Ecuador Ama La Vida, UCSD Global Seminar 2023

Doggos in Ecuador, one of the best parts of this entire trip. My host family has two dogs: Chiquito, a mixed Scottish Terrier, and Bruno, a Schnauzer. These dogs would make my day, barking at my arrival every single day, at wanting to be let out, and at the neighbors going about their day. Their barking would wake me up from naps, but it was ok because they are so dang cute. Bruno loved to sit and stare at me whenever I would eat at the table, wondering if I would toss some bread or some part of my delicious meal his way. I loved wrestling with him for his toy racoon, and it’d be funny because he would slide across the smooth, wooden floor. Chiquito would stand on his hind legs to put his front paws on my legs, requesting scratches. If you don’t give him attention, he will gently request it by scratching your arm. He reminds me of my doggo Brownie with those soulful eyes and big ears.  We would take the dogs to the Monteserrin Park about 10 minutes away, where you have to match Bruno’s

 Running in Ecuador was such an interesting experience. With ecuador being at around 2850 meters above sea level it was definitely a challenging experience. On my my first of running I definitely felt very out of breath even if running very slow. Little by little I started to feel better and by the last week I started feeling like normal.  One thing that also helped me adjust to the altitude was climbing the Cotopaxi which was at almost 5000 meters above sea level! That was also a wonderful experience and would definitely recommend it! Parque La Carolina was my running home these past 5 weeks, from people running to dancing I would recommend at least a walk through there!  - Ana

Ok. As you may have known, I have been called Princess Diana. But do you know where I got this name? It originated from the 4 free days we spent at  Baños. I was so excited to do ziplining again and the so-called cool bridge that takes you to see beautiful scenery. I have always been keen on all kinds of excitement, ranging from roller coasters to rafting, to trying the Tarzan swing. I was like "This is just something similar and easy peasy!" 👍 Look at our confidence in this photo prior to our adventure. I guess nobody was expecting the challenges coming after. (at least for me..👻 But, I did not expect it to be swinging and dangling! I immediately regretted the decision to go on this adventure and my legs were uncontrollably shaky like crazy!! And I couldn't stop them. See the video to understand what I meant by dangling. I felt like I could fall any second when the bridge moved. I have never appreciated the existence of land and gravity. But when I was on the bridge th

  On our free day after getting back from the Amazon, my host family took me to a mirador that looks out over the Cumbayá Valley. It’s called El Mirador de Guápulo, and has a beautiful view, with valleys and mountains and other parts of Quito visible. After that, we went to República del Cacao, a cafe with chocolate and ice cream. I got chocolate ice cream, which was very good! Super chocolate-y. Overall, this whole trip has been amazing, and I’m so glad to have come, and super grateful to everyone who made it possible! -Rachel

 Here I am highlighting my favorite foods from the trip!  Bizcochos- buttery biscuits, perfect for dipping in hot chocolate or coffee Locro de papa- cheese and potato soup with avocado (best served with toasted corn nuts and aji hot sauce), and Llapingachos- fried potato and cheese patties Tortillas- taste and look like pancakes, delicious with marmalade  Quimbolito- sweet corn and masa tamale wrapped in a banana leaf Granadilla- similar to a passion fruit Fried donut balls with honey Fried plantains and fish with lime Fried empanadas with cheese Tres leches with raspberry sauce Canelazo- hot and spicy drink with cinnamon, naranjilla, sugar and alcohol

Tarantula   Caiman Anaconda           These were a couple of animals that my host family talked about me seeing but never thought it would be true. When I first saw the tarantula I was a bit scared since I am not a fan of them. But when we were told that they would not do much and were native there it made me rethink it. We were able to see these animals in the Amazon and not going to lie before coming to Ecuador I would have been really scared to see them. Something about everything we got to see and experience made me change my mind when seeing these animals. I think because of all the time we have spent in nature it got me really accustomed to seeing different types of animals out and about. The one I will miss is being able to appreciate nature and being able to see so much on a daily.