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…
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…
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…
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…
It’s been about two weeks since I left Cuenca, and it’s been a whirlwind since then. Upon leaving, we traveled around Peru for a week. In my head I’d pictured Peru to be similar to Ecuador, but I found that each new place we went was different than the last, which was a great surprise. Something that really shocked me about Peru was that Lima, though filled with beautiful historic buildings, felt like a step back into the United States.…
Last week we had the once in a lifetime opportunity to experience the famous Galapagos Islands! The fact that this trip was included in the program was one of the most attractive features of the Semester in the Andes for me, and it completely lived up to my expectations. Here’s a rundown of the good, the bad, and the ugly of my trip. I’ll start with the good. I was able to get past most of my apprehension about animals!…
Tuesday of this week was my 20th birthday. Last year was the first year that I didn’t see my family on my birthday, but my boyfriend came and visited me at my university, so I was still with someone close to me. This year was the first time I celebrated a birthday without anyone I’ve known more than a month. I thought I may feel a bit homesick on my birthday, but I was surprised that even though I haven’t…
Life here in Cuenca is quite different than my life in the United States. I’ve been here in Cuenca for about two weeks and Ecuador for about three weeks, and while there are undoubtedly some major adjustments, I’d say the transition into a different culture has been going smoothly. There are actually a few differences that I really like about life here. One is the eating schedule. In the US dinner is the main meal of the day, where it…
When I told people that I was going to be studying abroad in Ecuador, I received greatly varied reactions. Some people were thrilled and told me that they had been to Ecuador or had a family member who had been and absolutely loved it. Many others, however, seemingly knew nothing about Ecuador and asked how I chose it, considering that it isn’t a common place to study abroad. In all honesty, I gave different people different answers to this question.…
Believe it or not (and it’s probably a lot easier for y’all to believe), the end of my trip abroad is quickly approaching! There is so much that I’m going to miss, and it feels like we are leaving just as I’ve come to see Cuenca as a home. HOWEVER, before I finish up with the program and the blog, I’d like to give everyone some of the best tips, tricks and pointers that I’ve learned since coming to study…