Yachana

Ok, so it has become the final countdown of my days here in Ecuador. I just got back from the Amazon where I volunteered at a local high school for almost two weeks. It was by far--the best time I have had in Ecuador so far.

I really enjoyed getting to know the students of the high school. They were kinder and embraced me more than students at my high school ever did in four years. They would just come up to me, speak some English and then we would switch over to Spanish as they told me about their lives there at the high school and back home from mostly rural areas of Ecuador.

During my time there I:

• had a chance to go to a local market by taking a canoe down the Napo River
• swam in the river multiple times, including chalecking--wearing a life jacket and taking a canoe up river and then floating down it with a group of people
• helped build a terrace with the students in the main area of their high school
• met some of the locals from the community as I sat down and had a beer with them
• went to the community clinic when I got sick. The clinic is part of the foundation and the only one of its kind unless you go hours north or south to a city hospital
• attempted to teach English to the students, but mostly just played games and did little projects with the classes (how do you explain the difference between 'of' and 'from'?!)
• learned some new Quichewa words and phrases--also learned that the Quichewa class that I took last semester is Quichewa of the Sierra (mountains) which is different from the Quichewa of the Jungle
• Attempted to play soccer with the students, but in reality just ran up and down the field after the ball
• learned how to take cold showers--quickly
• stopped killing bugs, because there will always be another one to replace the one you just killed
• found out that insect repellent is really bad for your body over time, and that Johnson Baby Oil does the same thing. So you will be all greasy--but bugs leave you alone while you are not harming your nervous system
• candles work just fine when the generator that provides electricity stops working
• that I still get nervous speaking Spanish with adults, but it was like talking to friends with the students
• that the jungle is the most beautiful place in the world

I can honestly say that volunteering in the Jungle was the most positive experience of my life. I am very timid here in Ecuador as I am scared to speak up if I am not sure of what the conversation topic is. Also, volunteering here is completely self-sufficient. So there was not someone there telling me what to do, I had to do everything on my own. Being out there, away from the city, a big community, by myself, with people I do not know and who do not speak my language--I learned a lot. I am considering coming back after I graduate and maybe teach or find another job. I just could not get enough of the life out there.

So now I have three more days here in this wonderful country. While I am preparing to leave, I am going to be posting blog updates that I wrote while I did not have access to internet.