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Adapting to a new life

Oh Ecuador, am i feeling high!

I have only been here about two months now, and my mind set has already changed. I might sound cliche but, being here in Ecuador made me appreciate what I have at home. I also remind myself that I am so blessed to have this opportunity at my age. I have to remind myself  home will always be there.  Nothing is really going to change, but the price of gold.

Coming from a wealthy country like USA to a developing country like Ecuador, it’s very easy to be judgmental.  You have to take time to not have people understand you, but for you to understand them. When I do this, it advances my thinking in total about life itself. An open-minded person always benefits from his environment and the people in it.  I’m living proof of it.  I live life learning, and I can only do that by being open-minded.

At the end of the day I lay in bed with my net over it to keep me protected from the bugs.  I lay there just thinking about the day, how far I came from being in Chicago, and I ask myself ” What is my long term goal in life?”. That answer is to be a better human being .

Michael Winfield

About Michael Winfield


Michael devotes himself to a number of community service projects in the Chicago area including buildOn, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and Garden Buddies, a program teaching kids about the environment, healthy eating, and growing plants and vegetables. During his junior year, Michael was a leader in a dating violence prevention campaign, where he used his art skills to design the t-shirts and posters for the program.

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