‘Altitude, Language, and Frogs’; Studying Abroad in Ecuador

At 2:10 p.m. in Science Center room 150, Ben O’Connor‘26 took the stage to present about their experience studying abroad in Ecuador at the Universidad San Francisco de Quito in spring 2025. Recommending the study abroad program for interested students, they described how it improved their Spanish by putting them in situations where using it was a necessity. The experience offered a chance to make friends abroad and learn more about Latin American culture directly from indigenous sources.

O’Connor, a Spanish and Environmental Biology double major, had the chance to see Ecuadorian ecology firsthand. They spent time at Tiputini, a wilderness station in the Amazon accessible only by water, and visited the Galápagos Islands. They gave recommendations about where to visit for other students who might travel to Ecuador, including the Casa Museo Guayasamín, a museum dedicated to artist Oswaldo Guayasamín, and the Centro histórico de Quito, the city of Quito’s historical center with preserved colonial architecture. 

Trying local food, seeing monkeys at Tiputini, and meeting Gaston, the university’s campus pig, were all highlights of their time in Ecuador. Ultimately, they said, the trip was an excellent opportunity to immerse themself in another culture and grow their language ability.

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