seth Stulen

When I first signed up to do the volunteer project in Ecuador I really didn’t know what to expect or if it would relate at all to my future endeavors. Having no previous teaching experience and having never been to South America I was a little nervous at what lay ahead of me, but nevertheless I tried to maintain an open mind and attitude in order to really soak up all the new, exciting experiences that awaited me in the small town of Otavalo and surrounding regions of Ecuador. My host family immediately welcomed me into their family with open arms and over time they made me feel like I wasn’t just a visitor, but a member of the family. I remember only few hours after meeting my family, they took me for a tour of Otavalo in my dad’s broccoli delivery truck. It is an experience that I will never forget. Overtime, I became really good friends with my host mom and dad, which really enhanced the whole experience. I know I will always have a place to stay when I return to Otavalo, which is hopefully sooner than later. After only a few days I came to absolutely fall in love with the Ecuadorian culture, people, and most of all the kids at the school I was volunteering at. All of the children in the community have such warm, distinct personalities and immediately accepted me as not only their teacher, but also as a friend. Every morning when we approached the school in our transport truck or van, there would always be kids there to greet us with huge smiles. Over my six weeks I really fell in love with the teaching and the community I was volunteering at. The strong bonds I formed with the kids made it extremely difficult to leave them, but I will never forget their lively, affectionate personalities. I think GVI has done an excellent job establishing their projects in the three communities and I was really impressed with the efficiency of the program. After having gone through this incredible experience, I now know I want to do future development work in Latin America. I think everyone should do some sort of volunteer project in their lives because they really allow you to experience and witness things that you would never be exposed to if you were just traveling as a tourist.