Summer Session in Ecuador: A Conversation with Margherita Tortora

Margherita Tortora has been at Yale for over 30 years. She is the director of the Yale Summer Session in New Haven and Quito, focusing on Intermediate Spanish and culture. Besides being a Senior Lector II of Spanish at Yale University’s Department of Spanish and Portuguese, Tortora is the founder and current executive director of The Latino and Iberian Film Festival at Yale (LIFFY) sponsored by the Council for Latin American and Iberian Studies. We sat down with her to learn more about the Summer Session in Ecuador.

First, please tell us a little about yourself! How did you become involved with Yale’s summer language program in Quito, Ecuador?

In 2003, Yale sent me to evaluate Georgetown’s program in Quito at the UDLA (Universidad de las Américas). I made friends with the Ecuadorians who were teaching that program (and I am still friends with them 20 years later!), and we thought Yale should start its own program. The Ecuadorian coordinator of that program, María Yépez, agreed to work with me on organizing the first session, and so we inaugurated the L3/L4 program in Quito during the summer of 2007. My colleague, Sonia Valle, accompanied me that first summer, and we held the program at the Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales (FLACSO). Due to family obligations, I could not continue with the L3/4 program in Ecuador. Luckily, my dear colleague Terry Seymour took over the program in 2008 and it still continues, now hosted at the Universidad de Las Americas (UDLA.) Then, in 2016, I proposed a new Advanced Program in Ecuador. My friend, filmmaker Camilo Luzuriaga, showed me a run-down old villa that he had purchased in the La Floresta neighborhood of Quito, and we decided that would be the location for our course. Our L5 program at InCine began in 2018 and is still taking place there today. I love that InCine is small and in the center of the city, in Quito’s artsy neighborhood of La Floresta!

What is the focus of Yale’s Spanish language program in Quito, and how does it differ from Yale’s other summer programs in Latin America?

Our program focuses on helping students perfect their Spanish and connect with the people of various communities of Ecuador. The students sign a language pledge on the very first day promising to only speak Spanish during the five weeks unless an emergency warrants otherwise. We abide by that pledge very seriously because it’s the basis of a total immersion course. Each student is based with a host family in Quito, and they spend time with their families at the Kichwa community of Peguche (Otavalo) and at the Afro-Ecuadorian community of El Valle del Chota. They also visit Kichwa communities in the Amazon region in Archidona and Misahuallí. We want students to experience first-hand Ecuador’s rich variety of cultures and beautiful environments.

What types of students enroll in your program? Does the program have certain requirements or prior Spanish language proficiency?

Most students are entering their second or third year at Yale College by the time they enroll in the program, so all are undergraduates. I’ve had all types of students with many different majors. One requirement is that students have reached an Advanced Level (L5) of proficiency in Spanish.

The students sign a language pledge on the very first day promising to only speak Spanish during the five weeks unless an emergency warrants otherwise. We abide by that pledge very seriously because it’s the basis of a total immersion course.”

How does the program adapt to meet the specific needs of students, whether for academic, professional, or travel purposes? Can you provide some examples?

We do our best to help students who require specific accommodations. For instance, we’ve had students with Celiac disease who needed help with their food orders and purchases. We also make our course materials as accessible as possible to students with varying needs. To provide an academic example, this year, a student wanted to do some independent research in the Archives of San Lázaro, and my marvelous TA, Esteban Crespo-Jaramillo, helped him do that. One year, a student was interested in studying how medical professionals work in Ecuador, so I arranged for him to spend a day shadowing a doctor. If students come to Esteban or me with specific needs or requests, we try to accommodate them as best we can.

What resources and support do you provide to Yale students to facilitate their adjustment to life in Quito and enhance their learning experience?

Students live with excellent, caring host families who truly help them adjust quickly to life in Ecuador. We also host an orientation meeting at Yale before leaving and another on the first day in Quito. We give the students a detailed manual before departure. Students know they can come to me or Esteban with any questions or doubts, since we’re available for them 24/7: and believe me, I’ve received calls at 2am!

Several students have told me that the experience has been very important for them. For some, it’s their first time outside the US. It opens their eyes to new realities and makes them more understanding of cultural differences.”

What are some examples of cultural activities or excursions that students experience as part of the program? Do students participate in cultural Exchange activities with native speakers, or volunteer with local communities?

Students often spend several days living with Andean Kichwa host families in Peguche (Otavalo). The families integrate the students in their day-to-day life, and truly love sharing their cultural beliefs and traditions with them. This homestay ends up being the highlight of the summer program for most of our students, in fact, one student from the summer of 2022 loved her host family in Peguche so much that she returned there this year and spent the summer with them. Two of my students this year returned to Peguche on the final days of the program, because they felt at home and nurtured by their host families there. They preferred life there to life in the city! Other cultural excursions are to the Afro-Ecuadorian community of El Chota, where the students stay with families and learn about what makes their community unique. They also visit Kichwa communities of the Amazon. In Archidona, they spend a whole day with the Grefa family, which begins with the Guayusa ritual at 5am. The grandfather is a yachak (shaman) and teaches us about medicinal uses for plants. We also visit Kichwa communities in Misahuallí.

Can you tell me about the role graduate student assistants play in this program?

Graduate student TA’s play a crucial role in the smooth facilitation of the program. I feel so fortunate to have had Esteban Crespo-Jaramillo as my TA for 3 years in Ecuador and for 2 years when I had to teach the course via Zoom! Esteban is from Quito, so he knows the city well, and he’s always willing to help the students in any way possible. He’s an excellent teacher, and I couldn’t have asked for a better Teaching Assistant.

What type of feedback do students give you about this program? Do you have any success stories from students who have completed this program and have it influence their lives and careers?

Several students have told me that the experience has been very important for them. For some, it’s their first time outside the US. It opens their eyes to new realities and makes them more understanding of cultural differences. Many students have gone on to use Spanish in their work. Generally, after significantly improving their command of Spanish during our 5 weeks of immersion, they want to maintain it. A few have returned to visit their host families and other friends they made while in Ecuador. XShe is writing her Senior Essay about Indigenous communities in Ecuador. Another student did his Senior Translation work on one of the poets, Julio Pazos Barrera, that he met while taking the program. It truly is a wonderful experience for the students, and I feel so grateful to be able to bring them to Ecuador.

You can contact Margherita Tortora with questions about the Yale Summer Program in Ecuador at margherita.tortora@yale.edu

By Inês Forjaz de Lacerda, Graduate Communications Fellow, ines.lacerda@yale.edu