Bio: Lena Wehn is an undergraduate at University of Oregon, Clark Honors College in her senior year of study. She is pursuing a multidisciplinary science degree, with concentrations in chemistry and psychology, and a minor in chemistry. Lena is passionate about food science, which she discovered while working as an undergraduate research assistant in Professor Chris Hendon’s Coffee Lab, where she uses electrochemistry to investigate the soluble compounds in espresso. Lena was born in Madison, Wisconsin, but spent her middle school and high school years in Portland, Oregon. She studied abroad in Barcelona during summer 2023, and is currently spending the semester in Quito, Ecuador at Universidad San Francisco de Quito. Lena chose to study abroad in Ecuador to explore a country and culture she had never been exposed to, practice her Spanish, and to broaden her experience with diverse higher education systems.
I am currently spending fall semester 2023 in Quito, Ecuador at a private university called Universidad San Francisco de Quito, USFQ for short. At UO I study multidisciplinary science, with a focus in chemistry. I was drawn to USFQ because of their food science program. The school also offers courses in English in addition to Spanish, so I got to pick and choose which courses I felt more comfortable taking in English, like Food Biotechnology, and which I could use to improve my Spanish skills, like Cultura Gastronómica. I started school pretty quickly after my arrival. University is structured very differently here, and I found myself adapting to different class expectations, course pacing, and general school culture. Students meet in friend groups for large lunches every day, and everything on campus is a social endeavor. I was relieved that we were starting school almost immediately because I felt like I needed the daily distraction that school supplies. When I arrived in Quito, I was entering a tense political situation following the extremely recent assassination of a presidential candidate. Elections were only three days away. In recent years Quito has become a fairly dangerous place. I swiftly learned that even Ecuadorians will not go out after sunset due to the inherent risk of danger and violence, and sunset is at 6:30 sharp every day. I honestly hadn’t comprehended the extent of the situation in Quito before coming, and being hit with the full weight of reality was pretty shell shocking. While the danger remains, I have taken time to adjust to the way of life here, especially how people keep themselves safe. With increased risk necessarily comes increased awareness, but I am absolutely finding ways to still have fun, still explore, and still do incredible, unforgettable things.
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Ecuador is a very catholic country, with religion deeply baked into many of the social and cultural norms. As a Jewish woman, I wasn’t quite sure what risk I was taking, or how these values would conflict with my worldview. Thus far, I have found it possible to participate as nothing more than a respectful onlooker when it comes to religion. In general, while religion may be second to none in people’s personal lives, it doesn’t reach too far beyond private choices at the university level. My day to day has been relatively unaffected by religious expectation. That said, something I’ve noticed to be common for younger (high school aged and below) students are catholic style uniforms. The widespread use of school uniforms indicates how Catholicism does have a presence in daily life. Cities large and small across Ecuador are also commonly centered around religious centers. Quito has the Basilica del Voto Nacional, for example, but most communities no matter how small have their local religious centers. On a weekend trip to the city of Baños, I got to witness a Sunday mass in the town’s central basilica, Basílica de Nuestra Señora del Rosario de Agua Santa. I remained a fly on the wall, stationed close to the main entry to the church. It was very special to be able to witness the religious ceremony, complete with music, song, and lead prayer, even if passively.
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By Lena Wehn, Diverse Ducks Ambassador
Universidad San Francisco de Quito Exchange, Fall 2023