Exchange program a cultural learning experience

SPRING VALLEY, OHIO » Nine students and two faculty members from Colgate University spent two weeks in highland Ecuador participating in a cultural exchange program organized by The Tandana Foundation.

This was the third cul- tural exchange program organized for Colgate University by Tandana. The group spent most of their time in the indigenous community of Motilón Chupa helping community members on a community project, immersing themselves in the local culture and making new friends.

“I valued learning about the culture and practices of the community,” said Hamilton resident and Colgate student volunteer Cheeranjeev Purmessur.

Hamilton resident Brianna Torres and Madison resident Makenna Bridge were two of the students who participated in this program along with Purmessur. Hamilton residents Pilar Mejia and Gerald Cory Duclos were the faculty members who traveled with the students.

The group was with Tandana from May 24 to June 7. The first two nights they stayed in a hostel in the nearby city of Otavalo. The remaining nights the students stayed with host families in Motilón Chupa, while the faculty members stayed at the community center in the community.

Most days the students spent the morning working with community members painting and restoring the community’s school buildings, along with at least four community members and the project foreman.

When they were not working on the school buildings, students spent time with their host families. Outings included a field trip to the zoo in Guayllabamba, after which everyone enjoyed lunch and stopped on their way home in the town of Cayambe to enjoy some bizcochos (crumbly bread sticks), local cheese and hot chocolate. Some of the host family members joined the students on a two-hour hike downhill to a sugar cane mill. After their visit to the mill, the students had a chance to relax at the nearby river. The day’s activities ended with a potluck lunch for everyone to enjoy. Some of the host mothers taught the students how to knit hats. In exchange for this, the students and the faculty members taught the mothers how to make origami animals and grilled burgers and made nachos with guacamole for all.

Along with working on the school’s buildings and getting to know their host families better, the group also learned about highland Ecuador’s culture. They had a Kichwa language lesson. Kichwa is the language and culture of the indigenous people. The students and faculty visited the living Kichwa Museum in Otavalo to learn more about local traditions and enjoyed trying out their bargaining skills at the world-famous Otavalo market. The group learned about traditional medicine and participated in a Pachamanka ceremony, which involves preparing food with heated volcanic rocks in a hole in the ground. Group members also prepared traditional Ecuadorian food during a cooking class at the Cocina Kawsaymi Cooking School.

The Tandana Foundation is a non-profit organization that supports cross- cultural volunteer opportunities, scholarships, and community projects in highland Ecuador and Mali’s Dogon Country. For information or to sign-up for a volunteer venture, visit www.tandanafoundation.org.