What is your citizenship?
United States
What city and state are you from?
Chicago, Illinois
How old are you?
30
What is your education level and background?
Master's degree or Higher

What is your citizenship?
United States
What city and state are you from?
Chicago, Illinois
How old are you?
30
What is your education level and background?
Master's degree or Higher
1. Bogota, Colombia
2. Mexico City, Mexico
3. Buenos Aires, Argentina
4. Santiago, Chile
5. Montevideo, Uruguay
6. Guadalajara, Mexico
7. San Jose, Costa Rica
8. Medellin, Colombia
9. Quito, Ecuador
10. Sao Paolo, Brazil
By ITA alumna Laurence.
Ecuador is one of those South American countries in which almost all taxi drivers in the capital have a rosary hanging from their rearview mirrors. It also happens to be the South American country where I realized I was very much attracted to people of the same gender. As an eager, non-religious, and naive North American student studying abroad for the first time, living with an extremely Catholic host family was an experience that shifted my preconceived notions of “acceptance” and taught me how to reciprocally embrace differences we are warned to be wary about.
What is your citizenship?
United States
What city and state are you from?
Portland, Oregon
How old are you?
36
What is your education level and background?
Master's degree or Higher
Cuenca, Ecuador! Have you ever heard of it? Probably not! Do you even know how it’s pronounced? Don’t worry; I didn’t either until I actually arrived. I arrived with the intent of staying a couple weeks before moving on to Colombia and I ended up staying a year. Why? Well, let’s start with number one:
On Saturday April 16, 2016 a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck the South American nation of Ecuador, one of the most beautiful countries on earth. Killing more than 600 people and injuring tens of thousands more, the earthquake has severely impacted Ecuador's infrastructure. In addition, many people have been made homeless and many hospitals, schools, homes and monuments have been destroyed or damaged.
When you first touch down in a new country, there are many things to adapt to and many lessons to learn. Starting a new life alone, on the ground, in an unknown place, as I did, escalates the challenge. Your life will become full of hurdles from taking the wrong bus to misconstruing some information within your school. Over time you will realize that this is normal and that it happens to everyone; just part of the process.