USFQ

Monday marked our first official day at the University of San Francisco in Quito (USFQ). We had orientation Monday and Tuesday from about 8:30-1pm. Our program with ACLAS puts us at a huge advantage, because the majority of exchange students arrived just days before orientation. At the same time, orientation was pretty pointless because we'd already heard the safety and health advice several times, and had been living it for a month+. Nevertheless, I suppose it's a good idea to review and really pound in that information.

I was not impressed at all with the director of foreign affairs; he shall remain nameless. He really rubbed me the wrong way, because he's a white American that doesn't care to learn the language of Ecuador, and refuses to believe that the people who attend this university are the rich of the rich and have huge amounts of privilege. I felt like he didn't understand his place as a guest in this country, and it seemed like he had no respect for the other universities in Latin America. I strongly believe that those who have the opportunity to be educated at a liberal arts university, and those who will excell in the business world should make it a point to better the communities in which they live. I get the idea that the education many receive is a very selfish one, with very little thought to giving back, and I don't think there's enough effort to encourage students to use that education to educate others who cannot afford it. The students and foreign staff members exude a very arrogant attitude, and they put a lot of importance on how one dresses and what one possesses. It's about making money and leaving everyone else in the dust.

I don't believe in that.

Nevertheless, I am where I am, and I'm doing what I'm doing, and I'm learning what I'm learning. I LOVE my professors after just one day of class, and I am sure I'll be learning in a whole different way at the university.