Mi Sueña Suela: Rap and Reflection on the Quito bus
So I was interested in the bus-riders even before I met Miguel Acosta and his friends. And while I could try to describe the space they created — how the trolley fell silent when Erwin started to play the violin, how passengers were steadily drawn in when the others started to rap, marking the rhythm with heads or feet or fingers — I couldn’t capture it quite as much as this video. Read More »
Love Among the Mangroves – More from Emily in Ecuador
Writing this in the back of the bus, as we wind our way through the mountains and back to Quito, I have mixed emotions. I’m angry at the corporate greed and consumer shortsightedness that threatens the mangroves, and worried about this ecosystem and the communities that depend on it. But I’m also so grateful... Read More »
carleton college, CILA, ecuador, student blogger, Study Abroad
Warm Welcomes, Shaken Tailfeathers – First Days in Ecuador
In my home community, tail-wiggling is not a typical activity to partake in in front of a group of new acquaintances ranging from 6-77 years. It is, in fact, closer to a nightmare scenario. Read More »
The most biodiverse place in the world – Alexa in Ecuador
First on the agenda was a “toxi-tour.” In the Amazon, there are valuable petroleum deposits. Specifically in Ecuador, these petroleum deposits give life to the economy. Here is the issue – the damage petroleum extraction does to flourishing environment is completely devastating. The struggle of finding a solution is even more devastating. What should a country like Ecuador do? A country that is economically funded by the market of petroleum, but also a country that contains the most biodiverse area in the entire planet. Read More »
How to return from a study abroad semester in Ecuador.
A mini-reunion of Hecua Ecuador students– In St. Paul, MN! We were lucky enough to have three student bloggers from the Community Internships in Latin America program in Ecuador in Spring of 2017. This week, Maya Swope, a Macalester College student majoring in Environmental Studies and Geography returns to the blog for her post-program analysis. […] Read More »
Introducing Ecuador student blogger – Erin McIntosh
Speaking Spanish in literally all areas of life here on our trip has made for a combination of fulfilling, challenging, and stimulating feelings that ebb and flow with the pace of each social situation. Read More »