Shannon Nelson

Studying abroad in Ecuador has changed my worldview in a crucial manner, and I realize that I will leave this country a different person then the one that entered. I would recommend this program to students who desire to gain insight into a culture vastly different from our own and who want to live in a country with multiple different ecosystems. I have had the opportunity to travel to the beaches on the coast, Intag Cloud Forest in the Andes Mountains, the Amazon, and the Galapagos Islands. This country not only offers drastically different environments, but also consists of a plurinational society whose cultural differences always keep you interested. Furthermore, I specifically chose SIT because this program teaches its students how to conduct field research, and then permits them to conduct an independent study project during the last month of the program. SIT has helped me integrate so well into the culture and has placed me with host families that I have built long lasting relationships with. Ecuador is truly a hidden gem that is underappreciated in the world today.