An Experienced-Focused Semester in an Incredibly Biodiverse Country

The main things I gained were botanical knowledge, field research experience, and connections with the science community in Ecuador. I did not find the program very academically challenging and a lot of the topics covered were pretty basic ecological/biological concerts. We did a fair amount of birdwatching on the program, which is something I very much enjoy. My favorite experiences were the cloud forest excursion, going out on a boat on an Amazonian lake, and my independent study project that took me to an altitude of 3 miles above sea level. However, my Spanish did not improve much (started and finished as an intermediate speaker) and there wasn't much time for cultural immersion.