Studying Abroad in Ecuador

Jack Jarashow, Athens, GA

Before studying abroad in Ecuador, I thought I understood what education meant. I’d spent most of my life in classrooms, chasing grades, following rubrics. Learning felt structured and contained, something that happened within four walls, mostly for my own advancement.

 In Ecuador, I lived with a host family just outside of Quito. My host brother, Daniel, was sixteen and walked nearly an hour each way to get to school. One night, I asked him what motivated him to keep doing it and why he didn’t just start working like some of his friends. He looked at me without hesitation and said, “Because I want to do something for my community. And this is how I prepare.” That moment stuck with me. Daniel didn’t see education as an individual achievement, but he saw it as a commitment to others. A way of honoring where he came from and shaping where he was going.

During my time there, I learned that education can take many forms. It was in the stories passed between generations, the murals lining the streets with messages of resistance and pride, and the community meetings where neighbors organized around shared issues like land, water, and representation. The more I listened, the more I realized that I had come expecting to learn about Ecuador but ended up learning just as much about myself, my assumptions, and what it means to be responsible to others.

Education, I came to understand, isn’t just about accumulating knowledge…it’s about expanding your sense of connection. It opens your mind, yes, but also your heart. It’s about learning to see people—not just as subjects or statistics, but as teachers in their own right. Coming home, I’ve tried to hold onto that. I ask more questions. I listen more carefully. And I try to remember that true education doesn’t end when a class does. It continues in how we treat people, what we choose to notice, and who we show up for.