by Braden Rendano
Jackie Brown, a 2012 Hudson High graduate, may not have thought that taking World Cultures Latin America/Africa course, would change her life. She was not sure if she really wanted to go to college right after high school. World cultures teacher June Murray introduced her to the Global Citizen Year organization. Jackie decided to take a new path and experience a new lifestyle in Ecuador.
“All I did is introduce Jackie to the program, that it was out there,” Murray states. “She did all the work to get accepted.”
Jackie is currently living in a small community resting on top of a mountain. She is teaching at a local school of about 60 kids from kindergarten to seventh grade. There are only two teachers for the school.
“Three days a week I teach English and fill the class with games and activities which is much different from their usual classroom experience. One other day I teach computers in a small computer lab they have that was donated, and on Fridays I teach gym classes,” Brown says. “I am also taking Spanish classes while I am here, participating in local traditions, and spending a lot of time with my host family making connections and learning about their culture.”
“I wanted to learn Spanish with the feeling that this will be the most useful, and I was very interested in the differences in culture and life here compared to the US,” Brown says. She is surrounded by the Spanish language, which helps her learn faster.
For Brown, the lifestyle in this region is very different from the U.S. “For starters, 99% of my meals are soup or rice and chicken,” Brown says. “Also, people here have a different sense of time, where wait ten minutes could mean wait two hours, and my family does not have a clock in our house. But it´s all part of the experience!”
Every Saturday Jackie goes to the market to buy food from the local, family-owned small business.
There were other changes to Jackie’s lifestyle in Ecuador. She has to boil the water so it is safe to drink, hand wash her clothes, and take cold showers.
Jackie is learning many new skills in Ecuador. “Although I thought I was patient before Ecuador, I was wrong. I have learned patience from teaching and everyday life in Ecuador.”
“I have improved my people skills with the fact that every day I am meeting new people and came into this community knowing no one,” Brown says. “There is a long list of skills that I have already learned and I am expecting to conquer more which makes the experience all worthwhile.”
“I can’t explain enough how lucky I feel to be here and have this opportunity,” Brown states. “I have already grown so much, and I know I still have so much to learn.”
