Mi viaje a Ecuador

For as long as I can remember, I have dreamed about studying abroad. I don't remember why or when it started, I just remember always wanting to go live and study in another country. Unfortunately, studying abroad is expensive, and being an athlete, I never wanted to miss a season of competition, so I always figured this opportunity would always just be a dream in the back of my mind. Then came a conversation I had during the fall of 2007...

My friend, Fionna, and I were talking on the phone about a trip she was planning to Costa Rica the following summer. Long story short, her trip sounded to me like the perfect way to fulfill my study abroad dreams - it was cheap and I could go whenever I wanted for as long as I wanted. I filled out the application, paid the deposit, and bought a ticket within the next month or so.

The trip last summer was amazing and changed my perspective on a lot of things. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately?), my trip to Costa Rica only intensified my desire to study aborad rather than satisfying it. And that is how I decided to study abroad this fall.

Why did I choose Ecuador? Honestly, I may as well have just thrown a dart at a map. Originally, I wanted to either go back to Costa Rica, or go to Argentina. But really, I just wanted to go to Latin America and a Spanish-speaking country. I eventually chose Ecuador because the school is one of only a few that offers nutrition and physical activity related classes (classes I need for my second major), it has various athletic teams including track, and has volunteer opportunities that relate to some of my potential career paths. Also, the program is one of only a few that will allow me to take classes with local students - with many programs, I would have to take classes designed for American exchange students with other American students.

USFQ, or la Universidad San Francisco de Quito, is a private, nonprofit university located just outside of Quito, Ecuador in Cumbayá. The University first opened on September 1st, 1988 and was first located in a mansion.  It is named after the city of Quito, whose official name is San Francisco de Quito.  There are a total of 4 campuses - the main campus in Cumbayá, as well as USFQ GAIAS (aka Galapagos), Guyaquil Riobamba, and Tiputini.

The USFQ has 9 schools or colleges: the School of Administration for Development, the School of Communication and Art, the School of Environmental Sciences, the School of Applied Sciences, the School of Social Science and Humanities (which is now called the School of Liberal Arts), the School of Languages, the School of Architecture & Design, the School of Medical Sciences, and the School of Agriculture & Nutrition. There are 50 majors offered at USFQ, as well as numerous minors and Associates Degrees/Certificates.

According to Wikipedia (I hate citing them, but it's the only place I can find the info ), there are about 3,300 undergraduate students at the USFQ, and 200 graduate students, with an additional 700 international students. I'm not sure if this is for all campuses or just the Cumbayá campus.

COMING SOON!! Facts about what I've learned in preparing for my trip.  Population?  Major historical events?  Amount of rainfall?  Odd local customs?  

Here is a map of Ecuador and South America. Ecuador is on the northwestern coast of South America, between Peru and Colombia. The Galapagos Islands are part of Ecuador and lay directly off the coastline. These islands are famous for being the site of Darwin's research which led to his evolutionary theory. The mountain range that goes through the center of Ecuador is the Andes Mountains.

Both mainland Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands are outlined in red on this map.

Below is a map of Ecuador showing the political districts. Quito is located in the Pichincha district, its location shown on the map with a red star.