In the beginning
It’s crazy to think that I only visited Guayaquil for the first time a couple of years ago – and now I live here!
Fresh from finishing my teaching qualification in August 2014, I spent September to December volunteering with The Starfish Foundation, an educational charity that provides scholarships to local school pupils living in extreme poverty. I made lifelong friends, got pretty good at Spanish, and promptly lost my heart to the unparalleled beauty of Ecuador’s Pacific Coast. (If you’re wondering why, here are just 7 things I love about Guayaquil!)
Testing the waters
When December rolled around and my volunteer time was up, I took a four-month trip around the rest of South America, covering Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Peru and even making it to Colombia for a week. It was an incredible trip, but I still missed the amazing community I’d got to know in Guayaquil.
And so I went back to my friends at the Starfish Foundation and spent May to July teaching, learning and enjoying the balmy Ecuadorian summer. But I couldn’t shake the feeling that I wasn’t done with Guayaquil – or rather, Guayaquil wasn’t done with me …
Sign me up
In July I finally bit the bullet and signed a two-year teaching contract with a local language school. Now I live and work in Guayaquil, la Perla del Pacífico! I’m incredibly excited to dig deep into Ecuadorian culture, meet new people and, of course, carry on learning Spanish – but more importantly, I’ve been inspired to keep on pursuing my passion for education and international development.
My name is Sanchia, and this is my Ecuadorian adventure!
260° West 
I’m so incredibly happy for you. Two years will be great for cultural immersion.
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Thank you – I’m so excited to experience everything Ecuador has to offer!
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