We were forced to leave Ecuador and make our long trip back home to the snowy cold weather. We were up at 7 eating breakfast, then were on our way to our first of three flights back home. We group-hugged Diego and his wife goodbye before walking through customs. I still can’t believe I was able to experience a trip such as this. Not only was it informative but it was also relevant to my major and downright amazing. AMA LA VIDA – Laurel Klein
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Day 15:
Day 14
Day 13: We left our Quito hotel at 9 am to go on a city tour. The city is within a huge area with growing, undefined borders. Citizens of Ecuador and refugees from surrounding countries travel to the city looking for work. Yet as the city grows, the lives of such individuals are being threatened as poor infrastructure and the lack of water is becoming a major concern. As citizens continue to sprawl, they risk causing landslides as their septic waste is being pumped underground precariously.
Another environmental issue in Quito is photo-chemical smog that is polluting the air. As the city sits in a valley, excess VOCs and carbon monoxide get trapped in an air bubble in the city and when the sun hits it, troposphere ozone is produced. Socially, many poor are traveling to the area in hopes for job opportunities but what they are finding is a lack of clean water or access to energy. Without the money to afford their own access, citizens are forced to pay even more for access by finding personal connections in the city. Due to the sprawl and pollution of the city, the river that runs through Quito is the most polluted in all of South America. In an area where population is unknown, citizens are susceptible to disease and the uncontrolled spreading of such diseases. Urban Planners are not able to properly strategies the amount of school and doctor facilities. Continuing with the tour, we visited the main square which include the bishop house, governmental house, the cathedral and a conquistador’s home. The cathedral is the largest church in all of South America and is currently under construction. We also visited the Virgin Mary statue and rode up the cable car to see the entire city.
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ExperienceThrough Stockton University, I traveled to Ecuador where I studied Biodiversity, |