Discuss a significant moment during this experience that left a lasting impact on you. Why was this experience significant for you?

Our group spent one day on the Rio Napo, going down the river in long and thin motorized boats. (Include picture) The plan was to go up the river, stopping at an animal rescue sanctuary along the way, and then to tube back down the river.  We stopped at the animal rescue place and broke into two groups, and started walking around as our guide explained the backstory of each animal along our path. They had to be caged at this point, because they were not ready to be released into the wild and survive on their own yet.

We had only seen some toucans and had tried to see an anaconda (it was hiding) before moving on to the third animal. I don’t even remember which animal it was, because all of a sudden one of the students in our group came over to me clearly upset. She was scared and in pain, because she had experienced a very painful bugbite/sting on her lower leg and when she touched it with her hand the same thing happened to her hand. She was afraid because she didn’t understand how the painful sensation was spreading, and she could not see any insect that could be responsible for it. She was afraid it would keep spreading to other areas. We were in a remote area, and this contributed to her increasing anxiety in this situation.

I quietly told a couple of people in the group that the student and I would need to backtrack and go back to the main area, but that the rest of them should continue on the tour. I wanted to be as discreet as possible so that I would not need to manage the reactions of the entire group and try to give my student some privacy as she processed what was happening.

Then, I talked to the person who had coordinated our tour as well as someone who worked at the animal sanctuary. They responded to us in a very nonchalant and laid back way, and I felt a mix of disappointment and reassurance. I thought, surely they have seen a lot of different reactions to insects before and they should know what to do, but I did not expect them to shrug it off and act like it was no big deal. The student held it together very well, but she told me that she had never experienced such a painful reaction. I know that remaining calm was necessary, because I did not want her emotions or anxiety to escalate or get to a point where she would have a panic attack or something. I knew I was handling it well, but felt that the others I had asked for help were not doing anything and this made me feel a bit helpless.

I tried to not think about what would happen if the reaction continued to get worse, but I knew that if it did I would just have to be very assertive and adamant that someone would need to take us in one of the boats to a medical clinic. I doubted there were any within 30 minutes of where we were, and I prayed that things would not come to that. I decided I needed to get the first aid kit that we had left in the boats to get benadryl. I told the student that I needed to go down to the boats, but it should only take me 5-10 minutes. I had to leave her at the top of the stairs with the woman from ACLAS (the organization that was coordinating our trips). At least it was a familiar face for her, but I did not want to be gone for very long. When I got to where the boats were, I couldn’t access the one with the first aid kit. Thankfully, there were a few men staying with the boats who could help me out. One of them started up the engine of the boat I needed to get into, and steered it closer to me. I climbed over the side of one boat into the boat where the first aid kit was, and finally I found what I was looking for!

When I finally made it back to the student (maybe only ten to fifteen minutes had gone by… it was difficult to really know), I opened up the first aid kit to realize that the benadryl was gone! I only could find wipes for insect bite relief, so using this and cold water is what minimized the pain she was feeling. Thankfully, the bites/reaction did not get worse, but I knew that psychologically my student was suffering. Even if the pain was subsiding, the fear of being in a remote place and not being able to control the reaction was very real. As I sat and chatted with her, and asked her how she was doing, she started to cry. I knew she was holding it back as we tried to figure out what to do, but I also didn’t want to stop and ask her too early on. I was focused on taking the right course of action and making sure that things were handled appropriately. I hugged her and told her that it’s perfectly normal to respond in that way, and reassured her that I would not leave her alone while she was feeling like that. Unfortunately, the rest of the students started returning at that time, so she got a lot more attention than she wanted. But the important thing was that she was ok, and the reaction was not too severe.

This experience was significant for me because I learned more about my leadership capability and style. I found that I was able to respond in a calm and caring way, and to still think logically about what needed to be done. I was very aware of my responsibility in that moment, but I didn’t let the weight of the responsibility cause me to freeze. Even though the tour leaders (who were older and more experienced in that particular area of Ecuador) were not very helpful, I knew that my responsibility was to make sure the student felt safe and to advocate for her. I didn’t care if I annoyed the people by repeatedly asking questions. When the organizer suggested that she stay with the student and I go back and join the students still touring so that I wouldn’t miss out, my response was that I needed to stay with the student. I didn’t want to send the message that she wasn’t capable, I just knew that my first responsibility was to remain with my student. After that day, I reflected on the importance of not overreacting, but also making sure to take a situation like that very seriously. To be dismissive of what a student is feeling would not be an effective way to handle the situation, but it is also important to step into action without expressing fear.

What did you learn about your strengths and weaknesses? What did you discover about yourself as a person…

What I learned about my strengths

• I am a calm and flexible person. When plans change, I don’t get upset. When things are not very structured or scheduled, I still look forward to the experience and assume that it will be wonderful. I take things as they come and try not to have a rigid mindset of what my day will look like. I have a customer service approach to my work and try to make sure that everyone is enjoying themselves.

What I learned about my weaknesses

• That I need to improve my balance of being a friend/peer and being a leader. I tend to be a people-pleaser. I want people to like me and I don't like confrontation or criticism.

What I discovered about myself as a person…

• Professionally? That I can successfully work internationally, or at least in Latin America. My previous international experiences had prepared me for Ecuador. Because the culture is very similar to Peru, there were few cultural surprises or stressors for me. The most stressful thing for me was not being able to effectively communicate in Spanish, but this was a minor thing most of the time.

• Personally?  I discovered that I am more flexible than the average person. I don’t mean that I am better than others because of this, but that I recognize more now how much variation there is in flexibility based on personality.

How did this experience influence your specific career/vocational goals?

I want to work with international programs at the college level, and having the opportunity to co-lead the cross-cultural course to Ecuador allowed me to gain understanding of the faculty perspective.  This experience increased my knowledge of the bigger picture of international education, which helps to inform decisions I make as an administrator.  My experience in Ecuador confirmed that my decision to work in international education is the right one for me. It also renewed my desire to take up language study again, whether that will be Spanish or a new language completely.

Please provide specific examples of two transferable skills (i.e. skills that you will be able to use beyond your ELI) that you gained or enhanced during your ELI.

• Attention to Detail - I am good with details, and was responsible for securing the tickets for our group through communicating with our travel agent. I ensured that each passport was valid for at least six months after our scheduled return, and had to send passport numbers and names to our travel agent and not make any mistakes. This wasn't a difficult task, but required that I was updating everything appropriately. There were some students who originally signed up for the trip that had dropped the course a few months before we left, so I had to make sure I had the most up-to-date information every time I communicated with our travel agent.

• Manage Money/Budgets - I was responsible for getting a cash advance for our group, and then keeping track of how all of this money was spent during our three weeks in Ecuador. Then after our return I had to reconcile the expenses by submitting the proper forms. In addition to this responsibility, I also coordinated the payments for our flights and for our accommodations in Ecuador. By fulfilling these responsibilities, I gained skills in budget management within international education.

How did your ELI experience deepen your understanding of your major and your broader educational experience (inside or outside of the classroom) at Messiah? How does your ELI experience apply to your major and/or future courses?

• My ELI experience is extremely applicable to my graduate program here at Messiah. I am studying higher education, and the opportunity to co-lead this cross-cultural course provided me with leadership experience within international education.

As a result of your experience in the ELI, what is one specific way you foresee your future self…

• Contributing to your community over the long-term?

One thing that always impacts me when I have opportunities to travel is the hospitality that I have been the recipient of. In Ecuador, this continued to be the case. My host mom fed me so much food and made me feel so welcome. As a result of this experience, I can see my future self opening up my home and hosting students. I know what it feels like to be a stranger welcomed in, and I want to do the same for international students visiting or studying in the states.

• Demonstrating the love of God in service to others?

On our last day in Ecuador, our group had no plans. We had visited the Colombian Refugee Project that Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) coordinates a few days earlier, so I touched base with our contact there to see if they could use any extra hands. Five of us ended up going to MCC to volunteer a few hours of our time to sort and weigh rice and beans. It felt good to be productive with our unstructured time, but also to know that by serving in this way we were able to help our brothers and sisters in Christ that serve at MCC and also extend love to Colombian refugees who have come to Ecuador seeking safety and stability.

Through this experience, I was reminded of the vulnerability of refugees and how as believers we are called to love and to be generous with our material possessions. I can see myself volunteering with a refugee resettlement agency in the future because I want to take part in welcoming them to the community I live in. I want to live out the things that I believe, and to demonstrate the love of Christ in this way.