May Term Class: Ecological Economics in Ecuador

Jon Kaase reports on what he considered “the wildest night yet”: I found our rafting experience quite wild and very fun, but as my childhood dream had always been to see the wildlife of the Amazon I was still longing for more.  It was during our two days camping I had the “wildest” experience so … Keep reading »

Brian Charles reflects on our time with the Cofan people: Over the last week of the term, we had the pleasure of spending time in the community of Zabalo, a Cofan village. We took a three hour boat ride to this community from the nearest town. So we were really “out there”. Part of our … Keep reading »

Here is Helena Neufeld’s contribution: Instead of describing one definite, finite, event, I’ll describe an on-going struggle in all of our experiences: that of not itching your skin off. Yesterday on the bus, I lazily counted up the bites on my legs, careful not to touch them, and ended up with a solid 150—between 70 … Keep reading »

Here is Gloria Showalter’s account of chicha making with the women at San Juan de Agua Rico: It was 4:30 am. A handful of GC women huddled around a large wooden basin. We watched Silvia, our hostess, empty a pot of steaming yuca into the basin in front of us. We were making chicha, a … Keep reading »

Ellie Schertz writes about her experience birding at Yachana Lodge: This may-term class has been a really valuable experience for me in many ways—one of those being the connections I’ve made between knowledge I gained in the classroom at GC and reality here in Ecuador. I was able to make one of these connections when … Keep reading »

Ben Weibe writes about our visit to the training center created by the Yachana Foundation: On our fourth day at Yachana Lodge we were able to tour the occupational school that the Yachana Foundation is able to run with proceeds from the lodge. In addition to teaching students very practical skills such as culinary and … Keep reading »

Vasanth Palanisamy writes about a snake he encountered outside his cabin at Yachana Lodge: One fine evening, I and two more students were walking back from the dining hall in one of the lodges we stayed at. The lodge was on the top of a mountainous area. There were a lot of trees and wildlife … Keep reading »

Hanna Hochstetler shares her thoughts about preparing chicha in the village of San Juan de Rio Bueno: There are many things that make up the rich culture of Ecuador, but one defining characteristic is chicha. Chicha is a fermented drink that is made of usually yuca or chonta. Many places we have traveled have had … Keep reading »

Here is Dylan Peachey’s description of our trip to the cacao plantation and processing facility: In Tena, Ecuador we visited a cacao farm. The farm we visited sells cacao to the Kallari Chocolate Company. At the farm our group helped to harvest the cacao. This experience gave me an understanding of the nature of the … Keep reading »