Ecuador Exchange

PCD’s Ecuador Exchange program has been an exciting immersion opportunity to share culture and foreign language with students and families from Ecuador. Beginning this year, PCD students will be able to spend an entire trimester attending classes at the William Shakespeare School in Quito and living with a host “sibling” who will attend PCD the following trimester. The 3-month exchange will enable PCD students to gain fluency in Spanish and fully embrace living and studying in a completely different culture.

“We decided to move to a full-trimester program because that is simply what students need to become fluent in Spanish,” says Modern Languages Department Chair Sarah Garcia-Mata. “Moreover, the experience of living with another family and getting to know a new culture is incredibly rewarding.”

The curriculum at the William Shakespeare School, an independent school serving students in both primary and secondary grades, is rigorous and college-preparatory. Students typically take nine classes a day, including Spanish Literature, English Language, English Literature, Civics, History, Science, and Math. Art, Music, and AP courses are also offered. With the exception of English, all classes will be conducted in Spanish. PCD students will attend classes with their host siblings and will be expected to complete the work required of all students. They will also attend school-related extracurricular and social activities with their host siblings, providing another way to get to know the Ecuadorian educational system. Because of PCD’s curricular demands in junior and senior year, when many students are enrolled in AP courses, Garcia-Mata notes that tenth grade is the ideal year to enroll in the Exchange.

Life with a host family will also promote language acquisition and fluency. Host families are encouraged to arrange various activities and excursions that will help the foreign students adjust to and appreciate a new culture. Students will have the opportunity to try new foods, socialize with their Ecuadorian peers, and enjoy spending leisure time with their host families. Quito is a bustling city filled with numerous artistic, historic, and civic venues, and the Amazon jungle and Equator are close by. Many activities take place outdoors in an environment that feels like a “perpetual springtime,” according to Garcia-Mata, and host families are eager to spend weekends showing their guests around the country. When they return to the U.S., the PCD students taking part in the program will open their homes to the students with whom they stayed in Quito, so the relationships that were fostered in Ecuador can continue to deepen and provide a meaningful experience for all.

All program costs, except for airfare, will be covered by PCD’s tuition.

Students who are interested in learning more about spending a trimester in Ecuador should contact Sarah Garcia-Mata, Modern Languages Department Chair at 401-438-5170 x173 or garcia-mata@providencecountryday.org.