5-year-old Samantha, a Cofán child of Zábalo, hopped up onto a 50 foot structure resembling a water tower, and began to climb up the ladder connected to it. “Mira mira.” She asked me to watch her, but as she surpassed 20 feet I nervously called over to one of our leaders, Jane, and pointed out … Keep reading »
May Term Class: Ecological Economics in Ecuador
Our Second Sunday
On Sunday we went to the church in Zábalo. It was really fun trying to sing songs in Cofán and also sing hymns for the congregation. In the afternoon we had the opportunity to go to three different workshops. We had to choose between making chicula, a traditional banana drink, carving wooden figures from balsa … Keep reading »
Play Time in Zabalo
Rain or shine, hot or cold, every day in Zábalo the youth of the community come together in the late afternoon to enjoy some play time; fútbol, ecuavolley (Ecuadorian version of volleyball), rip-sticking around the multipurpose cement court, playing on the playground, and more. During our time in Zábalo we were invited to join in … Keep reading »
Our Sunken Ship
On Saturday, May 12, Ariana Perez Diener, Nick Yutzy, Jerrell and I opted to head back towards Zábalo via canoe after a two-day camping trip several hours down the river. While other students canoed, they were accompanied by a Cofán guide, doubling as professional canoeists. However, there weren’t enough guides for every canoe to have … Keep reading »
Camping in the Amazon
EC3ers just returned from an awesome adventure deep into the Ecuadorian Amazon, accompanied by a set of Cofan guides, who hosted us in campsite located 4 hours upriver from their home community. Pictured here, our Cofan guide Josh holds up the pelt of a freshly skinned deer. As an indigenous people, the Cofan have the … Keep reading »
Winding Down
After making camp deep in the Amazon jungle, we headed even farther up the Zábalo River to eat some lunch and split into groups who would either continue up the river to tray their hand at fishing or float down the river in the smaller, 2-3-person canoes. I chose the latter option, so Olivia and … Keep reading »
Sit Down, You’re Rocking the … Canoe
Our group spent three days camping in the Amazon Jungle along the Zabalo River this past week. During the initial 5-hour canoe ride into the deep jungle, we spotted a pod of pink dolphins swimming in the marbled waters of the mixing Zabalo (“black”) and Aquarico (“white”) rivers. We also saw several species of birds, … Keep reading »
I’m actually in the Amazon Rain Forest
I am in a canoe with eight people, rafting down the Amazon Rain Forest. There are two students up front paddling, our guide Randy is maneuvering the engine in the back, and I am clearing out the excess water from within our boat. So in reality we’re floating more than rafting as we go with … Keep reading »
Toxic Masculinity in a Place
The hotel we’re staying in is named for a slur, “Auca,” Kichwa for savage, or, the Waorani, A slur so commonplace it took the conquistadors years before realizing The Waorani had another name, their true name. They said this was the nicest hotel for miles, But the mildew discoloration says otherwise; When I first heard … Keep reading »
On the Banks of Lupi Creek
We are out of Quito and into the jungle! I could feel an increase in humidity as soon as I got off the bus in Tena. Very few of us have gotten sick. Emily Hilton-Nickel ate street food twice and she’s still trucking! I’m loving Ecuador. Christy and I jumped into the creek by our … Keep reading »
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