John Villanueva

John loves a spectacle. Whether it's the dancing water droplets as he races across the pool, the chemical concoctions in the lab, or the theatrical performances on stage, he wants find beauty in everything. As president of his school's Interact club, John raised money for the Little Flock Orphanage in India, which inspired him to fulfill his dream of becoming bilingual and simultaneously help others.

Ecuador’s Infinite Possibilities

John Villanueva

2013-05-15

This is my Capstone Video to sum up my bridge year. Enjoy!

Utopia

John Villanueva

2013-04-23

When I began working for Fundación UTOPIA, the word “Utopia” tritely exaggerated the impact that the organization seemed to make. Every other Saturday, my coworkers and I set up Community Baskets – or Canastas Comunitarias1 – in order to provide paying customers easy access to organic produce at an affordable price. That’s pretty much it, it...

Getting Dirty

John Villanueva

2013-01-14

When it comes to hygiene, many of us Fellows find it difficult to feel and stay clean throughout the day. I don’t mean to call Ecuador a “dirty” country, but it’s easy get dirty here. Especially for me, staying clean is quite a difficult task. That’s because my apprenticeship at Fundación UTOPIA exemplifies dirtiness. Every two weeks we hold...

El Triunfo: A Drive Through the Tropical Side

John Villanueva

2013-01-04

It’s actually been a while since that time on the Ecuadorian coast: October 14, 2012, the day I made it to Guayaquil, the largest and most modernized city in Ecuador. My supervisors and I at Fundación UTOPIA attended a three day agro-ecological forum in Guayaquil that highlighted the Food Sovereignty Movement in Ecuador. It was inspiring: I soaked in...

Buen Provecho, Ecuador!

John Villanueva

2012-10-02

Get ready to eat up! I made a video about my first month’s stay in Ecuador and about what’s in store for the next six. A full tummy is a happy tummy. CLICK HERE FOR THE VIDEO

Fútbol and Friends

John Villanueva

2012-09-28

It’s the first week back from Quito from our six-month host communities and I spent eight days in the provincial capital city of Riobamba, about four hours south of Quito and ten times smaller. With a population that small in comparison to Quito, the week-long stay was therapeutic. And the night before we all returned to Quito, I couldn’t wait...

ChiQuito

John Villanueva

2012-09-21

The first two weeks in Quito, Ecuador have consisted of excitement, learning, and a slight case of paranoia. During the first week in Quito, I pondered the fact that I´m only one of the two million plus people who currently populates this massive, sausage-shaped city. I’m not exactly a big city type of person, so I found it disheartening that...

A License-less Monolingual

John Villanueva

2012-07-10

Two things: I’m not bilingual and I can’t drive. With full Filipino blood running through me, many find it surprising that I can’t speak my ethnic language of Tagalog, or at the very least understand it. It surprises me too, honestly, and I am full of pent up discontent when Filipino TV shows, potential friends,...