An incredible semester

One of my favorite parts of studying abroad in Ecuador was the diversity of environments we were lucky enough to experience. We explored the Amazon rainforest, hiked in the Andes mountains, navigated the huge city of Quito, visited tiny villages, chilled on the coast, and of the course, spent three months getting to know the Galápagos Islands in a way that tourists simple aren’t able to. I highly recommend this program for anyone interested in environmental science or policy – it doesn’t even have to be your major – and especially for those who love being outside! The host families that IES placed us in were awesome – my Spanish improved greatly, and I still keep in touch with my Galápagos family. The IES advisors and on-site staff were really wonderful: they helped immensely with my endless questions throughout both the application process and also the actual semester abroad. Also, connecting with new people is the best part of study abroad: I liked and admired one of my professors so much that I ended up staying for an extra six weeks to do research with him. Now, I can’t wait to go back!