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Walking the Talk

It’s always easy to say something, but to actually experience and know it is a whole different matter. I came to Ecuador knowing I would experience a different way of life, however, I didn’t realize the extent of the challenge I was taking. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m welcoming the challenges of the coming months and everything they will entail. Already, I have undergone challenges to become accustomed to Ecuadorian life. The foremost of which, has of course, been learning Spanish.

Every day when I wake up, my host mother will ask, ‘¿Cómo amaneciste?’ to which I will most likely reply with a simple, ‘Bien gracias, ¿y tu?’ This simple exchange is how I start each day. Afterwards, I try to talk to my host mothers or at least listen to their conversations. At first, I didn’t have much confidence in speaking, but after a few days, I gathered the courage to speak up as much as I could. Now, I am unafraid to look like a gringo, y cuando yo soy equivocado, I simply take my mistakes in stride, and learn from them. However, it has not been simply passive listening that spurred me to speak, but it has been the adventures I have taken over the course of the past week or so. From journeying to La Mitad Del Mundo with a friend while talking mainly in Spanish, buying manqueños at a market, as well as talking to taxi drivers, I embrace every opportunity that may improve my speaking skills.

Whatever challenge may be next, bring it on Ecuador. I may not be totally prepared, but I’ll sure give everything I have.

Trevor Porter

About Trevor Porter


Trevor has a passion for poetry, conservation, and the culinary arts – especially baking. His love for animals took him last year to South Africa, where he worked with penguins and other sea birds with the South African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds. Trevor enjoys the creative process in its many forms, whether crafting a poem or concocting a dessert.

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