Summer Plans

Ecuador!

This summer I will be spending 5 weeks in Ecuador. I am traveling there with a school group from Taylor University. I am looking forward to this experience and I am both excited and nervous. The program will be for a total of 9 Spanish credit hours, so I will be very busy. I will receive 8 credit hours from the classes that I take in Ecuador, and 1 credit hour for keeping a journal while I am there. In my journal I will record what I do during the day, and also cultural observations.

Our group will fly into Quito, the capital of Ecuador. We will spend a few days there, learning about the country and the culture. Then we will travel to Cuenca, another major city. In Cuenca, I will live with a host family and will take classes at the university. I have also heard that we will be taking dancing lessons, to learn some of Ecuador's traditional dances.

I do not know very much now about what I will learn, or the activities that I will participate in, but I am really looking forward to it. I am excited to try the food, and to spend time with my host family, and to develop my language skills. Here are a few facts that I have looked up to help get me started in learning about Ecuador:

- The official name is : Republic of Ecuador.
- Geographically speaking, Ecuador is about the size of Colorado.
- They have a mild, varied climate in the mountainous valleys of the Andes, and in the Amazon jungle lowlands it is hot and humid.
- The total population is about 14 million people.
- The predominant religion is Roman Catholic.