Arts Study Abroad Programs in Ecuador

When I decided I wanted to go abroad, I was nervous about a lot of things. First off, I was scared that when I went abroad I would have to settle for a location I did not want to be in because I needed my credits to transfer over. Luckily AIFS had a program in a wonderful city with a bunch of classes that would transfer back to my home university super well. When I chose this program, I was overjoyed but nervous about living in a homestay. When I got there I was happily surprised to find that my host family was amazing and provided me with an experience I would not have been able to have if I had been in a dorm/apt. The people that I met in the program were some of the coolest people I have ever known and am happy to call them my friends to this day. If you are looking for a great program in Paris where you have the freedom to meet new people, travel, and find yourself in a new place, I would 100% recommend this to you!

My semester abroad in Granada, Spain was absolutely unforgettable. I decided to stay with a host family and I lived in their home with another student in the same program. Living with a roommate, we became really close friends. My host family was so kind and welcoming, they included us in everything they did. I learned so much Spanish culture and tradition from spending time with the family. The school was called Center of Modern Languages and I had a mixture of Spanish and Business classes. I loved speaking Spanish in class and getting to know other students. AIFS provided a level placement test at the beginning of the semester so that everyone found courses that were appropriate for their knowledge of Spanish. The classes were very fun and I enjoyed going to class. The AIFS program excursions were some of the best experiences/trips that I went on. I was blown away by the Morocco trip as well as the Seville/Córdoba/Gibraltar weekend. The trips were well planned, affordable, and allowed for free time to explore with friends. I made so many connections with locals, got to experience once in a lifetime activities like riding camels next to the ocean, and tried amazing foods. The program application process was hassle-free and the program advisors in Granada are so helpful. I would often visit their office and just chat with them or ask their advice on where to visit on the weekend. They organized cooking classes, art classes, sporting events, and cultural activities like a flamenco show. Granada is such a wonderful city. It is very walkable and the people are very friendly. There are endless tapas bars in the city where you get free food with each drink purchase. I made friends with lots of locals and other students from across the US. I attended exchange club meetings where you get drinks and tapas, and you chat in whatever language you are trying to learn with people from around the world. AIFS did a wonderful job providing opportunities for all of the students in the program to get to know each other. I made a close-knit group of friends and we spent so much time together. I am so thankful for having met them thanks to AIFS. We even visited each other once we arrived back in the US! I would highly recommend this program to anyone who wants to experience Spain on a more personal scale compared to bigger cities. I think Granada is the most beautiful city, and the Alhambra is a must-see!

The IES staff, my host mom, and my professor were all so lovely, caring, and attentive to me during time abroad. When I got sick one weekend, my program advisor replied to my messages immediately and was constantly asking what he could do to help. My host mom was also so caring during that time - it felt like being with my mom whenever I'm sick at home. I always felt that there was a lot of help + support if I had any issues. The IES staff was very welcoming and provided us with plenty of information and opportunities to feel immersed in the culture. Additionally, the opportunity to enroll directly at USFQ was great for both improving my Spanish and also being able to pursue courses in topics that were more unique to Ecuador, such as Ecuadorian Archaeology or Anthropology of the (Ecuadorian) Coast. Everybody was so nice and the food was delicious - I still miss hornados and bolones de verde. Studying abroad was a very formative experience for me and I'll always have an affection for Ecuador because of my time there. It's definitely something I'll remember for the rest of my life. The ability to live completely in Spanish was essential to improving my Spanish to basically fluent and giving me confidence in my language skills. The excursions also allowed me to see places I never would have otherwise thought much about visiting. For instance, in my Andean anthropology class, we had the opportunity to visit Oyacachi, a small indigenous village, where we saw a beautiful waterfall and thermal springs. We also got to learn about reciprocity as it works in the town, as all property in the town was communal. The Galapagos was also one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. My entire 4 and a half months would have been worth it only to have visited there. I would 100% recommend the program to other students.

Berlin is a really wonderful and historic city to live in. My German is basically nonexistent and I still felt like I was able to get around fine. The AIFs staff are very supportive, and the organized actives were well structured and thought out. If you weren’t interested in some or all of the activities, you didn’t have to participate and there was plenty of time to do your own thing around Berlin or travel throughout Europe. I didn’t particularly enjoy my academic experience at Humboldt, there were a few good classes but also a few really awful ones. So, if I could do it again I would probably do the AIFS program with Freie Universität academic program.

My colleague and I have had the pleasure of accompanying 21 amazing humans on a 3 month journey that will most certainly change them for the rest of their lives. Thank you to AIFS for sharing Rome with us and attending to every detail that made this an experience that will live with us eternally. The AIFS Rome center staff were excellent in providing impactful excursions, extra-curricular courses, and ensuring that all of us were well informed and provided for in every part of our journey.

I had a lovely time here, although it was not without flaws. The amenities were not great especially considering how much we paid to be here. The company guilt tripped and body shamed us. But I made innumerable new friends and had experiences that I will cherish forever.

Very nice experience, learned a lot. People I’ve met here are now friends I will still be in contact with. The internship was where I learned new skills and networked with people within the fashion industry and got inspired by being here abroad

I definitely had a really exciting and wonderful trip. There were a few aspects like traveling and staying at more cities besides just Salzburg would have been a lot more fun. But the tours and field trips were absolutely incredible and the people who showed us around were amazing! Loved to see the history and beauty all over

From arrival to departure, AIFS made my study abroad experience a 11/10. Great staff through and through allowed for a complete cultural assimilation in the time I spent there. It was the experience of a lifetime that I would recommend to everyone.

AIFS was definitely the right choice for me and I think it will be for anyone else seriously considering study abroad. From the moment I signed up for emails (before applying) to now (over a year out from leaving Germany), I have felt so supported and have had a lovely experience. The included trips and activities were definitely my favorite parts (the street art tour and cooking class especially!) and I’m still in contact with our Resident Director, Nele :)

Everyone needs to go abroad. It is awesome experiencing so many cultures. Professors while abroad are very helpful and care about their students. I really enjoyed getting to know my professors and learning not only class content but also from their real life experiences. Traveling on the weekends was obviously my favorite part of this experience. I was able to visit a bunch of different countries. Wish I could stay longer.

By getting outside of my comfort zone as much as possible, I was able to experience parts of the world while figuring out new things about myself! Staying in a home stay is completely worth it because you get to practice your Spanish and meet incredibly interesting locals!

Living in Spain was such a great experience! From the food to culture and things to do, Spain has it all. I´m definitely going to miss my time here and all the great people I met. Studying abroad helped me grow so much as a person, and I won´t ever forget this experience.

I made the most of my time here by travelling every weekend except for one. | recommend that everyone does that and explore their home city during the week. The professors were great and a lot better than in the US.

This experience allowed me to reflect on the type of person I am, what I like and what I do not like, and really step out of my comfort zone. Studying abroad has allowed me to develop critical values that are important for everyday life. I have always believed that one of the best ways to erase ignorance is by traveling and my experience here has proved that.

No matter what academic background you may come from, whether it be Marine Science or Political Science, studying in Ecuador and the Galápagos Islands is a must! From the perspective of a biologist, I believe that the Galápagos Islands are the best place in the world to observe evidence of evolution by natural selection, a key part of numerous science disciplines and the basis of life in general. As a student in the Marine Ecology academic track, I participated in research conducted off the coast of mainland Ecuador, as well as in the waters of the Galápagos Marine Reserve and in the labs at the Galápagos Science Center on the island of San Cristóbal. After spending the first month of the program with my wonderful host mom in Cumbayá, San Cristóbal became my home for the next three months of my time abroad. I immediately felt at home with my host families and experienced a perfect balance of having them there for me as a support system but having the independence to explore on my own as well. I spent countless hours traveling around the island and enjoying all it has to offer; a typical day began with a hearty breakfast prepared by my host mom, followed by a beautiful walk to the university, which is located right across the street from a popular beach. After spending the morning in class, my friends and I would venture to the downtown “malecón” area for a bite to eat and then spend the rest of the day working on assignments at the university, spending time at the beach, or snorkeling at a beautiful nearby cove filled with several species of fish, numerous sea turtles, sea lions, marine iguanas and countless other marine organisms. My friends and I befriended many locals, and between sharing meals with them in addition to those spent with my host family, my conversational Spanish improved immensely and I now feel very confident in using my language skill back home. The culture of the island is incredibly rich for its size; there were events sponsored by the national park service and by the local government almost every week. These provided excellent opportunities to experience true “island life” and become a part of the environment and culture in Ecuador. It was incredibly hard for me to leave my new home as the semester came to a close, but I hope more than anything that I will be able to return in the future!

I truly can't recommend this program enough. As a double major in Latin American Studies and Environmental Policy, a chance to study environmental science while immersed in the vibrant, diverse culture of Ecuador was pretty much the perfect study abroad experience for me. Not only was I able to take interesting classes with knowledgeable professors from a wide range of backgrounds, I got to visit the largest Indigenous market in South America (Otavalo), spend a weekend in Cotopaxi National Park and hike to an altitude of 16,000 fasl, study and explore at the remote Tiputini Biodiversity Research Station in the Amazon rain forest, and spend three weeks in the Galapagos Islands. Not to mention the dear friends I got to study with, the host families who took care of me and treated me as a part of the family, and all of the day to day adventures that are par for the course when you spend an extended amount of time abroad. I am incredibly grateful for this program, and it has been one of the highlights of my life thus far. I can't recommend this program enough, or any of the other IES Abroad programs all over the world.

Going to Quito, Ecuador was a complete cultural immersion. Through IES, I took classes at the program center and at the local university, USFQ. All the while, I lived with an incredible host family whom I learned a lot from. Never did I ever think that my Spanish would improve so much after spending 4.5 months in Ecuador, but it sure did. I also traveled almost every weekend throughout Ecuador. One weekend my friends and I would be hiking an active volcano in the pouring hail and the next we were sunbathing on the coast. We had the amazing opportunities of visiting the Galapagos Islands and Amazon Rainforest, two of the most amazing places I have been to date. If you're seeking adventure, a cultural and linguistic immersion, and a step outside a comfort zone; Ecuador is the place for you.

I had a great time with AIFS. I was able to travel all over Europe and meet many new friends. I would not really change anything other than I wish it could be longer. I liked how easy it was to get in contact with the AIFS office to solve any problems I might have had. Classes here were not as hard as back home but I found myself learning more and enjoying the work I was doing.

This semester truly changed my life in a positive way. It changed the way I look at the world, other people and cultures, daily life, and even myself. I would highly recommend to everyone thinking about it!