International Summer Internship in Quito, Ecuador
Adaline is a junior in college at Liberty University and is doing our eight-week summer internship program in Quito, Ecuador.
Adaline is double majoring–B.S. Social Sciences and a B.A. Spanish with a minor in Military History, Government.
She is taking over our blog today and sharing snippets from her journal entries over the last seven weeks. Check out her experiences below!
Predeparture
As a part of my Spanish studies, I traveled to Quito, Ecuador through a partnership between Living & Learning International and the Liberty University Spanish Institute. I will receive internship and research credit toward my B.A. and gain proficiency in my speaking and communication skills while in-country. This trip is a "full-immersion" experience--I will be speaking Spanish full-time every day of the week except Wednesdays, throughout my internship, host family stay, and church!
Time in Ecuador
My apartment, Cotopaxi, is named after one of the volcanoes here in Quito. It is located in the North, at Canal Cuatro, one of many sectors of this very large city. To the right is a photo of my view from the living room window every morning!
Summer 2023 Quito, Ecuador Cohort
My cohort consists of 41 students from Christian universities across the U.S. 28 of those students are my classmates from Liberty! Our first week here consisted of orientation at Youth World (the organization over Living & Learning International), El Refugio (a camp run by YW), and in the city!
Living & Learning has blessed us with the opportunity to travel to points of interest in the region for several Saturdays during the program! On May 20, I visited Mitad Del Mundo (Center of the World) and stood in the place where the earth is closest to the sun! I got to feel the centrifugal force on the Northern & Southern Hemispheres, hold a guinea pig (more on that later), and balance an egg on a nail! Then, we traveled to La Basílica de Vota Nacional in the Historic District in the South! The views were incredible and it was so cool to see French Neo-Gothic architecture in South America!!
Mindo:
My excursion cohort traveled about two hours away to a town called Mindo in the mountains outside the city. We had the opportunity to visit Mindo Canopy Adventures to zipline across the canopy of a cloud forest. Unfortunately, there were no clouds, and the zipline probably wouldn't be legal in the USA, but it was definitely an experience! My friends Grant and Micah watched me come into the last platform, and they said I was the fastest they saw because I forgot to brake! Some friends I've made from other universities visited a cute little coffee shop during a rainstorm, and I ordered a really great brownie and some Coke. The views were beautiful all day long, and this was definitely one of the highlights of my time in Ecuador so far!!
Homestay
On May 29, I moved out of the student apartments and into the apartment of my host mom and host tía, Pili and Charrita. They are 68 and 71 years old, and they are adorable, grandmotherly, sweet ladies. They have been so kind in opening their home and caring for my friend Julia and I.
Over a weekend, Pili, our host mom, took us on a trip to the northern part of Ecuador. We visited Otavalo, Cayambe, and Cotacachi as well as the Mirador del Río Pisque (Overlook). Even though I was feeling very sick, the beauty of the nature in the province of Imbabura was breathtaking, and I'm so glad I decided to travel with Pili. The mercado (artesan market) at Otavalo is one of the most famous in the world, and I had so much fun haggling with the vendors (with the help of Pili and María Belén, a sobrina of somebody)! We visited a crater lake called Cuicocha. Cui is a Quichua (indigenous) word for guinea pigs, which are native to the mountain, while cocha translates to lake in Quichua. Cotacachi and the National Park were DEFINITELY the most beautiful landscapes I've seen here in Ecuador!!!!
On one Saturday, my host mom took Julia and I to the house museum of Oswaldo Guayasamin and his Capilla del Hombre, designed to represent the indigenous cultures of Latin America. The photos here showcase his typical style, rooted in the 1970s abstract movements. His work also addressed socio-political issues, including the Holocaust. We also visited the artisan market in Quito. Guayasamin's story is worth a Google. Thanks, Doménica, for the recommendation :) One of the highlights of my time here!
Internship
At IMPAQTO, Julia and I are receptionists, and this has been one of the biggest challenges of our time in Ecuador. We have had to answer phone calls, accept packages, and talk with current and potential renters - all in Spanish. We have been using our resources at Living & Learning Intl. to navigate this tough situation, and your prayers are appreciated as we finish up our last three weeks interning with IMPAQTO.
Biggest Highlight: MISUHUALLÍ
A small group (20) [of us] traveled to the jungle town of Misuhuallí to serve at a Christian school as a short-term missionary group. This trip was THE highlight of my time here, and made all of the not fun, sad, and annoying things 10000% worth it! We taught Bible, math, and science reviews to 4th & 5th grade, and worked to beautify their campus for their first ever graduation. We had plenty of time to relax and enjoy ourselves (in English!!) as well, hiking to a waterfall going there and stopping at a hot spring on the way home. I had and witnessed so many sweet interactions and LOVED the people and the town all while making some awesome forever-friends!!
