12/28/15

My name is Taylor Warmkessel, and I am a junior at Penn State, with a dual major in Spanish and Global and International Studies. I am gearing up now to begin the adventure of a lifetime in Quito, Ecuador South America. I chose this program because South America has always seemed like an exotic place, where adventurers like me will be in heaven. There are endless peaks and valleys to explore because the continent is so diverse with intimidatingly beautiful snowy mountains, dense tropical rain forests screaming with life, crystal clear Pacific coasts, and quiet plains. Ecuador itself is one of the smallest countries in South America, although it definitely has the best of all of the diverse geography and incredible historical culture. Ecuador, hence it’s name, is peacefully situated right on the equator, so 365 days a year, they get 12 hours of sunlight and extremely moderate, comfortable temperatures, depending on where you are in the country. I also chose Ecuador because it is extremely convenient. It is the same time zone as us here at Penn State, and also, to my surprise, uses the U.S. dollar! Travel is extremely inexpensive and the country is relatively safe, besides the common petty theft. My biggest goal will be to stay far away from the typical “gringa tourist” persona, and try my best to blend in with the locals. Ecuador is an incredible country, and in just a few weeks, I will be able to breath it’s mystic air and walk on it’s archival land.

As I sit here in my bedroom, scrambling through last minute appointments, paperwork, and packing, I can’t help but feel overwhelmed with extreme excitement and anxiousness as I inch nearer and nearer to my departure date. My flight is scheduled for January 11th @ 2:45 pm, a brilliant way to begin the new year. Now that the holidays are winding down, I am beyond ready to start this adventure in South America and explore places I never would’ve thought I could in my wildest dreams. My expectations for this experience go way beyond most students I’m sure, but I guarantee I am going to use this journey to fulfill my immeasurable thirst for adventure. I hope to travel all over the city and do my best to explore all major cities in the country. If I’m lucky I’ll make it up to Colombia, or down to Peru, or maybe even over to Brazil for Carnaval. I’m sure many of you are wondering if I’m at all nervous, and I would say yes and no. I’m nervous for the transition stage, but after the couple weeks of getting immersed into the country, culture, and language, I plan on soaring through the rest, as if it was something I was born to do. I do not fear the unknown, I embrace it, although I am aware of it’s potential. This is the first time in my life where I have no one to depend on besides myself. This experience will be the ultimate test of independence, patience, and cultural awareness. I will be forced to use my second language as a first, and have no other option than to speak it 24/7. Now that can be a scary thought, but my fluency will be at it’s maximum upon return, and being bilingual is one of my biggest goals, and will be one of my greatest achievements.

I will be living with a host family; a young couple with 14 year old twins, a boy named Felipe, and a girl named Cristina. I plan on speaking with them a lot, listening to their stories, learning their humble way of life, and doing everything I can to become a new member of their family. I will be living in an indigenous community outside of the city called La Comuna de Lumbisi, along with 3 other Penn State students. Living near my Penn State friends will be a great sense of comfort and security, and provide a little taste of home, if heaven forbid I get homesick. However, this community we will be living in, will give us a better sense of true Ecuadorian life and culture because it is more rural and traditional. Cities like Quito are more modernized and swarmed with tourists and internationals, however this community has been home to Andean Indigenous Incan descents who have been living there for centuries. The history and culture of Ecuador is immense, and I can not wait to begin my classes and continue to learn about Ecuadorian/Andean and Amazonian society.

In this one semester abroad, I hope to learn, grown, and explore more than I have in my entire three years at Penn State. International travel, communication, and cultural appreciation, I believe is the recipe for a greater and more peaceful world. There is so much more to see in the world than what I have seen growing up in a small town, and I am counting down the days for that adventure to begin.

Location: 207 Schoolhouse Road, Sellersville PA 18960 U.S.A