Our trip has been wonderful. The country, surrounded by lush montanas, are beautiful, the people here are always very helpful and smiling. We´ve been able to see the selva and get clensed by an indigeous shaman, la playa, the indigenous people, the interesting cities of quito, guayaquil, and cuenca, and the smaller and very colorful cities of coca and puerta lopez. While in Cuenca we made en excursion to Ingapirca, the local Inca and Canary ruins. We were amazed at the structures built by these people and how they have survived 1,000 years and are still standing today. One more point of our trip that we expecially enjoyed was getting to meet and make friends with people from other countries- our very knowledgeable professors Luis and Sulma, the patient and helplful people who run the tours, and our fellow travelers. We now have friends from Australia-Barbara, Brazil- Vera and Liz, and Gar from Germany. We have had a wonderful and unforgetable time discovering Ecuador.
Father and son, Stephen and Roger Benson.

I returned to my home in Houston yesterday after three weeks in your program. The Discover Ecuador experience offered an incredible opportunity to see much of a beautiful and diverse country while learning Spanish in an informal yet highly productive manner. Praise goes to you and your team so efficiently and effectively managed by ever-smiling Luisa.

I want to make special note of my "profesora" Janett. From the moment we walked in the classroom and were greeted by her infectious smile and laughter, we sensed we were in for a unique learning experience and we were right. I lead workshops for adults on a regular basis and I know there is a fine line between downloading information and truly seeing students integrate learning. Janett made sure we covered the material but kept the conversation flowing in such a lively manner that practicing Spanish was pure pleasure.

While several mentioned that our group traveled together well, that many diverse backgrounds and worldviews are almost guaranteed to create some tense situations. In the future, I'm sure you'll see some of the same dynamics at work especially among your DE students. Groups of people in the easiest of circumstances don't always gel, so when you add in stresses and strains of travel and exotic conditions, it can be rough.

Which made me wonder if one small addition to your website (which is fantastic by the way) might help. I have worked in cross-cultural situations before where we prepped the participants prior to their travel – suggesting packing guidelines and appropriate clothes, making note of several known challenges so that those in need of advanced preparation could do so.

I think a tip sheet would be valuable. Here are some examples of the kind of tips I'm talking about:

• This experience is a group experience. Even if you have individual lessons you will often travel, dine and tour as a group. Prepare yourself for interacting with others when you are weary or facing cultural challenges that are new to you.
  
  
• Determine as soon as possible what balance you want to strike between comfort and exotic experiences. This awareness will help you contend with occasional cold showers, unusual food choices, varied modes of transportation and more.
  
  
• While you may desire the additional benefits of living with a host family, note that you are in a variety of cities for often short periods of time. If change is difficult for you, you may find it even more beneficial to split your time between a host family and hostel stays.

Since your staff asked for input while we were in Cuenca, I thought it was not too forward of me to compile this letter. I hope you will receive it in the manner in which it is intended. I LOVE this program and what to recommend it to many others. I just like to improve those things I invest time and energy into. If there is anything I can do to help promote your facility to others, please don't hesitate to ask.

Karen Simons, USA