I’ve always loved to read and write, so it was an easy choice to study creative writing. I never thought I’d study Spanish in college, though. At first, I just took Spanish classes, because I thought it would be useful to know a second language. The more I learned, though, the more I fell in love with Spanish as a language. Now, I read and write in both English and Spanish, with the hope of one day becoming a teacher who works in both languages. I feel like my world has gotten much bigger since learning Spanish. There are so many more people I can talk to and so many more books I can read!
But how did I go from loving a language to living in an entirely different country? To begin, as I studied Spanish and learned about different cultures and histories that accompany the language. I have two older sisters who both studied abroad in Europe during college and loved it. They encouraged me to study in a different country to learn about language and culture in person, rather than from textbooks. I decided I wanted to go to Latin America to practice my Spanish, and then I found Ecuador. It’s a Spanish-speaking country, and also one of the most biodiverse places on the planet! That means it has a large variety of plants of animals, making it the perfect place for me to improve my language skills, explore the outdoors and learn about a new and vibrant culture.
I was able to travel to Ecuador thanks to the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program, which is a scholarship from the U.S. state-department that supports students’ global education. Now, I’m studying at La Universidad de San Francisco de Quito! I’ve been having lots of adventures as I learn to live in a different country, and I can’t wait to share them.
