Love is in the Earth

Our group met by the poolside of our hotel at 8:30am to enjoy our first breakfast at our hotel in Los Bancos. We had delicious plates of fruit, ham, and empanadas before our full day of adventures. After breakfast, we loaded into our van and traveled to Nido de Vida, the farm we will be working at for the week. During our 45-minute drive we got the opportunity to take in the beauty that Ecuador has to offer. We saw massive rolling hills and high rivers from the rain that are common during this time of year. The farm of Nido de Vido is the family farm of Bibi’s in-laws. Upon our arrival at Nido de Vida, we were welcomed with open arms and open hearts by the family. Each person was given a hug and personally welcomed us into their home. It was truly a warming experience to meet people who had so much love in their hearts.

                After introductions, we were given a tour of the house that was built by the family. Every aspect of the house was designed with mother nature in mind. The windows were placed to allow air and daylight to flow through the house and the sewer system was implicated to filter waste and return clean water back into the environment. It is truly a place of peace, sustainability, and thoughtfulness for the land that it occupies.

Once the initial tour was over, we were fitted with rain boots and shown the grounds of the farm. One of our first stops was the shelter where they housed approximately 160 guinea pigs. Yes, we did get to pet one and yes, they are very cute. They have a ratio of 10-13 females for every male, which Justin could relate to considering he is the only male on this trip. Guinea pig is a high protein, low fat meat that can add a lot of nutritional value to a family’s diet. Guinea pigs are a delicacy in Ecuador. The family at Nido de Vida has even hosted others in the community and taught them how to raise guinea pigs to help grow their knowledge of this healthy and valuable meat. Next, we made our way down to the river that flows through the farm where a few adventurous students -Justin, Claudia, and Tristin- decided to cool off and go for a swim. Despite being wet, they all found it extremely refreshing. We traveled back from the river on a path slightly less traveled. We pushed through grasses (which are the main food source of the guinea pigs), mud and all sorts of plants to make it to the next destination of our tour, the tilapia pond. Using a series of pipes and barrels, a well oxygenated pond was constructed to raise tilapia. They take approximately six months to mature to a size that is large enough to eat. Finally, we ventured up a small bridge made from a log back to the main house.

                We were served an amazing lunch of delicious soup, fried corn and cheese patties, and fresh lemonade prepared by the family. After lunch we cleaned up and helped de-kernel a few ears of corn with the help of Kathleen, our resident de-kernelling expert.

                Once lunch was cleaned up and the corn was sufficiently de-kernelled, we left to begin our service project at the local school.  Public transportation in Ecuador is very good. Petroleum is very abundant making up 60% of the countries income and therefore is cheap. However, transportation to the schools for the families in this rural area is $35/ child/ month, which is expensive considering the minimum wage in Ecuador is $405 a month. The families in the area cannot afford to pay for transportation for their children to attend school. Therefore, there is a school in the rural area that those families who cannot afford transportation can attend. Currently, there are 8 students between the ages of 7 and 10 that attend that school in that community. Due to the intense humidity in that area, the paint is prone to pealing and the building can have water damage. As a result, the building needs repainted every so often to maintain it. The children are currently on summer vacation and the parents in the community will get together and repaint the building so the kids have a freshly painted, beautiful building to come back to. Our service today involved prepping the building to be painted tomorrow by chipping the uneven paint off and repainting the metal work. A few of us made a fun game of seeing how big of a piece we could peel from the wall, the competition got pretty heated.

                As we began to finish up our work, we cleaned up the pain chips and headed back to the hotel for a presentation from Martha. Martha is the wife on Lenon and she is a teacher who primarily works with preschoolers. We sat and discussed the rich history and fascinating culture of Ecuador and of the region we are staying in. We talked about the pre-Incan tribes that resided in Ecuador, the different regions of the country, the flora, and fauna of all the areas and so much more. In 1822, Ecuador won their independence from Spain. The only other war it was ever involved in was in 1998 with Peru, which resulted in Ecuador losing part of the Amazon to them. Ecuador has absolutely incredible biodiversity, which we have already experienced in the food, vegetation, and climate, and the country is about the size of Colorado. The previous president of Ecuador started a shift towards a more positive attitude towards the indigenous people. This president also changed the constitution to add rights for the environment and is considered a very revolutionary leader. It was as if we took a three-credit crash course in the history and culture of Ecuador in two hours.

                After the presentation, we ventured to the main drag of Los Bancos for yet another amazing meal. It consisted of, you guessed it, soup, rice and assorted veggies. On our way back we stopped at a local bakery and tried a myriad of different treats like chocolate bread and desserts that resemble cookies. With full stomachs and full hearts, we reflected on our fun-filled day and we can’t wait to have another.