Inside Student Blogs Claire Fishman 
Quito, Spring 2013
Claire's Posts
-
Chao Ecuador!
It’s so strange to think that after 4 and a half months living in Quito, I’m heading back to the United States. I don’t think that’s completely set in yet.
-
Una Cena de Despedida
This past Tuesday, our IES Abroad group as well as the IES Abroad students who directly enrolled in Universidad de San Francisco Quito got together for a goodbye dinner.
-
¡Viva El Perú!
But even though I didn’t intentionally choose to travel mostly alone, it ended up being a liberating experience and I gained more confidence traveling. Although in the future, I’d like to travel independently by choice!
-
Las Galapagos!
Going to the Galapagos is truly a once in a lifetime experience, and I feel so fortunate that I had the opportunity to visit the islands.
-
My Parents in Ecuador
Last week, my parents came to visit! It was great to be able to show them where I’ve been living for the past couple of months and to act as a tour guide and a translator.
-
Wait, I Can Be on the Radio?
And I can certainly say that before coming to Quito, I did not expect to have an opportunity to be on the radio. Just goes to show that there’s only so much you can anticipate about your study abroad experience:)
-
An Ecuadorian Seder
Overall, the Seder was a fantastic experience, and I think probably one of the most worthwhile things I’ve done in Ecuador. My one regret was that there was no chocolate covered Matzoh. But I think I’ll live.
-
Off to the Galapagos!
Tomorrow our program heads off to the Galapagos! I’m really excited, especially after hearing from various people how beautiful it is.
-
My Host Family’s B&B
I had no idea before coming to Ecuador that I’d end up not only meeting Ecuadorians, but also people from many other countries, such as Australia and Japan. It turns out that my host family owns a Bed & Breakfast (although technically it’s more of a Bed & Breakfast & Dinner).
Ecuador, IES Quito, IES Study Abroad, Quito, Study Abroad, Travel
-
Riddles
One of the great things about having host parents with an 8 year old grandson is that you get to learn Ecuadorian riddles. Can you figure this one out?
-
Volunteering at a Medical Clinic
Today marks my second day volunteering at CENIT, a nonprofit in the south of Quito, so I thought I’d write a little bit about the organization and my experience working there thus far.
-
Las Elecciones en Ecuador
Since I was curious to see how elections here compare to elections in the United States, I accompanied my host mom to the polls.
-
¡La Amazonía!
I can now finally cross off “Go to the Amazon jungle” from my bucket list. This past Friday-Tuesday, IES took us on a trip to the Amazon during Carnaval. We stayed at a biodiversity research station run by researchers from la Universidad San Francisco de Quito, in a region of the Amazon called Tiputini.
-
¿Algo nuevo, algo extraño, algo diferente?
My Spanish professor begins each class with the above question. In English, it translates to “Something new, something strange, something different?”
-
Volunteering in Ecuador
One of the classes that I’m taking this semester is called Service Learning, which is essentially a seminar about social justice issues in Ecuador, combined with a volunteer placement. While the seminar is definitely interesting, the volunteer placement is particularly exciting, because we’re given the opportunity to learn first-hand about social issues in Quito.
-
Re-Learning Just About Everything
It’s so strange to realize that I’ve now been in Quito for almost two whole weeks. I’ve been so busy attending orientation, starting classes, and exploring the city that it’s weird to think of how quickly the days have passed.
-
Off to Quito!
In just a few hours, I will be driving to the airport, getting ready to board my plane to Quito, Ecuador. It seems so strange to think that this day has finally come. I knew since my freshman year of college that I wanted to study abroad, but it wasn’t until this past semester that I finally settled on Quito.
