In the Midst of Unrest: What Ecuador Taught Me About Home

I found myself in a country on the precipice o
I found myself in a country on the precipice o
During my internship, I had the opportunity to work across multiple departments, taking on a variety of responsibilities that honed my skills in education and student affairs. My primary role was as a Teaching Assistant (TA) for three English for Academic Purposes (EAP) classes. In this capacity, I supported students during in-class activities, especially in improving their writing skills as a native English speaker. Additionally, I assisted the teachers in designing, administering, and grading various assignments and tests.
Before signing up to travel to Zanzibar, Zoey Blechschmidt knew a few things about the East African country. But most importantly, she had a foundation in Swahili, the language commonly spoken there, and cultural knowledge of the geographic area, thanks to her coursework in the College of Arts and Sciences.
Blechschmidt, a CAS and Clark Honors College student graduating winter term of 2025, was interested in Swahili as a first-year student. The interest blossomed into a double major in linguistics and anthropology.
Spend 11 weeks in Segovia and develop a better understanding of how to work across different cultural, political, and linguistic backgrounds. The assortment of business classes instructed in English will allow you to learn about local business and economic perspectives and guidelines, international business management, and entrepreneurship. The program includes excursions to neighboring sites and businesses of importance, as well as group activities.
Studying abroad has been a huge reminder of the importance of expanding my worldview. There were 900 other exchange students from around the world with me at Sciences Po, and every day I learned something new from them. My journalism classes had students from the UK, Singapore, Peru, Ukraine, Lebanon, Japan, Korea, Canada, Sweden, Spain, Germany, and many others. With such an international roster, I’ve been able to hear about their first-hand experiences with events and circumstances that I wouldn’t have known to ask questions about before coming here.
Living in Singapore and traveling in South East Asia changed my life. I was catapulted out of my comfort zone, as I was the only University of Oregon student in the program. I never thought I would find a chosen family with people from across the world. I still talk to the friends I made at least once a month! It opened my eyes to new ways of life and made me realize how lucky I am to live in the United States. Words cannot describe how grateful I am for the opportunity!
Grace Van Hoomissen