Frequently Asked Questions...

In the past few months all of my family and friends have been finding out about my gap year in Ecuador. Every conversation usually contains similar questions about my trip. I have already covered the basics about where and when I am going and why I am passionate about travel. However, there are some other questions that I am usually asked that I haven't answered on my blog yet and questions that I am sure to be asked a lot in Ecuador as well. I hope to do one FAQ response every month or perhaps more often because if you haven't noticed, I love to write. So I will begin with...

1. Why did you decide to go on exchange and as a gap year?  

As a Freshman in high school, I had to listen to many discussions about taking advantage of the next four years of opporunity. Students were always reminded to prepare for life after school, and the guidance counselors would take every chance to list off all the options and opportunities they encourage students to take, in order to reach their future goals. Rotary exchange as a junior or as a gap year student were thrown out as options. Even though I didn't admit it, exchange was always a tempting option that I kept in the back of my mind from day one. Nevertheless, I followed the pack and said I wanted to go to a four year college right after high school.

My sophomore year, I went with the Spanish club to Spain. This is going to be cliche, but the trip was the start of a new mindset for me; it opened my eyes to a world of posibilities. I had always loved to travel, but this experience in a new country, with a second language, was so exciting. It got me thinking hard about the world and where I want to be in the future. This realization came too late, as I missed the opportunity to apply and go out as a junior exchange student (though now I feel that I wouldn't have been ready anyways). In talking to other junior year exchangers that came back and still had their senior year, the majority said that they wished they had waited to go out as a gap year, because being at school after such a life-changing year was hard.

So...I went into my junior year talking to my parents about a gap year, but I still wasn't fully convinced. In fact, after doing my first 8 college tours during February vacation of my junior year, I figured I didn't need the gap year because of the amazing study abroad options that colleges now have to offer. But then, I went on my trip to Ecuador. I returned to America once again with that worldly/future oriented mindset and with my eyes wide open. And they say timing is everything, because within a few weeks of my return, our Rotary district outbound coordinator came to my school to present about exchange. Having just come back from my trip, I listened to the presentation with open eyes and an open mind. The presentation included two short videos about the program, and speeches from a couple of inbound exchange students at our school (ones that I had created close friendships with). I sat there and took it all in.

That's when I knew.

I knew I wanted to be an exchange student and have the unique life-changing experience that others rave about. I knew I wanted to become fluent in a second language (preferably Spanish). I knew it was an opportunity that I couldn't pass up, at a time in my life that was perfect because I knew I would be out of high school and not stressing about my return. I knew gap years were becoming more popular and were seen as a positive mental break. And I knew that putting off college for a year wouldn't hurt, especially if I was able to defer from the school I wanted to attend.

So long story short, I made this decision because all the signs were pointing me in this direction and I realized that it was an opportunity that I couldn't ignore.

More FAQ's responses to come.

If you have any other questions, feel free to email me or comment and I will do my best to get back to you. 

If you want to practice your Spanish, email me in Spanish. It's great practice for me too! 

First Impression

In April of 2012, my grandparents took me on a trip to Ecuador as my 16^th birthday present (delivered a year later). We had decided on Ecuador because the trip was more affordable than going somewhere in Europe, and I really enjoyed my Spanish class so it was a chance to practice my Spanish and see a completely new culture. Little did I know that the trip would be a preview to the country that I will be spending a year in starting next month.

My trip started with flights from Boston to Miami, and from Miami to the Mariscal Sucre Airport in Quito, Ecuador! I traveled with my grandparents, Juan Carlos the tour guide and 16 other people for the week. We started immediately the morning after our arrival with a tour of the city of Quito. The city was breath-taking with mountains all around. No wonder it is one of the most difficult cities for plane landings. In this 16^th century city, we saw the Independence Plaza, La Compañia Church, and we were lucky enough to visit the Presidential Palace on a day when the President made an appearance.

On our small private tour bus, we traveled to the Middle of the World Monument where I stood with one foot in the northern hemisphere and one in the southern hemisphere. We visited Paguche Falls, but not before almost dying trying to go down a hill with our bus at a ninety degree angle that had us almost tipping over. At the falls, we saw unique flowers, a big waterfall, and even a wild horse.

From there, we went to the Otavalo market to see the indigenous people and their crafts. In the maze-like market there were quality handmade goods like woven rugs with natural dyes, traditional clothes, and delicious fruits, vegetables, and meats. Shopping was a great experience for me because I was able to test my Spanish language skills, barter with the locals, and really experience the culture and way of life. Buying a bunch of Ecuadorian souvenirs was a bonus!

We went to Cotacachi, a place famous for leather products like wallets, purses, shoes, and jackets. For lunch, I was brave enough to try a bite of cuy (guinea pig) which is a delicacy in Ecuador and other South American countries. To my surprise, it tasted like fried chicken.

As we continued our travels, my body had to adjust to the extreme temperature and altitude differences. We traveled along high, narrow, roads in the Andes, along rough village roads, and we even traveled by canoe up and down the Napo River in the Amazon. We were in the Amazon for two days during which we toured the jungle and met Quechua families that live in the jungle. In the jungle we had to wear black rain boots to avoid getting our clothes and regular shoes permanently moody. The best thing about the jungle was our local tour guide; he allowed us to taste the natural fruits, and showed us the plants used for medicine. He even demonstrated how the locals rub termites on their skin, which acts as insect repellant against the bugs of the jungle. I was so amazed by the way the natives of the forest use their resources and had everything they needed to survive right there. This made me think that Americans do not know what it’s really like to live off the land.

It was amazing to see the many indigenous groups and the towns- each famous for a different handy craft. Our room in Patate overlooked the highest active volcano in the world, which we saw produce a cloud of smoke. Our guide informed us that it was a rare site and again I was amazed at our good luck on the trip. We visited another big food market and traveled to Cotopaxi National Park, which is 13,000 feet above sea level. The whole week blended together and it felt as though I had been traveling for months.

But all good things must come to an end. And so we returned to Quito and then to the United States. I didn't come back empty handed or unchanged. In fact, my adventure in Ecuador was unlike any other trip I have taken. My trip unintentionally paved the way for my decision to go on exchange. And then, to further my good fortune, Rotary placed me in Ecuador (out of my 5 country choices).  My previous knowledge and experience in the country will certainly come in handy, and it makes me more comfortable and excited to return for a year. Not only that, but I already have connections with people in the country! I am just so grateful to be going back with a fantastic first impression already made, and with an eagerness to start making bigger memories that will impact my life for a long time.

The 50 Most Inspiring Travel Quotes Of All Time

"Memorable travel quotes are like messages found on the beach; beautiful, timeless, and read at just the right moment."

I absolutely love the following quotes and I recommend reading the others on the website too. I think they are relevent to the journey I am about to take; the quotes really describe why I am so passionate about travel and why this experience abroad is so important to me. I believe that travel is such an essential part of life. There is so much out there that so many people never get to see because they never leave the boundaries they call "home".

If more people traveled, there would be further acceptance in the world. People wouldn’t find other customs and cultures so strange; they wouldn’t be as quick to judge. There would be more peace instead of misunderstanding. People would learn from each other in order to make a greater quality of life for all. Traveling allows people to make connections all over the world and weakens the barrier between cultures with every trip. If one person convinces another to travel, he could be the reason four other people find out about a trip, and decide to take the chance. Traveling is not just for the personal experience; it’s for the knowledge a person can share with society. And through travel, you appreciate home more and the people you left behind too.

My greatest hope is that I can take this experience with me; the friendships, the culture, the language, the sights and experiences, and bring them with me no matter what I do and where I go in the future. There are so many opportunities out there and I hope that as I explore and learn, others will be influenced to do the same. To the quotes...

 1. “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.” – Mark Twain

 2. “The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” – St. Augustine

 3. “There are no foreign lands. It is the traveler only who is foreign.” – Robert Louis Stevenson

 4. “The use of traveling is to regulate imagination by reality, and instead of thinking how things may be, to see them as they are.” – Samuel Johnson

 5. “All the pathos and irony of leaving one’s youth behind is thus implicit in every joyous moment of travel: one knows that the first joy can never be recovered, and the wise traveler learns not to repeat successes but tries new places all the time.” – Paul Fussell

Read more at http://matadornetwork.com/bnt/50-most-inspiring-travel-quotes-of-all-time/#d07c3hxECzJeprYI.99

Introduction

Hello and Hola! My name is Megan Reid and for those of you who don't know me, I am an 18 year old from a small town in the state of New Hampshire who just graduated from high school. I have decided to take a gap year before heading off to attend Centre College in Danville, Kentucky. For my gap year, I will be a Rotary Exchange Student staying in the country of Ecuador in South America.

Ecuador is located on the equator and it has a tropical climate. I will be staying in the city of Machala, which is located on the south-west coast of the country. Machala is the fourth largest city in Ecuador- much larger than what I am used to here in New Hampshire. I will be staying with two host families while in Ecuador and attending a local high school as a senior. Fortunately, as far as grades are concerned, I don't really have to worry because I have already graduated here in the United States. However, I will give the work my best shot anyways because that's just how I am. I plan on arriving in Ecuador between August 23rd and August 25th. I have corresponded with my first host family (all in Spanish) and so far everything sounds great. I am very excited for this journey and am excited for the way it will effect my life.

I am going to use this blog as a way to keep everyone updated on how my year is going and the experiences that I have. Ideally, I will post weekly about my new experiences with the language and culture, and post about the various trips I will take with my new Rotary Exchange friends. For now, I am patiently waiting for my visa to be approved so the travel agency can book my flight. Rotary Exchangers say that "exchange isn't a year in your life, it's a life in one year".
In that case, let my new life begin!