My
‘Gap and Career Break’ in Ecuador (Oct/Nov 2007)
- Margaret H
I
had never had a ‘gap year’ before as many young people
now consider the ‘norm’. In fact, I had never travelled
alone until 4 years ago when I started doing group adventure
holidays which certainly gave me the appetite for travel.
Since my children are now grown up and at University
I took the plunge to adventure a little more with a
2 month trip to Ecuador.
In all I spent 7 and a half weeks based in Quito, the
capital of Ecuador. The first 3 weeks were in school
doing a crash course in Spanish. The school was really
good; there were 4 in my class which is the maximum
you ever have there. We did 4 hours of lessons per day,
5 days a week. Lessons included grammar and lots of
opportunities for speaking - a good mixture of activities.
We got homework every evening and had a test every Friday
to check on progress! Students at the school were from
all over the world and of varying ages (19 up to 70’ish)
For the subsequent 4 and a half weeks I worked on 2
volunteering projects. The main project I worked for
was in the Women’s prison in Quito. I was in the nursery
with the babies and toddlers who have to live in the
prison while their mothers are serving their sentence.
They have no other family or those they do have are
also in Prison elsewhere. Over 500 children live in
the prisons in Ecuador, of all ages, only some go to
school. This project occupied me for the mornings and
sometimes I stayed till mid afternoon when we returned
the children to their mothers, inside the prison.
The other project I involved myself with was working
in the ’Fundacion Jovenes Contra el Cancer’ which is
a charitable support organisation for young people with
Cancer. I taught/ chatted in English to the young people
for 2 hours on both Tuesday and Thursday afternoons.
I heard some extremely sad stories but each person in
the Fundacion is positive in outlook and extremely cheerful
and lively.
During
my stay I was invited to a hen/stag night and subsequent
wedding of one of this group. I also joined in a ‘March’
outside Quito’s TV studios to raise awareness for the
plight of 2 students who desperately need liver transplants.
In
addition to working on these projects for 4+ weeks I
carried on with Spanish school for 2 hours each week
to keep my Spanish improving. Talking to babies and
toddlers doesn’t do a lot for conversation practice!
Most
weekends I managed to escape the pollution and noise
of Quito and explore some of the wonderful places which
Ecuador has to offer; the Cloud forest, the Otavalo
market, Banos, Cotopaxi and more. There is lots to see.
I also went to an international football match and football
is certainly not my ’thing’ in England! Attending school
was a great way to meet people to go out with.
For
my last week in South America I took the opportunity
of visiting the Galapagos Islands and this trip was
every bit as good as I had hoped; You can get very close
to birds, iguanas , tortoises, seal lions etc. without
bothering them. In addition the cactus trees are amazing.
The trip was a fitting end to my 2 month adventure.
During
my stay I learned a lot of Spanish, saw many interesting
places, gained insight into a different culture and
hopefully did a little to help some of the less privileged
people in what is quite a poor country. It was an amazing
experience overall and it made me appreciate my life
here in England all the more.
I will hopefully do something similar in the future.
Margaret H (5th Jan 08)
Western
Kenya – Sara A
I can honestly say it was one of the best things I have
ever done in my life and I certainly came back home
with a different perspective on life. I wanted to work
in a community that had nothing and Kenya seemed the
place for me to go. Where I was based had many different
projects so you could choose and change to another if
you wanted to. You work with a number of other very
committed and like minded people and make many new friends
whilst feeling like you are doing something so worthwhile.
The
other project that I saw when I was there was the CDP which was
very well run, I would certainly go there if I was ever
to return to do more gap projects. This also had a number
of projects community based with young children with
special needs, aids communities and much building work
needed. This programme is so committed to helping the
community it is quite amazing.
The
accommodation in Kenya is usually quite basic but they
always do their utmost to find you the best they have,
usually with hot water, but don't bet on it every time!
The people of Kenya are so grateful for help and support
and make you feel so welcome with songs and kindness.
I helped on a building project for an orphaned family
and we helped move them from a very dismal mud hut to
a more secure brick hut that we had just built for them.
We also made huts with the wood in another village.
The schools always welcome any help and just communicating
with the youngster’s gives them hope and confidence.
As
for Gap and Career Breaks I am so thankful to them for
helping me get to the project. They are a very trustworthy,
honest company and will help you from the start to the
finish with a professional and personal assistance.
Sara A (Nov)
Paraguay
Forest Project - Chris E
Overall
I had a great time at National Park, it was a real experience
and I learnt a lot. I spent a month there, all arranged
at fairly short notice as I had unexpectedly got some
time off work - I wasn't sure what to expect and had
never been to South America before. The trip there was
fairly straightforward although made slightly easier
for me as 2 of the scientists travelled with me from
Asuncion.
It was a 6 hour bus to Encarnacion where I met Paul
the chief scientist, then another 1 hour bus ride followed
by 1.5 hours in the 4x4 - it takes a full day. The base
is right on the edge of the forest and consists of a
farm, a hut for the forest guards who were very friendly
and a couple of other huts.
Accommodation
was better than I expected, but fairly basic. I had
my own room in a cabin which was inside a large hangar
(a comfortable bed with all bedding provided) and there
was shared bathroom (hot water most of the time) etc.
You could wash your clothes yourself or for a very small
charge get them washed and ironed for you (well worth
it). All meals were provided in the farm house and were
good - never went hungry and plenty of variety.
Given
more time I would have made an effort to learn some
before I went - in saying that I managed. Language was
not a problem when working as Paul and all the other
scientists spoke English. In terms of the work it was
varied and you could set your own pace and take a breather
when you felt like it, if you wanted a day off, or didn't
like something it was not a problem (I never took a
break).
A
typical day would be up around 7, breakfast and then
go on a trek, which might be to observe a specific bird
nest, or take some sound recordings in the forest, or
just to explore the forest. Lunch at 12, and then usually
a siesta until 4 (it was getting up to 40 Celsius when
I was there and getting very humid). Following that,
some work in the shade (e.g. measuring and identifying
butterflies that we had caught in the morning).
Then
around 5.30 we would go and check on some bird nests,
measuring eggs and chicks, taking photos etc - for one
of the nests this involved going out on the lake in
the rowing boat. 8pm was dinner and after that we would
sometimes put the net up to catch bats, or go down to
the lake to see the capivara and frogs (the sound is
deafening). Then bed around 11. Mosquitoes etc. were
not a problem and there was a fan in the room for when
it was hot. It would rain every 4 or 5 days which would
cool things down. The guards go deep into the forest
most days and we went with them occasionally so that
we could see more of the forest.
Once
a week the guards would have a BBQ which we sometimes
joined and was good. Also there is a small 2 seater
plane used for surveying the forest and find illegal
loggers - it was a real highlight to go up in it and
see the expanse of the forest. Other highlights include
seeing (& hearing) the monkeys, catching and holding
bats, getting to within a few feet of the humming birds,
seeing a snake at close quarters, the lake at night,
and the sheer variety of wildlife that is on offer.
The
place is remote (part of the attraction for me), there
is no TV or radio (ipod was a life saver). There is
a PC you can use to get on the internet (small charge)
although it is very slow. Strangely enough though, you
can just get reception for your mobile. Once a week
the guards went to the local village (an hour away)
and would get anything you needed toothpaste, beer.....
In
the month I was there I spent about $100 on the flight,
washing, internet use and beer for the month. The scientists
(Alberto, Lauri and Paul) that I worked with were excellent.
Friendly, patient and always willing to spend time with
me. They trust you to do real worthwhile stuff e.g.
after we caught a load of butterflies, Paul gave a 'lesson'
in how to distinguish them and then using a reference
book we would identify them, then measure them and record
all the details in a database.
I took loads of photos whilst I was there and many of
them are on the Fauna Paraguay web site, and I will
be credited on some of the papers from the work we did
that are to be published in journals. I was looking
for a career break, something totally different from
my work (IT consultant) and this fitted the bill. But
it also taught me an awful lot about identifying so
many different creatures, and raised my awareness of
the plight of the forest.
Since
I got back home I have started doing talks about my
experiences and I keep in touch with Paul. I would definitely
go back but next time would learn some basic Spanish
first.
Finally,
thank-you again for your support and facilitating it
all, would definitely recommend you to any potential
volunteers! Chris E
