Wouldn't trade it for anything Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

As usual, I found myself unable to say a program was "easy" even though all of my peers did. While I must admit that there was less reading and fewer essays than there were at "regular" school in the U.S., I also was more careful about my work here. The extra time afforded me the opportunity to go more in depth in each of my essays and to read stories multiple times or read books more slowly and carefully. The fact that all of the work was in Spanish (I was directly enrolled in a local university) added a layer of complexity to the work, and I believe that the rigor was appropriate for a study abroad program. After all, plenty of learning can be done outside of the classroom / coursework as well, and that type of learning is as valuable as the work done in the classroom. Had we had more "challenging" classes, we wouldn't have been able to explore the "real" world as well.

On-site administration of your program

My only complaint is that they sometimes took a long time to get back to us when we emailed or telephoned. But that's more of a cultural difference than anything else. Everyone was friendly and generally helpful, but they tended to refer us to the resident superwoman, Gladys Argoti. Gladys is one of the most wonderful people I have ever met; she went out of her way to help us, and seems to take on a disproportionate amount of work in the office. When I decided to stay in Ecuador for the summer after the program ended, Gladys helped me find housing, even though I was no longer really her responsibility - this was no trifling matter.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

My hosts were generally good people, but sometimes they got caught up in family drama that made me feel uncomfortable. Also, criticism was seen as an expression of concern for someone, and was (in this family) accepted as a form of love even while one was expected to reject it verbally. This particular aspect was confusing and frustrating to me, especially since I'm overly sensitive to criticism to begin with. Other than this, however, the family was hospitable, they shared a lot of information with me about politics, history, and culture, and they even took me with them on a weekend trip. I think it would have helped to be better prepared for differences in family climate that may or may not have anything to do with culture; it's tough to get used to living with a family that isn't yours. It would have been useful to get tips on learning to adapt, even when you're adapting to something that's different from the climate of even other houses in the same city (i.e. different from your peers' host families). After the first few weeks, it got easier to deal with the criticism, etc., after I had accepted that it wasn't an attack, but rather my host mom's way of saying she cared about me.

For the first month or so you complain about the mountains of rice with the tough meat and the lack of vegetables, but you get used to it… and then you start to crave it… And if you're really concerned about health, fresh fruits and vegetables are dirt-cheap in Ecuador. How cheap? Avocados are used as fillers... That's how cheap. I miss the fresh-baked 12-cent bread, the all-organic produce, the fresh frothy juices, the rich milk products… Even the potatoes taste better in Ecuador. Probably has something to do with everything occurring on small-scale farms and being harvested once ripe… Clearly, I'm in love with the food…even the rice.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

After an initial struggle to let myself slip into the culture (there were a few aspects that I had a hard time with, like the acceptability of outright staring and the bluntness of criticisms), I very quickly "clicked" into society. My adult host sister said that I had integrated into the family better than any other student they'd had. Actually, I integrated so well by the end of the summer that I felt like I had developed a real life there - a job, a home, a routine, a good knowledge of city geography, a group of Ecuadorean friends - and when I left it felt like I was abandoning something. Maybe it's a bit dramatic, but I feel raw inside, like I've been torn. Half of me is here in America and the other half is still in Ecuador. It was painful to leave, and it will take a while to heal from that, but I don't regret having integrated into Ecuadorean society. I wouldn't trade it for anything. If you really want to get to know the culture, the language, you have to be willing to let yourself go. You have to be willing to get off Facebook and Skype and put yourself into the sometimes uncomfortable, sometimes draining situations. You can't compare the local culture with your home culture. You must "do as the Romans do," to use a cliche. That is, do what the locals do, and don't think of it as better or worse than what you'd do at home or what you'd do on your own. Just do it and, if you can't enjoy it, at least try to understand why someone else would. Look for connections between different aspects of the culture. All of these things helped me become a member of the Ecuadorean society, although an honorary one, rather than just a tourist.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Ooof. That's a toughie. I have anaphylactic reactions to peanuts, which turn out to be a pretty common ingredient in Ecuadorean food. Only instead of chunks of peanuts, Ecuadorean chefs grind them up and use them as thickeners in soups and sauces, and - since few people there have anaphylactic-type allergies - they don't have to let people know that foods have nuts. I take 2 benedryl to counteract my severe allergies when the occur, and keep an EpiPen on hand for when the Benedryl doesn't do the trick. Within the first week in Ecuador, I had already used 4 pills; in the U.S. I might use 2 in the entire semester or even year, so I had only brought 8 to Ecuador, thinking that this was an exaggeration. But after the first week, I understood that I would need more. But Benedryl and its chemical equivalents aren't legally sold in Ecuador, and mailing them would take over a month, and they would likely be confiscated by the people who monitor international shipments… Gladys Argoti kindly took me to a local allergist, and he prescribed me what is essentially equivalent to Zyrtec or some other long-acting allergy medicine. Which isn't what I need when I accidentally eat a peanut. Nobody seemed to understand the severity of my allergies; when I say I could DIE, I'm not exaggerating. I mean I could actually die. I got it all sorted out, but I had to do it on my own, and it took a trip to the ER (where they had something that takes twice as long as Benedryl but still has the same strength). Luckily, healthcare is CHEAP in Ecuador, so although it took a lot of time and was frustrating, I didn't have to spend thousands of dollars. IN fact, my doctor's appointments (2), 4 kinds of medicine, and ER visit all cost less than $100 without insurance.

Use common sense. People get really freaked out when they learn Quito is a "red" (i.e. most dangerous) for crimes committed against U.S. citizens. But all of those crimes are petty crimes. Violent crimes are rarely committed against foreigners; it's mostly pickpocketing on buses. Keep your belongings inside your bag, keep your bag in front of you, and walk with your head up like you know where you're going, on crowded streets, in the daytime. Make sure taxis have the appropriate tags, cameras, and licenses. Just be careful and you'll be fine. I never had anything bad happen to me. I didn't even lose a penny.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

After paying the initial program fee, I didn't have to spend money on much of anything. 25 cents for a bus ride here and there, and on the weekends less than $20 to eat a meal, go dancing, buy a drink, and pay for the taxi home. Host family provided all of my food - even when I was out of the house for lunch, my host mom would give me a sandwich or some other packed meal. Even weekend trips weren't a huge strain on the proverbial pocketbook; we went to Cuenca for a 4-day weekend and spent less than $200 each for lodging, meals, museum entrances, bus fare, and travel to and from the city, which is 8 hours by land from Quito. Definitely manageable, and on U.S. currency so there's no exchange cost.

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• Host Family

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• Host Family

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• Local Students
• International Students

• Freedom - they didn't plan group activities or anything - we had to feel things out on our own
• Transportation in the city - you can get almost anywhere on a 25-cent bus

• Response time between students and program directors

The Academic or Linguist