Over Interim I spent three weeks studying abroad in Ecuador. I was enrolled in an intercultural communications class with 14 other students from various schools in Minnesota and Illinois. The course consisted primarily of observing differences within a typical U.S. culture versus various Ecuadorian cultures.
We began our journey in Quito, the capital of Ecuador. It is a large, mountainous city. We did the typical touristy things like visiting museums, taking city tours, and eating at local restaurants. We spent a day and a half in Quito and were then off to stay with our host families in Cuenca.
For the next two weeks we stayed with host families. My host family consisted of a mom, a daughter, and her three-year-old son. The family spoke absolutely zero English, but luckily for me I was paired with another Augie student who was a Spanish major so she could interpret for me. We attended a school in Cuenca called CEDEI that was specifically for international students. Every morning we would walk 25 minutes from our host family's house to school for our morning lecture and then visit a hospital, school, TV station, or museum, depending on our lecture topic. It was interesting to see the differences in their education system as well as their healthcare system. For example, healthcare was very affordable for all people. They would make small or no payments for a doctor's visit and for the medicine as well. Our stay in Cuenca really made me feel like a part of their culture. I was eating all Ecuadorian food, which included fresh fruits and vegetables, rice, some sort of meat, and hand squeezed fruit juices. Being the picky eater that I am, I was nervous about the food selection, but it ended up being very good; especially the fruits and vegetables. We also took part in their New Year's Eve traditions, which were much different than U.S. traditions. The family and guests burned stuffed dummies in memory of people who had died, ate 12 grapes at every tick of the clock before midnight, and sang karaoke in Spanish for hours. It was quite an experience, but was a good insight to their culture.
While in Cuenca we also had the opportunity to enjoy the outdoors quite a bit. We took part in three hikes, which were absolutely beautiful. We hiked through El Cajas National park, which was one of the highest points in Ecuador at about 13,000 feet above sea level. It was absolutely insane to think of how high we were when Sioux Falls sits at about 1,470 feet above sea level. The other two hikes were through random parts of the Andes Mountains and were indescribably amazing. The entire country of Ecuador is basically just up and down around the Andes. We were able to see the Andes at every point on our trip, except for the last three days when we were at the coast.
Our last part of the trip was spent in Guayaquil, which was the largest and most populated city in Ecuador. This city had 90-degree weather and 90% humidity every day. Looking back on that now it does not seem too awful compared to negative-20 degree weather back home. While in Guayaquil, we volunteered at an orphanage for an afternoon. This was one of my favorite and most memorable parts of the trip. Not only was it an eye opening experience, but it also gave me a different perspective on life in general. We brought toys, balls, and games for the kids to play with. The minute we walked in it was like we had been there ten times before. The kids ran up to us, grabbed our hands, and claimed us for the afternoon. I happened to meet a boy named Fernando who was a big soccer fan. I must have looked like a soccer player because he grabbed the ball and started to pass with me right away. Eventually we started juggling and before long we had attracted another group of boys who wanted to join in. Even though there was a language barrier, it was neat that we could all share our enjoyment of a simple soccer ball. That afternoon was one of the most rewarding and fun things I have ever been a part of.
My trip to Ecuador taught me so much about different cultures and how it shapes who we are as people. The biggest thing I took away from this trip is that there is so much more to this world than Sioux Falls, South Dakota. It has left me wanting to travel and experience more of the world. As the interim term comes to an end, I know that I will take all of my experiences and reflect back on them often. I couldn't be more excited to be back to the cold working out with my teammates again. I am really looking forward to second semester and a great spring season!
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