¡Hola desde Quito!
Man! It is crazy to think that I’ve been navigating student life in Ecuador for almost two months now! Each day, I become more in awe with what this country has to offer, especially with its cultural practices, social norms, and naturalistic attractions!
Experiencing El Día de San Valentín (Valentine’s Day) in Ecuador was definitely an unfamiliar, but heartwarming experience. Since Valentine’s Day was on a Tuesday this year, I spent a majority of the holiday on campus, where I got to celebrate with my exchange friends and witness many pure interactions between couples. On campus, there was a very potent atmosphere of affection! Throughout the day, I probably saw close to ninety percent of students carrying at least one flower, let alone giant bouquets. It was very easy to get into the San Valentín spirit, as there were booths throughout campus selling goodies/treats and doing seasonal activities. Of course, my friends and I took advantage of the cotton candy machine, which was so worth it after spending three solid hours in classes! I also saw two couples get “fake married” and one couple become “fake engaged” using paper engagement rings, which was so pure!
Besides spending the holiday with my friends, I also went to Dunkin’ Donuts and treated myself to a long-awaited coffee and donut. Witnessing the transparent love on this Valentine’s Day was very joyful for me, as Valentine’s Day can sometimes be overlooked in the US. However, since the students at USFQ are relatively affectionate towards one another, I knew that Valentine’s Day was going to be flamboyant!
I have also had the wonderful opportunity to celebrate Carnaval, which is celebrated nationwide. Although each place has its own significance of Carnaval, most places in Ecuador consider it a holiday for celebrating water, prosperity, and life itself. Leena, who is an exchange student from Finland, and I spent four days in Ambato, which has one of the largest Carnaval celebrations in Ecuador. While in Ambato, we watched two parades, which were filled with floats made from local flowers and fruits, lots of dancing, and cultural representation of various neighboring countries. I even got invited to dance with a performer in the parade, which was a bit scary just because I’m not a dancer, but it was both fun and memorable! We also got to experience traditional markets and Salsa concerts, all while being sprayed with a lot of foam (this is very traditional to Carnaval). With as much fun as I was having, I just had to take it down a notch by getting food poisoning. Sunday night and the following Monday morning were extremely rough, but it didn’t ruin my experience and I was back to exploring by Monday night!
In general, student life is going well! I now feel adjusted to all of my classes; I’m even feeling a bit “confused”, as my schoolwork has slowed down a bit and I don’t know what all to do with my newly gained free time. I have also been talking more to local students, which has definitely helped me feel a bit more at-home. I even ride the bus home now with a local student after our History of Baroque Art class. She even has offered to teach me “Cuarenta”, which is a national Ecuadorian card game.
Alongside talking to my classmates, I have also begun to speak during classes, which has probably been the hardest part of my academic experience here. However, the encouragement that I’ve received through my classmates has been astronomical; there was even one time where a group of students verbally cheered me on while I was presenting a summarized interpretation of an artwork.
I am also really happy with how far my Spanish proficiency has progressed! Although it isn’t exactly perfect, it is a lot better since arriving in Ecuador, which is the important part! One thing that I have learned though, which has been a bit of a challenge, is that locals sometimes will be very blunt about their methods of encouragement. My host mom does a really great job of taking care of me, but she has made some comments about my speaking abilities, which between language barriers and cultural differences, has come off a bit hurtful. Approaching this has been a bit difficult, but knowing that she has my best interest at heart has really helped shift my perspective.
¡Chao!
Cassie Klagge