The subject of the first email that caught my attention.
I’m usually one to turn a blind eye or turn down opportunities such as this, not thinking much of them or giving any appreciation. This is the first scenario of this magnitude where I’ve pushed myself out of my comfort zone and actually followed it through, and yet I’m so glad I have.
Having only ever travelled within the realms of Europe, Ecuador is by far the furthest I’ll have travelled, and the first I’ll be by myself. I’ve flown on a mere total of 6 planes during my life, however, I’ll be boarding 5 separate flights during this 1 trip alone in order to get me to and from Quito. ‘Daunting’ is an appropriate word that comes to mind.
So what’s it all for? Well, the ‘University de Las América’s’ [UDLA] are hosting their ‘Digital Communication and Community Organization Summer School’ this year between their campus in Quito and the Quijos Nationality in Tena, Napo Province with the focus of documenting the language and cultural practices using digital communication and social media strategies.
I’ll be staying with a host family during the majority of my time out there, for which I’ve been attempting to better my knowledge and ability with Spanish, however, I can’t admit it’s all going well so far. I’ve been using Duolingo to grasp the basics but I’m not sure when I’ll need to be asking ‘where is my purple skirt?’. I’ve been told that accompanying a number with the word ‘Cerveza’ [meaning beer] will be sufficient enough in order to survive my travels according to a well-cultured family member. I beg to differ.