Memories, friends, and family to last a lifetime Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

There are courses five days per week, and excursions are no exception. There are lectures, discussions, and activities in the classroom, in the rainforest, and on mountaintops. The amount and quality of work expected is high, and the tests are not easy. All of the homework must be done between excursions, so weeks spent in Quito tend to be heavier on the workload. A lot of your time ends up being school-focused, but the courses are so interesting and engaging that most people don't seem to mind very much. The team of professors along with local guides on excursions and guest lecturers in class provide a true wealth of knowledge on all aspects of conservation and ecology in Ecuador.

On-site administration of your program

The program starts with everyone together in a hostel for orientation week, which is great to have to be able to adjust to the time zone and the culture before moving in with host families. Orientation week is run very well by the program, my only complaint being that there is very little time to relax and take in the new environment. The student to faculty ratio is around 6:1, and this is regarding staff working solely with the conservation and ecology program, so it is always easy to get the help and attention you need.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Everyone lives with their own host family while in Quito, and they act as sort of a home-base between excursions--a place to store your things and a nice, home-like setting to come back to between sometimes-rugged weeks in the field. Because every family is different and comes with its own history, drama, and quirks, everyone has a different host family experience, and some people will click more with their family than others. Personally, staying with a host family ended up being one of my favorite things about the program. It made me feel more like I was actually living in Ecuador, rather than just visiting, and gave me more of an inside look into the culture and Ecuadorian way of life. My family would bring me to parks and tourist attractions, and I also accompanied them to family functions, the voting booths, and pick-up soccer games. I had my own room in the house (a requirement), every host family has wifi, and we also had an adorable dog! (pets are quite common) When I was on ISP, I also lived with a host family (not everyone does, depends on the project). This was in a much more rural area of Ecuador, so our house there did not have internet, but we still had our own room with a bathroom and the most loving, interested family we could have hoped for.

I absolutely fell in love with the food in Ecuador. Expect some sort of soup before lunch every day (always delicious), lots of white rice, potatoes, plantains, and various types of corn (choclo is quite popular). Expect to be served multiple types of carbs at each meal, and not all families will provide copious vegetables. My host mom always gave me tons of fruit (you will surely learn some new ones!), a good amount of vegetables, and meat. The cheese is very fresh there--most people love it. If you are not a picky eater, Ecuadorian cuisine is an easy adjustment, and supplementing your diet if your host family doesn't provide a well-rounded diet is super cheap and fairly easy. One of my favorite Ecuadorian dishes is a soup called locro. It's basically potatoes, avocado, and cheese, and although not the healthiest of soups it is heavenly.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Had I not lived with a host family, this would have been much more difficult to accomplish. However, with a host family, I got the experience of what it is like to actually live in Quito--I went to many places and participated in many activities that tourists would never get to do, I was at family meals taking part in family conversations every day, and I became rather integrated into my host brother's friend circle. Being on a program that isn't direct enrollment, you often miss out on making friends your age from the host country, but this program is a great exception to that rule. Host siblings provide a window into the world of what it's like to be a young person in Quito, and they often love to bring you along to parties, discotecas, soccer games, and just to hang out with friends.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I personally never got sick during the program, so I can't speak to my personal experiences with health care in Ecuador. However, many of my friends were sick during the program, and they received an incredible amount of support from program staff. They will accompany you to the hospital, help talk to doctors, and you often get refunded for health related costs on the program. There are a few vaccines you need to get before starting the program, and you need to take malaria pills while in the Amazon, but it's all pretty easy and straightforward.

Although theft is somewhat common in Quito, violent crime is very rare. It is common for people on this program to have small amounts of money and sometimes their cell phones stolen. All of this is addressed during orientation to try to prevent it as much as possible, and if you are careful all the time, you can get by without being robbed. The program staff will safely store large amounts of money, all official forms of ID, and certain valuables safely at school, which you can take out at any time--this prevents you from losing anything too big/everything at once. I did not feel unsafe or physically threatened ever throughout the program. Based on my personal experiences, I do not see Ecuador as a dangerous or unsafe country. I think it helped living with a host family and going places with them, since they are especially able to gauge potentially unsafe places and situations.

I was afraid that after hearing about all my other friends' abroad experiences, I would feel jealous that they had all these experiences that I'd also like to have, despite the amazing semester I had. But when we all exchanged stories, I realized that this program was really special--I feel like I had a combination of the best parts of other programs. You get to live in a city with a host family and become intimately close with the culture, you get to explore the entire country (Amazon, Galapagos, páramo, cloud forest, and more!!), an opportunity that many Ecuadorians will never have the chance to do, you get to conduct independent original research in a subject area that interests you, and you are guaranteed to make friends that will last a lifetime because the experiences you have with them are so special and because they are the kind that allow you to open up and become so close to each other.

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

When you pay for the program you're pre-paying for almost every necessary cost you will have in Ecuador. The money I spent was on bus fares, taxi rides, supplemental snacks, and replacement toiletries, which all amounted to probably $150-200 for the whole semester. I also spent quite a bit of money on souvenirs and gifts, which are usually very reasonably priced, and this will just depend how much you want to bring home.

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

The program is officially all in Spanish, although there are some lessons taught in English--use of Spanish during class becomes more and more urged throughout the semester, and is required at all times in some classes. Outside of class time, it is completely acceptable to speak to your friends on the program in English. However, with host families (even if they know how to speak English, which is quite common) it is required to speak Spanish all the time.

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• Host Family

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• Host Family

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• Americans

• Living with a host family
• Travel throughout Ecuador
• Independent Study Project

• Communication of expectations
• Effective use of class time

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