Here are some anonymous student descriptions of their homestays in Las Tolas:

– The homestay was the highlight of our time in Las Tolas for me. Living with a family allowed us to be welcomed into the community in a way that otherwise would’ve been very difficult. It was amazing being able to have conversations in Spanish that ranged from hilarious to heartfelt to complicated to relaxed.

– Al principio, yo creía que yo no gustaría mi “ḧomestay” porque la casa está muy lejos, y porque viviamos en un edificio separado de la familia. Pero, sobre tiempo nosotros pasamos mucho tiempo con la familia, especialmente nuesta ¨madre.” Nosotros tuvimos un tiempo muy especial, interesante, y divertido. Yo amo a mi familia Ecuatoriana!

– Al final de mi semana con mi familia, me sentía como era una de sus hermanos. Cada día me encanta hablar con mis padres durante comidas y chismar con mi hermana. Estaba muy triste para salir, pero intento a comunicar con ellos en el futuro.

– My homestay was a lot of fun and a really great experience. Pilar just made everything not awkward with her laugh and always corrected me when my Spanish was incorrect. Every day was super fun and each meal brought something new and interesting. Overall, I loved the homestay week.

– The first few days of our homestay were a little awkward, but a really good experience to have. Our most exciting and bonding moment was going to the hospital for my host sister. The best things about my homestay were seeing my Spanish improve and being pushed out of my comfort zone.

– I started the week by hauling my suitcase down the hill in a long silence that was broken only by occasional questions in ungrammatical Spanish. We arrived, received a tour, and then began the six day pattern, which was breakfast-work-lunch-project-dinner-reunion-repeat. This pattern was broken only once, when the morning work session was cancelled so that we could cook.

– Una noche, yo fui a la cocina – la cocina tiene una ventana que mira el sendero destrás de la casa – y yo vi Pilar en la oscuridad. Pilar me vio y rio. Entonces, ella levantó un pollito amarillo y ella tuvo una sonrisa en su cara. Ella me miró como ella ha explicado toda.

– La experiencia en Las Tolas fue muy memorable. Me extrano a las personas del pueblo. Voy a recordar Las Tolas por toda mi vida.

And here are some photos from Cotopaxi: