We have arrived in Las Tolas, our host community for the next two weeks, and we’re settling into life in this tranquil place. Situated two hours northeast of Quito, Las Tolas is a town of about 250 people in the low sierras. Because it’s located in high cloud forest, the mountains surrounding the town are bright green and teeming with flowers, plants, and wildlife. We wake up to the sound of roosters, and in the evening, there is almost always an amazing sunset with clouds blanketing the hills.

Over the next week, we will be sleeping at the local school, getting to know Las Tola’s residents, and participating in our service projects. We are trying lots of new food, because several women from Las Tolas are cooking our meals for us. So far, we’ve enjoyed cheese empanadas, seco de chuleta de cerdo (a mixture of rice, lentils, and pork chops), and juice made from local fruits. 

The first night we arrived, the tourism committee of Las Tolas hosted a party to welcome us to their community. We shared homemade cheese empanadas, played some games with local children, and also got to see a typical dance in which several women dressed up as birds from Ecuador. Our favorite part was definitely playing soccer and practicing Spanish with some of the local children. After the welcome party, one of the boys was baptised and we attended the celebration. We spent the night dancing with our new friends and already feeling at home in Las Tolas. 

Sunday is a rest day in Las Tolas, so we spent the day meeting our new neighbors, playing some Spanish games, and competing in a scavenger hunt across town. In the afternoon, we drove to a local swimming hole about half an hour away and hiked to a small waterfall. It was the best way to spend a Sunday afternoon—lazing on the rocks, chatting in Spanish, and swimming in the cool water.

This week, we will be partnering with the tourism committee to work on several projects that will benefit the town and give us a chance to spend time with Las Tolas residents and practice our Spanish. Our main project will be helping to construct walls for the albergue to house future volunteer groups. We will also get to rotate through helping to cook in the kitchen, constructing some hiking trails, and teaching English at the classes. 

Tonight, we were reflecting on our experience with Spanish as a group so far, and we’re amazed at how much we’ve learned already. We write new words from the day on the wall, and the list is constantly expanding as we meet new people and travel around the area. We all agree that it’s exhausting and challenging to stay in Spanish all day, but we’re doing our best to support each other. Even during our daily 30-minute English break, we find Spanish accidentally slipping out of our mouths, and we’re learning a ton from talking with our new friends at the elementary school.

Our spirits are high as we head into the first week of work, and we can’t wait to see how our Spanish continues to grow!

— Alvaro & Leah