SST

Jun 18 2024

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...

Jun 17 2024

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...

Jun 14 2024

  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...

Jun 10 2024

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...

May 29 2024

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...

May 22 2024

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...

May 19 2024

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...

May 16 2024

What a night we had at open mic night! The vibes in the room were everything from comedy, sorrow, grief, revenge and happiness. We traveled to Tower Hamlets, London to attend open mic night at RichMix. They welcome the communities...

May 15 2024

This morning we had the pleasure of welcoming to our class Daljit Nagra, a poet whose work we’ve been reading. Nagra is a British poet whose poems relate to the experience of Indians born in the UK (especially Indian Sikhs), and...

May 03 2024

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...

May 03 2024

May 2024 All 23 London students arrived safe and sound (if a bit sleepy) yesterday morning around 10am British Summer Time. I (Peter) met them at the airport, and we took a bus (“coach”) into city center. Our lodgings are...

Apr 10 2024

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...

Apr 08 2024

Students are now on their way either home or to new adventures, and it feels a little unreal that 2024 Indonesian SST is over.  We spent this last weekend with a mix of activities.  We toured a Hindu temple and...

Apr 07 2024

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...

Apr 03 2024

Today’s post is written by Gavin Johnson, who is serving in Ungaran.  He writes about revisiting our study setting in Yogyakarta. Study term was so much fun, from the language class and malls to the trips and the city of...

Apr 02 2024

Today’s post was written by Jacob Stoltzfus, who is serving in Melolo, Sumba, an island in the eastern part of Indonesia. During the service portion of my SST, I was assigned to the Love Sumba organization stationed in Melolo, East...

Apr 02 2024

Today’s post was written by Carlos Lichty, who is doing his service at the Laboratory Middle School at Satya Wacana University in Salatiga. For my service assignment, I was placed at a local Christian Middle School named UKSW SMP here...

Apr 02 2024

Today’s post was written by Lindsey Daniels, who is serving with Wijna, a community organization in Salatiga.   As we were coming up to our 10th week of SST, Carlos, Camila, and I decided that we wanted to explore a...

Apr 01 2024

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...

Mar 29 2024

Today’s post is written by Peri Mast-Hochstedler.  They are serving at Universitas Kristen Satya Wacana Laboratory High School in Salatiga. During my time in Saltiga, I have had the pleasure of observing classes and teaching English at the Satya Wacana...

Mar 25 2024

Today’s post is written Camila Perez-Diener.  She is serving in the Satya Wacana Laboratory Elementary School in Salatiga, Central Java. I entered my service term expecting to assist the English teachers with their classes and maybe work in the library...

Mar 25 2024

Today’s post is written by Evan King, who is doing his service in Yogyakarta. During service, I have not been given as much opportunity to interact with my host family because, during the week, I am living at Bumi Cendekia,...

Mar 24 2024

Today’s blog is written by Jonathan Weaver, who is doing his service on the island of Sumba. I have been living with my host family in Sumba for close to four weeks now. During this time I have continued to...

Mar 24 2024

Today’s post is written by Johanna Morford-Oberst, who is doing her service at UNDANA university in Kupang, Timor. On Tuesday, March 5th, Pak Dr. Niko, my supervisor, took Brenton, my service partner, and I to Susteran Alma Orphanage. This is...