Your Andean village home is Patate, about three hours south of Quito, both an agricultural region popularly known as the "Dinner Plate of Ecuador" and a town of roughly 15,000 residents. Patate also enjoys a reputation for its many artisans; weaving, pottery and embroidery are specialties.

Our home base is the local school. Staffers and students live together with different rooms for guys, gals and staff. There are burly floor mattresses and cubbies for your belongings; you bring a pillow, twin sheets, and a sleeping bag. We have running water, bathrooms and showers, but keep in mind that fresh water is precious where we live, so showers are short and not necessarily taken every day. Our living quarters are simple, clean and sufficient. We do laundry once a week. For the week we spend in San Cristobal, Galapagos Islands, we live in a hostel.

Five days a week, after breakfast, you will head to your chosen service project with your work team and a staffer or two. We typically work five or six hours, with short breaks and at least one hour for lunch. A rotating group of three or four students and one leader stays back from projects each day for "home base" crew. The crew tidies up and cleans our living space, collects the mail, goes to market for the day’s fresh-food shopping, prepares lunch, and helps Lupe, our cook, with dinner preparations and clean up afterwards. Home base crew might join another work crew later in the day.

Several evenings each week after dinner, we set aside time to meet as a group of volunteers. This is a slow-down time to speak and listen to each other, share our reactions to the day or iron out occasional issues together. You’ll have the opportunity to call home once a week.

After work we make time for other activities, such as playing sports with our neighbors, exploring places of beauty and historic interest nearby, taking short hikes to waterfalls, visiting artisan markets, having dance lessons, practicing Spanish with local friends, going to the beach, learning from Lupe how to make quimbolitos, showering or just relaxing before dinner. On the Galapagos, when we’re not working, we’ll be constantly on the move, taking in the unique environment that is the Galapagos.

There will be constant opportunities to explore and learn about Ecuador’s highland Andean culture, to mix and mingle daily with the community. There will be day-stays when we go in pairs to spend a day with local families, practice our Spanish, and just be in the rhythm of Ecuador life. Other weekends include a mountain hike, an extended visit to the popular Banos Hot Springs, and trips to lively marketplaces. In the Galapagos, you’ll swim, snorkel, enjoy the beaches, visit a turtle reserve and take lots of nature walks to see the unique wildlife. Our travel days through Quito feature ancient cathedrals, the historical zone, and other city sights.