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This blog captures the experiences of Goshen College students participating in Study-Service Term in Ecuador.
Over the course of the semester, students are living with host families, strengthening their Spanish, learning alongside Indigenous communities, and engaging in service that connects local realities with global questions. From the Andes to coastal regions, Ecuador offers a powerful setting for hands-on learning shaped by culture, community, and care. Through these reflections, readers are invited into the everyday moments, challenges, and discoveries that are shaping how students understand the world and their place within it.
Students have been on Service for weeks now. This experience has allow them to learn, reflect, and live among Ecuadorians in closer relation to many of them. SSTers want to share their activities and how they process them during this...
Students have been on Service for weeks now. This experience has allow them to learn, reflect, and live among Ecuadorians in closer relation to many of them. SSTers want to share their activities and how they process them during this...
Students have been on Service for weeks now. This experience allows them to learn, reflect, and live among Ecuadorians in closer relations. Many SSTers want to express how their activities help them grow and become global citizens. Here is a...
For the Goshen College community, service is accompaniment, “an attempt to walk along-side host nationals and enter (where you can) in their work. Service at this juncture in our history is much more about being than doing. It is about...
Being in Quito has been an enlightening experience for all our students and faculty as we visited incredibly interesting and beautiful places that enriched our minds and souls. During these six weeks, we relished the classes, reflection sessions, readings,...
In our last week of study, SST students and faculty were hosted by peers at Instituto Universitario Tecnológico Rumiñahui, in Sangolqui, Ecuador. The day was full of information, cultural exchanges, games, English-Spanish conversation practice, and history lessons. We learned that...
Oswaldo Guayasamin (1919-1999) is considered one of the most important visual artists of the 20th century, not only in Ecuador or Latin America, but in the world. His work is visually vibrant, emotionally compelling, and politically engaged. He depicted scenes...
For our last week of traveling as a group, we took the road to Cotopaxi National Park, a natural reserve on the foothills of Cotopaxi, a volcano that erupted 87 times, produced hills and valleys, and offers and impressive...
Recently, we had a master class on how to ceviche, a dish that consist of marinated seafood and vegetables that is now traditional to Ecuador. Though ceviche’s creation is attributed to Asian immigrants in Perú, it is widely enjoyed in...
Last week, we went to Otavalo and other places in Northern Ecuador to see the sights, meet people, and learn more about the local culture and history. Otavalo is home to the largest craft market in Latin America, so we...
Our first trip was to Mindo, a small parish about two hours Northeast from Quito, in the middle of the cloud forest. There, we meet with our enduring partner, Kléver Tello. He is the head of the parish and has...
After orientation, students met their host families and joined them in daily life. Through this key component of SST, students learn about cultural practices, social dynamics, and personal relations. A few days after orientation, we returned to Centro Histórico to...
Our Summer SST Ecuador group arrived this May 1. We are all very excited to start this new term! Bienvenidos a Casa, chicos! One of the first actives of orientation was a group discussion about expectations, hopes, and how to...
By Mackenzie M. During my life, I’ve attended protests and marches for various causes, all relating to human rights in some way. Because of this, I’ve come to appreciate and enjoy using my voice in this way to show support...
Cleaning overgrown senderos and planting trees in the rural towns surrounding Cotacachi has been the work that Naomi Klassen and I have started on service. Oftentimes at the beginning of a work day, we know very little of what the...
This is our first student produced blog post, which is a poem. In the next couple of days, we will be adding more students’ reflections and images. Falling: A Poem first stop tell me what you see before i tell...
Each Study Service Term culminates in six weeks of service engagement with local organizations throughout the host country (casually referred to as “Service”). After the initial six weeks of cultural and academic study, the shift in location and purpose opens...
Our sixth week came fast and, with it, time to wrap up our academic, cultural, and artistic activities, and to say goodbye to Quito. The time flew by, and while we had great times as a group exploring the city,...
This week, we visited a property on the outskirts of Quito where two families that sadly and abruptly fled their home countries have found a place to live. The location was generously lent by a member of the Mennonite Church...
SST students and faculty visited Dream Farm, a flower producing facility in Guayllabamba, a small town 45 minutes north from Quito. We learned that the business of flowers is a huge source of revenue for the area, specially before Valentine’s...
Otavalo, a small town, two hours north from Quito, is world known for its artisanal crafts such as textiles, musical instruments, jewelry, hats, and hammocks. The community is proud of its indigenous heritage, practices, language, and customs. María Virginia Farinango...
Last Thursday, we left our beloved Quito for some adventurous adventures in Imbabura Province, named after a great inactive volcano. Our agenda included hiking around a lagoon in a volcanic crater, meeting new SST partners, and visiting Parque Condor, a...
While in Mindo, we visited Quetzal Mindo, a chocolate shop, garden, and tasting tour. Sergio, our Portuguese guide —whose Spanish is better than my Portuguese— explained that cocoa harvesting originated in what now is Ecuador, but it was mostly used...
Mindo, a small town located about 2 hours from Quito, is tucked in the middle of green luscious mountains and singing rivers. Because of its biodiversity, beautiful views, and environmental projects, Mindo has become a great ecotourist attraction. The locals...
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