Island Hopping: Santa Cruz and San Cristóbal

We are sad it is coming to a close, but oh so happy that it has happened. The Galápagos has truly been the journey of a lifetime, but we sure have had enough good times and taken enough pictures to commemorate it. Needless to say,…

Living the Island Life in Santa Isabela

July 21 The final chapter of our journey is finally here. The group is sad that the trip is winding down, but they could not be more excited to change their sweatshirts for bathing suits and finally be at the Galápagos Islands after looking forward…

Hikes, Horseback Rides and Volcanoes

The following post features student writing. Hey there, this is Jonah to fill you in about our weekend adventure. After leaving our community of Chilcapamba on Saturday morning, we went to a cozy lodge near the Cotopaxi Volcano and National Park. After we arrived in…

Goodbye, Chilcapamba

The following post features student writing. Hi, it’s Mely and Betsy! We are both rising sophomores and are from Manhattan and Flemington, NJ. We chose this Putney program because we both wanted to help out a community in need while having fun and making lasting…

More Ecuadorian Cooking!

The following post features student writing. Hi, it’s Haley, Anna, Jess, Jonah, and Zoe! Today was the day of our independent project where we had the opportunity to cook alongside Pati, the mother of an Ecuadorian family and past Putney group host. With her instruction,…

Teaching Locals a New Sport: Spikeball

The following post features student writing. Hi, it’s David. For the past couple of days I have been coordinating with Augustin (our foreman) a time to play Spikeball for my independent project. I took the initiative unto myself to ask Augustin if he could find…

Community, Culture, and Markets!

The following post features student writing. Hola from Chilcapamba! This is Greta, from small-town Nebraska, and Lauren, from East Coast New York, checking in! We are both rising seniors and chose to come on this Putney trip for the cultural experience, language immersion, and community…

In the Kitchen with Francesca

The following post features student writing. Hi, it´s Eve and Audrey! We chose the Ecuador and Galápagos program because we wanted to experience living somewhere much smaller than we are used to and to experience a different culture. Today we began construction on trenches to…

And the Projects Begin…

The following post features student writing. Hi! It’s David and Dylan. We chose the Ecuador and Galápagos community service trip because it was the perfect opportunity to immerse ourselves in an indigenous culture as well as give back to a community much less fortunate than…

Cultural Weekend Adventures!

The following post features student writing. Hi! It´s Jess, Zoe, Haley, and Anna! We chose the Putney program because we wanted to feel like travelers, not tourists. We wanted to immerse ourselves into the Ecuadorian culture and learn about the people who live here. This past…