Ecuador: Jaen Muñoz
Program: Ceiba Tropical Conservation Semester: Galapagos, Andes and Amazon, Spring
Major: Wildlife Ecology
How did your identities impact your experience? What advice would you give to students with similar identities who are considering a similar experience?
My identity as a Spanish-speaking, Mexican, who is the son of immigrants, had a profound impact on my time abroad. I was given the privilege to expand my understanding of Latin America, and the complex influences the USA has on Ecuador. I was able to see, first-hand, the impacts that extractive industries have on tropical ecosystems and communities within Ecuador. My advice to students with similar identities as my own is, when you study abroad, to recognize your own privileges, and enter these spaces with an open mind, pursue with intent and purpose, try to give and not just take, and question notions of authority that are incredibly tied to Academia.
What challenges or barriers did you face as you prepared to go abroad and/or during your time abroad? How did you work through them?
The challenges and barriers that I experienced fall under two main categories: costs and insecurity. I am very fortunate that my financial aid covered the costs of the program, but I did need to bear the cost of not being able to find a sub-lease for my apartment in Madison. I also needed to plan and adapt to the additional costs that fall outside of the program: food, optional travel, etc. I just made sure to plan my budget and save money beforehand. What I mean by insecurity is that during the program, there were many times in which I had to face the emotions that come from traveling away from home and family for an entire semester. This is completely normal. I was lucky to make really good friends in my program, and we all supported one another and found comfort with each other. My professors were amazing and did really well to support us.
Being able to explore the Amazon, Andes, Cloud Forests, the Galapagos has sparked a greater admiration for the ecosystems and complex history of urban Chicago, rural Wisconsin, Lake Michigan, prairies, etc. We need to be amazed at the environments in our own backyard the same way we are with environments in the tropics.
Describe your internship, research, or fieldwork and how the experience helped advance your career or studies.
My internship abroad had me stay with a host family in an Indigenous Kichwa community in Ecuador’s Amazon region. My group and I helped create programming for children at an elementary school to learn more about ecology and conservation, while also implementing bilingual education to help them retain their indigenous language and practices. I move forward in my career with the knowledge and experience of just how crucial it is for people to have a sense of belonging and autonomy in their own land and culture.
How were your program academics similar or different from taking classes at UW-Madison?
Practically, the classes were completely different. The material was specifically designed to educate us about the place that we are in. The biggest difference was the approach to teaching. At UW-Madison, many classes are really comprised of only lectures, but every class I took in my time abroad included hikes, tours, travel, etc. A class for me could look like hiking in the Amazon, collecting data in Andes, etc.