Winter Interim in Ecuador

Feb. 10, 2005
By Tait Hilmer
Staff Writer

Just hop in the car and start driving south, go past Mexico and Honduras, jump over the Panama Canal. When you get to Columbia, take a right. If you end up in Peru, it is too far. For 23 days over 30 students and professors from St. Ambrose invaded the town of Cuenca, Ecuador, as part of the annual winter interim. Students took classes in history, education, social work and. of course, Spanish. Along with classes, students also enjoyed the scenery and were engulfed by Ecuador’s culture.
Despite being sick for a week and suffering second-degree burns from the sun Heidi Beimer had no regrets.

“Even though I had some bad fortune, I am still glad I went,” Beimer said.

The group left for Ecuador right after Christmas so they were able to experience a New Year’s celebration foreign to them. A tradition that Beimer and her host family took part in was a costume party.

“I dressed up as a rabbit and some of my host family members dressed up as well, and then those not in costume had to guess who was who,” Beimer said.

Another tradition Beimer and her fellow students learned was a doll burning ritual. Ecuadorians create dolls to symbolize a person, grudge, or disease and toss the dolls into a fire to rid themselves of their problems for the coming year.

Ashleigh Dillin had never left the boundaries of the United States and was looking forward to a trip to a foreign land.

“I wanted to experience a different part of the world and see how other people lived,” Dillin said.

Not used to the way Ecuadorians drove, Dillin admitted she was scared to cross the street.

“I needed to cross the street so I went to a crosswalk and waited for the light to change and when it did I started to cross but apparently busses have the right-of-way,” she said.

Not all of Dillin’s experiences, however, were death defying.

“We went hiking, we saw Inca Ruins, learned to salsa dance, and volunteered at a mentally handicapped school, among others.”

For Beimer and Dillin the trip was an experience neither would forget. From hiking to second-degree burns pictures of the trip will be immortalized in photo albums.

“Taking the risk was worth it, just to know a different culture,” Beimer said.

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