Ecuador – Page 3

Augustana College and CEDEI Partnership: Cuenca, Ecuador

March 19, 2018

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…

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…

Eating Ants in Ecuador: My First Week

January 31, 2018

Alec Tripp

Cuenca, Ecuador, Study Abroad

It’s going to be QUITE difficult to recap this past week and a half, as it’s been filled with so many incredible experiences. I’ve been blessed with a great group to make lifelong memories, and I look forward to what lies ahead. I arrived in Quito a day early (after some stressful flight delays) and got a quick glimpse of the capital city before I met the rest of my group. Ordering for myself in a foreign country was a…

A New Semester, A New Adventure

January 27, 2018

Kristen Sawyer

Ecuador, Study Abroad

Studying abroad is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It is something that not all students can experience while they’re in university, which makes it all the more important to approach this opportunity with wide eyes, a curious mind, and a deep appreciation for the unknown. These tips are gathered from former students who have studied abroad. They are pieces of wisdom they wish they had heard when they started their study abroad experiences. 1: “Write down everything.” It is so easy for…

Little Things are Big Things: 5 Small Differences from the U.S. to Ecuador

January 16, 2018

Kristen Sawyer

Cuenca, Ecuador, Study Abroad

Going back and forth between countries, it is often overwhelming. When you arrive in a new place, you immediately notice many little things that will eventually, with time, disappear into the “new normal.” When you leave a country, you also notice many of the small differences that you took for granted. Here is a list of five small things that you may notice when you arrive in Cuenca, Ecuador, things that you may miss when you leave. 1. Lines are…

New Years in Ecuador: Effigies, Bonfires, and Fireworks

December 30, 2017

Kristen Sawyer

Cuenca, Ecuador, Holidays

Yellow underwear. 12 grapes. A suitcase. An effigy with a mask. Men dressed up as Chola Cuencanas (Cuencana grandmothers). These are only a handful of the rituals that make up New Year’s Eve in Ecuador. Around the country, the night before the New Year, Ecuadorians will be celebrating visibly. In fact, celebrations often happen before the actual holiday. In the weeks leading up to El Año Nuevo, the New Year, shops sell masks of all different sizes and expressions. The…