Anna Brill, Aspinwall, PA
Current Junior at Shady Side Academy

Community Service Ecuador 2007

I brought home...an alpaca fur blanket I constantly use and better Spanish.

I met...amazing people, both native to Ecuador and in my group.

It was a tough moment when...we left the community we'd lived in and the natives we'd worked with.

I've decided...that I NEED to go back to Ecuador as soon as possible.

Students at my school should...definitely do community service abroad. There is so much to see and learn.

In ten years I see myself...either writing books or traveling the world.

My favorite experience was... selling cheese in a market with an indigenous woman named Maria. Using what Spanish I knew, I became very close with her for the rest of our stay in her community. I will never forget walking around the market with her in indigenous clothing she'd lent me and approaching total strangers and saying "¿Quesos?"

"Working and living with people who do not speak your language is an incredible thing because you still find things to laugh about, and you still find ways to communicate and get the job done. In addition to becoming close with the indigenous people, another amazing thing was living in the mountains. Every day I'd wake up, step outside, and the first thing I'd see would be three huge mountains. Thank you Putney for providing this opportunity!!"