Last month, I had the pleasure of traveling to Ecuador for a study abroad fieldwork trip. The trip, UW Microenterprise and Wellbeing in Ecuador, took place the week before the spring semester began; it focused on a women’s artisan group in La Calera, Ecuador. Indigenous women in La Calera use of this jewelry and embroidery microenterprise to make some of their own income, a fairly uncommon occurrence in rural Ecuador. This income gives them more freedom as women, as it often helps to free them from violence or abuse. The trip was once in a lifetime, and I knew I had to share five tidbits of what will stick with me forever.
1. You have to be flexible.
Before going on this trip, I was stuck in fairly strict schedules between school and work. I was used to planning out my days and knowing exactly what I will be doing at most times. I learned on this trip that this isn’t the only way to go through life — it was a weird adjustment to say the least. A lot of other students felt the same way; our slightly vague itinerary gave us some anxiety. By the end of the week, we learned to accept it for what it is. Sometimes you learn you’re going to the Lechero tree the morning of; sometimes you find out what host family you’re staying with right before you’re introduced to them. It happens, life happens. What really matters, though, is how you react to it.
2. You have to be willing to get outside of your comfort zone.
Whether you’re traveling for a few days or a few months, you definitely have to push yourself to do things. I’m not saying that you should do every crazy thing that presents itself, but doing a couple of things that you usually wouldn’t will make your experience better. For example, when we first arrived at the Cascada de Peguche (Peguche waterfall), I was comfortable taking pictures from afar, although I didn’t want to get too close because I wanted to stay dry. Suddenly, I realized I would likely never be back at this waterfall; I thought to myself, “the few moments of discomfort will be well worth the experience.” I went and took the picture and got soaked in the process. Do I regret it? No.
3. Living in the moment makes your experiences more enjoyable.
It’s easy to be in your head: you’re always thinking about what happened and what’s going to happen next. Distance yourself from those thoughts and truly live in the moment. Looking back, I wish that I would’ve done this more. We went on many walking tours in the rain, and it was sometimes hard to be fully present. However, my favorite memories are of when I was taking everything in and not when I’m overthinking.
4. Communication isn’t just speaking.
As a Spanish major, I wasn’t that concerned about the language barrier. I felt fairly comfortable with my Spanish going into the trip, but it turned out to be completely different when I got there. I suddenly felt a bit overwhelmed. However, I soon found out that nearly everyone else was feeling that way. Together, we got by. We didn’t need to know all the Spanish in the world, but we learned to communicate things by pointing, acting out or using alternative words. I did this quite a bit to my host mom, who didn’t speak English. I once described a rainbow as the thing in the sky after rain; another time, we motioned what a scarf was. At the end of the day, we got our points across. Trust me, you’d rather look or sound a bit funny than not say anything at all.
5. You can make lifelong bonds at any moment — be open to them.
Since I was only going to be in Ecuador for a week, I didn’t think I would get that much out of it. Sure, it would be a great experience, but I didn’t realize how much I would do and how many amazing people I would meet. I found myself meeting countless people, thanks to the staff, Frank Hutchins, Lori DiPrete-Brown and Julia Fillingame. The program has been going on for many years, so the people we encountered thought of us as friends as soon as we met. Within a day, my host mom told us that her door would always open if we wanted to visit again, which I wasn’t expecting at all. I’ve since added many of them on Facebook, and I hope to stay in contact that way. Throughout my trip, I could have easily sat back and not interacted with anyone, but I found that if you’re open, new friendships can blossom.
My days were long and full of activities that I hope to remember forever. However, at the end of the day, these five lessons are what will truly stick with me.