Ecuador « OSU Abroad

Wes Brown is studying Bioresource Research through the College of Agricultural Sciences and International Studies. Last summer, he participated in the IE3 Global International Internship Child Family Health International (CFHI) in Ecuador. This entry is an excerpt from his blog post for IE3 Global about a particular experience that stood out and made a lasting impression.

Me and two other students in the program set off on an 8 hour hike through the Amazon Jungle. It was possibly the most difficult backpacking route I have taken. A foot deep layer of mud constituted our trail for a majority of the trek, we got stuck in the mud and our boots pulled off, we walked over steep hills and through rivers, and even got our path blocked by a poisonous snake that can jump a meter.

We hiked all this way because we wanted to stay with a Shuar family and learn about their lifestyle and culture. It is humbling to have learned that the same trail we hiked in 8 hours, a Shuar family will hike in 3-4 hours, carrying a box of chickens, and children. When we arrived we were greeted by a Shuar man named Gustavo and his family. Gustavo has a wife and 8 children. Once his children grow up, they get married and make a home next to the original so the children and their families all live together. Needless to say, we were surrounded by adorable children.

They let us stay in a beautifully constructed Shuar hut and provided our meals, which consisted almost entirely of bananas. The first day we spent trekking through the jungle to a sacred waterfall. The Shuar have an interesting ceremony they use when they want to know what the future hold. The person must fast for about 4 days then journey into the jungle to the waterfall. At the waterfall he/she must drink a prepared concoction of herbs and jungle plants that act as a hallucinogen. They sit at the waterfall and say that the user can see visions of themselves in the future or potential future husbands or wives and children. This is in fact what Gustavo has done before and found out who he was to marry. We said goodbye to Gustavo and his family and headed back to Puyo exceptionally dirty and covered in mud from the hike.

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Fabián Espinosa has a deep love for nature and culture. He combines them both with his passion for teaching and travel through his Resident Director position in Quito, Ecuador, with SIT Study Abroad programs. Read on to learn more about studying abroad in a diverse and beautiful country!

What brought you to be a Resident Director?
As a freelance naturalist guide and cultural interpreter I learned about the great work of SIT Study Abroad in Ecuador, and throughout the years I did serve occasionally as Independent Study Project advisor. The program was a double RD program at that time, and when one of the directors resigned I was encouraged to apply for the position. According to my colleague, the institution was ready to hire an Ecuadorian citizen as RD.

What are some unique aspects of your city and country?
Ecuador is the most biologically diverse country per square meter in the Americas. It is also extremely diverse in terms of culture and ethnicity. Fourteen distinct indigenous nationalities, two Afro-Ecuadorian cultural groups and several international communities consider Ecuador their homeland. Ecuador drafted the most progressive constitution in the world in 2008, which considers nature as subject of rights and demands the construction of an alternative paradigm to development known locally as Sumak Kawsay, a Kichwa philosophical principle meaning plentiful life in harmony with nature. Quito, the capital city, was the first city to be declared World Heritage Site by UNESCO given its spectacular natural setting, colonial architecture, and rich history.

What is one thing most of your students may not know about you?
Maybe that I have had six near death experiences all related to activities in the ocean.

What are some of your favorite aspects of being a Resident Director?
Establishing a learning community with my students, leading educational excursions, and witnessing how students become intercultural and biophilic beings.

What are some of the challenges of your job?
Coping with local bureaucratic regulations, developing and revamping contingency plans on a regular basis, securing the participation of associates and lecturers, readjusting syllabi to meet the needs and/or expectations of students and sending institutions, and identifying appropriate research options for my students.

What have you seen as the biggest challenge for incoming students?
To learn how to unlearn and relearn.

What is your advice for students planning to attend your program, or to study abroad in your country?
To be assertive without being aggressive, to be kind without being docile, to be focused without being obsessed, to suppress self slightly, and to be tolerant with ambiguity.

What is one thing you think students shouldn’t forget to pack for life in your country?
Malaria prophylaxis medicine, or should I say sunscreen?

What do you think is the most important take-away for education abroad students?
The notion that interculturalism is highly relevant in the US as well.

Oregon State University graduate Rebekah Smith majored in Public Health and minored in Psychology. As spring term was coming to a close in Corvallis, Rebekah was nearing the end of her internship in Quito, Ecuador with Child Family Health International (CFHI). As an IE3 Global Internships scholarship recipient, Rebekah participated in an internship involving medical rotations, and was able to reflect on her experience while still abroad.

I am now ending my seventh week in Quito, Ecuador. I have three more weeks in this amazing country and am in no way prepared to leave. To provide some insight into how huge of a development this trip has been for me, let me explain just how new international travel was to me just seven weeks ago. Prior to this trip, I had never left the United States, nor even had a passport of my own before applying to intern with CFHI and IE3. Understandably, these factors led me to have a ton of anxiety, which combined with the fact that I did not speak any Spanish. Despite the many “firsts” I’ve tackled recently, I have grown not only comfortable overseas, but have developed a huge passion for traveling and experiencing other cultures.

My internship involves attending clinical rotations and taking Spanish classes with incredible instructors in Quito on weekdays. I’ve found that having some responsibilities in the city makes me feel as though I have a purpose here and am bettering myself professionally. My biggest words of wisdom when spending time in another country’s healthcare system would be to remember why you are there. This can be very difficult, especially with regards to healthcare because systems can vary so greatly between countries. Remembering that you are solely there to learn will help when experiencing things completely different from the U.S. It will only cause stress to think that you are there to fix issues or judge another country’s healthcare system. Our purpose as interns is to act like sponges, learn everything we can, and return to the U.S. with a better perspective and deeper compassion for health care. This concept will help you in all areas of interning with this program. When I was volunteering in the schools I also had to remember this because they teach different subjects and use different techniques than we do in the states.

On the weekends, I am TRAVELING! Traveling has been such a huge aspect of my experience here and has taught me about the culture and country just as much as the program itself has. Traveling to the different Ecuadorian cities is such an incredible experience because within a few hours you can be in the Andes Mountains, on the beautiful coast, or deep in the jungle. Traveling forces you to practice Spanish and allows you to meet an outstanding amount of people, both foreign and local. I have traveled to a cloud forest in Mindo, the sunny beach in Montanita and Canoa, and am soon traveling to a gorgeous volcano in Cotopaxi. I also have plans to yonder on to an adventure-filled town called Banos, as well as the jungle in Tena. Traveling around is affordable and easy, as well as gives you opportunity to develop a great sense of independence and cultural competency. Traveling is also the way to make everlasting memories with other students in your program! You are stuck on buses together, staying in amazing hostels and going through both stressful and exciting times together.

Being abroad in Ecuador has taught me many things so far. One of the most impactful things I have learned is patience. America is very “Type A” and extremely punctual, these things are not a priority in Ecuador. I have waited over an hour for one of my preceptors to arrive at a meeting, I have had doctors show up twenty minutes late to appointments and many other experiences. You are also very commonly juggling your wants and needs with those of the other students who you are working with, and this requires a large amount off adaptability and patience. These experiences have taught me patience, and how to adjust to other cultures. For example, I don’t go anywhere without a book here! It is your job to adjust to them, the entire culture does not need to adjust to you, so learn to adapt! It’s been nothing but beneficial because I have finished two books just traveling and waiting for meetings, It’s GREAT!

Some final advice I have is, to bring more money than you expect. You will never be able to be totally prepared for traveling abroad or be able to know what you will be doing. Having money hold you back from being able to engage in a great opportunity would be upsetting so just budget extra! I also advise to release any expectations you have or restrictions you have in the U.S. For example, two of the guys in the program were vegetarians for ethical reasons in America and came to find that it restricted them so much here in Ecuador, and they wanted to be able to experience the culture so they put their expectations aside and decided to return to being vegetarian when they returned home. I really respected their choices because they fully immersed themselves in the culture and benefited from it greatly. As far as avoiding cultural mistakes, I was so lucky to have a friend who had been here for a long time before I arrived, and I was constantly asking her questions and observing how she interacted with locals. This was really helpful for me because I was able to learn polite mannerisms and safe tactics while in Ecuador.

This experience has been life-changing. As cliche as that may be, it truly has been an experience that has helped me grow and develop my independence and cultural competency. I only want to continue the experience, I am NOT ready to go home in three weeks!

This blog was originally published on the IE3 Field Notes Blog. For a link to the original entry, click here.

Erik Dove is a senior in the Honors College at Oregon State University, pursuing degrees in Biology and International Studies with minors in Chemistry and Spanish. He works as an International Ambassador for the International Degree and Education Abroad (IDEA) office. In Spring 2013, Erik participated in a medical internship in Quito, Ecuador, through Child Family Health International and IE3 Global Internships.

I recently returned from a ten week medical internship in Quito and Chone, Ecuador, through IE3 Global Internships. IE3 partners with Child Family Health International, an organization that connects local and international health professionals to conduct community health projects and global health education programs. My internship took place in clinics and hospitals in two cities, offering a comparative perspective on the health care available in urban and rural settings. Our curriculum consisted of daily clinical rotations and Spanish classes, yet offered ample free time to explore the cities and travel on weekends. On a professional level, this internship exposed me to differences in clinical care, ethics, and health education, stemming from the distinct cultural identity of the Ecuadorian people.

I lived with a host family throughout the ten week program. This opened up the door to cultural experiences to which I would not have otherwise been exposed. Our house was located in downtown Quito and was a quick walk to the bus stop, where I could access all parts of the city for twenty five cents. My host family was also able to give me advice on places to visit, activities to do, and foods to try. Additionally, my Spanish speaking skills were greatly improved by living with the family, as it forced me to practice my Spanish continuously.

I chose this particular internship site because it offered the chance to gain valuable clinical and language experience. A personal goal of mine is to become proficient in Spanish, so living with a host family and taking language classes as a part of the program contributed to the immersive experience I was looking for. During clinical rotations, we learned treatment practices, conducted patient interviews, and assisted physicians when necessary. An added benefit was that it exposed me to societal and cultural aspects applicable to my undergraduate thesis, which focuses on public health issues in Ecuadorian populations.

For me, the most valuable component of the CFHI internship was the opportunity to develop skills necessary to communicate with patients of a diverse culture. These skills are a vital element of being able to deliver effective care as a health professional. Throughout the program, my program peers and I witnessed the importance of considering each patient’s values, beliefs, and ideals. An individual’s cultural background may influence the attitude they have towards medicine, their physician, and their understanding of health. For example, during the time I spent in the Emergency department of the rural city of Chone, a patient was rushed in with a poisonous snake bite. Upon arriving, his forearm was blackened and enormously swollen. As he drifted in and out of consciousness, his friend explained that he had been bitten almost 5 hours previously, but had initially sought treatment from a medicine man rather than the hospital. Due to his delay in seeking professional treatment, he was sent into surgery for amputation. This incident represents the challenges health professionals face when treating individuals with varying levels of health awareness. Consequently, health care workers who are sensitive to cultural issues are able to provide a higher level of care for their patients. The internship experience offered the opportunity to develop my language and cross-cultural skills, and provided the necessary education to enhance clinical experiences.

An additional advantage of the internship was the exposure to a variety of medical specialties, which allowed me to explore focuses within the field of medicine. Our intern group spent each week in a different clinical setting, observing in the Surgery, Hematology, Emergency, and Internal Medicine departments to name a few. This made for incredibly interesting experiences in all kinds of clinical settings – gruesome dog bites, broken bones, and the rapid assessment and treatment of victims of accidents.

My experiences in Ecuador led to an appreciation for a health care system vastly different from that of the United States. I returned with greatly improved Spanish speaking skills and a broader sense of cultural awareness. The internship helped me to identify specific areas of medicine that interest me and allowed me to gain experiences that will enhance a future career in health.

Cody Buongiorno is a Senior at Oregon State majoring in Biology and minoring in Chemistry. During Fall 2012, Cody traveled to Ecuador through IE3 Global Internships and participated in a medical rotation internship for Child Family Health International (CFHI).

Making the decision to travel to the astonishingly beautiful and diverse country of Ecuador was a remarkable and immeasurably beneficial experience. I achieved a longtime dream to study and live in a different region of the world. Throughout the three months of my Child Family Health International (CFHI) medical internship in the fall of 2012, I completed an intensive intermediate Spanish course focused on language and medical terminology. Additionally, I was privileged to work alongside and learn from seven doctors in various specialties, and interact with countless other doctors, surgeons, medical students, nurses and, of course, many patients. I was immersed in both the rich Ecuadorian culture and healthcare system. I lived with another Oregon State student and three other CFHI interns participating in different programs who were all interested in studying medicine.

The programs varied, reflecting each student’s level or experience with the Spanish language, the medical field and prior world travel. The medical coordinator, a local family medicine doctor, organized the clinical rotations and weekly progress meetings while also providing excellent advice and making the students feel comfortable. I spent seven weeks of my program in the city of Quito, and three weeks in between on the coast. I started off at a pediatric clinic and maternity hospital with my fellow OSU intern. We travelled by trolley or bus to the clinic and the hospital where we worked with doctors for four hours each morning. We then returned to the Spanish school for four hours of language classes. With this general schedule I rotated through a pediatric clinic, a maternity hospital, a surgery rotation, a family medicine clinic and a specialized hospital for oncology and hematology.

Cody Buongiorno - IE3 CFHI Ecuador

After the first five weeks, I ventured to the coast of Ecuador where I lived and worked in the rural town of Chone. The pronounced and distinct change in climate, culture, language and my personal lifestyle both refreshed and challenged me after becoming accustomed to the massive city of Quito. I lived with a loving and caring host family that assisted my assimilation into the culture and accepted me as a part of their family with open arms. I worked alongside a very caring and intelligent pediatrician with whom I spent the majority of my time. We worked eight hour days in the hospital, running between the inpatient cases and the outpatient clinic while continually referring to surgery, the ER, the ICU, radiology and other specialty areas of medicine. This portion of the program was more hands on and intense as I learned from many medical professionals, worked with my doctor one-on-one, dealt with patients while under supervision, and interacted with the entire working community of the hospital.

All the while, I took Spanish classes taught by instructors who became friends, connected with my fellow interns, integrated into multiple host families, and traveled all over Ecuador. While abroad I expanded my comfort zone and tried many adventurous activities: paragliding, waterfall repelling, bungee jumping, and finally, zip lining. The entire program was memorable. I witnessed sixteen surgeries, recorded countless interesting medical conditions, learned from many upcoming physicians in both a clinical and a classroom environment, examined children in Chone – after being taught how to perform a complete physical – and learned how to interact with doctors, nurses, and patients. I saw cases of dengue fever, severe bronchitis, intense malnutrition in children (kwashiorkor), heart murmurs, intestinal blockages, and many more. I encountered patients with remarkable recoveries, complicated surgeries and captivating medical cases. The entire culmination of experiences in my internship confirmed my desire to enter the medical field.

In the end it was difficult to say farewell to my family and to the country that helped me grow into the person I am today. I have been affected in so many wonderful ways and have the desire to travel more and experience other cultures of the world. I met unbelievable people along the way and encountered marvelous adventures. My study abroad greatly exceeded all expectations and was far more enjoyable and beneficial than I ever imagined. I entered my internship as a junior in college and, with the help of all the life lessons and skills I gained from studying abroad in Ecuador, I emerged with the goals of maintaining my Spanish, traveling the world on a greater scale, and someday becoming a doctor.

Samantha Beattie recently graduated from Oregon State, where she studied History and Spanish. She ended her college experience studying abroad in Quito, Ecuador at the Universidad San Francisco de Quito through OUS International Programs. Now, Samantha is pursuing her Master’s in Library and Information Science at the University of Washington.

My experience in Ecuador was one of the most profound and immense experiences of my life. Since I returned, I have tried to ruminate on my experiences as a whole, but I have found that this is very difficult to accomplish. There is no way to explain the experience of being immersed in the sights, sounds, and culture of another country that is so phenomenally wonderful, beautiful, and welcoming as Ecuador. My time in Ecuador was more than a vacation or a semester abroad; my experience in Ecuador will be a part of me forever.

One of my favorite parts about Ecuador is the immense beauty of the region. What makes Ecuador so unique is the incredible diversity in its landscapes. Ecuador has everything from the beautiful beaches and stunning coastline of the Galapagos Islands, to the awe-inspiring Andes Mountains, to the amazing ecosystem that is the Amazon jungle. The most amazing part is that all of these vastly different landscapes fit into a country roughly the size of Oregon.

Another reason why my experience abroad was so memorable is that I was able to immerse myself in the culture. Traveling around the country relying on only my language skills was one of the most fulfilling parts of the experience. I also enjoyed going to a University that had a mixture of Ecuadorian students and international students. However, the most beneficial part in immersing myself in the culture was living with my host family. My host family is absolutely amazing; they opened their arms to me and really made me feel a part of their family. We still keep in touch, and their friendship is one of the things I value most from my Ecuadorian experience.

Before I left to study abroad I was very excited, and had high expectations, however there was no way to really know how phenomenal the experience would end up being. Living in Ecuador is one of the most profound and shaping experiences of my life.

Ellen Dow is a junior at Oregon State, studying Biology. Ellen recently returned from Puerto Lopez, Ecuador where she interned for Equilibrio Azul.

During fall term of 2012, I interned with Equilibrio Azul in Puerto Lopez, Ecuador. I began my internship with a language immersion program while living with families in Quito and Cuenca.

My host families made me feel so welcome during my first couple weeks in a foreign country as I prepared myself for working with locals and other foreign volunteers. In my classes, I was able to explore the language and then practice with my respective family. I made some remarkable friendships with my hosts in Quito, even so much to call them my Ecuadorian family and stay in contact through sharing stories and pictures using email.

From the Andes, I traveled to Puerto Lopez, Ecuador on the coast, experiencing the lively adventures of the bus and the vendors that hop on at stops to sell food and a few goods for fifty cents or a few dollars. I wound up in a dusty local fishing town that was in the slow season for tourism and began my work straight away.

I volunteered with Equilibrio Azul as an intern. I had the same responsibilities as other volunteers: to go to the fish market to document shark species and work on the larger turtle project as numbers and measurements were gathered.

The activities I did while working with the turtles were my favorite. Every other day we would walk along different beaches to survey turtle activity and we went snorkeling for captures. I would not call being outside and being able to explore beaches and the ocean ‘work’ with how much I enjoyed being out there. I also had the opportunity for night patrols because I was in Puerto Lopez during the hawksbill and green sea turtle nesting seasons. We volunteered with local children from the community through EcoClub, which allowed us to have fun and educate the locals through crafts and interacting with people from all over the world. As an intern, I had my own project: I focused on the nesting demographics on a local secluded beach called Playita where we surveyed during night patrols.

All of my memories are very important to me and have shaped me throughout my experience. The ones that stand out the most as incredible occurrences in nature were seeing turtles nest and hatch. I had amazing luck at watching these things and even helping catch a turtle. I was there at the right time of the year and had the chances to go to different places and be out there nearly every day and night, which I took advantage of.

Interning with Equilibrio Azul taught me about being completely responsible for my own person and self-motivation after being dumped in a foreign place where I did not know the local lingo and was not entirely sure of how anything would work out. I learned perspective, how to go with the flow of life as friends and opportunities come and go, and the importance of the choices I make from what life gives me.

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Category Archives: Ecuador

Selvas y Playas

Meet a Resident Director: Fabián

Reflecting Before the End

Comparative Healthcare: An Ecuadorian Perspective

Immersion in Ecuador

Empowered in Ecuador

Immersed in the Waters of Ecuador

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