A special aspect of my experience on the Choco-Rica Study Abroad Program that I did not originally anticipate was the group bonding with the students and faculty. By the end of the trip, we were practically one giant family. At the departure orientation prior to the trip all of the…
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Agriculture is an important sector to many economies. Aside from making food available, agriculture makes contributions to global GDP accounting for more than 4% and as much 25% to national GDP for some least developed countries. Additionally, the sector is major a source of livelihoods where 27% of all employment…
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The first half of our program occurs in the Cloud Forests of Ecuador, mainly at Maquipucuna Reserve and Ecolodge just north of Quito. This portion of the course was honestly my favorite. As an entomology student, I was truly excited to explore all of the insect diversity present here. But…
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Before departing, we took part in orientations to prepare us for our experience in Morocco where we were given information about the country. In addition, I researched about the country in relation to dress code, greetings, and other aspects about the culture not included in the materials provided. I recall…
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During the Maymester study abroad to Spain, we were able to visit multiple different types of farms throughout the country. The first farm visit was a private Iberian Pork farm that we stopped at on our way from Madrid to Granada. The farm we visited was run by two brothers,…
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One of my favorite aspects of the Choco-Rica study abroad program was being able to taste farm-fresh cacao fruit. When I first applied to the program, I was expecting to learn about chocolate and the process of making chocolate, but there was so much about that process that I was…
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Aside from everything we learned regarding agriculture, economics, politics, food security, and healthcare, I was able to experience so many unique aspects of Cuban culture. Cubans evidently have a very strong passion for music, dance, art, and food- which also appeared to be their primary forms of entertainment. We spent…
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As we toured farms that grew crops like coffee, mangos, sweet potatoes, and tobacco, the workers explained how they are required by contract to give a percentage of their harvest to the state, but that they are able to do what they wanted with the rest. We were also told…
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One of our final excursions in Cuba was an overnight stay in La Picadora, a cooperative farming community. Here, people lived very traditionally with a lack of modern technology that would ease their heavy workload. We were also told about the lack of labor due to the youth moving away…
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On my study abroad trip to Spain, we took a day trip to Cordoba. While in Cordoba, we were led on a guided tour of the Mosque-Cathedral. The Mosque-Cathedral was built in the 7th century and completed in the 16th century with architecture switching back and forth from Christian and…
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