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What To Expect?

I keep imagining that my upcoming trip to Ecuador will resemble my only other experience in a developing country, my time in Nepal, 2010. I know full well it won’t. Yeah, Ecuadorian and Nepali cuisine share certain staples, like rice and potatoes, and I’ll probably be a couple conspicuous heads taller than my hosts in Ecuador, as I was in Nepal. Beyond that, I have to check myself when trying to envision what life will be like in Ecuador. The likelihood of me seeing a buffalo there is unlikely, let alone a buffalo sacrifice to a Hindu deity, considering Ecuador is %95 Roman Catholic. The traditions, etiquette, and communities will be like nothing I’ve ever experienced, either here in the US or in Nepal. So I suppose when I try to imagine my host family in Ecuador and my mind jumps to my sari-clad Nepal mother and sister, wearing bindis and bangles, I’m just grappling with the fact that I am truly heading into the unknown.

It’s a great feeling though! After four years of being in the same building knowing pretty much how my upcoming months would play out I’m ready for an overhaul. A year of meeting new people, learning countless new things, calling new places home, what more could I hope to glean from a year abroad? I’m ready to dive into this refreshing, constructive, experience and give it all I’ve got. Can’t wait to report back from in country!

Aidan Holloway-Bidwell

About Aidan Holloway-Bidwell


Aidan has spent time doing international service in Nepal, where he spent weeks on the worksite of a school building hauling rocks and pouring cement. This experience sparked the interest in service work that led him to Global Citizen Year. He hopes to somehow contribute to his passion of conserving the environment. In his free time he enjoys singing, both with bands and in an a capella group.

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