Blog – Page 5

Cuenca-Loving Program Coordinator: Janae Knipp

November 9, 2017

Cuenca is Calling! Nearly four years ago I walked through Cuenca for the first time and felt enchanted. The river! The mountains! The cobblestone streets! I was under the spell of its South American charm. As I started my teaching contract, my feelings didn’t change too much. Sure, there were the normal frustrations. On rainy days, I really wished I had my car. I missed almond butter and Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. I got frustrated when the Cuencanos’ strolling pace…

Settling Into Cuenca

November 7, 2017

Martina Maya-Callen

CEDEI, Cuenca

On a bus after the first week of adventures in Ecuador there were small bits of anxiety in the pit of my stomach as we are heading to Cuenca, Ecuador, the city in which I will be living for the next semester. We arrive at CEDEI and all of the students line up to meet their families for the first time and I am kindly greeted by my host mother. We swiftly leave CEDEI so that I can get acquainted…

Día de los Muertos

November 2, 2017

Kristen Sawyer

Cuenca, Ecuador

On the 2nd of November, the spirits come out to play. Seeking, crying, plotting, rejoicing spirits. They’re emboldened by the the time of year–Día de los Muertos. Day of the Dead. But in this conservative, significantly Catholic city, how many Cuencanos do believe in spirits? About 75% of Cuencanos consider themselves to be Catholic. And yet, even in a city so religious, Día de los Muertos, celebrated on November 2nd, feels like a small nook in time, as if something…

Daily Life in Cuenca Tips

October 23, 2017

Kristen Sawyer

Cuenca

Wisdom Collected from Students and Staff How can I make calls to the US/use the internet? At various locations around Cuenca are cabinas, which are places that have phones and computers available to the public for a small charge. To make a call to the US, you first need to put in the US IDD, “011” then the area code and number. Calls to other countries have their own IDD. Calls typically cost anywhere from 3 to 12 cents…

Interview with Teresa Clare: Biologist, Conservationist and Filmmaker

October 18, 2017

Kristen Sawyer

CEDEI

Teresa Clare: CEDEI Environmental Science Professor Where are you from and how did you end up in teaching? I am from England (born in Huntingdon but mostly grew up in Leicestershire). I took my first degree in Zoology at the University of Leeds (with subsidiary subjects botany, biochemistry and environmental science), then my PhD on behaviour and ecology of cichlid fishes based at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth (now Aberystwyth University). For my PhD I spent about 10 months doing…

Our Innate Creativity: Nuestro Creatividad Implícito

October 18, 2017

Kristen Sawyer

CEDEI

Our Innate Creativity: Nuestro Creatividad Implícito– An Interview with Jobita Anguisaca, Art Professor at CEDEI “…because art is creativity and expression, which are innate in every human being.” “…porque el arte es creatividad y expresión y eso va implícito en cada ser humano.” Where are you from and how did you begin this work as an art professor? I was born in Cuenca and studied in la Escuela de Artes de la Universidad Estatal de Cuenca; I received my degree in…

Badger-Loving Program Director

October 16, 2017

Kristen Sawyer

CEDEI

A recent interview with Diana Rosales, the new Director of CEDEI International Programs. She joined the team a few months ago, and has had lots of experience traveling the world and living abroad. What does your position as Director of International Programs entail? As Director of International Programs I oversee the Office of International Programs at CEDEI. I organize all the components of our study abroad programs and coordinate with our partner institutions to ensure that the programs fulfill their…

5 Things to Know about Life in Cuenca

October 16, 2017

Kristen Sawyer

Cuenca, Ecuador

As in any city, there are customs and rituals that are different compared to daily life in the States or European countries. The observations on this list are small things, noticed over my two years of living in Cuenca. The topics vary from extended mealtimes to excessive high heel use. These customs are so woven into the fabric of daily life, that you may not even realize how commonplace they are until you pause during your daily stroll and really…