Harvey Scholar Travels- Vy in Ecuador

Vy: Ecuador 2015

          Before arriving in Ecuador, I expected to intern for a small community’s tourism business, specializing in the field of sustainable development. In addition to gaining professional experience, I had hoped to develop my Spanish communication abilities and my understanding of less-developed societies, especially those in Latin America.
          Shortly after arriving to Yunguilla, the site of my internship, I realized that my expectations were misguided. Based on the information given, I assumed my work would involve creating and implementing plans of improvements for the environment surrounding the community. Instead, the nature of almost all my jobs involved manual labor; this ranged from making cheese, marmalade, and souvenirs to working on the farms to helping with construction. Occasionally, I would go teach English at the school, but my adolescent-level Spanish rendered me ineffective as a teacher.
Despite the reality of the work being more physically demanding and less engineering oriented, I learned to treasure my time in the community. Being a city-girl all my life, Yunguilla provided a completely new lifestyle, where the community is extremely tight-knit and modern day amenities, such as washing machines and internet connection, are lacking.
          At first, I harbored frustrations with Yunguilla’s lifestyle, which operated at a maddeningly slow pace. However, thank to this slow pace, the community members had time to share their experiences or thoughts with me, whether it be through almost one-sided Spanish conversations or the ritual of soccer games at 5 pm. These seemingly simple interactions were the gateways for me to cast aside any perceived differences and understand the essential component of this community, which is the people. Looking back, I am grateful for the dynamics of Yunguilla, because it allowed me to really notice, internalize, and appreciate the many differences between our cultures.

I want to thank Mr. and Mrs. Harvey for their generous donations and support for the students in this program, including myself. Through this experience, I have not only learned more about Ecuadorian culture but also myself. Both of these things are invaluable, and have absolutely changed my life.