The first week of the study portion of SST continued the daily immersion of new sights, sounds, and experiences that began in orientation last week. The contrast between SST and many other international exchange programs is that after each day full of classes and activities, students return home to their…
SST in Ecuador is once again in full swing and for those who have experienced it firsthand, the first few days are a whirlwind of activity; a fire hydrant blast to the face of new sights, sounds, tastes, smells, and languages coming at you all day every day. Students (and…
To our wonderful students: Friday evening you made your way back to Quito for our final retreat weekend where we had a fantastic several days of reunion and reflection! SST is a mix of challenges, accomplishments and growth moments. Sometimes it’s hard to see the growth until we’ve passed the…
For this month of July, students have participated in service internship placements around the country. Here are some photo highlights!…
After completing 20 days in Tena we got the green light and made a move to Service this past Saturday. Yay! Some students were joking that instead of Study-Service Term SST (which is named for the two significant halves of the term) we should now call our semester Study-Tena-Service Term…
CONAIE is the Confederación de Nacionalidades Indígenas del Ecuador and it is a large organization composed of representatives of various indigenous groups in Ecuador and they advocate for more indigenous rights. They do this most often by shutting down main roads to grind ordinary life to a halt until their…
As of today, we have been in Tena for more than a week longer than expected. This is due to the countrywide protests regarding indigenous rights and economic security, led by the organization CONAIE, which stands for the Confederación de Nacionalidades Indígenas del Ecuador. This is a collective organization made…
CONAIE stands for the Confederación de Nacionalidades Indígenas del Ecuador. They represent the rights of indigenous people in Ecuador, specifically including the following communities: Quichua, Shuar, Achuar, Huaorani, Siena, Secoya, Shiwiar, Záparo, Cofán, and many more. Since the 1980s this rights protection organization has advocated for the strengthening of positive…
Cafe Tortuga, a favorite hang out spot Nina leading spanish classes Students organized a Sunday morning hymn sing Ana making…
In our last week of study several students including Nina and myself came down with covid, so unfortunately we had to navigate some significant adjustments in our final week with Quito host families, which included moving spanish classes to zoom, at-home final essays and a virtual despedida goodbye party and…
