2016 CWIL Student Grant Reflection Paper

2016 CWIL Student Grant reflection paper

Ecuador Study Abroad Reflection

Madison TayeCarmichael
On May 16th of 2016, I was a girl from small-town Indiana who had never left the country before. On June 3rd of 2016, I returned to the United States of America with my passport stamped for the first time. I had just returned from my trip to Ecuador.
While in Ecuador, I hiked a volcano in the Andes Mountains. I hiked for hours every day in the Amazon Rainforest, even at night. Some animals that I found in the forest included monkeys, toucans, and tarantulas. I fished for piranhas, and I even held one in my own hand. I ate “cuy,” or guinea pig. I snorkeled in the ocean off the Galapagos Islands and swam among sea turtles. I was able to splash and play with sea lions. I even stood with each foot on different sides of the equator.
The sights that I experienced were breathtaking. I saw sights from the top of a Kapok tree in the rainforest, to the cliffs off of the Galapagos Islands, to the vastness of the Andes Mountains. I travelled to a rainforest that had Kapok trees that were up to five centuries old. I saw howler monkeys, Hoatzins, caimans, tarantulas, leaf cutter ants, blue footed boobies, Darwin’s finches, sea lions, marine iguanas, giant tortoises, sharks, and many more animals.
I returned home with stories of shark attacks, neverending airport layovers, earthquakes, as well as stories of nights spent singing and laughing with new friends.
Now that I have returned home, I am grateful for these unforgettable memories and experiences to tell my friends and family. However, I gained so much more than that. Studying abroad in Ecuador provided me with so many opportunities for intercultural engagement.
While in Ecuador, our group visited a school in the Andes Mountains. I’ll never forget the way all of the children ran up to us to say hello or the way they each hugged us all goodbye when it came time to leave. I had so much fun playing fútbol with the kids and watching them dance and sing.
A woman, named Martina, allowed our group to visit her home. We had the opportunity to see how she and her husband lived in their community. Martina’s husband, Alfonso, even allowed us to see his workshop. We met a man who carves instruments and he played us a traditional song with his son and son-in-law for us.
I was able to practice a little Spanish when I bargained at the market. One man at the market was there with his wife and daughter, and I remember talking and laughing with them for a long while.
In the Amazon Rainforest, we saw people of the Quechua tribe walking the trails barefoot. We met some Quechua women who prepared us some food, including grilled larvae. One Quechua woman, Margo, even painted my face to look like hers.
Besides learning about the effects of the Humboldt and Cromwell currents on the Galapagos Islands and the environments of Ecuador, I gained intercultural knowledge and an understanding of the culture of Ecuador. While visiting elaborate cathedrals in Quito, I learned about the influence of Catholicism on Ecuador and how superstitions were used to fearfully convert indigenous people. Many of these superstitions are still practiced today! I stayed at a hacienda and learned about how Europeans would build these big, beautiful haciendas when they took over land and had indigenous people serve them. While visiting a school in the Andes, I learned that girls were not always allowed to attend school and they still struggle to finish their education. I saw how their society put women in a different position than women in the United States, but I also saw that many of the projects we visited were orchestrated by women as a means of independent income from the men, both in the Andes and the Amazon Rainforest.
Upon reflection, I have decided to learn more Spanish so that the next time I have opportunities to converse with people on trips like these, I will be able to hold more meaningful conversations.
All these new experiences have led me to create new memories, friends, and perspectives. I am so grateful that I was a part of the study abroad trip to Ecuador. This was an incredible experience to have for my first time abroad and I am already plotting my next international adventure.
?-Madison Carmichael