Monthly Archives: January 2016

Pre-departure ponderings

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The other day I went on a lovely hike at the local mountain. I found myself free to think and muse about my upcoming journey to Ecuador. I started the process to study abroad in November of 2014, which seems like eons ago. Now there’s only three days between an incredible adventure and me. People have been asking me if I feel ready to go and I always respond YES. I’ve received all the vaccinations, tracked down the more obscure items on our packing list, and notified my bank that I will be out of the country. I have been so busy planning and gathering items for my trip that I haven’t had the opportunity to really process what is going to happen in the next week. I’m going to get in a metal box in cold, rainy Eugene and travel approximately 4,100 miles (6,600 kilometers) to Quito, Ecuador where it will be warmer, but probably still rainy. Instead of living in Walla Walla (population 32,000) or Eugene (population 160,000), I’ll be living in a big city of 1.6 million people. On my hike today I realized that I am ready to embrace these changes and go on the biggest adventure of my life.

Before I leave for Ecuador, I want to set some goals for myself. Here they are:

Language: Although I am a Spanish major and have studied the language for nine years, I still don’t feel confident in my conversational language abilities. Writing analytical essays and listening to others speak has been easier for me than making small talk in Spanish. In Ecuador I hope to improve my conversational fluency by speaking in Spanish as much as possible, with my host family, friends on the program, and people on the street. Additionally, I am currently unable to roll my “R.” Everybody has heard the stereotypical “arrrrrrrrrrriba” with the rolling “R” sound. Well I can’t make that sound and it is a little embarrassing. Multiple people have tried to teach my and I haven’t learned yet. Hopefully I’ll figure it out in Ecuador.

Community: I believe that being a part of a community makes everyday experiences more valuable. I want to get to know my new community and the city that I will be living in for several months. I plan to do this by engaging with my host family as much as I can. I also want to explore the neighborhood that I will be living in with my host family.

Reflection: Right now, being in Ecuador for 3.5 months sounds like a very long time. However, I know that the time will fly by. In order to make the most out of my time in Ecuador, I want to emphasize reflection and appreciation of everything that I experience in my daily life. I plan to reflect via this blog in addition to personal, daily reflections.