Feb. 20 marked the end of the highly anticipated seven-day IB service trip to Ecuador. After months of planning and preparation, 29 students traveled to South America, accompanied by MT history teachers Mrs. Sweeney and Mrs. Eshelman, Dean of Students Mr. Johns and IB English teacher Dr. Penner. There, they participated in various service and cultural projects throughout the trip.
Flying from the Philadelphia airport to Quito, the group began their excursion with a guided tour of a local recycling center. Students learned how materials most people throw away (hard plastics, chip bags and cereal boxes to name a few) can be recycled and used to build houses. Next up was the Equator, where students not only got to pose and take photos, but also had the opportunity to take part in science experiments. They observed how water flows differently depending on the hemisphere, if it’s true you can jump higher on the Equator and attempted to walk in a straight line on the Equator with their eyes closed and arms up.
Later that afternoon the students had the first of many reflections. Throughout the trip students were given the time to discuss and reflect on the things they have seen and experienced throughout the trip and how they connect to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations. These reflections were a part of the CAS section of the trip and allowed students to brainstorm how they are going to incorporate the things they learned when they return to the United States. The acronym stands for “creativity,” “action” and “service,” which are all core values of the IB program.
The next day was what some of the students considered the hardest thing they have ever done in their entire life: The Quilotoa volcano hike. The combination of being 12,000 feet above sea level and a total descent of 1,300 feet into the crater made the hike back up difficult for many. Students described their experience as feeling like their heart and head was going to explode while not being able to fully catch their breath. However, even with the difficulty of the hike the vast majority of travelers were thankful for this once in a lifetime experience and appreciated the beauty of the crater.
“It was a struggle breathing and a challenge hiking in the pouring rain, but the hike was beautiful,” said junior Julia Ramos.
The following two days the group was split up into two small groups appointed by the chaperones. One group remained in the Guayusa Runa Kichwa community to take part in various cultural activities and the other went to Omar Tello’s conservation botanical garden to assist in reforest service projects.
In the Guayusa Runa community the students began their day with a traditional welcoming ceremony where they listened to Kichwa ancestral songs and drank guayusa (pronounced why-you-sah) tea which is made from a plant native to the Amazon rainforest and is believed to sharpen the mind and keep people alert. The students in the first group got their face painted with achiote, which is a red paint derived from an achiote seed pod, in the symbol of a jaguar to protect them in the forest. The second group, because of the extra three hours they had the following day, were each given a different symbol based on what the person painting their face saw in them. Students then prepared their lunch by digging up Chinese potatoes, fishing for tilapia and collecting yucca root in various areas of the jungle. After collection, students then returned to the village and learned how to peel yucca and salt the fish they caught and wrap them in banana leaves to be cooked over fire. Later that night the students were given the opportunity to observe and participate in a traditional Kichwa dance to honor fire. After the ceremony the students were asked to introduce themselves and share what they love about the rainforest and what they learned from their cultural experience.
At the same time, the other group was at Tello’s botanical garden participating in service projects. Tello is a world-renowned conservationist who quit his job as an accountant to purchase farmland in the hopes of restoring a piece of the Amazon Rainforest. He slowly replanted his land over the last 45 years into the primary rainforest it is today using native seeds and rescued plants from areas that were about to be deforested. Read more about Tello and his mission here. When the students arrived at The Orchid and Botanical Garden of Puyo they took a guided tour through the rainforest with Tello and observed the many plant, insect and bird species that live there. After lunch they went back into the rainforest to collect seeds that will later be distributed to indigenous communities in the area to diversify their nutritional intake. Back at the main house, the seeds were then peeled by the students and rinsed. The group also collected various tree saplings from Tello’s greenhouse which they would plant the next day in the Shuar community they were to visit.
Following a final farewell from the Kichwa community, the students traveled to a Shuar community where they collected sawdust and guava leaves to be used to make compost later. They then hiked around a mile and a half into a deforested area where the local Shuar community has been slowly taking action to reforest through the Nunkui Project. There they worked to plant over 150 tree saplings.
The last two days were more focused on tourist activities and relaxing after the prior activity packed days. Students visited the Swing at the End of the World in Baños where they were able to swing out above the mountainside. They also zip lined over a gorge and hiked to a waterfall called cascada al pailón.
Back in Quito, the group toured a local water museum to learn about local conservation efforts. They then visited Old Town where they took part in a chocolate tasting and explored an artisan market where they bought a diverse range of souvenirs. Bracelets, blankets made out of llama fur, off-brand sunglasses and watches, and ponchos were a common souvenir throughout the group.
Overall, the trip was a once in a lifetime experience and lots of fun for both the students and the faculty chaperones.
“One of my favorite things about this trip is getting to watch all of the firsts the students got to experience through this trip,” said Eshelman. “First time out of the country, first time fishing, watching them grow and be outside of their comfort zone was really special.”
