On Saturday, June 20, our students departed for a new host family and a new setting to begin their Service Term, the second half of SST. Stay tuned for more updates about the communities in which the students are living and the volunteer work they're doing with nonprofits, community organizations, and municipal governments!
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Visit with the Basquitay Community and Ingapirca ruins
Jul 14 2025
We were so fortunate to meet Maria Virginia Farinango, the author of The Queen of Water. Students read this book together for class discussions. She writes of her experiences as an indigenous child forced into domestic service. Her path to forgiveness and reconciliation with her family is deeply moving.
We were also warmly welcomed by Julian Guaman’s community, the Basquitay. Their hospitality included food and special dances, and the students talked about the beauty of culture, and the meaning of gratitude. Goshen College has been involved in this community previously, and has contributed to the solar panel which powered the light in the building.
Following the gathering with the Basquitay community, students visited Riobamba, the city in the foothills of Chimburzo, the tallest mountain in Ecuador. On returning to Quito, we toured Ingapirca, the Inca ruins which are considered the most important Pre-Columbian archaeological site in Ecuador.
Study AbroadBeginning Service Term in Ecuador
Study AbroadBelfast: Beauty, Unrest, and Action
Our second weekend at Corrymeela, we hopped on an early bus and train to take on Belfast’s bustling streets and the Belfast Book Festival, which featured homemade ‘zines (handmade magazines) for purchase and for free. The main themes of these...
Study AbroadSaying farewell (for now) to Quito
By Hillary Harder On Friday night, June 19, our group gathered at our Quito headquarters, La Casa de Espiritualidad, to mark the end of our Study period in Quito. We were joined by our host families, professors, and many community…