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Each semester, one student from each HECUA program abroad takes on the role of student blogger, sending regular dispatches from the field. Emily Bruell will be HECUA’s student blogger for the Community Internships in Latin America program this fall semester. Emily is a junior at Carleton College, majoring in English Literature and minoring in Spanish. Click here […] Read More »

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 »

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 »

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 »

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 »

Photo credit: Alexa Jokinen. Each semester, one student from each HECUA program abroad takes on the role of student blogger, sending regular dispatches from the field. Alexa Jokinen will be HECUA’s student blogger for the Community Internships in Latin America program this spring semester. Alexa is a sophomore at the College of St. Scholastica in […] Read More »

We love highlighting the stories of students here on the HECUA blog, but occasionally we’d also like to introduce you to members of our hardworking staff and faculty. You can view any of the faculty profiles on our blog by clicking on the “HECUA faculty” link in the blog categories. Today’s subject is HECUA’s Community […] Read More »

Artist-designed posters based on feminism and living in a digital world, created for a workshop sponsored by internship site El Churo.  Abigail Blonigen is HECUA’s student blogger from the Community Internships in Latin America program in Ecuador this fall. Abigail, a Spanish, English, and Global, Cultural & Language Studies major from the College of St. […] Read More »

It is hard to believe I’ve already been in Quito for 20 days. But at the same time, it feels like so long ago that I disembarked, praying my luggage made it, looking for my name on one of many homemade signs held by families beaming with excitement. I had no idea what to expect. My first time speaking Spanish to a native speaker was when I went through immigration at the airport. Read More »

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 »