Blog – Page 3

Understanding National Politics (with some killer pictures from Saraguro)

April 23, 2018

“Neither the life of an individual nor the history of a society can be understood without understanding both.” – C. Wright Mills Here’s a beautiful landscape in Saraguro to catch your attention! As my trip in Ecuador is beginning to wind down, I really want to impart some of the knowledge that I’ve picked up through my journey. Some of the most important knowledge I’ve gained concerns the creation of the Ecuadorian culture and reality. If you haven’t seen it,…

Ecuadorian Easter and other Interpersonal Interactions

April 4, 2018

Alec Tripp

Cuenca, Ecuador, Holidays, Study Abroad

“We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.” – T.S. Eliot This past week has been another filled with lifelong memories and special Ecuadorian traditions. If y’all wouldn’t mind, I’d like to talk about the Easter celebrations and some funny encounters I’ve had with Cuencanos. So back in Tennessee, my Easter is usually celebrated with a couple of church services,…

(Host) Family Reunion Festivities

March 25, 2018

Alec Tripp

Cuenca, Ecuador, Holidays, Study Abroad

This past week has had quite its share of activities, but they’ve had a much slower pace and have ended up with much more host family bonding: a welcome respite from my group’s fast-paced (but gorgeous and infinitely memorable) vacation in the Galapagos. My week of homey Ecuadorian activities began with a trip to my host father’s work at a family-owned hacienda thirty minutes outside of the city. It was a beautiful trip into the mountains and I got to…

Augustana College and CEDEI Partnership: Cuenca, Ecuador

March 19, 2018

Kristen Sawyer

CEDEI, Cuenca, Ecuador, Study Abroad

Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois was the original partner and collaborator of CEDEI. The concept of CEDEI began over twenty-five years ago when two of the Augustana professors, Tom Brown and Steve Wille, began to travel with students to Cuenca. These experiences were the seeds that grew into CEDEI, an institution of education and bridge-building that has worked with students from around the world for decades. This interview with Dr. Araceli Masterson, Associate Professor of Spanish and Director of the…

GalápaGO Get Your Goals (I’m so sorry)

March 14, 2018

Alec Tripp

CEDEI, Ecuador, Study Abroad

“There is no reality except in action.” – Jean-Paul Sartre One of the most important attributes in my decision-making, and one of the reasons I was able to study abroad in the beautiful city of Cuenca, Ecuador, is pretty simple. I am adamant about taking advantage of every opportunity that I can. From tasting the odd, Cuencan specialty of Cuy (Guinea Pig, which is delicious), to studying abroad in the heart of Latin America, I have rarely let opportunities pass…

Professor Sisa Pacari on Indigenous Communities and Traditional Medicine

March 2, 2018

Kristen Sawyer

CEDEI, Ecuador

Professor Sisa Pacari has been teaching at CEDEI for decades on and off. She is an integral part of the institution.Two of her standout classes are Quichua, the indigenous language of many Ecuadorians throughout the country, and a seminar on Traditional Medicine. During her language course, which has an Intro and Intermediate level, Profe Sisa uses only Spanish and Quichua to teach her pupils the intricacies of this language that has been used in this region before the Spanish arrived.…

Curious Chronicles Concerning (E)cuadorian Coffee

March 2, 2018

Alec Tripp

Ecuador

Now that I´ve written a bit about my tastes for Cuencan coffee, I decided that it´d be a swell idea to educate everyone on the history of Ecuadoran coffee, because it´s pretty interesting. So, Ecuador is one of the few places in the world that is able to grow quality coffee in extremely different biomes. They say that coffee needs to be grown at high altitudes to be quality, but Ecuador is able to cultivate its coffee beans at altitudes…

Cuencan Coffee and Cafe Connoisseur

February 24, 2018

Alec Tripp

Cuenca, Ecuador, Study Abroad

So, by no means do I actually claim to be a coffee connoisseur… I like my coffee sweet with milk and lots of different flavors. BUT, drinking coffee in Cuenca has taught me some distinct (and really enjoyable) ways to hang out and drink coffee with friends/family. My first lesson concerning coffee in Cuenca was that in very few places is there a concept of “to go.” If you want coffee, you’re going to sit down and spend at least…

Blinded by Carnival

February 15, 2018

Alec Tripp

CEDEI, Cuenca, Holidays, Study Abroad

You need to travel to Latin America as to fully experience the Carnival holiday. It´s such a unique and bewildering event, containing massive celebrations before Lent (a time of holiness and moderation). You´ll notice in the days leading up to Carnival weekend that many people are walking around the city, soaking wet, and returning the cold, wet favor to random passersby. You´ll also become much more familiar with this evil substance known as “carioca” (which is pretty much just aromatic…

Ecuadorian Yes Man

February 8, 2018

Alec Tripp

CEDEI, Cuenca, Ecuador, Study Abroad

“The limits of my language are the limits of my world.” -Ludwig Wittenstein As it turns out, journeying to a foreign country entails learning its language (quite well) and transitioning to its customs. Unluckily for me, I was hardly proficient in Spanish coming into Ecuador, and I knew even less of its unique traditions. To cope with the massive influx of new information and Spanish conversation, I had become accustomed to just replying to nearly anything that my host family…