Ecuador – Page 4

Saraguro: Sacred Beauty

December 20, 2017

The Wednesday before heading to Saraguro, one of the CEDEI professors gave a lecture on natural medicine. This charla assisted us in understanding the process and the theories behind the different plants and uses. Immediately after arriving to Saraguro we went to this beautiful overlook of the city. At the overlook, I started to feel very lightheaded; my vision became very blurry and overall I just felt like there was something wrong, but I continued walking. By the time that…

El Cajas: Getting Unplugged

December 14, 2017

Martina Maya-Callen

Cuenca, Ecuador

One of my favorite parts of living in Cuenca is the beautiful mountains that surround the city. What is even better though is the ability to go visit them! El Cajas is a national park filled with magnificent scenery. I never knew that trees could twist and turn in so many directions; I honestly felt like I was in a Sci-Fi movie set with the trees. There are so many lakes and mountains that my eyes were stunned at the…

Biology and Ecology Internships: Ecuagenera Orchid Farm Ecuador

November 26, 2017

Kristen Sawyer

Cuenca, Ecuador, Study Abroad

45 minutes outside of Cuenca, down the highway toward Gualaceo, there is an unassuming building on the left-hand side. The white building has large images of flowers–orchids–on the windows. It looks like it’s just a store, a place to go and buy flowers. But to take the spontaneous risk, to ask the bus driver to stop and descend the steps to go explore this place, is one of the best decisions you can make. Cuenca and its surrounding towns are…

Reflecting on Arriving in Ecuador

November 22, 2017

Martina Maya-Callen

CEDEI, Ecuador

As with any journey, it officially starts with a packed suitcase, a passport, and a ticket. I arrived to Dulles Airport with heightened awareness of the fact that this would be my first official time stepping on an airplane and not knowing anyone. The whole car ride I was filled with butterflies of excitement and the nervousness of not fulling knowing what I was getting myself into. What I would soon come to realize is that I got myself into…

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…

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…