Are you one of those people who loves to pack your travels with as many experiences as possible? Maybe you’re like some of our students who, after morning classes, lunch, and afternoon cultural activities, are still searching to fill their evenings with as much excitement as possible. In honor of th
How to Make the Most of Your Homestay in Quito
Food poisoning hit me at 2 a.m. May 21st, 2018. I had arrived three hours earlier to the Quito airport after a full day of traveling from my home in the United States. Immediately, I blamed the cup of water my host mom had served me. It wasn’t until I called my family in the US that I found out they
Will New Tech Make Learning Spanish Obsolete? 7 Reasons We Believe It Won’t.
A company in Japan just developed the Muamua Enence–a two-way, state-of-the-art, instant translator. It allows a foreign language novice to chat with a native speaker in more than forty different languages. Well, that’s it. No need to take that High School Spanish exam. It’s time to uninstall your
Restaurants in the Floresta for Travelers on a Budget
At Vida Verde, we feel very lucky to be located in the Floresta neighborhood. As one of the most popular and safest neighborhoods in all of Quito, we love to show our students around to take a look at the street art and experience its culture first hand. Almost more importantly, we love to show stud
The Teleferico of Quito
The Teleferico is one of the most important tourist icons in all of Ecuador. It is a must see for visitors to the Capitol city of Quito. Inaugurated on May 24th, 2005 and located in the foothills of the volcano Rucu Pichincha, riders of the Teleferico ascend to an altitude of 3947 meters above sea l
The Arrastre de Caudas
The “Arrastre de caudas”, an ancient Catholic ceremony commemorating the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ, is held every Wednesday of Holy Week in Quito, the only city in all of the world where this ritual still survives. This ceremony has its origin in an ancient Roman rite in which the
What is the Origin of Fanesca?
Fanesca, the traditional meal of Holy Week in Ecuador, has just about as many legends pertaining to its origins as the number of grains it contains. The majority of Ecuadorians that make the delicious soup have no idea where it came from; they only know the recipe they learned from their parents. Th
4 Things to Do During La Semana Santa (Holy Week) in Quito 2019
Looking to have a truly cultural Latin American experience? La Semana Santa in Ecuador is the perfect time to come to experience some of the more unique traditions in Ecuador. Holy Week in 2019 runs from Sunday, April 14th until Sunday, April 21st. If you are here in Quito during La Semana Semana, t
10 Traditional Ecuadorian Foods You NEED to Try
Thanks to new methods of producing food, biologists warn of a future day when mankind will become a toothless being with atrophied taste buds. Future humans may be fed nutrients completely via a diet of pills, tablets, and purées. With such a diet, teeth may become obsolete and taste buds may become
Volunteering at Chontal
My Experience Volunteering in Ecuador Hello, my name is Paula and in 2018 I spent two months in Ecuador. I didn’t know any Spanish when I arrived in Quito and therefore I went to Vida Verde Spanish School to gain some basic knowledge of the Spanish language. Not knowing exactly where my journey woul