Sustainability Correspondent: Maddie in Quito, Ecuador

Hi everyone!  My name is Maddie, and I’m a first-semester junior from Oakland, California currently studying Spanish. This spring, I’m going to be studying abroad in Ecuador with the USFQ Galápagos Semester Program.  I’m so excited to be embarking on this journey and to have the opportunity to learn more about our environment/how we can work to protect it!  Thanks

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The Ecuadorian Coast Detailed

“Save the trees, save the bees, save the whales, save those snails” – George Carlin (American actor). Vasula melones is a small species of marine whelk (carnivorous snail) that resides along the coasts of México, Costa Rica, Panama, Ecuador, and the Galápagos Islands.1 It can be found in and around the intertidal zone of these regions, where the waves crash

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Query about Quito’s Carbon Emissions

Image shows the green-ness of Quito with the city off in the distance.

“Anybody who’s been to Ecuador wants to go back because it’s beautiful out there” – Michael Steger (American actor).  Unlike Amherst which ended its winter break in early February, my program in Ecuador began in early January, meaning I had just two weeks in between the end of my studies in Spain and when I would have to depart for

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Photo Essay: “La calle habla lo que la prensa calla”

Hi everyone, I hope that everyone is enjoying their summer. It has been a very long minute since I’ve uploaded a blog post; however, I’ve experienced many, not-so-great things in Chile this past month which have forced me to pause my study abroad experience, take care of my mental health and adapt once again to Chile. (I may dedicate my

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Sustainability Correspondent: Maddie in Madrid

Hi everyone!  My name is Maddie, and I’m a first-semester junior from Oakland, California currently studying Spanish.  This fall, I’m going to be studying abroad in Madrid, Spain (and then Ecuador in the spring)!  While in Europe, I’ll be participating in the Middlebury Language Exchange Program and living with a host family.  Hopefully, this will enable me to finally progress

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A Look at “Apropiacionismo Cultural” in Santiago, Chile

¡Mari mari kom pu che! Hello, everyone! The greeting, or chaliwün, I used in this blog post is in Mapudungun, the language of the Mapuche peoples in Chile. I am currently taking a class in Mapuche Culture and Language and am using any chance I can get to practice the newly learned vocabulary. I took this class because it’s important

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Not Yet in Santiago, but Learning how to Define My Happiness Outside of Amherst

Hi everyone! I hope you are all staying warm amidst the cold upon us, that is if you’re currently in the northeast like I am. Unlike most of my peers studying abroad, I am still at home because my program in Chile starts a bit later. I leave for Santiago on February 22nd, have orientation from the 24th-26th, and then

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