Day 4-Student Reflections

Wow. This entire trip has just blown my mind. First, the people are so incredibly nice and cheery. They are super optimistic about literally everything. Yesterday, 2 of the groups played soccer and freeze tag with some of the local children while the others played the Ecuadorean version of volleyball and got free avocados. With total strangers! But, it was the most meaningful thing, in my opinion, that has happened. It really just showed me that these are people too. They're just a little different. To me, it separated fancy America, where some people think they are better than everyone else that's different than them, from simple Ecuador, where everyone is the same, no matter what. 

Plus, the landscape is gorgeous. I mean, this place is just as green as Ireland! And we just got to the coast! 

I think everyone on this trip is having a blast. I don't think I've ever branched out this much culturally in my entire life. From eating different foods, like llama and guinea pig, to seeing the tiny different things that make all the difference.

So, parents! Don't worry about your children! I guarantee that they are perfectly safe and having the time of their lives!

-Megan Steinheimer

Wow. This entire trip has just blown my mind. First, the people are so incredibly nice and cheery. They are super optimistic about literally everything. Yesterday, 2 of the groups played soccer and freeze tag with some of the local children while the others played the Ecuadorean version of volleyball and got free avocados. With total strangers! But, it was the most meaningful thing, in my opinion, that has happened. It really just showed me that these are people too. They're just a little different. To me, it separated fancy America, where some people think they are better than everyone else that's different than them, from simple Ecuador, where everyone is the same, no matter what. 

Plus, the landscape is gorgeous. I mean, this place is just as green as Ireland! And we just got to the coast! 

I think everyone on this trip is having a blast. I don't think I've ever branched out this much culturally in my entire life. From eating different foods, like llama and guinea pig, to seeing the tiny different things that make all the difference.

So, parents! Don't worry about your children! I guarantee that they are perfectly safe and having the time of their lives!

-Megan Steinheimer

This trip has really been eye-opening. From meeting the amazing people to trying new things, it has all been an excellent experience.

We spent one night in San Andres, which is this little town. They did not seem to have much. The houses and buildings were all made out of brick and very colorful. The streets were narrow and made of stone. The city had many blocks to go down and weave through. Our tour guide, Luis, suggested to our teachers to let us explore this city, so we went out with our chaperone groups. My group walked around and took pictures. We passed by many sweet people that said hello to us or smiled. We passed by an Ecuadorean volleyball game, which they call Ecuavolley. They invited us to play, but we told them that we had to go back to our hotel, which we did. A few of us still wanted to go and play, so we did. Let me tell you, Ecuavolley is difficult to learn. They use a soccer ball, which is heavy compared to an American volleyball. Three people are on each side, and each team has to get the ball over the net in three tries or less. Two players are in the front and one is in the back. The net is skinnier but taller. Once my turn was up, I went off to the side to watch. There was this lady carrying a barrel of grass for her guinea pigs. She came up to me and said hello. We talked for quite a while and it was difficult because she spoke Spanish, but we were able to understand each other and have a conversation. As we got to know each other, I found out that her name was Idsma and she lived just up the road. Idsma invited me and the rest of the group to come to her house and see her pets. We walked up to her house and she opened up a large gate that led into what I guessed was her backyard. We walked in and were led down these very tiny aisles made up of her animal cages. We first saw her white guinea pigs, then the black ones, her rabbits, her geese, and her sheep. Before we left, she gave us her homemade avocados as a gift. She made sure each of us had one when we left and gave us a hug. 

The reason why this moment is so important to me is because it really was the moment when I saw something different. In the USA, no one would ask you to come into their house, and if someone did, we would consider it creepy and weird. But the world is not like the United States. The people of Ecuador are so kind and happy. Idsma was always smiling when I was talking to her. Sometimes when I would mess up my Spanish she would laugh. She was always smiling. The people who invited us to play Ecuavolley were so welcoming and didn't care if we weren't very good. They seemed happy to have us there.

I hope I never forget this once in a lifetime experience, because it has been pretty great so far.

Aleah