Fall 2017

Going to Quito, Ecuador was the most impactful part of my college career. Not only was I able to travel to South America and go on countless adventures, leaving me with stories and experiences of a lifetime, but I also was immersed into a culture that stretched me and changed the way I see the world. Living in Quito in an apartment with other people from the program was beneficial because I was able to adjust to Ecuador with others who were also experiencing the change of living in another country and adjusting to a new culture. However, when I moved to my homestay and lived with an Ecuadorian family for a month, I realized that before, I had simply been studying abroad. When I moved in with my Ecuadorian family, I was then living abroad. I was able to grasp the culture in an entirely new way when I had Ecuadorian parents, brothers, and sisters. I learned a lot of Spanish, and I learned what it means to be a good host and to open your home to family and friends. I lived in an environment in which family comes first, relationships are more important than work, and you are treated as though you are a daughter of the family.