Growing up in a church that was active in global missions, I went on several short mission trips where I traveled to places like Haiti, Canada, and Honduras. The natural beauty and wonder of experiencing the culture and people of these countries left me wanting to be immersed further than a short trip would allow. I knew that studying abroad during my time in college would allow me to be immersed in and be of a part of a community in another country.
That being said, I never really had a dream destination to travel or study abroad. As an easy-going person, I took the posture of “I’ll go wherever there is an opportunity” for in every travel destination there is opportunity to learn and grow academically, culturally, and personally. This mindset benefitted me as I decided to study abroad as a requirement for my Spanish major, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. As the major required me to study abroad in a Spanish speaking country, I had all of South and Central America as well as Spain to choose from. Narrowing down these study destinations was determined after choosing my program organization, SIT, the School of International Training, and a theme of study. I chose SIT because it heavily focused on hands-on experiential learning and gave the opportunity for an independent study project. I chose a program focusing on public health because Wofford doesn’t offer a direct program of study for this discipline on campus and this is my desired discipline for graduate school.
Originally, I was going to study public health in Urban Environments in Buenos Aires, Argentina in the Fall of 2020. Unfortunately, these plans were interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. After several more changes, the program I am about to embark on this semester is Public Health, Traditional Medicine, and Community Empowerment in Quito, Ecuador. SIT has been super flexible and accommodating throughout the entire process of having program and semester changes due to the pandemic.
In preparing to go abroad to Quito, Ecuador, I have talked to a friend who is from Quito and she has given me several ideas of sights to see and foods to try in order to experience the local culture. I am excited to try helado de paila, a creamy fruit ice cream that is a gastronomic tradition in Ecuador. I am expecting to like this, but I will keep you updated once I try it in the country!
Some of the natural beauty near Quito is near the northwestern city limit: an active volcano called Pichincha. I hope to hike up this mountain to the volcano at some point during my time in Quito.
Though COVID-19 presents some difficulties and unknowns for international travel, I know that SIT and Wofford will support me in challenges and in achieving my goals for this experience. From this experience I hope to gain a strengthened ability and confidence in my Spanish language skills. This goal will challenge me, but with all of my classes in Spanish and my commitment to interacting with locals in Spanish will allow my proficiency to increase tremendously. Additionally, I hope to gain knowledge of public health on a global level and the ability to compare health systems cross-culturally. I know that my courses and engagement with local health organizations throughout Ecuador will give me good foundational knowledge of global public health. I am so excited to share more with you once I arrive in Quito!
Until then,
Olivia