Reviews

When arriving in Tanzania I was welcomed like I was part of their family. The coordinators and the team were amazing from the second they met me and were helpful through my whole experience. I was lucky to do a month at a daycare and a month at a school and it changed me in ways I never thought possible. The hardest part about my experience was having to leave the family I gained while over there.

In Atandahua, the people of the community have adapted and faced different challenges that have cemented in their cosmology and way of living. From a Western perspective, they are different from what is lived in Europe and North America, but in the rural countryside, these practices are considered part of the norm. From an agricultural perspective, there is a saturation of the market and land mismanagement due to the overproduction of the same products. On the other hand, gender norms and women’s health are constantly at risk, yet it has become a standard form of living. Through our projects, we wanted to propose alternative problem-solving that could have a long term impact, while still respecting the cultural traditions of the region. By starting a chocho production system with multiple farmers in the area, and reinforcing the linkage between health centres, hospitals, and midwives, the two pilot plans seemed to have started to have a positive impact on the people in the community.

I can only recommend an internship at El Terreno. In addition to the architecture programme, I learned so much from the other people around me. It was an adventure that will stay with me for the rest of my life and has opened the door to travelling through South America for me.

In 2025, I had the opportunity to participate in a three-months internship program at El Terreno, Atandahua, Ecuador. My project was focused on the improvement of the drinking water situation in Atandahua and the neighboring communities. Before starting the project, I had a short interview with Joshua, CEO and founder of El Terreno, to figure out what my motivations and expectations of the project are, what kind of character I am, and if I’m a good match for the team. Arriving at the airport in Quito, there was an organized pick-up for the transfer from Quito airport to Atandahua. Arriving on the same day as two other volunteers, I had the opportunity to get to know them a little bit on the four-and-a-half-hour-long drive. Travelling from Quito airport to Atandahua would have been possible by bus aswell, but for that, a better understanding of the public transport system in Ecuador would have been necessary. Now, with the experience I made in Ecuador, I could easily achieve that. Back then, it was a lot easier with the organized pick-up. Having arrived in Atandahua, we were very warmly welcomed at “El Terreno”, where I could very comfortably move into my new home for the next three months. And indeed, it became a home. The bed in a shared dorm with three bunk beds (six beds in total plus one individual bed, but only at max four of them occupied at a time) were comfortable. The kitchen space was big enough to comfortably cook on the six gas stoves provided, even with several people cooking their food in parallel at a time. The organization of the food storage inside and outside of the fridge is strict, but very well done, even though one fridge proved to be a bit small if there’s a lot of people. During my stay this issue was solved by installing a second fridge. From the beginning, Joshua and his family were lovely people, and it felt really good staying with them. Joshuas wife Karina provided one warm meal per day for lunch time, which was super delicious, and I’m very grateful to have had the opportunity to taste original Ecuadorian food. “Quilico”, the house where the volunteers live together, is a very comfortable home, with a woodfire oven, gas stoves in the kitchen, and hot water showers. A big common area invites everyone to spend time together, but at the same time it is possible to retract from social life and have a bit of private time in the shared dorm rooms. The cleaning regime of “Quilico” is very well organized and Joshua has a strict eye on the tasks that need to be fulfilled by everyone to make a comfortable living together possible. The project work is very well organized, oriented at the design methodology approach. An introduction to design methodology is provided by Joshua. Mentors give an insight into the setting, the community and the problems and objectives of the project during the first four weeks. This is the basis for understanding the aim of the project properly. The next phase (additional four weeks) is the planning of actions aimed at providing solutions for the problems identified in the first phase. The last phase (another four weeks) is the execution of the plan to put the possible solutions into reality and testing their strengths and limitations. The social life at El Terreno is beautiful, with the opportunity to meet people from all around the world with the same intentions of doing something valuable for the community. There is sufficient free time to get to know each other, play games, cook and eat together and even have a party or watch a movie on the beamer. Once a week there is a pub quiz (“trivia”) in changing locations in Guaranda which is always fun to participate in. There, local people from Guaranda and the surrounding communities meet the foreigners of El Terreno and other organizations to answer trivial yet sometimes pretty tricky questions in a relaxed atmosphere with food and beers. The perfect opportunity to get to know the locals. I always loved trivia! 😊 As beautiful as my stay at El Terreno was, there is one point that should have been communicated better during the execution of the project, which is the continuation of the project after me having left El Terreno. Unfortunately, the projects prototype didn’t fulfill the expectations to a hundred percent which were put into it in the first place. My understanding was to figure out the issues and improve the prototype to finally achieve an optimized and reliably functional product. After I had left El Terreno, the prototype was exchanged against an off-the-shelf solution, which I intentionally had avoided due to major drawbacks in terms of long term costs and sustainability. Knowing this, my work and effort at El Terreno felt somehow wasted and I feel I could have achieved more focusing on other aspects of the project which my skills and expertise would have been more useful in the long run. With that said, I want to add that I definitely have all respect for the decision of El Terreno not to continue with the prototype because I am leaving after three months going back to Europe, but El Terreno has to make sure the equipment provided is working properly and must defend it against the community’s interests. The off-the-shelf solution was definitely a quick and more reliable solution for the water quality issues, yet with - from my point of view - major drawbacks in sustainability. Still, I enjoyed my time at El Terreno a lot and I’m happy coming back to the beautiful place on the outskirts of the Chimborazo volcano soon.

I loved this course and the people who taught it! They are all so friendly and helpful!! The course is organized in a very intensive way to best maximize your time! When on this course you will also receive hands on experience teaching real students!!! It was a blast!!!

I loved so much about my experience here. There were so many wonderful opportunities to visit cool places, and tons of events to go to. The classes were very interesting and all of the professors and staff are lovely. I had so much fun seeing and trying all the new things.

I went to study for 2 weeks one on one courses. The school offers group classes, but one on one is best for rapid progression and you only want to commit to short time periods. The teachers and staff are friendly and knowledgeable. The facilites are good. The neighborhood around the school is quiet with enough places to eat. Taipei is the best place to learn Mandarin in a safe and immersive environment. Also as an advantage for US citizens, no visa is needed to go to Taiwan.

LTL Language School responded to this reviewMarch 26, 2026

Thanks for your lovely words, Jimmy. It's a pleasure to hear you enjoyed your intensive two weeks studying Chinese with us! Hope you come back again soon :) LTL Team

My overall review of this experience is 10/10. The things that were different, or frustrating I learned to accept as part of the experience, seeing it as another thing to overcome. I met amazing people, experienced a beautiful culture, and learned alot about maternal health in indigenous communities. The personal and professional development I underwent will show up in other settings, and will help me adapt, accept, and communicate better- and push myself further.

I had a really good experience with Forum-Nexus overall. The program gave me the chance to travel a lot, meet great people, and learn more about different countries in a way that felt interesting and personal. I liked that the staff was friendly and helpful, and the hotels were some of the best I’ve stayed in. Some visits were better than others, but the overall balance of academics, free time, and cultural experiences made the program worth it. I’d recommend it to other students, especially if they want to make friends and grow through travel.

This summer abroad program was one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve had as an undergraduate.” “It was thoughtfully organized, with a great balance of academics, cultural exploration, professional visits, and enough independence to grow on my own.” “The instructors were engaging, knowledgeable, and encouraged real discussion, which made classes feel useful beyond the classroom.” “I especially liked being able to connect what we learned to our travels.” “The staff was welcoming and supportive throughout, and I’d absolutely recommend the program to other students.