I graduated from UPS last May and spent the past six months teaching English in Ecuador. I volunteered through a small non-profit organization called Sustainable Roots, which provides free English classes to all children in Cosanga, Ecuador and encourages sustainability through community projects. Cosanga is a town of 250 people located on the edge of the Amazon, tucked between hills in a stunningly green countryside. My co-volunteer and I taught English to almost every grade level, constructing our own curriculum and planning all of our own classes. In exchange, we received food, housing, and the experience of a lifetime. Volunteering in Cosanga is an opportunity to challenge yourself, your perspectives, and your comfort zone, and to connect with a community on a deeper level. Volunteering there for six months was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.
Check out the website for Sustainable Roots at http://sustainable-roots.org/, find it on Facebook, or contact me at hfindling@hotmail.com. I’d love to tell you more about it or answer any questions you may have!
Hannah Findling
University of Puget Sound, Class of 2014
