Studying abroad in Ecuador was one of the best decisions I’ve made in college. Based in Quito, I took classes on tropical biology and ecology, Ecuador’s key conservation issues, and Ecuadorian culture and slang, all in Spanish, through . I lived with a host family of three really cool host siblings, a dog named Fidelio, and a wonderful host mom whom I spent countless evenings chatting with and watching cheesy action movies. Every few weeks, I got to travel to and conduct biological fieldwork in the country’s four major ecoregions- the Amazon rainforest, the Andean cloud forest, the ±èá°ù²¹³¾´Ç (a type of high-altitude grassland), and the Galápagos Islands. There were only 13 people in my program, but we became very close friends as we navigated a different language, country, and culture together.
Ecuador is not a super popular study abroad destination, but I’d encourage everyone to look beyond the most common countries and think hard about what they want their experience to be. For me, it was the perfect mix of classes, culture, and language, and I grew a lot more as a student, researcher, and global citizen because I was often in situations that pushed me a little outside of my comfort zone. I went into Ecuador with little idea about what daily life would actually be like due to a lack of available information online, which definitely made me more nervous. To that end, here are a few moments, some big and some small, that convey the diversity of experiences from an unforgettable semester and can help paint a picture of life in a less-talked-about study abroad country.
My independent research month, which was (unexpectedly) my favorite part of my semester and probably the most fun and meaningful month of my life. I lived in the indigenous Kichwa community of Pulinguà San Pablo, which lies at the base of Chimborazo volcano in central Ecuador. Glacial retreat has been a huge issue in the region for decades and the community had noticed changing precipitation patterns, so I was investigating the local stream network and climate patterns, which meant hiking for 8-10 hours a day to map streams and take measurements like sediment load and pH. By the end, I’d hiked up to elevations between 14,000 and 16,000 feet every day (breathing got easier, but never easy), created dozens of maps in ArcGIS, analyzed stream measurements and their correlations with climate data, and written a 70-page report on my findings, which I later translated to Spanish and briefed to the community. It was not easy—I had to fight off stray dogs, got trapped in a thunderstorm in a very exposed field of rocks, had some translating difficulties, and lost power for over a week—but it was an incredible month of developing new scientific skills and delving into the field of hydrology, eating around the fire with my host Nolberto, hanging out with the local alpaca herds, and talking with a lot of people about their perspectives on climate change, development and the loss of their native language. It redoubled my passion for a career of socially relevant science, and I still talk with a lot of the people I met.
Unexpected family trips. One day, I went out to brunch with my entire extended host family at 9am and did not return home until past 11pm! Brunch turned into dancing cumbia in the restaurant, then going to my grandparents’ house to play cards for the whole afternoon. I was getting beaten handily at Cuarenta, the national card game, but then joined forces with my host grandpa and defeated the whole table.
The entire Galápagos week. We spent a week on a boat with days filled with hiking around different islands and learning about their natural history, snorkeling and recording species, and talking about the impacts of international tourism.
Parades in Riobamba with Miguel, a local guide, and friends. Ecuadorian cities have huge festivals celebrating their independence days, so I got to watch hundreds of student marching bands in the streets, which were closed to traffic and crammed with thousands of people buying fried food and plates of hornado, or entire roasted pigs.
Talking with families in the Amazon living on abandoned oil sites. It was one of the saddest moments of the semester, seeing kids who are being actively poisoned by their land thanks to past actions and current inaction of American petrochemical companies, and led to a lot of reflection on the U.S.’ role in international crises.
Errands with my family. I saw so much of the city just tagging along with them and learned a lot about what daily life in Ecuador looks like. Some highlights include many family birthday parties spent dancing with everyone in the room, visiting a fancy barbershop, and shopping for a desk with my host sister.
Exploring Ruta de las Cascadas. With program friends, I spent a weekend biking down a highway that runs through the mountains past dozens of stunning waterfalls, eating fresh empanadas, and listening in to a Catholic mass in the town of Baños de Agua Santa’s historic church.
Amazing wildlife: Andean/spectacled bears, a mountain tapir, Andean foxes, hammerhead sharks, Hawksbill sea turtles, 8 different monkey species, Andean condors and over 400 different bird species, and Galápagos penguins!
Running in Parque La Carolina, a massive park over 3 miles long. It contained multitudes, and one day I wrote down everything interesting that I saw over the course of a 5-mile run: a full-sized airplane, little kid mountain biking lessons, 23 different soccer games, wheelchair basketball, dozens of couples on picnic dates, an Olympian on the central track, and thousands of people enjoying the sunny day or walking through on their way home from work.
Bartering in markets. I got a lot better at negotiating prices in Spanish and was even gifted an extra onion once because I had been polite. Kindness pays, I guess!
Liga! The energy of soccer games is truly at a different level, and L.D.U. Quito (known as Liga to locals) attracts 40,000 or more people all in jerseys, screaming for their team and standing the entire game.
Hard moments and the people I relied on. When I got sick, my host mom made me special teas and soups and looked after me for a few days. When my laptop died randomly, she drove two hours with me to meet a friend of hers who could replace my hard drive, something I was terrified about navigating by myself. When I was struggling with my GIS maps, my geologist advisor from Quito came out for the weekend just to help. And of course, all my fellow students, who were an amazing support network when we all, inevitably, had tough days.
Conversations with my Uber drivers. I learned about so many interesting cultural topics, talked about the science of avocado farming for 45 minutes, heard about people’s views on everything from immigration to rising poverty, and got to connect, even if briefly, with a lot of fascinating people who often live at the margins of Ecuador’s society.
Leaving behind the safety net of friends at Pomona for a different continent and a world conducted entirely in a different language is scary. It’s especially nerve-wracking when it’s to a country that is a less conventional destination, with less available information out there, and feels a bit like a leap of faith. My advice: take the leap! It made my experience so much more meaningful, and I left Ecuador with memories I’ll cherish forever and an even clearer sense of purpose in my life.