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ecokirby

ecokirby

Member

Scottish °µÍø½ûÇø in Ecuador

Forum posts

20

About me

Scottish

Lives in Quito

Speaks English, Spanish, French

Registration: 25 March 2013

Activity

ecokirby replied to a thread
9 years ago
Maximilien

Volunteering in Ecuador by Maximilien

Hi, While living abroad, some °µÍø½ûÇøs wish to get involved in the local community life. What organizations °µÍø½ûÇøs can turn to if they want to volunteer in Ecuador? How to join a charitable institution, what are the steps? Which causes ...

ecokirby

Hi. I am director of Yanapuma Foundation (Fundación Yanapuma) and we run our own sustainable development projects in Ecuador as well as collaborating with over 35 grass-roots projects all around the country to receive volunteers, individually ... Read More

ecokirby replied to a thread
9 years ago
blumenwe

Safety in Quito by blumenwe

My husband and I will be spending 2 months in Quito, and exploring Ecuador. I understand safety can be an issue. I am looking for tips on what to watch out for, what areas to stay away from, scams to be aware of. I do know about a few of the ...

ecokirby

We have a Spanish school in Quito and one in Cuenca - Yanapuma Spanish School - and we work with volunteers all over the country. We are actually a non-profit NGO doing sustainable development projects with indigenous and marginalized communities, ... Read More

ecokirby replied to a thread
9 years ago
blumenwe

Safety in Quito by blumenwe

My husband and I will be spending 2 months in Quito, and exploring Ecuador. I understand safety can be an issue. I am looking for tips on what to watch out for, what areas to stay away from, scams to be aware of. I do know about a few of the ...

ecokirby

I always comment to our students and volunteers who are concerned about being robbed in Quito that what you read on the internet is never representative of the real situation. It is those who have bad experiences who tend to write about it on the ... Read More

ecokirby replied to a thread
9 years ago
AnnaNorway

Volunteering in Quito by AnnaNorway

Hi! I'm Anna from Norway, and next February i'm going to Quito to volunteer. I'm planning on staying until the beginning of June. I know a girl in Quito after she had an exchange year in my town, and I really want to experience her ...

ecokirby

Try Yanapuma Foundation. Their offices are in Quito and they can help organize volunteering for you in one of the projects that they support in Quito. You can google the name to find the website. Read More

ecokirby replied to a thread
9 years ago
Maximilien

Volunteering in Ecuador by Maximilien

Hi, While living abroad, some °µÍø½ûÇøs wish to get involved in the local community life. What organizations °µÍø½ûÇøs can turn to if they want to volunteer in Ecuador? How to join a charitable institution, what are the steps? Which causes ...

ecokirby

If you are interested in volunteering you can contact Yanapuma Foundation. We have offices in Quito and in Cuenca, and the foundation is a non-profit NGO whose mission is to promote sustainable development among indigenous and marginalized ... Read More

ecokirby replied to a thread
10 years ago
°µÍø½ûÇø.com

Top 5 tips to live in Ecuador by °µÍø½ûÇø.com

Hi, When you are going to live abroad, you may have a lot of questions. Hence to facilitate you in this process, we are inviting °µÍø½ûÇøs to share their top 5 tips with regards to settling and living in Ecuador. What recommendations would you ...

ecokirby

1. Learn Spanish! - at least SOME Spanish. With so many retired Americans in Cuenca there seem to be many who now feel it is not necessary to speak the language. 2. Appreciate the cultural differences. Many of the complaints I have heard from ... Read More

ecokirby replied to a thread
11 years ago
DanC

Homestays by DanC

I am in the process of planning my first trip to Ecuador. I plan to visit in about a year if I can find a deal on airfare as that seems to be the most expensive part of the trip. My question is has anyone visited and did a homestay? To me that ...

ecokirby

You are right that staying with a local host family is a great way to learn more about the country and culture. You can find reliable homestays in Cuenca and other places through some of the Spanish schools that regularly receive and place students ... Read More

ecokirby replied to a thread
12 years ago
datdyat

dental care in Quito by datdyat

I expect I am going to need some dental work done in the near future and I am wondering if I should get it done in Canada (where I have no health insurance to cover it) or wait to do it in Ecuador. specifically: I think I need 2 wisdom teeth out ...

ecokirby

I have used a dentist here in Quito over the past 6 years that I would highly recommend for any complicated work. It is Dental Smiles. Google - Dental Smiles Quito for more info. Dr. Santiago Silva. I had my 4 front teeth capped by him and recently ... Read More

ecokirby replied to a thread
12 years ago
brainteaser

Language issue by brainteaser

Greetings, I am a newbie to this site. I have been reading many posts here, which I found very helpful. Being over the mid-50s, my husband and I are thinking about living abroad after retirement. At first, we've looked into Belize, but the summer ...

ecokirby

Age should never be an excuse for not learning a new language! It is like aerobics for the brain and will keep your brain fit and healthy. And while you can quite easily get by living in a foreign country these days without speaking the language, ... Read More

ecokirby replied to a thread
12 years ago
yggdrasill

Moving to Quito....freaking out about La Mariscal assaults by yggdrasill

I'm moving to Quito with my husband. I'm worried about safety. Don't get me wrong--I grew up in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic but I'm a bit out of practice with a third world country and I won't have a car. There's been about 580 assaults in La ...

ecokirby

I have lived in Quito for 8 years now, and can say that what you hear is definitely exaggerated I always comment to our Spanish students and volunteers that it is the people who get robbed who write about it on the internet. People who don't get ... Read More

ecokirby replied to a thread
12 years ago
exnavyabfc

Spanish Lessons by exnavyabfc

Does anyone have suggestions for a spanish school in Cuenca or on the coast? Have you used one? Thanks Gene

ecokirby

Oops! Sorry Gene! too much going on right now!! Read More

ecokirby replied to a thread
12 years ago
exnavyabfc

Spanish Lessons by exnavyabfc

Does anyone have suggestions for a spanish school in Cuenca or on the coast? Have you used one? Thanks Gene

ecokirby

Hi Bob! Do feel free to stop by when you come down. We are located at Av. Veintimilla E8-125 y Av. 6 de Diciembre, on the edge of the main tourist area of Quito. It is the large white colonial building on the corner. See you there! Read More

ecokirby replied to a thread
12 years ago
TheGiovanniIncident

Living and working illegally in Ecuador by TheGiovanniIncident

This may seem like an odd question. But I don't want to commit to any type of work visa. However I do want to experience another country for maybe a year. Is it possible to get a place and work side jobs for cash teaching english in ...

ecokirby

You will need some kind of visa to be in Ecuador that long, as you would need for ANY country in the world. While you may be able to be here for a year without ever needing to prove that you are here legally, when you go to leave the country your ... Read More

ecokirby replied to a thread
12 years ago
exnavyabfc

Spanish Lessons by exnavyabfc

Does anyone have suggestions for a spanish school in Cuenca or on the coast? Have you used one? Thanks Gene

ecokirby

Hi Gene - Cuenca is a beautiful city! Call me biased but I recommend Yanapuma Spanish School in Cuenca (I am the director actually!) It is on Simon Bolivar 6-23 and Hermano Miguel, just two blocks from the Parque Calderón and right opposite the ... Read More

ecokirby replied to a thread
12 years ago
Themiddleoftheworld

Tourists need to take it easy in The Mariscal by Themiddleoftheworld

Coming from your feet on the ground in the Mariscal District. I feel I need to share this with you. This side of town is not Compton, but you do need to be aware that flashing your iPad around here could make it dissapear with a flash. You have no ...

ecokirby

Good advice from Mike! I work with a lot of volunteers and students at Yanapuma, and a fair number of them do get robbed while they are here in Quito. "Be aware without being paranoid" is always my motto. There are many simple precautions you can ... Read More