ReaganGraeve

Having the opportunity to travel to a new continent can be a life changing experience. “Sometimes I go through my pictures and it still doesn’t feel real,” junior McKinlee Schneckenberger said. The 2023 summer trip to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands was the perfect opportunity for Marian students to experience a whole new culture. With a total cost around $4,000, upcoming juniors and seniors gathered at Eppley Airfield a week after school ended to begin their journey. The girls boarded their planes and, after a long 20 hour day of travel, everyone safely arrived at their first destination: Quito, Ecuador. 

Upon arriving in Ecuador, Marian girls were encouraged to practice as much Spanish as possible while they traveled through art museums, churches, and colorful streets filled with shops. Whether the girls took French or Spanish at school, learning basic phrases in Spanish allowed the girls to connect with locals. Although language differences can often make it difficult to understand other cultures, Schneckenberger said that language created  “a good boundary between people that allowed us to learn about each other without using language.” Even though she takes French, she felt like she “learned a lot of Spanish, especially in the markets.” 

From Quito, the girls ventured on a 3-hour bus ride to stop in Baños. If you’re familiar with Spanish, you might know the word baños as bathroom, however, this quaint city is referred to as Baños because of its abundant rainfall, waterfalls and hot springs that resemble natural showers and baths. The girls entered what was called the “cloud forest” with its endless, luscious hills where the separation between clouds and sky became almost invisible. Ecuador is typically cloudy in both its rainy and dry seasons. Sliding on their Chacos and Tevas, the girls filled their need for adventure by ziplining over a ravine, white water rafting on the Pastaza River and touching El Pailón Del Diablo (the Devil’s Cauldron in English), a famous waterfall. 

After two adrenaline-filled days in Bańos, the group made a stop at Cotopaxi, a volcano just 50  kilometers south of Quito. Besides the airplane rides, this was the highest the group had traveled, at around 13,000 feet above sea level. At this height, the girls were practically level with the massive clouds. “I love nature and it was so cool to be right next to a cloud. That’s something that you can’t experience in the Midwest or most places really,” senior Tessa Brooks said.

To feed their adventurous spirits, immersion into Ecuadorian food was a must. This meant plenty of fresh, native fruits and vegetables, and, most importantly, grilled chicken with rice. “It was so cool how many various ways they cooked the plantains,” Schneckenberger said. In Latin America, it’s common for the sweet, starchy fruit to be served in different meals throughout the day in various styles. The lack of dairy was also a significant change from most of their American diets because of the reliance on dairy in American foods, but Schneckenberger said “it was refreshing to not eat so much dairy.” 

Finally, the group flew into the Galápagos Islands and the girls sheded their raincoats in trade for swimsuits. However, they wouldn’t be the only ones soaking up the sun. The islands are home to an estimated 50,000 sea lions; “Sea lions would swim right underneath us. It was terrifying but amazing,” Brooks said.“While we were snorkeling, there were so many cool fish with all the colors imaginable. I saw one fish that was neon blue and I’ve never seen a turtle that big in my life,” Brooks said. 

 There was also wildlife to be found on land, such as the giant tortoise. The Galapagos giant tortoise has been threatened by extinction, however their numbers are slowly climbing due to protection laws. “It was an amazing experience to get to see this type of environment so close up,” Schneckenberger said. The Islands are incredibly biodiverse because of multiple habitat zones and ocean currents. The unique ecosystem inspired Charles Darwin to develop his theory of evolution.

As only a certain number of people are allowed onto the islands each year to preserve the ecosystem, a trip like this is a rare opportunity. Brooks described it as “an experience that I wouldn’t have gotten anywhere else.”

Although the two weeks have long passed, adventure has forever united the girls. “On the trip I bonded with a lot of girls and we still bring up the memories we have from it,” Schneckenberger said. 

Summer trips are offered every year through Marian. The trip for 2024 is to the Central European cities of Berlin, Prague, Cracow and Budapest.