School

I often forget that I came to Ecuador to STUDY Abroad, not just bask in the Equatorial sun. In Ecuador I go to el Universidad San Francisco de Quito. From what I hear this is the best and most prestigious university in Ecuador. However, due to the large class divide very few Ecuadorians can afford to pay the 8,000 a year for USFQ’s tuition. With the few exceptions of students who have received scholarships to attend, everyone at USFQ is pretty wealthy.

(I guess you could call this our quad)

USFQ caters to this upper class student body with a beautiful and manicured campus that is happily filled by beautiful students. Before I came to Ecuador an Illinois student who had previously gone to USFQ told me about the extremely attractive women in all of his classes. To illustrate this he mentioned how on a few occasions he saw girls from his classes on billboards as clothing models around Quito. The majority of the student body obviously takes great pride in their appearance with very nicely put together outfits. While there is a fair share of jean and t-shirt clad students, sweatpants are nowhere to be found and I have yet to see a pair of basketball shorts, a far cry from the casual dress at U of I-- this means no USFQ hoodies, which I´m incredibly disapointed about.

(another section of the Universidad)

Another characteristic I instantly noticed about USFQ students is their intelligence. In all of my classes students excitingly participate and supply profound insights. Not to mention that almost every student is bilingual, at least.

Classes are quite the switch from U of I. Instead of a 600 person lecture, in English, I have a few classes with no more than 6 students, in Spanish. While I’m sure the small classes are great for learning when you speak the language, right now the small class size simply allows the teacher to see my lack of understanding up close. Here are my classes: Basic Photography, Intro to Final Cut Pro, Intermediate Spanish Grammar and Conversation, and Comics & Sequential Art.

Classes are frustrating right now, but I understand more everyday. And with classes about comic books, photography, and film editing, the homework isn’t exactly a chore.