Germany |
Period: 2016-05-16 | 2016-05-27
Program: Travelling Classroom

I took part in the travelling programme in May 2016, doing the “Walking through the Andes” trip. It was a thoroughly enjoyable experience in every respect. I felt really looked after on every stage of the trip (or even before as Eugenio, the director of the school, went out of his way to accommodate a few special requests I had  and even picked me up from the airport). I got the feeling that ISE really care about the well-being of the student and you aren’t just a number there.

Travelling with my teacher Vanessa was just great! Not only is she a great teacher, with the right mixture of rigour and fun, but also a wonderful travelling companion. She took me on a trip first North to Otavalo and then south as far as Cuenca, taking in the main tourist sites along this route. What I liked especially was that I was the only student, so effectively I had my private teacher. I still can’t believe myself how much my Spanish improved in the short period of just 12 days. I arrived in Quito with a sound grounding in grammar but little speaking and listening practice, but after speaking with Vanessa all day and honing my skills in the “official” Spanish class I left with language skills fluid enough to hold a conversation about most of my interests (not only the usual tourist stuff). That was really due to Vanessa’s willingness to adapt the classes to my needs and to teach me the vocabulary I needed rather than just following a set course. It was just an added benefit that much of the time I did not even realise that I was being taught, I felt as if I was just travelling with a friend. I’d like to add that although my biggest difficulty with Spanish had always been oral comprehension (why do people speak so fast???!) I had no problems at all understanding Vanessa. She speaks very clearly and adapts the level of her sentences to what the student can cope with, but without giving you the feeling you are treated like a little child, so I was never left with that frustrating feeling of being out of my depth that I’ve sometimes known on other language courses. I’m a language teacher myself, so I know how difficult it is to challenge a student but not frustrate them and I feel that Vanessa did a great job there.

What I possibly liked best on the whole journey was that I could ask Vanessa any question regarding Ecuador, the country, its people, cultures, customs and she would answer openly and knowledgably. In this way I learned more about Ecuador than I could have ever done as a normal tourist on a two week trip. I really enjoyed travelling the country by public bus like any normal Ecuatorian would rather than being taxied in and out like the typical foreign tourist, and also sampling the local cuisine. By the way: all buses, restaurants, hostels etc. were perfectly clean and safe and none of the warnings in my guide book about stomach problems, terrible roads, questionable bathrooms etc. came true!

This trip was my first time in South America so I came with little idea of what Ecuador would be like and I left with definite plans of going back hopefully  sooner rather than later. There are some other travelling tours that ISE have on offer that sound very interesting and I will certainly think about taking part in one of them again! Until then: Thank you Vanessa, thank you Eugenio and thank you ISE – mil gracias!