Today was an incredible day! We spent the whole day at a natural reserve here in Bahia called Punta Gorda. This morning we reforested and planted 50 trees in the tropical dry forest. After, we did a workshop on leadership with the local high school Eco-Club students and spent the rest of the day cleaning up trash on the beach as well as playing in the ocean! Even though we all used loads of sunscreen, the burns were brutal.
This was one of my favorite days because we were able to spend the whole day with the kids from eco club. Most of us knew some pretty basic Spanish, and the locals knew the equivalent in English. I find it so fascinating that we can figure out ways of communication without using words and still learn from each other.
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I was sick on this day. In fact, half of the group had to stay at the hostel. Those who didn't worked on some more reforestation and a mural for Doña Rosa.
Today we went everywhere via feet. It was super awesome to walk everywhere. The city isn't that big and it is a great experience.
We started by walking to a large cross at the top of a hill with the eco club kids. there are two staircases inside the cross that lead to the top. I think it is the highest point in the city. I could see everything, especially how tiny Bahia is. From here we split into two groups. My group walked down the hill a little ways and did some maintenance work on trees the eco club had planted a few weeks prior. Since weeds grow ridiculously fast in Ecuador, it was really important that we pulled all of the weeds surrounding the saplings. Partly so they would have a better chance of getting the nutrients from the soil and partly so people can see the trees to water them! We also nailed some signs together and stuck them in the ground. Everyone met up again to walk to Doña Rosa's House for lunch. After, we all walked to the high school and worked in their greenhouse. My job was to help paint a mural that instructs how to take care of their plants. In the evening we had a bonfire at the beach. Unfortunately, this was the night that I got really sick along with 3 other members of our party. Due to this, I had to miss a full day of work the next day. Today was a blast! We started out by going to La Isla Corazon. They taught us about Mangrove trees and how the crabs like the oxygen provided by them. There is a mangrove tree on the estuary called "The Energy Tree." We all took turns climbing it and giving it a hug and proceeded to plant a few. Then, we got to take a boot to an island and canoe through a canopy of trees. There were some amazing birds, crabs, snails, and other fascinating creatures.
After another delicious lunch, we had a very rivoting discussion about culture (what it means and the differences we have witnessed). We went to a farm right outside of Bahia to plant papaya trees. We set a goal of 60 trees in two hours. We worked so well together and so effectively that we exceeded our goal and reached 78! The best part is that we were having such a good time that we only stopped because we literally had to. There was no where left to plant! To celebrate, we went to the beach and played in the water. At dinner, we were visited by a local artist who makes t-shirts. We frequently serenade our bus drivers, the beach, the hostel owners, and pretty much everyone who comes into contact with us. We discovered we can create rad beats with metal water bottles if we tune them properly. Just one of the many ways we have been displaying our enthusiasm for the new country. After a long travel day we arrived at the hostel in Bahia de Caraquez and we took a short morning nap. Our trip leaders gave us a brief orientation, informing us on where and what we would be doing during our weeks stay.
Later in the day we went to a tree farm called Finca Aromo where we learned about the varieties of trees, each of their roles in the environment and how to plant them. After visiting the tree farm, we got chocolate covered frozen bananas and took a walking tour of Bahia and headed straight to the beach for about an hour. In short, we are all having a great time singing, playing musical instruments together, learning about the history and culture behind Bahia and we are really looking forward to continue getting each other during our week here in Ecuador! |
Sammie MooreI like art, blankets, cake, dreams, elephants, friends, giraffes, helmets, interesting facts, juice, kindness, laughing, music, nieces, old people, Patrick Swazey, quirks, randomness, sign language, theater and teddy bears, unconditional love, volume controls, weddings (and planning), X-Men, younglings, and zip lining. ArchivesCategories |