AIFS Study Abroad in the Galapagos, Ecuador: January Term

While this study abroad was short, it was full of amazing opportunities and we were always doing fun things. I would recommend this study abroad to anyone looking for an opportunity outside of their university. Very organized and great people!

The program provided field trips with everything included such as meals and equipment. We went snorkeling with sea turtles, sharks, sea lions, and other marine biodiversity. My host family was welcoming and they shared their stories of living in the Galapagos. They treated me like family. The meals were great. We ate a lot of rice and by the end of the program we loved rice. Our class was about the biodiversity, history, and current issues that the Galapagos islands is facing. Our professor and tourist guides were helpful and made the program fun and educational. My favorite memories were learning to snorkel, swimming with sharks, and watching the sunset at the end of class or a field trip since the beach is right in front of the campus. After we left the Galapagos islands, we went back to Quito and we had a last field trip to a market to buy souvenirs. We ended the program by having dinner at a 5 star restaurant in Quito. This experience was exciting and made me more independent and open-minded. I have learned to appreciate other cultures and become more comfortable traveling to other countries. If you are thinking on going to the Galapagos do it. It is worth it and you will never want to leave this place. It is unique in the entire world. The program will provide you with all the help necessary and they will always answers your questions and address your concerns.

This was an amazing experience. Opened my eyes to a lot. It was a beautiful place and great experience. I would do it all over again. Made me appreciate life more and the earth more. I loved being around all the animals and all of the excursions we got to do.

The premise of studying abroad anywhere is fulfilling your credits and making time to travel the world. Going to Ecuador and the Galapagos was a very memorable, fun, enjoyable, and amazing travel experience. Traveling the globe is all about learning the history, culture, and life of the countries you go to. I took a three credit course on Ecosystems and Biodiversity at USFQ Universidad San Francisco de Quito at the extension campus on San Cristobal Island in the Galapagos. During my time in the Galapagos, I went snorkeling, hiking, and swimming. When I was in Quito, I went to a pottery museum and a wildlife museum where I got to reach the equator of our planet. Travel experiences are the snapshots of life with good and bad moments. Now that I have been to 25 countries, I plan to travel as much as I can and surpass my dad's all time travel records.

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Going into to my trip I really did not know what to expect. I tried to go in to it with a very open mind because I knew that I was going to be doing things that I have never experienced before. Once we got to the islands it really wasn't what I thought it was going to be. When I think of warm weather and islands I think of sky high hotels and little shops everywhere. When we were driving from the airport to the university it was very different than I thought. It was a lot of locally own shops and houses. The university was awesome with a beach right across the street. To food was very different it was a lot of chicken rice and then also fish and rice. You just have to be open when the food is put in front of you and not think about what you are eating. If you don't like something that you host family feeds you, make sure that you tell them because then they wont make it again. I really enjoyed all of the food that my host family made and didn't have any problems with it. The water CANNOT be drank on the island, the people who live on the island don't drink it either. Just make sure when you fill up your water that you don't use the sink. The homestays were fun but also very different. In my experience I was placed into a homestay that did not speak any English, I put on my sheet that I needed them to speak English because I took French and I do not know any Spanish, thank goodness that I was able to talk to sarah and get a new homestay who could speak English. So what I learned from this is that if you are not comfortable in your homestay and have something wrong with and then say something right away because it can be fixed. You are not going to want to live somewhere that is uncomfortable for the 9 days that you will be with them. Another thing that I learned from the homestays is that you should maybe learn a little Spanish before you leave because it will be very helpful. Also download a Spanish English app, it will help you with speaking with your family!