“MY HOST FAMILY WAS VERY WELCOMING
“My host family was very welcoming
and loving. I appreciated the sharing of family values which helped me feel more connected to the culture.” -Susie Garvin, January 2025
Through our study abroad, volunteer and internship programs, we enable students, volunteers, and interns to experience a new culture for up to three months at a time while living with a local host family. The full service study abroad and volunteer and internship experiences we provide are based largely on this cultural interchange. While here, participants gain an experience that stretches their educational scope past academia and past the scope of their volunteer work, into the realm of life-long learning.
Local host families also benefit from the mutual cultural and linguistic exchange inherent to the program through the shared experiences, as well as receiving a full additional household income for hosting our participants. Our host families (familias embajadoras del buen vivir) are key to student integration and act as ambassadors to the community. Treating students as if they are part of the family for their stay here, they create a welcoming and nourishing home environment.
This experience is one of the highlights of our international students, volunteers, and interns with many staying in touch with their homestay families long after they've left Isabela Island.
In addition, our host communities benefit from our programs economically. All services that we provide in the study abroad, volunteer, and internship programs are locally outsourced, from tour operators to supporting small businesses, like the 20+ restaurants included in our restaurant program. Our programs boost the local economy and often make IOI one of the biggest single sources of revenue for our host communities.
Angel Gunsha
Host Family, Spring 2013
We began interested in knowing other cultures…and sharing who we are as Ecuadorians and Galapagueños…It’s interesting because we also learn a lot…We feel very happy and grateful because we help and at the same time, the experience helps us to move forward to achieve our goals in terms of education and culture.
(Translated from original Spanish)
“The immersive experience that I had was one I will never forget. My host family was absolutely lovely and I will definitely be back to visit them again. The meals my host family provided were so yummy. Everything had been grown locally and tasted incredible. I miss how good their food is!”
“Living with a host family in Isabela has been a life changing experience…perhaps even the best part of my study abroad experience.”