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A smile is a smile: My trip to Ecuador

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A smile is a smile: My trip to Ecuador

School of Sustainability senior Tyler Gillespie says Ecuador was always a top destination on his list. Last summer, he got to cross it off as a student studying abroad with the Global Sustainability Studies Program. There, Gillespie studied culture diversity, visited historical sites and zip lined down a volcano. Now, he plans to join the Peace Corps after graduating.

Why did you choose to study sustainability in Ecuador?
Ecuador has always been a top destination for me because its location of where hemispheres collide. It also has a unique mix of ecosystems and environments that make for a compelling case study in biodiversity. Indigenous peoples, colonialism and neo-liberalism have all left their mark on the history of Ecuador and can all still be observed in the landscape and culture there today.

How did studying abroad enhance your education at ASU?
Studying abroad allowed me to take sustainability in the classroom into the real world. While there, we were able to actually apply theories that we have learned about—economics, the environment and social equity—to actual situations.

 
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How are you using what you learned during your trip in your current life?
My experiences in Ecuador led me to the conclusion that I would like a career in international development. Not many of the people that we met there had ever known an American, but those that had often met them as Peace Corps volunteers. They spoke of these volunteers with high regard and talked about the positive impact they made. The Peace Corps is what I would like to do once I graduate.

What was a favorite memory from your trip?
This is an incredibly hard question to answer, as there were so many amazing experiences. From bathing in a sacred hot springs after a day of zip lining down a volcano, to exploring old cathedrals, and building a raft and floating down the Napo river in the Amazon rainforest, these are a few memories that I will cherish forever.

What advice would you offer to future study abroad students?
Have an open mind and don’t be afraid to leave behind some of your technology. This will be an incredible opportunity to get to know a culture other than your own. The less you are connected with home while you are there, the more you will get out of the experience.

What was the greatest life lesson you learned?
The most important life lesson that I learned while in Ecuador was that no matter where you come from, what your beliefs are, what you look like or what language you speak, a smile is still a smile. Whether it be a young girl in a native village in the Amazon or a grandma picking strawberries in a field in the Andean highlands, when you smile and wave, they smile and wave back. We all know how to laugh, and we all know how to love, and that is far more important than anything that makes us different.