Quito Junior Immersion
Ecuador Teenager Study Abroad

Program Snapshot Age Range: 14-17 Fun Ranking: Intensity: Homework & Exams Staff/Student: 1:4 (in class) Curfew: 10 pm

Quito Junior Immersion

Located in a beautiful valley and surrounded by snow-capped peaks of the Andes, Quito is surprisingly friendlier and safer feeling than other large Latin American cities. Furthermore, Quito has kept its colonial charm in spite of growing to a size of 1.4 million. Situated at 9,000 feet above sea level, the temperature averages 60-70 degrees during the day and 40-50 degrees during the night. It is easy to reach most parts of the country in less than a day from Quito. With excellent facilities and a staff that is both friendly and professional, our Quito program offers a great value for language students.

School Facilities: A big, brand new building with about 20 bright class rooms, a patio with fountain, small business center, audiovisual room, entertainment room for students, indoor basketball court, a cafeteria selling snacks and small meals and a huge terrace overlooking Quito and the mountains. The school is located on the north side of the city in a quiet residential area very close to various public transportation lines. Capacity is 80 Students/day.

Activities/Excursions: Activities during this four week program will be spent in Quito and the surrounding area. Activities may include: visit to the Andean Zoo, cooking class, soccer match, swimming, bowling, visit to Basilica, a tour of Quito and a visit to the Equatorial Monument to name a few. All activities and excursions will be lead by Spanish/English-speaking guides. Weekend excursion, day trips are planned to Otavalo, Cotopaxi National Park, and the Cloud Forest Reserve. While at Cotopaxi National Park those who are able will have the opportunity to climb part way up Cotopaxi Volcano and go horseback riding, high in the Andes on the volcano’s slopes. At the Cloud Forest Reserve, morning and afternoon nature hikes are planned with naturalist guides.

Lodging & Meals: Homestay with 3 meals/day

Supervision: Teen participants will receive group language classes with other teens only. All teens are placed in group classes according to their language ability. During class time, participants are monitored by their language instructor (ratio 1:4) and both the administration and academic directors of the language school. This is a structured program with scheduled activities and excursions, all teen participants will need to keep a daily journal. Students will also have unsupervised free time. During this time teen participants may use email at school, explore Quito, participate in sports with friends, or spend time with their host family. All teen participants are responsible for getting themselves to and from school/activities to their homestay each day. Outside of the school and homestay teen participants are independent and responsible for making curfew. Curfew is 10:00pm on both weekdays and weekends and is strictly enforced by the host family. The school directors will be contacted if curfew is broken by teen participants.

To/From School: The first day of classes a member of the host family will accompany participants to the school. After first day, participants travel unaccompanied , approximately 10-30 minute walk.

Other: Program Goals
1. To experience and learn about Latin American and the cultures different than your own, including urban Ecuadorian society in Quito and the indigenous groups.
2. To learn about the history and geography of Ecuador.
3. To experience and learn about three distinct ecosystems, including the volcanic, the highlands of the Andes Mountains, and the cloud forest.

Prices/Dates (for 2012):