Thomas Umstattd Jr.

Ecuador Reflections

Things I miss about Ecuador: The cheap food. The beautiful scenery The “I’m in the southern hemisphere feeling.” The mountains The clouds The excuse not to carry a cell phone. The flowers The people The taxies – no really, taking a cab is fun. Things I don’t miss about Ecuador: The bacteria. The trash everywhere. The internet “connection.” Single ply toilet paper. The lack of...

Ecuador Day 8 – Friday March 21

Today was good Friday, a national holiday which means that all businesses are closed. We visited El Centro de Mundo or the Center of the World. At first I thought that the name was just clever marketing, but on the way we learned that this spot is the center of the metric system. The metric system takes the distance from the north pole to the south pole, divides it by 5000 and calls each one of those...

Ecuador Day 7 – Thursday March 20

Today we talked with a hotel manager, a missionary and the operations director for DHL. We also jumped off mountains and drove through downtown Quito in a bus and a private band. Hotel Quito We talked with Joseph Sugels the director food and beverage service at Hotel Quito about the challenges of running a hotel in Equator. Last year Hotel Quito was able to maintain 70% occupancy even though the...

Ecuador Day 6 – Wednesday March 19

Today we visited a university, radio station and Hospital. Univserdad San Francisco de Quito The university has 5000 students and no dorms. Students either live on their own, with their families or with a host family. Since there is no where to sleep during the day the campus has a lot more activity than UMHB where students go to their dorm between classes. Some students at USFQ sitting in a circle...

Ecuador Day 5 – Tuesday March 18

Today we visited a flower plantation a coffee company and a plastics factory. We also almost fell off a mountain in our bus. Some of the roads here are crazy. Some drivers are too. Flower Plantation One of the most interesting things about the flower industry is its relation to the drug industry. Flower farms replace drug farms. A new experimental rose called autumn breeze. Not yet available for...

Ecuador Day 4 – Monday March 17

We visited the U.S. commercial services today. And by “we” I mean everyone else because I was as sick as a dog with a bacterial infection in my stomach. The U.S. commercial services is a business that works with American companies helping them do business in Ecuador. They talked to “us” about the advantages and disadvantages of doing business in Ecuador. Ecuadorian countryside. Advantages...

Ecuador Day 3 – Sunday March 16

Today we visited a Ecuadorian Baptist church. We missed the regular service and only got to visit the Sunday School which didn’t make a lot of sense since it was in Spanish. Yes. This is Popcorn and dried banana slices. Its an appetizer and not that bad Iglesia Means Church People leaving the Baptist Church. One interesting thing about the church was that a dove had somehow found its way into...

Ecuador Day 2

Today we studied micro entrepreneurship by visiting a local open air market. The breakfast bar at our hotel. The food here is good and amazingly inexpensive. I got a fillet mignon for $6. Permission Permission based marketing may be a new concept to us westerners but I know a couple of Ecuadorian girls aged 7 and 10 that are masters of it. We stopped at a rest stop on the way to the market. They...

A New Adventure

I am setting of on one of the biggest, most exiting and dangerous adventures of my life. And I am not talking about my trip to Ecuador. Grace Chambers and I are now officially courting. And by official I mean Facebook official. After several meetings with her dad he asked her if she was interested in starting a relationship and she said “yes.” If you don’t know Grace yet I’ll just say you’re...

Ecuador Day 1

This spring break Cynthia and I are going to Ecuador for International Business. Part of the course requires us to keep a journal of each days events. I thought I would share the trip with you. Today I learned that life does exist at 4am. My dad dropped me off at the airport. He is my hero. The flights while early have been uneventful, save for a few spectacular vistas out the plane. I don’t remember...