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Chloe Chen is a junior in the School of Foreign Service, studying Science, Technology, and International Affairs within the Energy and Environment concentration. She is currently abroad in Quito,...
Through this blog, students participating in the Berkley Center's Junior Year Abroad Network offer informal reflections on their time abroad.
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Chloe Chen on Starting JYAN in Ecuador
October 4, 2011
I am a Science, Technology, and International Affairs major, concentrating in Energy and Environment, and I already feel that I have much to say about my time spent here. Through daily observations, I have found that as stereotypically run-of-the-mill as a Catholic country in Latin America may sound, there exist fascinating contradictions in the way Ecuadorians live against this backdrop of religion. From the visible economic disparity combined with a dominant Catholic doctrine to the extreme pollution in the streets of Quito in one of the most biodiverse and ecologically-valuable countries, I know I have plenty to reflect upon.
I also feel that my personal background would add an engaging dimension to my view of Ecuadorian culture and society. Though I was raised Catholic and attended Catholic school my entire life, Catholicism has not held my interest since I have attended Georgetown. In addition to having a Catholic mother and an athiest father, always feeling two opposing forces in the realm of religion, my cultural identity has forever been a collision between my mother's traditional Irish-American family and that of my Taiwanese immigrant father. Though I have never felt a strong connection to my father's culture, it seems to be my strongest identifying factor here before "gringo", or American. This has been an experience in itself, and I hope that I can share these thoughts as I continue to learn about myself and the culture in which I am immersed.