Resident Coordinator Reflections

There is always that feeling of excitement that comes with traveling to new places. I remember it very well the first time I stepped onto a plane and headed to Quito, Ecuador. However, sometimes the anticipation is even greater when you get the chance to return to somewhere familiar. This was the case for me this summer as I returned to Ecuador for a second time, not as a student, but as one of four Resident Coordinators for L&LI. 

I studied abroad with L&LI during the fall of 2019, and I had an incredible experience. I interned with Casa Mis Sueños, an organization that works with at-risk women and children, and I completed a one-month long homestay with an Ecuadorian couple. Lastly, I had the opportunity to spend several months in an apartment with a group of ten women who I soon called some of my closest friends. With an experience as great as the one I experienced, I was eager to return to Ecuador and help foster a similar experience for incoming students. 

This summer was one for the books. We reached an all-time record with 59 students, 49 of those being from Liberty University and 10 others being from various universities around the US. I had the privilege of living in an apartment with 11 different girls and walk alongside them as they experienced Ecuador for the very first time. I met with each girl bi-weekly for one on ones. This is an opportunity to check in with each student and hear about their experience, while encouraging them and challenging them to get the most out of the program. Sometimes we go and grab coffee in one of the cities’ many spectacular coffee shops, and other times we walk down the street and enjoy Cuxara, a local gelato shop. My one-on-ones with the girls in my house were some of the sweetest parts of my summer, and I feel so honored that each girl would welcome me into their story and allow me to share in their experience. 

Our house night celebration dinner

Hiking to a waterfall on a weekend trip

As an RC, your schedule can be quite flexible, but you are often on call for emergencies and other odd things that might happen. On one such occasion, it was late at night, and I was in my room catching up on text messages from family. Suddenly, I got a text from one of my girls saying that she thought the kitchen sink was leaking. I walked outside my room and into the kitchen, only to hear a gushing sound from outside the apartment. I ran downstairs and found that our entire water heater had fallen off the wall and water was spewing out of a pipe. Frantically, I called Mika, the summer program director, and enlisted her help to shut off the water. Needless to say, the role of an RC is an adventure, and you never know what to expect ☺ 

There were two people that I couldn’t wait to see upon returning to Ecuador, and that was Gustavo and Ximena, my homestay parents from the fall of 2019. They had welcomed me in so warmly during the month I lived with them, and our relationship has continued via WhatsApp messages over the last couple years. They invited me over for lunch and we sat for hours, catching up about family and their two new twin granddaughters who had just been born. I never knew if I would get to see Gustavo and Ximena again when I left as a student, but what an unexpected gift to reconnect with them. 

Gustavo and Ximena, my homestay parents

A highlight of this summer was our five-day trip to the town of Misahualli, located in the jungle of Ecuador. Students always rave about the jungle trip, and I was just as eager to return for the second time. While in the jungle, we assisted with some projects for Antioch Christian Academy, including hosting a basketball tournament for local teams in the area. I got the chance to dust off my high school basketball skills and help referee some of the games with one added twist: reffing games in Spanish. Each night after a long day of working at the school, we all headed into the town square to get some ice cream, and this was one of my favorite traditions. We split up the students into two different jungle trips because of such a large group of students, but I loved having the chance to get to know students in a smaller group. 

Me and my co-referee Aaron after a long day of reffing basketball games

Having had such a great experience as a student with Living and Learning, I didn’t know if anything else you top it, but after getting the chance to experience the summer program through student’s eyes, I found a new love for the country of Ecuador and its people.