“I loved working with children and learning more about the Kichwa culture”

Kindersley Brucker is an International Development major who has spent the last eight months in the Trent-in-Ecuador Program. Between September 2015- April 2016 she attended Universidad Andina Simón Bolívar in the capital city Quito, and then completed a community development placement in the rural Sierra region.

“I had the opportunity to learn Spanish and become immersed in a beautiful culture with wonderful people. I visited the four very different regions of Ecuador, those being the Galapagos Islands, the coast, the Sierra mountains, and the Amazon.

The most rewarding part of my experience was my placement at the Unidad Educativa del Milenio Intercultural Bilingüe Chibuleo, a “millennium school” located in the Kichwa indigenous community of Chibuleo San Francisco high in the Andean mountains. I loved working with children and learning more about the Kichwa culture.

My placement experience helped me realize my passion for education, and has inspired me to become a teacher. I enjoyed many unique dishes, the most interesting being the cuy, or guinea pig! I also loved pan de yuca, or yuca bread. I would most definitely recommend studying abroad, as it is an experience unlike any other that will open countless future opportunities!”