Good bye to Ecuador

.......
I cut my stay in Ecuador short by 3 weeks to fly back to Vancouver for a job interview. I was happy to arrive back in Vancouver; it`s always nice to come home.
To sum up the experiences from my trip; it was about what I expected. I anticipated having both negative and positive experiences, and I did. The worst experience was getting mugged in Quito. A warning to those planning to go to Quito in the near future .... tourists are currently a target in Quito. Do not walk around alone any time of day, but especially not after dark which means after 6:30 p.m.

The highlights for me in Ecuador were learning about the culture (education system/ family life, etc), and seeing the unique birds and marine life on the Galapagos Islands. As we know, through human behaviour the oceans are becoming more and more polluted. The Galapagos Islands are still somewhat unaffected compared to other parts of the globe, and I wanted to swim and snorkel there before that too is ruined. It was glorious! It was amazing to swim with an abundance of giant sea turtles, sharks, sea lions, rays, etc. who glance at you with a mild curiosity when you are close by.
While in Ecuador my ability to speak Spanish did not improve as much as I had hoped, but I`ll keep working on it.
Being away really makes you appreciate what we have at home. I have never taken what we have here for granted, and a trip away often reinforces that.
I hope you enjoyed reading my blog. I really enjoyed writing it.

Adios amigos!
Linda V.

the town of Peurto Ayora

Peurto Ayora is by far the largest town in the Galapagos with a population of 12,000. It is located on Santa Cruz island. The major industry, perhaps the only industry besides a bit of fishing, is eco-tourism. Hardly anyone owns a car on the island. People use bicycles, scooters, and taxis (white trucks) to get around. It costs one dollar to get anywhere in town by taxi and they are in abundance.
There is a short supply of water in Puerto Ayora. While there I showered in brackish water (a mixture of rain water and seawater). This is the main source of water for the town.

What the `Frig` is that?

The male `frigate` has a red pouch on their throat. When they want to attract a female they pump it up with air so it looks like a balloon. They leave it inflated all day and hang around on the ground showing off and calling out to female birds flying overhead. They can`t dive in the water for food like the other birds; they can become water logged and die. Instead they steal food from other birds. During the boat trip there were often frigatebirds soaring above us.

Blue Footed Boobies

There are some amazingly interesting birds on the Galapagos Islands. One of my favourites is the `Blue-footed Boobie`. It is named after the Spanish word for clown; bobo. They have bright blue feet. Males show off their feet during the courtship dance in a high stepping ritual. They nest on the ground keeping the egg warm on top of their feet.
They catch fish by diving into the water from mid air. Air sacks in the skulls protect them from the impact; sort of like air bags in a car.

Teaching `English` at the Laundromat

I met some young children at a local laundromat and gave an impromtu `English` lesson to them. They were the children of the woman who worked there. They were very bright and keen to learn. They enjoyed the books I gave them.

Sorry, this bench is occupied.

A Good Day at School

I currently work with 2 other volunteers at school. One is from Quebec and the other from Philedelphia. Together we experienced a very successful class today. With the 3 of us it was easier to keep the children engaged and focused. The children were attentive and keen to learn. It was very rewarding. Hopefully we can have more experiences like this one.

Schools

From my limited exposure to schools in Ecuador, I am left with the impression that the education system functions at a low level. The teachers I have worked with so far seem to be lacking some skills necessary to provide an effective learning environment. The speaking and writing skills that take place in the English language class have consisted of a lot of copying off the board and repeating sentences with no real comprehension. The teachers use a program that includes student workbooks and a teachers` manual. It seems the goal of the teacher is to have the student complete the workbook. Comprehension does not seem to be a priority. The teachers have no control of the classroom. The children talk, play, fight, etc. while the teacher talks over them. I may be showing may age when I reflect on what the classroom setting was like when I was a young student, but I remember a day when the teacher had control of the classroom and children were quiet. I have talked about this with other volunteers who help teach in other classrooms and they share the same experience. I have tried to express to the teachers that it is important that the children understand the material. Often they just assumed the students did.
I am not sure what type of training is required to become a teacher, if any. The teacher I worked with in Quito had studied engineering and couldn`t find a job in his field so he took a teaching job. The English language teacher I work with in Bellevista doesn`t really know very much English other than the words printed in the workbook.
I know I can`t make big changes in the short time I am here, but I hope I have helped in small ways via example and suggestions made.

Don`t step on the iguanas!

You have to watch your step here sometimes or you will find yourself stepping on an iguana. I (like Charles Darwin did), find them to be quite a `hideous looking creature`. There are 2 types; land iguanas and marine iguanas. Marine iguanas feed on seaweed for one hour a day. The rest of the time they spend basking in the sun. They like to warm up but if they warm up too much, they die. If they are getting too warm, they face the sun directly rather than at an angle, so less of their body is exposed directly to the sun. They also raise their bodies up off the ground to let the air circulate under them. On cold days, iguanas pile up to keep warm.

What`s For Lunch?

I am tired of eating white rice. In fact, I`m tired of eating `white`food. The Ecuadorians eat a big, hot meal around 1:00 p.m. The menu doesn`t vary much. I can pretty much predict with nearly 100% accuracy what will be served for lunch today. The meal will start off with a bowl of potato soup. It will consist of potatoes and a starch such as yucca. This will be followed by a plate of white rice, and maybe a piece of white fish and what they call a `salad`. The salad will consist of cucumber, onion or some other type of raw vegetable in a vineger dressing. Dinner is served around 7:00 p.m. and will often just be white toast with cheese. Their cheese is soft and white similar to feta, but without the flavour. Breakfast is the most colourful meal of the day; fresh fruit juice, sometimes eggs, occasionally fresh fruit, and always white toast. When you are served coffee it is a cup of hot water and a jar of instant `nescafe` and a spoon. Kind of ironic since they grow coffee in this country. Because of the climate they can grow fresh fruit here all year round. In their gardens they have bannana trees and orange trees. Their oranges are a bit bitter, sort of a cross between an orange and a lemon.

Late for work

I get to school each morning by taking the Chiva; an open air bus. It is a 7 km bus ride to the town of Bellavista where I volunteer. The bus fare if 25 cents. This morning I arrived late because there was a police stop. Each person was asked to show their identification documents to show that they were a resident. The reason for this is because of regulations that attempt control the population growth of the Galapagos islands. The Galapagos is classified a national park with about 3% of the islands populated with inhabitants. Due to a rising increase in the population and the impact it is having on a national park, regulations have been put in place to limit the migration of Ecuadorians to the islands. So everyone (except me) on the chiva was asked to show their identification documents. For some reason the bus was not allowed to continue and I was left stranded on the side of the road. I ended up getting a ride with a truck driver the rest of the way into town.

Escuela Caupolican Marin Bellevista

I am enjoying my volunteer project at an elementary school in Bellevista. Bellevista is a small town located about 5 km. from my homestay in Peurto Ayora. I am helping to teach English classes. The teacher uses a teaching program that has been issued to the school by the Ecuadorian government. The program called `Our Little World` was developed for primary schools. Conforme al la Reforma Curricular de la Educaciòn Basica. There is a different booklet for each grade. The teacher also has a teacher`s handbook that accompanies it.

baby sea lion running on beach.AVI

Peurto Ayora, Galapagos

I have finished my volunteer project in Mindo and have relocated to Puerto Ayero in the Galapagos to start my next volunteer project. I had a few days to spare between projects so I took a mini boat cruise to check out some of the islands in the area. The highlight for me was snorkeling with colourful fish, sea lions,sharks, rays, and pacific marine turtles (one was 5 ft in length!). The animals I encountered on land were amazing and included blue-footed boobies, albatrosses, herons, iguanas, frigettes, etc. The animals are in abundance and don`t seem to notice you are there. You practically have to step over them.

Cloud Forests

Mindo is located in a `cloud forest`. Cloud forests cover the transition zone between the high Andes and the lowland jungle. Cloud forests have a delicate, misty appearance, with moss-draped trees near cold rushing streams. Annual precipitation comes in the form of clouds, fog, and rain. Temperatures are much lower here than in the Amazon. Cloud forest vegetation is similar to that of the rainforest. Up to 60 percent of all plants are epiphytes, which live off airborne moisture and nutrient particles as they grow far above the soil, depending on other plants for support. Many of these are orchids, which thrive at moist, moderate-to-high altitudes. Cloud forests also have tree ferns which reach heights of five to eight meters. Cloud forests also have bamboo, mosses, lichens, and brachens.
Birds in the cloud-forest include the Andean cock-of-the-rock, quetzals, tanagers, toucans, and hummingbirds. The Andean spectacled bear is the only bear native to South America. Males can grow two meters long and range through the cloud forest from Venezuela to Bolivia. Ecuador has one of the largest populations of this highly endangered animal. (I did not see one).

Amigos de La Naturaleza de Mindo

I have been volunteering for the organization Amigos de La Naturaleza de Mindo.
some of the time I have been working in the forest helping to repair one of their lodges. Most of the time I have been working a blog I have created for them to help them with marketing their programs. The blog can be found at www.amigosdemindo.blogspot.com

Zip lining in Ecuador

Cut flowers are Ecuador`s fourth largest export trailing only petroleum, bananas, and shrimp. More than 5,800 hectares are now covered by greenhouses and flower farms; 3000 of which are roses. This is because Ecuador`s climate is ideal for flower growing. Twelve dependable hours of daily sunlight year round, rich volcanic soil, and a particular combination of altitude and humidity produces the highest quality roses in the world. Around 80 varieties are currently grown for export. A third of Ecuador`s flower farms grow plants exclusively for the Russian market, shipping $57.8 million worth of flowers in 2007.