Beyond Travels

During my internship, I worked in the clinic and on a shaman project. I loved working in the clinic. I loved Carmen and Cris — they made my experience. What I'm most proud of is having acclimated to a completely different culture. The most impactful part was my host family. Being the only white person in an entire community was difficult at first — from it I learned that integrating yourself in a new situation just takes time. I think I could have spent more time in the community during the weekends. Looking back, I developed my Spanish speaking abilities, and the idea of adaptability will definitely help me in my future endeavors. Beyond that, I became more culturally aware. I am grateful for all of the wonderful relationships I made while in Ecuador and all of the amazing people I met. I think I am more confident in my abilities and just more outgoing now in general.

I honestly wouldn't know what to improve — I had the best time and would 100% recommend it to others. During my internship, it started with the Ministry of the Environment, which began great. However, at a certain moment I realized that it didn't work out for me personally. Luckily, I was able to shift my focus to the chakra systems and Guayusa! Andy and Mirka were both lovely and super helpful. What I'm most proud of is deepening my understanding of nature and its global, border-transcending impact. The most impactful part was my host family. It was hard to hear of and see so much environmental destruction and social inequalities — it is one thing to learn about it at University, but to witness it can be very hard to process and deal with. So I'd say I learned how to cope with that and channel it into something useful. I think I could have tried to learn Kichwa better, but speaking Spanish for most days was already challenging. Looking back, I improved my Spanish and learned a ton about the complex realities that people face in the region — it also got me to think about ways to alleviate some of the issues, and I was able to practically use the skills I learned at University. If it works out, this program might have given me the inspiration to start my own business! Beyond that, it changed my life and made me affirm the life choices that I have made and the ones that I am about to make. I am immensely grateful for my host family's hospitality and kindness — they took me in and made me feel welcome and happy. I would recommend this to anyone, outside or inside of a university program, who is open to getting to know a culture and themselves on a deeper level.

During my internship, I conducted a study for the GIZ to determine social impacts and barriers for chakra farmers. I am very proud of my final product for the GIZ — getting to do the interviews and having such a hands-on role in the whole project was amazing! The most impactful part was all of the above. The home stay was challenging because I often didn't feel like my family was very welcoming or wanted a volunteer in their household. I think I did learn resiliency from this relationship, as well as gain a better understanding of the struggles my host family was going through. The relationships I made were still ultimately very meaningful to me. I wish that I had taken more advantage of opportunities available and been more assertive, because I do feel like I lost some time my first few weeks. Looking back, I feel more liberated to pursue what I truly want from life and I am also putting less pressure on myself to find a single path to success — there are so many ways to be successful! I believe the program helped me determine what's important to me in my future career, such as having work that I am passionate about but also a work environment that I enjoy. I feel more passionate about food justice and public health for the future. I gained more confidence in my day-to-day life. I'm super grateful for this experience, the connections and friendships I made, and the growth I experienced as a result of pushing myself outside of my comfort zone. I would recommend Amazon Learning to anyone who wants to participate in a unique program with true cultural immersion.