Orientation and Classes

Eight hours of orientation to a new place is more exciting than it might seem. After confirming that orientation was in fact Tuesday (not Monday, as I had thought), I finally had a chance to explore the grounds of the University. As far as I can tell, USFQ is kind of like the Ecuadorian equivalent to HPU. The campus is beautiful, the school is young and still developing their educative system, and the president is lively and personable, encouraging us to learn beyond the classroom as well.

As for presentations on our safety while in Ecuador, we heard from a former Special Forces individual who now works with the Diplomatic Security Service, and then from a former PeaceCorps member who has lived in Ecuador for the past 12 years. Needless to say, their views were quite different. Before the presentations, a USFQ student told us that he had heard the DSS speech last year and had left feeling terrified to live in the place where he’d grown up; so, he encouraged us to listen but to take it with a grain of salt. The DSS agent’s entire job is essentially to focus on security and threats in Quito. As someone who is generally uptight and freaked out about everything that could go wrong, even I realized how ridiculous it would be to follow all of those guidelines throughout the semester.

While there are obvious benefits to knowing which taxis are more secure (read: less likely to rob you), it’s also necessary to point out that taking a perfect taxi everyday just is not going to happen, mostly because the bus is far cheaper and more convenient. Sure, there’s a chance I’ll get pick-pocketed or robbed, but, as I see it, were I to take a cab, I’d lose that money anyhow. I’ll have to be careful, of course, but I’m starting to learn that I won’t get anywhere if I’m timid. While on the bus, I stand out. A lot. Being on the tall end of the average height for Ecuadorian males and having blonde hair and blue eyes, I don’t blend in with the crowd, so I have to keep hold of my belongings. It definitely helps to understand and speak a decent amount of Spanish, and my confidence with that should build throughout the semester.

We also heard from the president of the university (whose style of speaking and ideology is eerily similar to that of the president of my university) and the director of the Galapagos Island site and the Tiputini Biodiversity Station. I really hope I have a chance to visit the research station in the lowlands, so I’ll have to follow up on that opportunity.

In the mean time, I suppose I’ll have to go to my classes. I’ll be taking Temas de América Latina, to learn about Latin American politics and contemporary issues; Conversación avanzada, to improve my Spanish speaking skills; Introducción a relaciones internacionales, to examine international relations from a non-US perspective; and Antropología Andina, to…well, I have no idea, but I’ll learn something interesting. I’ll also be receiving credit for my internship, which will entail 160 on-site hours working with the administration of a local NGO, where I start next Monday.