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Another significant point in this program has been finishing my 30 page independent study research project on air quality and transportation in Spanish! Writing and interviewing random people in Spanish was a feat. The submittal of this paper marks the true end to my study abroad program. Though I will be here for another few weeks with my family, I will be leaving my host family, who have been my cheerleaders since day one, when I met them only confidently knowing how to say “Hola, ciao, and gracias.” They have helped me through multiple accidents and sicknesses through my travels here, always greeting me with a smile and wanting to know about my day.

I am going to be frank, I initially was not thrilled to be studying abroad in Ecuador. I had gone back and fourth with my study abroad plans, and towards August, I dreaded leaving. I had always dreamed of traveling Europe, but Ecuador is, in many ways, is close to the opposite. But, now I’m beginning to realize how glad I am to have been a part of this program. I traveled through the Galapagos Islands and the Amazon, stayed with an indigenous family with ties to the Incan’s, and going out in nature and doing things my friends, family, and I would have never expected out of me.

So, for those who are asking, yes, at times my semester abroad flew by, and at other times it was challenging with each day lasting a lifetime. They were filled with fun, adventurous memories, but also challenging moments as well. Overall, the best way I can describe my experience abroad is growth. I know this may be a cliche association, but personally, it has been an experience that at times tested me. It has taught me to be independent, to be okay with being uncomfortable in situations (like talking in Spanish with native speakers on the streets!), and has pushed me to do things I would never voluntarily do. Up until the day I left for Ecuador, I always got the questions “So, why Ecuador?” To this day, I cannot explain to you what passed through my mind to make me choose Ecuador, nor can I begin to reason how it is “a perfect match” after being here for four months. I don’t wander outdoors too frequently, didn’t come here with strong Spanish skills, and usually avoid the hustle and bustle of big cities. I don’t think it is a true match, but somehow, that has made my experience so worthwhile.

Hoy terminé mis clases de español…Pasé 300 horas en mis clases este semestre! Aunque ya había aprendido español antes de venir a Ecuador, no recordaba mucho….

Today I ended my Spanish classes… I spent 300 hours in classes this semester! Even though I had already learned Spanish before coming to Ecuador, I didn’t remember a lot. I’ve always had a lot of difficulty learning the language back in high school, and knew immersing myself would be both a challenge and a new approach to learning. My Spanish school made us take a placement exam which helped gauge our initial level of Spanish. Shamelessly, having not taken any classes in a while, I was placed in the beginner level. We started the semester talking about what our names were, describing our hometowns, and our families. Since then, I have talked about complex issues such as Affirmative Action in college admissions, environmental justice, religion, gender, racial identity, and of course my beloved topic of air pollution. The levels are based off the Common European and American Framework of References for Languages-CEFRL: (A1-beginner, A2-elementary, B1-intermediate, B2- upper intermediate, C1-advanced, C2-proficient). Now, I am in C1, which has been a long journey. Though I will certainly tell you I am nowhere close to being confident in speaking Spanish fluently with Ecuadorians, in all the years I have taken Spanish (3.5!) I have never been at the level I am right now. If you asked me how I felt about learning Spanish back in high school, I would have told you I absolutely hated it, I just wasn’t good with languages. Well, after this program I have decided to hopefully minor in Spanish, something I would have never predicted! I knew being farther than a train ride away from home was going to be tough, but being tossed in a country that speaks a completely different language is an added challenge. So, here’s to a cheesy selfie in my host family’s house capturing a sigh of relief; I did it! In a week from now my study abroad program will be over, and I’ll be guiding my family through Quito.

As of yesterday, I officially have one month in Ecuador, and even less time in my study abroad program. I will be spending Christmas in Quito, with my family and my host family. Yesterday night, a Pitzer friend and I made a makeshift version of sushi for them to try.

Throughout my program I have been working at a public pediatric hospital, Hospital Baca Ortiz. It serves primarily the lower class, but has a lot of services. I work in a room called Ludoteca, which is two rooms filled with toys and activities for children to escape the dull and bleak rooms they have to share with others. One of the hardest things has been playing with a child and laughing with them one day, and seeing them back in their rooms the next day, in too much pain or with an IV that prevents them from leaving the room. Working here, however, has been really tough at times. Since it is a public place, with little funding, things break and are worn down. But, as my volunteering comes to an end this week, I realize that it is a truly special safe haven for the children. I hope I have helped them in some way or another.

This weekend I went to Tena, the northwestern edge of the Amazon. The river we rafted on was sourced from Cotopaxi volcano! During the two hours we were on the water, we experienced very strong humidity and sunlight, rain, thunder, and clouds. The scenery was unbelievable, but unfortunately I didn’t have my phone on me during the trip to capture it. The butterflies were a vibrant blue, the plants were full of different textures, shapes, and shades of green. The next day we went to swim in a waterfall to escape the heat and humidity. The water was so refreshing and clear! It was a great break to get away from the stress of our final papers looming over our heads. As my semester program abroad comes to a close in three weeks, I have recently asked myself, “How lucky am I to have gone to the Galápagos Islands and the Amazon?!”

This weekend I milked a cow for the first time! I stayed with another Pitzer student in the indigenous community of La Esperanza. The community makes a living through selling embroidered goods, their crops, domestic house work, and carpentry. Their backyards are not gated off by their neighbors, but are open fields. Our family had cows, pigs, chickens, cats, and a newborn litter of puppies. We went to the cemetery on Día de los Muertos with the entire extended family. The next day, we hiked up Imbabura Volcano through the fog. At night made humitas, or corn tamales by grounding fresh corn into masa and wrapping it in leaves from plants outside. It was a great trip filled with lots of indigenous cultural knowledge!

Happy Halloween! Here in Ecuador, Halloween is not a huge holiday, because they have Día de los Muertos instead. In fact, whether to celebrate Halloween here is highly contested. In my bakery class this week we made “guaguas de pan” which is the direct translation of Ecuador’s indigenous language to “bread babies.” They are decorated and often have a filling of berry jelly or chocolate. You eat it with a hot, fruity and spiced drink called “colada morada,” seen in the second picture in the upper left. These two foods are only made and sold the month of October. They are enjoyed by children and family but are traditionally brought as offerings in cemeteries. Tomorrow I am leaving a four day home-stay in the indigenous community of San Clemente. I will spend this holiday with them and learn some of their customs!

Part of my program in Quito includes conducting an independent study project to further submerse myself into the culture with a specific topic I am interested in. It requires at least a 30 page qualitative research paper written in Spanish. Since I am very passionate about air quality, and am quite affected by it here due to the area’s geography, I knew I wanted to focus on this topic. Due to the higher altitude of Quito and 27% lower oxygen levels, the area is more susceptible to incomplete combustion. Therefore, I have chosen my research question to be: What is the perspective of Quiteños (people who live in Quito) about air pollution in Quito? I am interested to see if correlations are prevalent between the lower and middle class. I will be conducting interviews very soon in the upcoming weeks. It’s challenging to read scientific documents and conduct interviews in Spanish, but it’s amazing to see how much more I can understand up until this point!

This weekend I took a short trip to Mindo. Mindo is in a valley, as opposed to Quito in the high sierras. It is most known for its cloud forest. I took a ski lift-type ride, called the tarabita, over the forest and then hiked to three waterfalls. It was incredibly humid which made the hike more difficult, but the views were amazing. On the sides of the trail were huge leaves larger than the size of my head, some of which were beginning to decompose into the ground. Another thing Mindo is known for is their chocolate and coffee, and you can bet that I stopped to try them there!

I am finally back in Quito after traveling around Ecuador for the past 8 days. First, we went to Puerto Lopez, where we had our own beach connected to the back of the hostel. We then moved to another beach town on the coast, Montañita. Montañita is know for its “hippie” free-spirited culture as opposed to the majority of Ecuador which is more conservative. Lastly, we went to Cuenca, which was the highlight of the trip for me. Cuenca is a small town where most American retirees reside. In fact, 50% of the population is asleep by 9 PM and most things are closed, even on weekends. It is a lot calmer than the bustling city of Quito at all times of day. The town resembles designs of Europe since it was named after Cuenca, Spain.