Study Abroad Assignment

Assignment 1:

The strategies that I am already employing to my study abroad experience are take one thing at a time, don’t try to be superman/superwoman, exercise, and share your feelings. I definitely take it one thing at a time and this has helped a lot. Whether it is just finishing one assignment before moving on to the next, or just taking it one day at a time and living in the moment. This has helped me focus on what I need to get done at that moment, or enjoying what I am doing in that moment without worrying about everything I have to get done. The next strategy that I have been using is don’t try to be superman/ superwoman. As I have been going through this experience there have been times that I have gotten frustrated whether I couldn’t

I have learned that this is all new to me and I’m not perfect and it is okay to make mistakes and not get something the first time around. I’ve used the share your feelings strategy as well. Whether it was talking to my friends and family back home about something that was going on, or talking to my friends here. Both of these have different pros. There are only eight people in my program, so my friends here are going through the same things and have similar challenges that we can help each other with. At the same time, it is nice to talk to friends and family at home, to get a different point of view. Lastly, exercise. At the beginning of my study abroad experience, I would take two buses to get to school. The first one was short and brought me to the main bus station. Now, I walk to and from the main bus station. It is about a 15 minute walk, but allows me to get some exercise, alone time and I can clear my head if there is something that is on my mind. I plan on continuing these strategies into my daily routine, but may also

My professional goals that I achieved were to gain experience and knowledge about Tropical Ecology and research. I have learned so much this semester and have definitely gained knowledge and experience in field research techniques. This semester has also shown me that I would love to live abroad again and work abroad as well. As for personal goals, I have felt challenged everyday that I have been here and it has allowed me to grow. Living in this country has also allowed me to develop a stronger understanding and awareness of diversity among cultures. When we were at a biodiversity station in the rainforest, a lot of the workers were indigenous people. While I did have interactions with them and learned a lot from them, I wish I had learned even more about their beliefs and way of life while not working at the station. This semester has also made me what to know more about so many more cultures in this world. Another personal goal of mine was try to figure out what motivates me. Through everything that has happened in the states when I was here, and everything that happens in Ecuador as well I have found out what motivates me for sure. One of my cultural goals was to see the different regions of Ecuador, as part of my program, we went to a lot of places so I feel like I have seen a bunch of Ecuador and am very happy with this. One of my other