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Honors College graduate and translation major Mallory Woods, BS ’22, a native of Fairview, Pennsylvania, is living in Ecuador for nine months as the recipient of a prestigious Fulbright English Teaching Assistant award.

Woods, who studied in Florence, Italy, for the 2021-2022 academic year, says her education-abroad experiences in Israel, Palestine, the Czech Republic, Costa Rica, Spain and Italy have been fundamental in improving her language skills and multicultural competence.

She moved to Ecuador in September 2022, and we recently caught up with her via email to find out more about her experience so far.

Where are you living and working?

I am currently living in , a city of around 150,000 people in , a province in the central Andes of Ecuador. Riobamba is in the mountains with an elevation of 9,000 feet, and the altitude has taken some getting used to. On a clear day, four volcanoes are visible towering over the city. Last week, the city was dusted by ashes from the over 30 miles away!

I am working as an English teaching assistant at the (UNACH) through the . Through June 2023, I will be assisting professors there in teaching intermediate English and other elective courses, organizing English conversation hours, auditing Kichwa classes ( is an Indigenous language prevalent in Riobamba with different dialects spoken throughout the country) and volunteering at an intercultural bilingual Kichwa-Spanish primary school in , a nearby Indigenous community.

How does the higher education system differ from the United States?

In Ecuador, public universities, like UNACH, do not charge tuition and are generally more difficult to enter compared to private universities, which can be costly. High demand and limited university spaces have affected access to higher education in recent years. At the end of high school, students’ scores on standardized exams determine which fields of study they can pursue.

Additionally, some academic procedures are much more formal than their U.S. equivalents, such as introductory meetings. Most of the classes I assist have 25-30+ students, and student-teacher dynamics are characterized by respect.

Why do your Ecuadorian students want to learn English?

At UNACH I am working in the foreign language pedagogy department, so almost all of the students are aspiring language teachers. During the first week of classes, I asked students to tell me why they chose to study English. A major motivator for almost all of them was being able to communicate while traveling internationally.

Once a week, my roommate and I visit an intercultural bilingual Kichwa-Spanish primary school in the Columbe Grande community to supplement its English curriculum. The students would like to learn English, and I can’t wait for them to share more about their Kichwa language and culture! That first day, a few of the students asked me to translate about 40 words into English from Spanish, and then I asked them for the Kichwa equivalents.

What do the students want to know about you and the United States?

Lots of Ecuadorians have been curious about how universities are structured in the United States. I have had a lot of questions about my experience of earning an undergraduate degree and how this compares to Ecuadorian norms. In conversations with local friends, I have spent a lot of time discussing topics like food, friendship and family dynamics, and Ecuadorian and U.S. politics.

How do you spend your free time?

I enjoy traveling to new Ecuadorian cities, practicing yoga at a local studio, attending soccer games and enjoying new foods.

What Ecuadorian foods have you sampled?

I am vegetarian, so while I can’t speak about many of the traditional dishes—which contain chicken, pork or guinea pig—I can say that there is no shortage of delicious produce, flavorful cheese empanadas, and amazing vegetable soups here. Also, to my pleasant surprise, Riobamba is full of crepe and waffle shops. Another surprise is that ice cream topped with shredded cheese is a popular snack that became prevalent in the last 10 or so years!

Can you tell us a bit more about your host country?

Ecuador has four distinct regions: the mountainous Andean highlands (where I am), the coastal lowlands, the Amazon and the Galápagos. 

Even though the country is roughly the size of Colorado, I am intrigued by how diverse it is and how much variety there is in accents, food, lifestyles and more across the regions and even from city to city. There are more than 1.1 million Indigenous people in Ecuador from 14 different nationalities and, from what I have learned so far, Indigenous customs and traditions are anything but homogenous!

Have you been challenged by any of the cultural differences?

Yes, adapting and learning is an ongoing process. For example, Ecuador has a polychronic culture, which means that multiple events happen simultaneously and time is viewed as flexible and flowing. Interruptions or last-minute changes are viewed as natural or inevitable, and last-minute planning is normal (with some notable exceptions based on the context). That’s different from what I’m used to in the United States, which has a monochronic culture that highly prioritizes adhering to preset schedules and undertaking one task at a time. 

However, I’m learning to adapt, and I think this polychronic style allows people to remain present in the moment and to be flexible in approaching a challenge. 

Cultural differences also allow me to better reflect on my own preconceptions and question why I tend to react or behave differently—what cultural belief or practice is informing my opinion, and how could this seem strange to others? 

“Cultural differences also allow me to better reflect on my own preconceptions—what cultural belief or practice is informing my opinion, and how could this seem strange to others?”

Mallory Woods

Can you describe a recent cultural experience?

One new tradition I experienced was with my friend Janeth, whom I met while studying abroad in Costa Rica in 2019 and whose family is from Riobamba. Janeth and her family included me in their visits to their deceased family members’ graves to clean them and add flowers for , or the Day of the Dead/All Souls’ Day on Nov. 2. I was honored to be included in such a beautiful and personal tradition. Ecuadorian families are often close knit and tend to prioritize loyalty, and I admire their closeness and supportive familial relationships.

Anything else you’d like to say?

I would encourage anyone interested in participating in Fulbright or a similar program to just go for it! Already this experience has been transformative, and I have learned so much (only two months into the nine-month grant). I would like to thank my family and my professors from �鶹ӰԺ State and study abroad programs for helping prepare me for this experience and for their continued support! Also, a huge thank you to all of my new Ecuadorian and Fulbright colleagues and friends.

Read more about Mallory Woods’ Fulbright experience in Ecuador on her blog, .

Strategies Mallory Woods uses to adjust to a different culture

• I try to remind myself that different doesn’t necessarily mean worse or better–it just offers me a learning opportunity to discover more about a new (to me) approach. 

• If I find a situation particularly challenging, I try not to judge myself for the emotions I experience and instead give myself time to process. 

• Finally, if I know I am about to encounter a new situation (such as an Ecuadorian holiday, new type of academic meeting, etc.), I try to read something about it in advance so I can understand the context and conduct myself appropriately.

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