Galapagos Volunteer Story: Lisa

I will never forget the laughter of my children and the feeling of making them happy. Yes, after three months of spending almost every day with these kids I call them my kids, because they are. I spent three months working at Fundacion Remar in Quito, an orphanage that also serves as a school for a total of three orphanages. I became the assistant teacher in grade 4, which in this school meant that the kids were between eight and thirteen years old. I worked every weekday between eight and one when we had class. I assisted the teacher and I taught English once in a while. My primary job though was just to be with those kids. Every afternoon I returned to the orphanage to play with them. There’s no greater feeling than walking into that building and having four kids excited to see you, hugging you and telling stories of what they’ve done whilst I’ve been home to have lunch.

The host family I was staying with were great, I now consider them a part of my family. They took care of me in every way possible and encouraged me to travel around in the country and comforted me when I was homesick. A better host family would be hard to find.

During the weekends I would travel to other parts of Ecuador to get to see as much as possible of the country. I mostly travelled with another volunteer and I can now say that I’ve done Ecuador. I’ve seen all parts of the Andes, I’ve been at the coast watching the surfers, I’ve done a five-hour hike in the Amazonas and I’ve done a 8-day cruise in the Galápagos.

I was in Ecuador a total of four months, took Spanish classes for one and worked for three. It was the four best months of my life, but also the four toughest. I was sick twice, really sick due to the new bacterias entering my stomach, I got things stolen from me twice and I missed my family and home country every day. I don’t regret a single thing.

Ecuador is a beautiful country, in a very small area you find the Amazonas, the Andes, the coast and then there’s the Galápagos. Except for all my time spent with the kids, Galápagos was the peak of the experience. To snorkle with sea lions and watch a baby albatross from one meter’s distance, is unforgettable. The one memory I always will carry with me though, is the time when we were watching a movie in the afternoon at the orphanage. The children were hypnotized, one was on my lap and two were leaning on me from both sides. I was surrounded by love. They will always be my kids, and as I write this I’ve been back in Sweden for three weeks, and I miss them more each day.

If you are wondering about applying to volunteer in Ecuador, don’t hesitate. You will never regret it.. I’ll be happy to answer any questions.