Guayaquil, Ecuador Past Review

By (Ecuador, Berea College) - abroad from 05/30/2015 to 08/02/2015 with

KEI Abroad in Guayaquil, Ecuador

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
It was worthwhile, but I would do an internship, instead, if I had to do it all over again. I learned a lot about my independence and ability to accomplish things on my own and about how I handle potentially dangerous or ambiguous situations.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 0-2 weeks

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

I had two courses at the Centro Ecuatoriano Norteamericano (CEN) and two courses at the Instituto Tecnologico Bolivariano (ITB). The CEN classes were really great and helpful, but the classes at ITB were horrible. We were promised by the program that we would have classes with other Ecuadorian students, but only had independent studies with professors and the other students in the program. The business courses are a joke. I don't feel like I learned anything because the professors were constantly ill-prepared. For one course, my original professor never showed up for the first day and was an hour late the second, then failed to show up the rest of the week. The following week, they arranged for another professor to teach me (I was the only student in the class) and he was nice and knowledgeable, but an entire month of education was crammed into two weeks in the same hour of class I was supposed to have the every day for the entire month. For my other class, we never had a stable classroom and were constantly moving around, which was distracting and difficult. Also, he didn't speak any English - which was fine - but failed to meet me on my Spanish-speaking capabilities, meaning that, regardless of how many times I asked him to slow down or told him I didn't understand, he never adjusted or acknowledged my struggle. Even though we were promised English support from the program.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

On-site administrators were kind and helpful, but often left information out about trips and the program guidelines.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Living and housing were fine and met all of my needs.

* Food:

Food was good and well-prepared, but not much opportunity for learning to cook it.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Host family often left me out of events and didn't bother to interact with me much at all even though I attempted conversation with them.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I developed a shrimp allergy while there and my host mom refused to believe it was a shrimp allergy and said that I did not need to go to the doctor. Finally, I went to the doctor and they said it was a good thing I came in and gave me the appropriate treatment. It was easily accessible as Ecuador has universal healthcare and they were nice and I was seen almost immediately. No malaria medicine is needed unless you are living in the mountains for an extended period of time.

* Safety:

Very industrialized city; not very safe at night if you don't pay attention, especially for blonde/blue-eyed/fair-skinned women. Pay attention to your surroundings, don't talk to strangers, and don't be friendly with everyone and you should be fine.

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? No

Finances

* 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)

We traveled a lot and did a lot of activities, which is the thing to do when you leave Guayaquil because it does not have much to do.

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? $50
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Buy gifts last because you'll want the money to travel and have experiences rather than items. U.S. Airways lets you check 2 bags free when traveling to South America.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? Yes
How much did the program encourage you to use the language?

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

Mostly everyone wanted to practice their English with us and it was hard to do when we wanted to speak Spanish. They also to placed us in English tutoring, so it was necessary speak English at those times. Also, my host mom spoke English and would refrain from speaking to me in Spanish regardless of my attempt to converse in Spanish.

How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? Beginner
How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? Intermediate
What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? Spanish composition
How many hours per day did you use the language?
Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? Surround yourself with nobody who speaks English. Make friends with Spanish students because they don't really want to speak English outside of classes.

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Host Family
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Host Family
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? 0

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • Friends in the program
* What could be improved?
  • Professors
  • Class scheduling and quality
  • Encourage speaking
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? If you are blonde/blue-eyed/fair-skinned, don't bother purchasing clothing that makes you blend in so as to not attract attention, it's a waste of money. They're going to notice that you're not from Ecuador almost instantly and judge you for it, so wear what you want. My host family did not have AC or a fan in my room, so it's worth putting together some extra cash to get some. Ecuador in their winter (our summer) is the same temperature as the Midwest. You aren't allowed to wear shorts to classes, but skirts/dresses are allowed.

Reasons For Studying Abroad

To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you.
The Avid Adventurer
The wardrobe you packed was better suited for a semester of camping than club hopping. Outdoorsy, you might forgo a crazy night out for an early all-day adventure. You'd rather take in the rich culture of an old town than the metropolis of a modern city, but for you getting off the grid is ideal.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:

Fundamentals of Marketing

Course Department: Business
Instructor: Cristian Maximo
Instruction Language: English
Comments: It was not challenging at all. Information was rushed into a two week period and we never left the classroom. I was the only student in this class. He was knowledgeable, but the only preparation he ever did was to make sure he had the books for us to read out of. I had a few homework assignments and that was all of my grades.
Credit Transfer Issues: No issues here!