Believe it or not (and it’s probably a lot easier for y’all to believe), the end of my trip abroad is quickly approaching! There is so much that I’m going to miss, and it feels like we are leaving just as I’ve come to see Cuenca as a home. HOWEVER, before I finish up with the program and the blog, I’d like to give everyone some of the best tips, tricks and pointers that I’ve learned since coming to study in Ecuador!

Tip 1: Study Abroad and Explore

My first, and hopefully easiest, pointer when studying abroad would be to really explore your city. I walk for at least an hour in the city nearly every day, and there are still little things that I’ll discover. There are so many restaurants to try, dozens of cafes and neat little markets, and a plethora of street art that really tells you about the culture. In the photo below, you can see a younger Cuencano shredding on his guitar while wearing indigenous headwear. One of my favorites!

Tip 2: Find Local Friends

Another tip (one that I wish I had done much earlier) is that I recommend making some good friends who are native to the city where you’re living. It will facilitate your language and cultural learning to a greater degree, as well as help you create some great future connections. I ended up making some good friends when visiting a local university to help teach an English class. I’ve been able to hang out with them several times and it’s been a lot of fun! In the following photo, Joe and I found some of our friends at the Fundación of Cuenca and tried fruit salad at a vegetarian restaurant.

Tip 3: Continue Your Passions

Yet another trick to finding enjoyment and awe while studying abroad would be to relate an interest that you have back home to the nation that you’re visiting. For example, I love collecting and cultivating succulents to grow. Naturally, Ecuador was a paradise for succulents and I was constantly awestruck in the size and amount of succulents in Ecuador. These helped me keep a pretty stellar attitude all the time, because I would just be walking around and see bear-sized agave plants just chilling on the sidewalks or as border limits in the countryside.

Tip 4: Go Adventuring

Always be sure to visit city festivals and holidays, because they’re unlike anything you’ll experience in the USA. Cuencanos always seem to be celebrating something, so it’s always a good idea to go into the city. There’s also a TON of really curious goods to find in these festivals. I found a beautiful wallet in an artisanal market during Cuenca’s fundación, bought some honey candy, and got to try several other native foods (and even see a pretty neat concert)! Below is a picture of one of Cuenca’s four rivers right at sundown during a holiday weekend.

Tip 5: Be Bold

There are so many more tips that I could give you, but it would take a really long time. Overall, I would just advise you to branch out and try new things. Be a bit more outgoing that you usually would, find ways to practice Spanish, and make great memories. Living with my host family has been one of my favorite experiences, as it’s constant language practice and the development of a great relationship! I firmly recommend. I’ve gotten to experience so many incredible sights, sounds and people; it’s been an incredible blessing and I firmly encourage some similar experience to everyone.

Engaging in another culture and language opens one’s mind to a world of possibilities, and it’s an experience unlike anything else.

Thank you all so much for following my journey this semester. I’m incredibly grateful and it’s been a life-changer!

Alec Tripp