During her trip to Ecuador in May of 2007, Muskegon senior Angela Szatkowski witnessed and even experienced a variety of alternative medicine.
Angie Szatkowski on one of the Galapagos Islands
“I sat in a steam box for five minutes, then cold water was splashed on me,” she says. “This routine happened for 45 minutes. I definitely felt refreshed after that.”
The exercise and health science major researched different areas of medicine in Ecuador as part of a project for the spring term class. She compiled information, reflections and photos into a portfolio.
“The main objective of my project was just to put in perspective all that I had learned on the trip and show that, even though Western medicine is present in the country, many people still rely on the alternative based medicine,” she says.
The spring term class spent the first week studying Spanish at the Academia Latinoamericana, living with host families. Students then split into groups and completed projects.
Angie Szatkowski in front of Cotopoxi
“Living with a host family was amazing,” she says. “They were very understanding and so kind. I think this definitely made the trip worthwhile because you were immersed in the culture and were forced to speak and listen to the language.”
In addition to Spanish classes and projects, students traveled to various parts of Ecuador. They climbed Cotopoxi, the highest active volcano in the world, hiked and rode horses on a Hacienda and experienced a popular Ecuadorian market.
“My favorite weekend trip was to Cotopoxi,” she says. “Climbing up the volcano was extremely difficult because of the lack of oxygen, but we made it and we could see the beautiful countryside all around us.”
The group spent the last week on a cruise touring the Galapagos Islands.
“In Ecuador I was put into a culture I had never experienced before, with a language that I was not fluent in and people that were unlike myself,” she says. ” I had to learn to come out of my comfort zone and just be confident. I also learned to respect the culture and its people and to take every chance I could get to experience something new. I feel like I am more confident now and I have learned that when I come out of my comfort zone, good things happen.”
