Up in the Clouds and Below the Earth

Hello everyone this week I (Steven) led with Alice Yvonne and Balin. For this part of my blog post I want to start by thanking everyone who supported me (and us) along the way because this week was amazing. We left Peguche teary eyed and arrived at a place called San Antonio de Pucará located in the Intag Region which is a cloud forest. When we first arrived, we were greeted by the whole community - and had a celebration as a very nice generous welcome! The town was decorated, we played group games, and witnessed the young members of the community perform two wonderful dances. We also played lots of fun (and funny) games including one called chushpi where you spin a top with a whip and have to keep it spinning! Our time spent in Pucara and Junín was some of the most eventful and fulfilling to our hearts and spirits. During our time up there we stayed on a farm called Finca La Fé with Peter Shear (Pete) and his partner Julie - both who work very closely and are connected with preserving the Intag region - the most biodiverse region of Ecuador.

Walking through the welcome arch as Pete Shear waits for us on the other side!

The dance team from a neighboring community doing the Afro Latin Bomba.

Our accommodations this week were rustic and we all slept in tents and took really cold showers. It was glamping, which is camping with style! Even though we were off the grid we had some solar power which was a plus at night so we all could play card games at night. Without internet and limited electricity, we played card games and finished up presentations! On our first day in Pucara we went on a hike where we were making the trail as went. This was challenging for most of us and no problem at all for the kids who are part of the community’s Environmental Club. Our hike led us to a waterfall where we participated in water quality testing with the club. On the second day we learned a bit more about the farm, helped with collecting healthy soil and re-planting tiny coffee saplings. Pete also gave us a brief history of ‘extractivism’ in the Intag region. Even though we left Pucara after two days (where we received a lovely goodbye ceremony as well - how sweet <3), we followed Peter and Julie to Junin along with two of the teens from the community, Carlos and Romal, who joined us at our stay at an ecolodge in Junín.

Pete giving us a tour of the farm.

Looking for ripe pineapples on the farm.

Our work this week was really important as we learned all about mining and the impact it could have on this beautiful region which is really special to me (Alice). Currently this region is under mining concessions, and we had the opportunity to witness this environment in its natural, untouched beauty. In Junin, one of the locals shared their personal experience with mining companies. They shared a harrowing account that started when they were just our age! Their story included protests, paramilitary, not knowing where their family was for up to a year, and an unyielding desire to keep fighting for their community. Not only did we learn how mining could negatively impact people’s lives but we also learned how it would affect our earth and if they were to continue drilling. Mining in this region would put many species to extinction, contaminate water sources, and contribute to an imbalance in the ecosystem with untold effects. In the mornings we would be greeted by the sounds of the rare Yumbo, in this case a beautiful breed of bird eating budding fruits in the trees nearby.

A note: Coincidentally, it is believed that Pete’s property is home to a truncated pyramid and amphitheater built by the Yumbos who were an indigenous people to the region prior to the Incas.

The Barbudo Tucán (Toucan Barbet) referred to as the Yumbo.

We honored Pacha Mama’s beauty by exploring an area that may soon no longer exist on its own because different mining companies are exploring the land for copper and other rare earth metals. Witnessing the beauty of the natural landscape, it would be a tragedy to see the sub-tropical forests and waterfalls taken over by mining facilities. Inspired by this community’s fight, we went to work in the morning with the mission of partnering with the community so the Ecuadorian people in the Intag could keep their land. 

A tree marked by the Mining companies to indicate areas explored.

Imagine a mining facility going right here next to this beautiful waterfall?!

We had help crossing this river without getting water in our boots from our friends Bryan and Jorge!

While working with the communities you can see how thankful they were to have us there after the pandemic. It was so heartwarming. Even though I didn't know them closely it felt like we knew each other forever and even if the sun wasn't shining their souls and hearts were shining through their smiles. Something I will especially miss is the food cause y'all know me (Steven), I love food! I might even need to go dance again to lose a few pounds!

The last bit of our mission and efforts with Pete and Julie, led us right back to Mindo - exactly where we started this trip. To be exact, it led us right back to the same hostel - La Casa De Cecilia! So cool! On our way to Mindo we stopped by at a nursery to help with loading 5000 young trees into a truck so that we could plant them the next day. Our reforestation efforts didn’t work out quite as planned due to some issues with when the truck got to the nursery. Then, when we were headed to the site, there was a landslide on the road just five minutes before we got there! It added another hour to our journey but we sure are thankful to have missed the landslide! Given all of the mishaps, we woke up before the sun the next morning to get a head start at the reforestation site. Unfortunately, we ran into more issues waiting on the truck to arrive. However, we can happily all say we assisted in the process of planting 5000 trees even if we physically didn’t put them in the ground (we transferred them all to and from a bus!)

Unloading trees off the truck in assembly line fashion. Pass ‘em back!

It is also worth noting that sometimes it’s not just us. Things don’t work out for a lot of people, like this person who’s cow made a run for it while we passed them in our chifa. (We caught most of it on video!)

Views from the road: a cow’s daring getaway!

Plus, it was awesome to be back to the place where we started and reflect on all of the adventure we had done so far these past two months in Ecuador. In fact, I (Alice) still had the egg Tiernan and I were charged with caring for during orientation. This felt like the perfect place to let Edgar, el huevo chido go. We are now off to Student Directed travel where we will be in Quito for Good Friday, back to Otavalo, and end in Quito one last time before flying home to PDX! Wish us luck in our next adventures :)

A natural casket-basket for Edgar, el huevo chido.

Alice Yvonne lets Edgar float away.

'Ayllu' Time in Peguche

Hi, Tiernan and Kayla here, two of your four student leaders for the week!

Ayllui is Quicua for ‘Family’ which is exactly how we spent our time in Peguche, just outside of Otavalo. I'm going to talk a little bit about our homestays and classes during Peguche. We had four different groups: #1: Sky, Alice M. and Nayeli. #2: Balin, Alice E. and Samanta. #3: Leila, Kayla and Steven. #4: Erick and me. It was really cool because each of our families were vastly unique from one another and we all had very different experiences. For example, Erick and I lived with Mama Suca, a grandmother who is famous within the community of Peguche. She was an amazing cook and treated us like her sons (she even called us "Hijo"). She taught us some Quicua, which is the native language of Ecuador, and when I had a headache one afternoon she cleansed my spirit with a family ritual involving an egg. 

Sky, Nayeli, and Alice's homestay was really close to ours, so we spent the most amount of time there. They were very kind, and had a brother around our age named Said who we played a lot of pool with. They also had a lot of community contacts, and were the ones who set up the Temezcal. 

Balin, Samanta, and Alice's homestay was a bit farther away but Erick and I also spent a lot of time there because it was the music house. They were absolutely loaded with instruments, and had everything from guitars to flutes to an accordion. Since Erick and I play guitar and Balin plays bass, we had a really good time playing and singing together (they had a microphone hooked up to speakers). On Monday the 4th the whole group went over and we had a sort of musical exchange. The family is also in a band, and they played us some of their original songs. Afterwards, we played for them and everyone danced. It was an awesome day. 

Finally, the homestay of Leila, Steven, and Kayla was the farthest away. It was about a 15-20 minute walk from Erick and I's homestay, so we only went there once or twice. I wish they had lived closer, because they were probably the most knowledgeable family about what to do in Peguche. For example, one day they took us to a place where you get to catch your own fish and then for 3 dollars they made us a whole meal with them. Aside from being knowledgeable, the family also had a daughter around our age who spoke English, which was really cool because it allowed her to bond with those of our group who don't speak as much Spanish.

Another thing this area is famous for is one of the biggest indigenous markets in South America. It is known for its artisans, handmade crafts, and woven products. There were many stands selling crystals, ponchos, paintings, and other interesting things. I bought a beautiful painting of Cotopaxi, the mountain we climbed up back in Baños. It was an overwhelming shopping experience but I enjoyed seeing the different artisan crafts as someone who has an interest in the arts. I also got to try my bargaining and haggling skills at the Otavalo market, something I've never done before. It was a weird feeling for me to decide what low price I would pay for a potentially handmade product but I could tell that many of the things that were sold here were likely made by machine. Regardless it was a really cool experience and definitely made me more conscious as a consumer.

We’ve had a really sweet time in Otavalo and can’t believe our time is nearing to an end! Next week’s leaders will share more about our time in Pucara and Junin!

Rain, Rain Go Away... Except We're in a Rainforest

Unfortunately, we didn’t have much of an internet connection while in the Amazon Rainforest. So this is a pretty late blog post. However, me (Steven Menefee) and the other student leaders of the week - Leila and Samanta wanted to share a little something about Ecuador’s slice of the Amazon Rainforest with its beautiful sunny days where you feel like you can touch the heavens and of course beautiful rainy days where it feels like a love movie. The region of Ecuador that encompasses the Amazon rainforest is called, El Oriente. You may àsk how have we been getting around in the rainforest? Well, I took my first step into some mud that led to a huge river, (which  reminded me of princess and the frog) and then into a long boat that could hold up to 7 people including our driver. As soon as we were seated with lifejackets on, we were sent on our way, zooming through the waves like a dolphin! All the while I was gently letting my hand run through the waves. I’ll let Leila explain what kind of service learning we did during our time there. 

Floating away down the river in our primary mode of transportation this week!

Tom and his wife Charo hosted us and explained our activities for the week which involved planting a lot of trees primarily, bamboo, canela (or cinnamon), Araza (or the Amazonian pear) trees, and a medicinal tea plant called Guayusa. We dug out bamboo trees and put them on sacks. After that we left them next to river, so the indigenous Mirador community who needed the plants could get them and plant them in their property. One day we went to help them plant trees and we got done a little bit early and wound up teaching a little bit of english and learning some Spanish and Kichwa at their school!

There were also some days when we were not able to do any planting because of how much it would rain. On these days we did a lesson about oil in the Amazon and the economic reasons that drive Ecuador to rely so much on oil instead of trying to save the Amazon rainforest. We all got assigned different roles like Environmentalists, Oil Companies, Workers or Colonists, and the Indigenous Peoples of Ecuador’s Amazon. We also watched a documentary called Yasuni Man that was really helpful at understanding the history and current fight by the Waorani people to fight off oil companies from drilling in the Amazon.

We planted these trees and also flagged them so they could monitor growth!

On some days we kept planting even when it rained!

Steven and Leila roleplaying as environmentalists and Sky role playing as the Waorani during our lesson on Oil in the Amazon.

Introducing ourselves at the primary school in the Mirador community.

Since it is the rainy season, it was raining almost everyday. But we still had time for mandatory fun, like epic games of hide and seek, arm wrestling, or jumping in the river. We also learned a lot about planting trees and how important it is to wildlife and for preventing erosion. By now I'm sure everyone in this group knows how to plant a tree. We also got to do some activities in the afternoon when it wasn’t raining like visiting Amazoonico which Samanta will tell us all about.

Who could hold their breath the longest? Erickito!

Gaining muscles by planting trees and by arm wrestling.

During our time at the Arajuno lodge we got the opportunity to visit the Amazoonico Wildlife Rehabilitation center where they gave us a tour of the place. We got to see so many different animals and learn about how they were rescued and where they came from. We got to see an an anaconda, Tuscans, different types of monkeys, pigs, crocodiles, tortoises, tapirs, and a coati which is an animal that is related to the raccoon family. I learned a lot about some new animals from this tour and I'm sure the rest of the group did as well. We got to see all sorts of birds including parakeets. The parakeets we saw were very chatty and loud. They liked to make lots of noises. It was a great experience to see the parakeets because they would also repeat any words or sounds we made. Some people in the group would say Hola and the birds would say it back.  Many people would whistle a tune and the birds whistle the exact same thing back. It was a very nice experience for the entire group. After the tour we got to look around at the small gift shop they had at the Rehabilitation center and see if we wanted to purchase anything. I got myself a bracelet that had a beautiful bird on it and my bracelet said Amazoonico on it. They were also selling plushie monkeys of different colors and some people of the group bought those and there was also stickers at the shop too.

Bright and sunny at the Amazoonico Rehabilitation Center!

This is the Spider Monkey that got the Amazoonico Rehabilitation Center started!

Near the end of the week we visited the Mirador community to do a Cultural  Exchange with them. The people in the community greeted us and one of the people in the community who's name is Franklin got to share their knowledge of Plant medicine with us. He showed us the plants they had where they live. He explained what the plants were used for and answered any questions we had. After this, one of the women who is part of the community showed us how the women make a well known beverage in their community that is called chicha. We all got to try some of the Chicha drink that had already been made. Another women showed us where they get the natural Cords for the handmade bracelets they make.

They get the strings from a leaf and they showed us the process of how to get the string out of the leaf and they let us try doing one of the steps ourselves. The men and women of the community also showed us a dance that couples usually do together that involves the women dancing and chasing the man and trying to catch him with her hair, while the man tries to get away while playing a song on a women dancing and chasing the man and trying to catch him with her hair, while the man tries to get away while playing a song on a drum. They also showed us how a traditional arranged marriage would like in their culture. They showed us how they used to do arranged marriages, in the past but they no longer do this anymore. The Mirador community made us a meal for lunch and they really spoiled us with food which I was truly grateful for. We got to try some dead grubs on a stick which are some small insects that look like small chunky worms. They gave us a lot of tasty food to eat and we were all satisfied and appreciative for the meal. 

After they shared so much of their culture with us, we did Henna with the community.  Collectively we are from the US but have so many different cultures among us. Our OE Carol brought Henna which is a popular tradition in parts of the Middle East and South Asia.  We shared this decorative and cooling practice with all the people of the community. We did Henna tattoos on the young kids as well as on the adults. I, Samanta, did henna on one person in the community and drew a small leaf. It was really nice to get to know more about their culture as well as getting to share with them one part of our collective culture as well. Of course, there’s things you can’t always predict whether its rain or getting sick but I’ll let Steven say more about that. 

Every experience here in Ecuador is a beautiful site, it's everything I could ask for. With every trip I believe there's ups and downs and my down, unfortunately, was getting sick for 5 days. I had to take that beautiful boat ride out of the amazing Amazon to see a doctor in Tena where I was diagnosed with an intestinal infection and given antibiotics to help treat my illness. Thankfully, our OE Matt stuck with me in Tena for around 3 days till I had regained some energy and our OE Carol stayed with the rest of the crew back at the lodge. 

Once I returned after 3 days, it was our last day at the Arajuno and at that - it was a nice hot day. The sun was beaming, the nice type of beaming where you can get a perfect tan and go tubing in the wonderful river! We had a wonderful boat driver take us down stream with some inner tubes. We docked at a beautiful beach where the sand wasn't too hot or too cold and then we threw our tubes into the water and floated our way down the river. To give you a perspective, imagine a lazy river where you just lay back and let the water take you like there's no care in the world. With me being a little dare devil I came across a few small waterfalls and you know I had to go down them so I did. I floated with no worry for about an hour down the river having a few small conversations with other people floating down next to me. If I had someone recording me it would be a perfect movie/music video. I wish everyone could live that experience with me. And to everyone who is reading this, we hope its a reminder  live your dreams to the fullest don't let nothing hold you back. I believe in all of you.

Alice Yvonne and Leila trying to hold onto each other while tubing.

The Steven smile- which tells us he’s feeling a little better!

Baños means Baths & so much more

Hola! Me llamo Balin, (some sick bilingual action for you right there), and this is a blogpost being written in the Amazon about Banos. Forgive the delay as we do owe this blog post some photos. The leaders of the week were Balin, Nayeli, and Alice M. The blog will also be in three parts, each written by a different leader.

Homestays in Baños

I think for a lot of us Banos was a very very welcomed break. Banos exists in a perpetual Portland spring weather all year round. Theres also no bugs! And chips! And restaurants! Lots of things to be grateful for. Banos, which means baths, was our first homestay town and first time being on our own from each other. We all stayed in groups of two (one trio) with local residents. Personally, and I hope for everyone it was amazing. I stayed in the group of three with Tiernan and Kayla. Our homestay host was mainly David although his parents also lived there. His mom is a lovely painter and his dad manages a gallery in town. One of our last days he invited our cohort to a concert hosted at his families art gallery. Me, Tiernan and Kayla got to eat for free because he likes us, he even introduced us to his friends as his kids which was nice. We got to listen to about three of the four bands that performing that night. Pequenas Estaturas, No Name, EstereoFonico and Venerdi. Unfortunately we had to leave early cause our curfew was 10pm but by that time we all knew our way around Banos well enough most of us exited at different times and navigated back home in our individual groups. On one of the last nights me and Tiernan got to have a really in depth conversation about Ecuadorian politics and cultural beliefs with David. We compared and contrasted Ecuador with the United States and discussed how Ecuador is so small that there’s nothing like state laws even though it is such a diverse country in terms of climate, geography, and peoples. Personally, Banos and the concert was the most fun I’ve had on the trip. But, we did a lot more during our time in Banos like Spanish classes so, I’ll pass the mic to Alice M.

Raices Spanish Classes in Baños

This week we continued classes at the Raices Spanish Learning School for Students. All of our hearts felt like they where pounding with excitement, all students arrived at the school not knowing who there instructors would be. Yet we where all excited  to learn the new Ecuadorian language.  We have spent our time at Raises, making friendships, building up local community with the locals from what now we are able to comprehend. The language itself has really started to grow on me. Hola, bueno dias as we wake up every morning to great our homestay families. Comprehension of irregular and regular verbs, desvestir, visitar, pintar, destuirid, comprar. But not only what language I have learned myself. It has been the the relationships Iwe have been able to build up with the small communities. I can know be one of the many who ventured on this trip that can actually start a conversation with the young people here. Such as hola, como estas, moy bien. Yo practicar mas esponal en la clase, es moy importante. Yo intento mas esponal. And even when the food is so bomb here I got Spanish for that too. La comida is muy rica, es bueno. Though my favorite Spanish word has to be chevere which means cool, great, awesome. These are just many of the few words or phrases we all where practicing this week, and I can’t be more proud.

Adventures to the Actual Baths (aka Hot Springs), Casa del Arbol, Quilatoa and Cotopaxi!

While exploring this city we found a natural hot spring spot named Termas de La Virgen. This location had 3 pools of different temperatures of water, one of which was super hot while the others were warm enough to be able to relax. This for sure was a good spot to go to when we needed to relax after a long and tiring day. A very cool activity many of us were excited for was heading over to La Casa del Arbol. This place was so green and it sat on top of a mountain. This place is home of a swing that sits at the very edge of the mountain. At first some of us were scared before getting on the swing but as soon as we got off we were glad we got on the swing and got to experience it. After a calm and relaxing week we ended it by hiking up Cototpaxi Volcano. We started our day bright and early to head over to Latacunga where we would stay the night. The next day we began our hike at 10am. We started at a lower altitude to acclimate our breathing since we would be hiking at a much more higher elevation. Doing this would help our breathing get adjusted to the higher elevation once we moved up locations. After walking around the lower elevation we hopped on the van and headed over to the higher elevation. When we got to our destination it was very cold and windy so wearing layers came in handy for the hike. The hike was a really huge challenge for many of us but the feeling of accomplishment really paid off once we reached a height of 15,910ft. Hiking up his volcano was definitely very difficult but we managed to push through and finish. We will all cherish all of our fun and exciting experiences while staying in the beautiful city of Banos.

That’s all for now! Thanks for reading, buen provecho, adios, ciao. :)

Week Three en la Playita de Manabi

By Alice Yvonne, Erick Moreno and Kayla Vang

An ‘ussie’ or group selfie with Daniel and Vicko of Finca Mono Verde (FMV) in Tabuga, Ecuador.

Our week here on the coast has consisted of trips to the beach, some red sun tans, and learning about the principles of permaculture farming. Our stay here at Finca Mono Verde has been very insightful and playful, from learning about how Daniel efficiently manages the farm to making our own coffee using different brewing methods. We have also had the pleasure of working with members of the co-op and community at the farm. From touring the coffee roasting process, to composting with sawdust, we have immersed ourselves in the principles of permaculture (profitable product, respecting nature, and respecting humans and our planet). 

During the first day we went on a walk around the finca. We did some physical work to collect some microorganisms from the ground and transformed them into fertilizer.

Leila and Kayla are planting mushroom “traps” around the tree.

These traps are used to capture fungus so that it can reproduce microorganisms to create nutritious soil for the plant to feed on.

The process of making the sawdust for compost connected us back with the earth. We each got our hands dirty, mixing up soil and separating out the rocks and twigs from the dirt to create a perfect mix of earth minerals. Adding in the coffee shells that are reused from the roasting process, we have created the compost mix that will sit with a trapped seal for 30 days to then be used once we’ve completed our bathroom duties (here at the farm, we all shared 2 composting toilets).

Creating micro-organism compost!

Erick and Alice hold cups of coffee made via a pour-over process at the coffee co-op. Alice Yvonne’s barista tricks came in handy!

We went to the beautiful coast of Tabuga on Wednesday and met with Carlos, a local fisherman. He explained to us all about local efforts to pick up trash on the beaches and how the fishermen navigate the water to get primarily shrimp. Unfortunately, after picking up a lot of the trash, their only option is to burn it. Apart from trash however, some of us found some amazing crystal agates on the beach and swam in the beautiful turquoise water.

All of us at the coast in Manabi with Carlos the fisherman after a homecooked seafood meal!

Back at the farm, we learned more about effective ways to compost, the zones of permaculture (where to plant most used products around the house) and played with the cats and dogs of the farm (who were super friendly!) So far, every spot we have been to there has been an animal friend.

Alice Yvonne holding Bruce, one of the three cats at FMV.

Along with playing with the animals, many games of Cabo have been played the last two weeks, and we have even watched a bit of an anime movie. I think we all can agree that our systems are getting adjusted to our new environments. Like plants being transplanted, we can become stressed and need proper care to grow and flourish. Healthy nutrients and enough sunshine and water have all helped us get through these days in Ecuador - some being better than others. Thankfully we have our awesome OEs Matt and Carol that have been rockstars with helping us with our personal and travel needs. Some of us are traveling outside of the US for the first time - some of us are out of the state of Oregon for the first time!

The Paint Posse of Tabuga. A bunch of the local kids all got the same facial paint from Erick. Pictured above are Tiernan, Erick, Carol and Daniel in the background.

Later in the week, we had the opportunity to paint a neighborhood of Tabuga with the locals to empower the young kids in the community, followed by a socratic seminar with woman in the community to discuss woman’s rights. 

Los Quemados advancing on the Women’s soccer team of Tabuga.

Soccer time with the women's team from Tabuga!!

After a long morning of painting with the community, we met with the local team to play a very competitive game of soccer. We called ourselves “los quemados” or the burnt ones because the majority of us were sunburnt from being at the beach. At some point we were down by 5 goals but somehow managed to make a comeback in the last 15 minutes. We ended the game in a tie but if you ask me (Erick), we could have won because we weren’t done playing and maybe they knew that and were scared. 

Our expression of gratitude was a crane mobile!

At the end of our time at Finca Mono Verde everyone participated in our expression of gratitude. Everyone painted a branch that Carol and I (Erick) found on the land. Us leaders gave everyone square pieces of paper to write something they learned that week or some words of appreciation to Daniel, Vicko, Yohaira, Jacinto, and Lilita. Kayla helped us turn our little pieces of paper into origami cranes which symbolize health and luck. We hung the cranes from the branches and had a sweet farewell in which they thanked us for bringing young energy to the finca again. 

Next stop - BANOS! See you on the other side of an 8 hour drive. Many more adventures to come in our time in Ecuador. :) 

Alice, Erick & Kayla