Ecuador: Land of Mystery and Beauty Past Review
By Philip S (Economics., Trinity University) for
IES Abroad: Quito - IES Abroad in Quito
The study abroad experience was absolutely worthwhile. Absolutely everyone should study abroad if they can. It expands your horizons, helps you grow up, and shows you things you never thought you would see.
Personal Information
| If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: | Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Ecuador |
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The workload was not overly tough. Depending on your level of spanish, jumping into all-spanish classes may be difficult. The professors were all very helpful, and the administrators running the program are phenomenal! |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The administrators in Quito were absolutely magnificent. They were incredibly helpful and did everything they could to aid us. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
My family was magnificent, I could not have asked for a better host family. They provided everything I needed and were a crucial element to my integration into the culture, a source of local knowledge, and a means to quickly improve my language skills. |
| * Food: |
Ecuadorian food is delicious, and my host family was great at cooking. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
We went on incredible field trips to the Amazon and the Galapagos Islands. Aside from that, we had plenty of time to travel, which I took extensive advantage of. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Ecuador is not the safest country, but the program goes to great lengths to make sure the students are safe. I was the victim of absolutely no crimes because I was very safe the whole time. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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Finances
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* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?
(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | I spent about twenty to thirty dollars a week. If I traveled a weekend trip would cost between sixty and one hundred dollars. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | In Ecuador, no one likes big bills. Do not have anything over a twenty dollar bill. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
The program does everything it can to create a spanish-speaking environment. To some extent you must step out and make friends with locals and spend time with your host family or you will not pick up as much spanish as you otherwise would. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | If you love natural beauty, and are looking to speak spanish, Ecuador is the ideal place to be. |
