Hoy le dije adiós a una de mis mejores amigas de CEDEI. Las lágrimas eran imparables, es increíble lo mucho que me impactaron mis amigas. Las voy a extrañar, pero sé que mis amistades de CEDEI no terminan con el programa. Estas son amistades para toda la vida. Cuando recién apliqué para el semestre yo tenía el plan de que este programa fuera mi primer gran paso para convertirme en una ciudadana global. Hoy puedo decir que teniendo conexiones en…
Arroz de cada día no es una exageración y tampoco una broma. He comido arroz con casi cada platillo ecuatoriano, me han dado pizza con arroz, pasta con arroz y hasta arroz con arroz. En Cuenca se come bien, se come mucho, y se come rico. Sorprendentemente hay variedad de comidas nacionales e internacionales. Aunque siendo sincera no hay muchas opciones para comida típica de Estados Unidos – bueno aparte del McDonalds, Burger King, y Kentucky Fried Chicken. Pero he…
Being in a foreign country is exciting and overwhelming but the most complex part of studying abroad has been living with a host family. Living with complete strangers in their own home creates many layers to the relationships with each family member. At the beginning of the semester, everything is exciting, all parties are equally intrigued to get to know each other. You, as the foreigner, are on your best behavior to make the best impression. You might accept meals…
Visiting Galapagos islands included all the beautiful views from your typical national geographic documentary. I had the opportunity to see and swim with sea lions, sea turtles, penguins, sharks, eagle ray’s, an octopus, and of course the blue-footed booby along with massive amounts of fish! I also experienced the phenomenon of El Niño with it’s warm currents while snorkeling. If you’ve been keeping up with my previous blogs you may know about my knee injury. If you aren’t sure what…
Talk to Locals. You will be eating at new places, walking new streets, and traveling to new places. Take advantage of every trip and every chance you get to talk to people. I have had some of the best conversations with my taxi drivers about Cuenca, places to visit, and about their work. Walking down the street I’ve stopped to talk to people who ask about my knee injury and I learn about injuries they’ve had and how their experience…
With carnaval festivities over I find myself back in the classroom with my mind still at the beach. This last week was a lot of firsts for me. First carnaval celebration, first time at a beach and first time trying some delicious carnaval food. What is carnaval? Celebration of harvest time, religious tradition, time to receive taita carnaval. In Ecuador the traditional way to celebrate is by having a full table set with food of all kinds in order to…
I’m partially torn on what to share this week about my life in Ecuador. After some serious consideration, I’ve decided to share my last weeks adventures. Long story short, I injured my knee and I’ve had the fortunate (or unfortunate, all about perspective) opportunity to really get to know part of the health system in Ecuador. The more I think about my experience I realize how fitting it all is for my Health in Developing Countries course. It’s important to…
Llegando a Ecuador, inmediatamente comenzamos a aprender sobre las comunidades indígenas y sus tradiciones. Nos mostraron sus vestimentas típicas y compartieron la importancia de conservar las enseñanzas y tradiciones. Cuando veníamos en camino del oriente a Cuenca empecé a ver a señoras vestidas con faldas de color con un bordado único, con sus rebosos y sombreros. Yo inmediatamente las clasifiqué como mujeres indígenas usando vestuario tradicional. Muchas de estas señoras traían a sus niños con ellas caminando, ó, si eran…
During our one-week orientation we had the privilege of visiting the Amazon, known in Ecuador as El Oriente. We stayed at a lodge called Suchipakari, which means gift of nature, and every day was full of adventure and learning. As we drove into the Amazon, I got the opportunity to sit and chat with our bus driver, German. I was impressed by the condition of most roads and the amount of maintenance that was being done to them. Apparently most…
So, I’m finally in Ecuador, and goodness has it been a blur! I have met so many amazing people and seen some of the most uniquely beautiful landscapes. From la Sierra to el Oriente, I feel like I’ve traveled to different worlds. Upon my landing in Quito, Ecuador, Dolores (the taxi driver’s wife) was waiting to welcome me with a nice tight hug. Let me tell you, after flight delays and cancellations, and 24 hours of continuous travel, that hug…