We were so fortunate to meet Maria Virginia Farinango, the author of The Queen of the Water. Students read this book together for class discussions. She writes of her experiences as an indigenous child forced into domestic service. Her path to forgiveness and reconciliation with her family is deeply moving.
This week was our first group excursion to Mindo, a town about 2 hours outside of Quito. The beauty of nature came alive in our visits to the Tarabita waterfalls and the Alambi hummingbird sanctuary. Klever Guevara, our Ecuador country coordinator, gave us a tour of his coffee fields and…
This past weekend our host families celebrated Mother’s Day in style, with flowers, outings and cakes! Many of our students met extended family: grandmothers and aunts, as this is a grand celebration in Ecuador. We had our own little party on Monday celebrating our students and teachers who are mothers…
It has been a week of new experiences in every aspect of our lives! Before the students joined their host families, there was a spontaneous, and very moving rendition of the hymn “Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow.” With more exploration around the city, as well as some…
Students have been on Service for weeks now. This experience has allow them to learn, reflect, and live among Ecuadorians in closer relation to many of them. SSTers want to share their activities and how they process them during this time in this blog. Here is Gibby’s post.
Students have been on Service for weeks now. This experience allows them to learn, reflect, and live among Ecuadorians in closer relations. Many SSTers want to express how their activities help them grow and become global citizens. Here is a an example of this written by Emily. Before…
Being in Quito has been an enlightening experience for all our students and faculty as we visited incredibly interesting and beautiful places that enriched our minds and souls. During these six weeks, we relished the classes, reflection sessions, readings, lectures, journals, and cultural activities. However, the most…
For our last week of traveling as a group, we took the road to Cotopaxi National Park, a natural reserve on the foothills of Cotopaxi, a volcano that erupted 87 times, produced hills and valleys, and offers and impressive hike. Los paramos, or moist prairies contain a rich and…
Recently, we had a master class on how to ceviche, a dish that consist of marinated seafood and vegetables that is now traditional to Ecuador. Though ceviche’s creation is attributed to Asian immigrants in Perú, it is widely enjoyed in the region and worldwide. Under the direction of Noemi, the…
Cleaning overgrown senderos and planting trees in the rural towns surrounding Cotacachi has been the work that Naomi Klassen and I have started on service. Oftentimes at the beginning of a work day, we know very little of what the day’s tasks will be. One day, upon arriving at the…
