The Beginning

Hello All!

Thank you for checking out my blog...I am so new to all of this! Well, I am happy to report that I was accepted to WorldTeach in March of 2007 and I will be spending a year in Ecuador teaching English. I will leave in September 2007 and probably arrive back in the States in August 2008 (hopefully with a trip home during the year).

Here is how WorldTeach describes itself on their website:

"WorldTeach is a non-profit, non-governmental organization that provides opportunities for individuals to make a meaningful contribution to international education by living and working as volunteer teachers in developing countries.

WorldTeach was founded by a group of Harvard students in 1986, in response to the need for educational assistance in developing countries. It also addressed a growing interest among people in the U.S. and elsewhere to serve, teach, and learn as volunteers overseas. Since its inception, WorldTeach has placed thousands of volunteer educators in communities throughout Asia, Latin America, Africa, Eastern Europe, and the Pacific.

Based at the Center for International Development at Harvard University, WorldTeach offers the benefits of a well-established volunteer organization, while also providing more comprehensive, personalized support and training as a small NGO. In each of our programs, volunteers are placed in schools and host communities in developing countries that specifically request WorldTeach volunteers and would otherwise be unable to afford or locate qualified teachers. Volunteers receive training, language preparation, and field support, empowering them to make an impact that will last long after they leave."

You can check out more information about my specific program at http://www.worldteach.org/programs/ecuador_year/.

So here are the basics:

• I have training in Ecuador's capital, Quito, for the first month that I am in Ecuador
• I will be joined by 20-40 other WorldTeachers- many recent college grads and others who are taking a break from the 9-5 working world
• Training will consist of TEFL training, Spanish language classes, and courses on life in Ecuador
• I will find out in August where I will be living for the duration of my year, but I have requested to live in a mid-sized Andean town...so we shall see!
• I will live with a host family while in Ecuador- one in Quito and another for the duration of my year-long placement
• I will be teaching adults, either at a university or in an adult community program

Please let me know if you have any questions! I am really getting excited about this experience. I have recently been in contact with some other people in my program, and it's finally beginning to seem real. Of course I am apprehensive about leaving my wonderful friends and family, but I have no doubt that we will all be able to stay in touch. I certainly want to hear all that is going on in all your lives while I am gone! 
 
Until September I will be working at my dad's office in Arlington, so let's get together! I will post updates here whenever I get them. Happy summer!

Love,
Katie