Volunteering in fishing village
Trip Start
Jan 28, 2008
1
74
83
Trip End
Sep 18, 2008
Don Juan,
Ecuador
Sunday, August 10, 2008
www.ecuadorvolunteer.org View the ¨Jama Project¨
We have been here for 2 weeks now. The project is run by a small organisation called Fundacion ARENA. Arena means sand in Spanish. Each day is different, depending on what Juan Manuel decides for the week.
Our daily activities may include picking up litter from a local beach, sorting and collecting data on the types of litter, trying to teach a little english, science and maths in the local primary school, playing with VanVan the kitten, shovelling barrow loads of dirt, cutting grass with a machette, sleeping in a hammock, or sanding and painting the new fishing boat.
Our fellow volunteers are also forgeiners. The first week we shared with Titi (a french guy) and Manolo (a Spaniard). Titi is ok to live with, except for his chain-smoking habit. Manolo was surprisingly self-obsessed for a person who had decided to spend his vacation volunteering in an underdeveloped country. This week Kelly from the USA has shown up, and we are getting along well. I think having similar language and culture helps a lot.
It is quite rural where we are living. The services are limited, and it has certainly been an interesting experience. Next week is looking good, as we are spending a day helping to install a composting toilet in a nearby forest reserve, and will also get to go out and have a go at fishing with the locals.
Missing home a lot too...
