COUNTRY: Ecuador
PROGRAM: GapBreak
PROJECT: Teaching & Care Work
WRITTEN BY: Roxanne Vuurman
Hola! It has been quite some time since you have all been updated on the antics of the volunteering five. So many things to update you all on!
The previous blog last left you with words of our dilemma regarding our placement choice. Since then all five of us eventually decided on the School for the disabled, a challenging yet incredibly rewarding placement. Our first few days were spent familiarising ourselves with our classes, in which we would be assisting the main teacher with daily tasks and activities. It didn’t take long for all of us to get attached to the beautiful faces that greet us each morning.
The first full week saw the children on an excursion to a day camp, which focuses on horses and their ability to assist the learning and development of children with disabilities. Nothing could quite compare to the way the children’s faces lit up as they were called to help wash one of the horses, or their exclamations of joy as the bigger horses were brought into the stables.
Similarly, the second week saw the five of us only grow closer to the children as again we all attended the day camp. On this occasion many children were able feed the horses, and were taught independence through going up to the horse and petting it without the assistance of a teacher.
These past few weeks have been nothing short of incredible, both at volunteering and in our weekend travel.
Our second weekend in Ecuador gave our beach crazed volunteers the ability to finally see the coast as we made our way to the small coastal village of Montañita on an overnight bus ride. After twelve (very long) hours we arrived onto the very welcoming sandy streets of the laid-back beach town. Needless to say it was an amazing break from our newfound inner city lives in Quito, particularly for those among us who had already begun to crave the surf.
The following weekend resulted in the five of us being spread across the country. Katharine and I found ourselves in the rainforests of Mindo, in Ecuador’s north, zip lining across the canopy and getting acquainted with some friendly winged locals, as well as the sweetest old man by the name of Pepito, who ran us through the process of making award winning Ecuadorian chocolate and offered us as many fresh cacao beans as we wanted. As we swam in the waterfalls of Mindo, Tom and Duncan found themselves in Guayaquil, Ecuador’s largest city, where they enjoyed the spectacular view from a famous lighthouse within the city, and explored countless local attractions. Emma, however, still could not resist the allure of the coast as she returned to Montañita to enjoy the relaxing atmosphere of the village.
This weekends travel allowed Katharine, Emma and I to experience the wonderful Mitad del Mundo, the middle of the world. It really was something else to watch on as indigenous dancers weaved their way across both hemispheres in an incredible display of the culture this country has to offer.
It is unbelievable how quickly these weeks have passed, and how many incredible experiences we’ve all had. We cannot wait to see where the following weeks take us as we continue to blast Marc Anthony’s “Vivir Mi Vida’ (a very appropriate, and very popular song), so until then it’s a friendly ciao from the volunteering five.
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