Amazon Rainforest Conservation & Agroecology Internship

I cannot recommend this internship highly enough. The host family I stayed with was so welcoming and really made me feel part of the family. Everyone in the community was so knowledgeable and open to teach me as much as possible, from local wildlife to the workings of their Chakras (permacultures). It really opened my eyes to new possibilities for sustainable agriculture, ethical tourism and safeguarding of biodiversity and local culture/knowledge. All the planned days were a lot of fun, from white water rafting to seeing an apiary with stingless bees and vanilla production. Tena is also one of the most special places I have been to, with great food, a fun nightlife, all while being in the Amazon rainforest, with Cafe Tortuga an amazing hub to get to know a vast array of amazing people. Really, this is an experience which is eye-opening, rewarding, and filled with unforgettable experiences.

The program I was enrolled in was unavailable to review on this platform, but I was more focused on learning amazonian arts from the Ecuadorian people. I learned a lot about how to derive materials from plants and the earth, including how to harvest and purify clay, how to make fibers from the pita leaf, and which plants or minerals could be used as natural pigments for dyeing or painting fabric, a painting surface, or skin. I also learned how to make many artesanias with the natural fibers, how to make glasses and bowls from various woods and fruits from the trees, and traditional pottery techniques. I also learned about the natural medicinal properties of many plants, and about more environmental topics. I painted a mural for my community's business and learned about the gastronomy of the area and how the farming influences it as well.

I honestly wouldn't know what to improve — I had the best time and would 100% recommend it to others. During my internship, it started with the Ministry of the Environment, which began great. However, at a certain moment I realized that it didn't work out for me personally. Luckily, I was able to shift my focus to the chakra systems and Guayusa! Andy and Mirka were both lovely and super helpful. What I'm most proud of is deepening my understanding of nature and its global, border-transcending impact. The most impactful part was my host family. It was hard to hear of and see so much environmental destruction and social inequalities — it is one thing to learn about it at University, but to witness it can be very hard to process and deal with. So I'd say I learned how to cope with that and channel it into something useful. I think I could have tried to learn Kichwa better, but speaking Spanish for most days was already challenging. Looking back, I improved my Spanish and learned a ton about the complex realities that people face in the region — it also got me to think about ways to alleviate some of the issues, and I was able to practically use the skills I learned at University. If it works out, this program might have given me the inspiration to start my own business! Beyond that, it changed my life and made me affirm the life choices that I have made and the ones that I am about to make. I am immensely grateful for my host family's hospitality and kindness — they took me in and made me feel welcome and happy. I would recommend this to anyone, outside or inside of a university program, who is open to getting to know a culture and themselves on a deeper level.

During my internship, my main project was teaching English in 5 de Octubre — three hour-long classes twice a week for about six weeks. In my community, I spent a lot of time taking care of the big vegetable garden, and I also helped out with the tourism business in my community, whether that was cooking, translating, or helping them with money stuff. I really liked the 1:1s I had with Mika — I always left our conversations feeling good about what I had done and inspired for the future. Once we started, I could see a change in the way I approached my internship — with more focus, purpose, and confidence! I loved every single minute I spent in 9 de Junio and would not have changed anything about my time there. The people are so kind and friendly and welcoming. What I'm most proud of is the relationships that I built with everyone in my community — it was one of my goals to get to know everyone in 9 de Junio and I feel like I both met and exceeded that goal. I was proud of how openly I trusted and shared about myself in order to build trust, and then how people reciprocated that by telling me about their lives, inviting me to come live with them or go visit their family. When I left, I truly felt like I was leaving a second family. The most impactful part was my host family. While living with a host family, I found the lack of personal space challenging at times — I learned to keep my things very tidy and to take intentional time out of my day or week to be by myself to recharge and then return home at my best energy. I was really proud of how my Spanish improved, and I also think I practiced and learned a lot about self-accountability and taking initiative. From my experience in my Kichwa community, I learned a lot of spiritual practices about the earth, the jungle and our world that I want to take with me into my personal life. I am most grateful for having gotten to know my community — I am so grateful for the way they opened their homes and their arms to me, and for all the laughter and fun times we shared, but also for the way they opened up to me about their lives and their challenges. I had a lot of personal transformations about the way I view the world and my place and responsibility in it. I think this is a super program, especially for gap year students — it was the perfect combination between support and freedom, and I think the freedom also pushed me to grow more than I would have in a structured program, all while knowing that if I ever needed anything, you both were right there to help me.

During my internship, I worked with the Ministry of Environment to write a story about the history of Santa Rita, and I accompanied my supervisor for her daily activities, including tour guide. They were incredible — 10000/10. Stephanie was awesome! She helped me with any struggles I faced and was there with a tremendous amount of support and guidance, and I felt very comfortable speaking to her and expressing my feelings. What I'm most proud of is the friendships and relationships that I fostered. The most impactful part was my host family. I struggled with my lower level of Spanish, but I learned to practice it and learn from others. I could have reached out to more actors to help jumpstart the trash program in my community. Looking back, I became more selfless, resilient, and learned to be more curious rather than judgmental. I believe I gained a multitude of skills from working at MAE which will benefit my career in the environmental studies realm, and I would want to focus my work in Latin America, where practicing Spanish will serve as a huge benefit. I really loved Ecuador and I would hope to live here one day. I am super grateful for this experience, but I am most grateful for living in Santa Rita.

During my internship, I worked at Kallari Association, helping their cacao business in any capacity that I could. I learned how the cacao is planted, grown, harvested in my family's chakra, and then collected, processed, packaged, and marketed at Kallari. I also was given the opportunity to explore and learn from nearby cacao organizations and chakras. Carla and her family were absolutely wonderful — super friendly, helped me out a lot, and made delicious food. Mirka was an excellent mentor! She helped me understand what to expect during my time in Tena and provided excellent support. What I'm most proud of is being able to build relationships with the members of my host family — my Spanish is not anywhere close to perfect, but my host family was very supportive and patient. One challenge was trying to fit in everything I wanted to do and learn during my short stay in Tena — I learned how to be efficient and concise with the things I did. I think I could have put more effort into speaking Spanish during the entirety of my stay instead of speaking English when I had the opportunity to do so. Looking back, I was pushed out of my comfort zone and became much more flexible and able to adapt to situations — my Spanish skills most definitely improved, as did my agriculture skills, since I only knew of American farming techniques. This experience has helped me determine that I want to go into sustainable agriculture or food security in the United States. I am applying to graduate school now, and hopefully will start my own entrepreneurial venture relating to this one day. I will be much more aware of how my actions impact my community and the planet, and I will be doing things I'm passionate about instead of purely monetarily. I am grateful for the wonderful family that so generously opened up and shared their lives with me. I think exposing as many people to this program would be wonderful — it helps people explore their interests in a new perspective and makes a positive impact on the community in Tena.

During my internship, I worked with GIZ helping with climate change workshops and inputting information into Excel spreadsheets, worked at Tamia Yura getting a tour of the botanical gardens, and taught English classes two evenings a week at Cavernas Jumandy. I also conducted independent research on Buen Vivir for school. I really loved Tamia Yura — the people there and the forest, the gardens, everything. It was so beautiful and I hope it can work out in the future. The 1:1s were fantastic, very helpful and thorough. I loved my host family — they did a great job making me feel included in the family and welcome in the home. They all made efforts to get to know me and ask questions, and taught me about their culture. What I'm most proud of is conducting interviews for my research project, starting teaching English classes at the Cavernas Jumandy, and developing strong relationships with my host family. The most impactful part was all of the above. At the beginning it was hard for me to be so visibly different, so conspicuous as a gringa — I didn't like walking on the street because I felt like everyone was looking at me all the time. After a while I realized that I couldn't change the way I looked and was just going to have to brush it off. I learned to care less about what other people were thinking about me — it's not something I can really change from a distance. I wish I would have started more conversations with family members instead of waiting for them to start conversations. Looking back, I got better at Spanish, learned to take more initiative, and became more confident in myself through being visibly different. This experience made me more interested in environmental education and made me want to work in South America. I really want to come back in the future to see the people I developed relationships with, and going to Ecuador made me realize how important traveling can be and how much I want to keep traveling, and possibly live abroad at some point. I am so grateful for my host family and their support, friendship, and for including me in their lives. I had a wonderful experience — I'm having a hard time explaining it to others. You just have to go yourself.

During my internship, I organised various viveros in different communities, collecting seeds and plants from the rainforest and planting them. I felt like I could always get in touch if I needed to, as both Andy and Stephanie were friendly and approachable — I appreciated the check-ins to ensure everything was going well and I felt comfortable. The most impactful part was my host family. What I'm most proud of is the ability to communicate effectively with members of the community and gaining respect from them and my colleagues. Getting off the wrong stop on the bus and ending up in a different community was a challenge — I learnt to have confidence to ask questions and ask for help, as people are generally willing to give it. Looking back, I developed Spanish and physical manual labour skills. This experience gives me something interesting to talk about in job interviews, as it shows that I understand other cultures and biodiversity. Beyond that, it made me more humble and more conscious about my consumption and trying to be more sustainable. I am grateful for the opportunity to live with a local family and understand everyday life as a local. I feel it is a good way to understand the Amazonian region deeply rather than just focusing on its attractiveness.

During my internship, I was working on a reforestation project with chunchos and corn. My Ecuafamily was perfect — I really enjoyed working and living at Mushullacta with Jose and Maira's family. The 1:1 was very useful at the beginning because I was a little bit lost in this new country, and my English and Spanish were very bad at the time. For the first time I think I have realized and accomplished something professionally. What I'm most proud of is accomplishing my personal and professional project. The most impactful part was all of the above. Improving my language skills was a real challenge — I learned that to learn a new language perfectly it's important to take classes, because people could not understand me but my English and Spanish are not very academic. Looking back, I wish I had been myself earlier. I developed skills in how to manage a reforestation project in a developing country, and it confirms me in the idea that it is what I want to do in my future professional life. All of my experience there was a personal transformation, and I discovered a new culture I am grateful for. It was one of my best experiences — I would recommend it extremely likely.

During my internship, I inventoried chakras with a professor at Ikiam University — he plans to experiment growing different species on Ikiam property and help the local communities retain more value from their crops. Great family, plan to stay in touch with them after just three weeks! My 1:1 happened on my last day, so it was nice to recap and touch base before re-entering the US. What I'm most proud of is analyzing tree species data to understand best growth conditions and value potential. The most impactful part was all of the above. Parsing out when a local was telling me species names in Kichwa versus Spanish was a challenge, and I could have connected more with Amazon Learning and the other interns. Looking back, I developed plant species identification, strengthened my Spanish, and gained some international experience. This experience helped me understand a foreign culture through the eyes of local people and become more sympathetic to their way of living. It gave me more perspective and made me realize how many things I take for granted. It is a very unique and formative experience — the combination of receiving some formal training through Amazon Learning and then getting an immersive experience is very powerful and rewarding. Thank you for everything!