Fernando Báez Guzmán
Fernando is our Academic Director and master teach
Want the complete Ecuador Experience? With our Traveling Classroom, you will receive a taste of every part of our beautiful country. You will learn Spanish in a variety of settings: spending two weeks in the Andes of Quito, one week in the Ecuadorian Jungle overlooking the Napo River, and one week on the shores of the Pacific Coast. You will experience Ecuadorian culture firsthand as Vida Verde teachers guide you on cultural field trips in the afternoons and as you share life with your homestay family. After you study with us in Ecuador, you will see why we believe it is the most beautiful country in the world.
We recommend the traveling classroom for anyone who has an adventurous spirit and wants a Spanish immersion in Ecuador that they will never forget. You will be amazed at how much language you will acquire while traveling throughout the country and having a blast!
What is included:
- 15 hours of intensive Spanish classes
- Activities every afternoon
- 5 nights, 6 days of food and board at the GAIA lodge
- Transportation to and from the Lodge
- 18 hours of intensive Spanish classes
- 4 excursions led by experienced, local tour guides
- 4 nights, 5 days of food and board at the hostal Monte Líbano
- Transportation to and from Puerto López
Itinerary of Activities
Sunday: Arrival to Quito. Free day to move in and meet your host family
Monday: Free day to get to know the neighborhood and spend time with your host family
Tuesday: Outing to the Historic Center of Quito
Wednesday: Traditional Ecuadorian cooking class
Thursday: Tour of the Capilla del Hombre
Friday: Visit to the Itchimbia park
Saturday: Leave for Chontal, an organic farm outside of Quito in the morning
*You will take Spanish Classes with your professor from 8:30 am until 12:30 pm Monday through Friday, then leave for the listed excursion after lunch.
Sunday: Return from Chontal in the late afternoon
Monday: Explore the Santa Clara Fruit Market
Tuesday: Traditional Ecuadorian movie night
Wednesday: Visit to the Rumipamba Ecological Park
Thursday: Free afternoon
Friday: Learning at the Museo Abya Yala
Saturday: Teleferico and hike to Guagua Pinchincha
*You will take Spanish Classes with your professor from 8:30 am until 12:30 pm Monday through Friday, then leave for the listed excursion after lunch.
Sunday: Leave for the Jungle in the afternoon. Artesenal chocolate making lessons
Monday: Motor canoe tour of Napo and Arajuno Rivers
Tuesday: Visit to a community of indigenous families on the Anaconda Island
Wednesday: Hike into the Rain Forest
Thursday: Tubing in the Arajuno River
Friday: Leave for your host family in Quito in the afternoon after classes and lunch
Saturday: Trip to the artesenal market in Otavalo
*You will take Spanish classes with your professor in the morning Monday through Friday then leave for the listed excursion with a guide after lunch.
Sunday: Mitad del Mundo in the morning and depart for Puerto López at night
Monday: Move into the hostal and explore the city
Tuesday: Tour the Isla de la Plata (a mini-Galapagos)
Wednesday: Visit to the indigenous community of Agua Blanca
Thursday: Swim in the Playa los Frailes, a famous beach of Ecuador
Friday: Explore the history and culture of Salango. Leave for Quito in the evening
Saturday: Free day to spend in Quito or with your host family
Sunday: Leave for the airport and return to your country (or stay and continue to enjoy the beautiful country of Ecuador)
*Unless otherwise noted in the itinerary above, from Monday through Friday you will take Spanish Classes with your professor in the morning then leave for the listed excursion after lunch.
The itinerary of activities is flexible, depending on weather.
After spending three weeks directly at the school, I now do the online course at Vida Verde. And I can really say, this online course is a great replacement for being directly at the school. Actually, it's even better. Because using the computer provides a lot more possibilities and flexibility. For instance: If you don't know the meaning of a word, the teacher can quickly use ``Google`` to find it and show you a picture. Video and Audio quality are really good, so for me it's not a bit harder to understand, what the teachers says than before directly at the school. Exercises and homework are exchanged within a minute and if I have to write something, I can type, instead of writing by hand, which I really appreciate. Since I did the online course I even stopped traveling to Spanish language schools.
Fernando Báez Guzmán
Fernando is our Academic Director and master teacher.
Ximena Argüello
Students say class hours with Ximena pass by in a flash. She has been teaching Spanish since 2011, and is fluent in English.
Lucía Rivadeneira
Lucía Rivadeneira is a language nerd who loves to teach the nuts and bolts of Spanish.
Rosa Laura García Caiza
Laura has taught Spanish since 1991. She has a passion for sharing Ecuadorian culture with her students and considers herself not just a teacher but an ambassador of her culture and her language.
