Sarah Nicholas
From EcuadorWiki
Contents |
Background
I am currently between my Sophomore and Junior years at Alma. I'm an EHS major with a focus in nutrition. After Alma, I would like to take a year off to travel the world. Once I settle back down a little, I plan to attend an out of state graduate school to obtain a degree as a registered dietition and personal trainer. I run cross country, play softball, and am also an RA on campus, along with recently becoming one of the newest Pretty in Plaid memebers!
Why Ecuador?
I absolutely love to travel, which is, of course, why I am going on this trip to Ecuador. I am intrigued by water and have been able to enjoy it around the states and in the Caribbean. My furthest trip so far has been to Japan. Both of these adventures are pictured on this page. In Ecuador, I expect to get a great cultural experience, while learning a lot about nature from the Galapagos and the Cloud Rainforest. With almost no current Spanish experience, anything learned at the Academia Latinoamericana will also probably be difficult, but interesting.
Most Excited For...
From my experience in Japan, staying with a host family is amazing. I feel like it is the best way to learn about the culture and everyday life of the land's residents! As far as living in Ecuador, my roomie, Kathryn Krauss, and I will enjoy a spectacular stay with our host family. This consists of a mom, dad, and 3 kids.
I am equally excited, however, for all of the wildlife! I love humming birds, so I know that the cloud rainforest will be a great experience. Naturally, the Galapagos will provide an extreme amount of interesting nature as well!
All in all, there is not one thing on the trip that I'm not excited for!
Expectations
While it may be best to go in with no expectations to avoid disappointment, I do not see this being an issue. With a week of intense Spanish lessons, a week in a cloud rainforest and a week in the Galapagos, I see only an incredible experience ahead. I do expect a few things, such as:
- Learn enough Spanish to get by
- Observe birds and animals that I have never even heard of
- Learn to appreciate what I have more
- Try a lot of new things (food, activities, lessons)
- Become close with our amazing Alma College Ecuador group!
Overall, I believe this will be a great addition to what I hope will be a life full of traveling, discovering, and learning.
For any family or friends that may want to keep up, check out Course schedule for the game plan and daily updates on our trip!
Small Group Project
Dani Smith, Kirsten McNally, and I will be working on a side project together. Our project is aimed to assist future Alma College students traveling to Ecuador. Really, this information could be used for anyone looking for activites on a trip to the area. We are in progress of working on our guide right now, so check out the Ecuador Spring Term Guide to see what we have so far!
To save time and stress, we will be creating a small data base with day trip ideas. With each Friday and several evenings free for discovery, we will venture out and find the best of the best! In our updated wiki, we will include activities with cost, time, distance, weather, and appropriate clothing! So stop worrying about details! The only work we will leave for you is choosing what amazing activity to partake in next!
