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I cannot believe my time in Ecuador has finally come to a close!

I left Intag just fine and finished up the report. I was pretty sad to say good-bye to that host family but also really excited to see everyone in Quito coming back from their own ISP experiences. Even getting back into Quito was an adjustment and all the bustle was slightly overwhelming and I missed that clean air in the campo. I was only in Quito for one night before we all headed out to La Hesperia, a beautiful research/lodge located a couple hours outside Quito, complete with gardens, pasture, and forest. There we all cycled through presenting our projects—something that I thought would be incredibly tedious but was actually very interesting. The greatest part was that everyone was working on something different, ranging from researching sea turtles on the coast, to assisting with construction projects with an indigenous culture in the amazon, to measuring the progress of the wax palms in the cloud forest (ok, that last one was me). Regardless, I learned a lot while also having a relaxing time to recover from the last-minute stress of completing ISPs. We had some free time to play ultimate Frisbee in the yard and later, almost all 20 of us played soccer in the rain along with some staff members, which was awesome. We all agreed it’s impossible to play in the rain and take it seriously so I am pretty sure everyone had a great time slipping around.

After the trip to La Hesperia, we got back to Quito to enjoy our last couple days in Ecuador. A group of us went to Parque Carolina, a huge park near the center of Quito, on Wednesday to play soccer with any Ecuadorians we could find to play against during the afternoon. On Friday I went back to the park with Estelle and Becca to paddleboat around a “lake” in the middle of the park, kinda silly but pleasant. Friday afternoon was also our last time with Sylvia, Xavier, and Aldemar, our two academic directors and another assistant who helps run the program. We all went to a classy pizza place where we gave them small gifts we had put together as a form of thanks for all they do throughout the semester.

As a last reflection on my study abroad time, it was, overall, an amazing experience that is sometimes difficult to put into words. My first time out of the country was reasonably successful in my terms—didn’t get robbed, didn’t get sick, and experienced the diverse regions of the country. I also improved in my Spanish and was at the end able to tell stories to my homestay family in Intag that would make them laugh, something that sounds basic but an achievement for me. And I even did have some dreams in Spanish, which I’m proud of as well. In Ecuador I had the opportunity to accomplish some things I have wanted to do in my life, including see bioluminescence (in Galapagos), successfully hitchhike (sounds dumb, but I was really excited), and bungee jump. I also learned some stuff about myself, like how I actually don’t enjoy jumping off high things and, more seriously, that I am able to travel abroad to appreciate both the new culture and my own.

So now I am here with a mezcla of emotions, having to say goodbye to some amazing people I just spent that last 4 months with, while also being hours away of finally seeing my family once again. I know I’ll eventually stop saying “permiso” when passing through people and instinctively asking “como le va?” as a form of greeting, but can guarantee my time in Ecuador will be a fond memory that is always a part of me.