In January of 2014, I traveled to Durán—a village in Guayaquil, Ecuador—with a Campus Ministry group from my school. We spent eight days in a neighborhood called Arbolito, simply being among the people and learning from them. In those eight days, I learned more about myself and about the world than I have in a myriad of classes or lectures. And more than that, I learned that Ecuador matters.
I am a 20-year-old college student in America; in some ways, Ecuadorian life is the furthest thing from the reality I am privileged to live. But after learning more about their way of life and the struggles they face, I realized that Ecuador matters and that it should matter to all of us. Uneven wealth distribution, women’s issues, environmental challenges, and widespread poverty are problems that not all of us face, but that still affect us—the world, more developed countries, 20-year-old American college students—all the same.
This blog will be a space where I explore these issues that plague the Ecuadorian people and explore their greater context in a world that’s more interconnected than ever. During my eight short days in Guayaquil, I fell in love with Ecuador, and now I want to know more about it. I want to share this journey to knowledge and awareness, and I want to put a face to a country that is overflowing with beauty, to a community that has things to teach and people to care about, to a place that should matter to all of us.
I am a 20-year-old college student in America; in some ways, Ecuadorian life is the furthest thing from the reality I am privileged to live. But after learning more about their way of life and the struggles they face, I realized that Ecuador matters and that it should matter to all of us. Uneven wealth distribution, women’s issues, environmental challenges, and widespread poverty are problems that not all of us face, but that still affect us—the world, more developed countries, 20-year-old American college students—all the same.
This blog will be a space where I explore these issues that plague the Ecuadorian people and explore their greater context in a world that’s more interconnected than ever. During my eight short days in Guayaquil, I fell in love with Ecuador, and now I want to know more about it. I want to share this journey to knowledge and awareness, and I want to put a face to a country that is overflowing with beauty, to a community that has things to teach and people to care about, to a place that should matter to all of us.