Skip to main content

Field Trips---Ecuador Style

Field trips, I'm pretty familiar with them. During my 12 year career as a public school student and my four previous years of teaching middle school, I have been on my share of visits to the local zoo, government buildings, cultural centers, and city parks. When I arrived at InterAmerican Academy and they told me that I would be chaperoning a "field trip" for my advisory class, which happens to be a class full of eleven year olds, I readily agreed. I mean, how hard can it be?

Foolish, foolish Danielle.

Apparently, in Ecuador a field trip is not your typical quick little trip to Guayaquil for the day. Oh no. It is a four-day adventure out in the middle of nowhere. Did I mention I was in charge of a group of 13 sixth graders?


Yes, there was an initial bout of panic, but I quickly got over it and began to prepare for this new adventure. Another teacher and I were in charge of taking the kids to Bucay, Ecuador, a little village that sits right at the base of the Andes Mountains. The plan was to spend four days building our "class community" and also to spend some time at a nearby school to donate supplies and play games with the local students. So far, so good. The owners of the hostel where we were staying even offered to take the students on some hikes around the foothills, one of the main attractions being a waterfall. After a little calming of the kids' parents, who had not yet been without their children for any overnight adventures, we were on our way.

It only took two hours to reach Bucay, but another hour to reach the hostel. We watched the bars indicating cell phone reception disappear as we went farther into "the jungle" as the kids kept referring to it. The hostel was beautiful, set between lush foothills, and the kids were excited to see a pool and the Ecuadorian staple of hammocks.

Hostel grounds, SSR in hammocks, view, pool, and scenery

The first night went pretty smooth. We played in the pool, explored the grounds, and even worked in a little SSR (silent sustained reading). We had the kids head to bed relatively early because we were going to take a hike to the waterfall the next day.

The hike. This is where I realized how truly different field trips in Ecuador are from the field trips of good ol' Idaho. Never in a million years would we be allowed to take the students on an adventure such as this. We hiked down an old railroad track that curved alongside a river and cut through the dense vegetation of the hills. Two guides accompanied us, pushing a flatbed on wheels down the track. At first I wondered why the flatbed was coming with us, what could this possibly be used for as we hike? Much to my chagrin, I soon discovered the answer.


Don't look down

It was at this moment that I realized why Ecuador is great for a teacher who tends to be anxiety ridden, not to mention completely afraid of heights. Here's my learned lesson:

When traveling with a group of eleven year olds, and doing something that frightens the bee-jumbas out of you, you cannot let on that you are scared spitless. Hysteria creates hysteria with these guys.

So...I made myself open my eyes as we passed over the rickety, gap-filled bridge on our mini flatbed cart, that was holding 18 people mind you, and took the picture. The entire time, I just kept thinking, "Dave is not going to believe I am doing this." I've noticed that I have that thought a lot, just the names vary.

After a few more bridges o' terror, we made it to the waterfall. It truly was beautiful and I was able to see plants and butterflies that I have never seen before. The kids loved it, especially when they got to play in the waterfall, and we eventually all made it back in one piece.


Railroad hiking path, rickety ol' bridges, and waterfall fun

We went on another hike the next day. No bridges this time, but our guide did carry a machete because of the pumas. Yeah, that makes me comfortable. The second hike is really a post all on its own, but I will tell you that we were promised we would only be gone for an hour and a half. We left at 1:30 and arrived back to the hostel at 5:30.

Lesson #2: Ecuadorian time is very different than United States time. When someone tells you how long something will take, add at least another hour. Better yet, add two.

We were also able to visit a nearby school, play soccer, and meet some new people. The students, as well as the hesitant chaperones, had a really wonderful time. Not a one of us got homesick and I was even told by some kids, with evident surprise in their voice, "Mrs. Richert, you're fun!"

School in Bucay, soccer game, Bucay classrooms, Puma Hike, and wild horses.

I think I could get use to this kind of field trip.

Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

Años Viejos, Pyromaniacs, and Fireworks...Oh My

I have to admit, it has been quite awhile since I have actually been awake to ring in the new year and say goodbye to the old.  Dave and I have always been a bit more concerned about the eight hours of sleep necessary to enjoy life rather than seeing the ball drop.  But this year...is different.   It is 12:58 and the neighbor's hired band just started, there are rapid fire explosives (aka fireworks) going off in three minute intervals, and the car alarms throughout our block seem to be answering the loving call of said fireworks.  There will be no eight hours to start off the year for the Richert's this time. Nothing about our experiences in Ecuador could be classified as typical, and New Year's Eve is proving to be no exception.  The evening started out quite and low key, dinner at home with a movie.  There were the occasional firework, but that isn't anything atypical.  I was even contemplating continuing the tradition of snuggling into bed by 10:30.   Before I called...
Read more

Yes or No?

A couple weeks ago, slipped in the far reaches of my mailbox, I found a note that took me back to the good ol' days of elementary school.   You know what I'm talking about. Remember how you would just be sitting at your desk, one leg pumping back and forth, pencil eraser nudging your bottom lip, as you tried to puzzle out those mind-boggling multiplication tables?  And then, out of the corner of your eye, you would see Andy passing a note to Melissa, who would then pass it on to Mark, who would then palm it off to you right before Mrs. Nelson turned around from the blackboard.  Your name would be written all in cursive and curly-q's on the clumsily folded paper.  Carefully, stealthily, you unfold the paper to find: Well, InterAmerican sent me a 'check yes or no' note, and it raised the same sensation of anxiety that those old love notes of yesterday used to inspire.  Instead of the traditional, "do you like me?" question, it was the "will you continue...
Read more

Christmas in Colombia (The post is better late than never...)

As promised, here is the Amazing Richert Christmas Adventure 2008, with special guest star, Sherry Silvers. Bogota, Columbia.   As you can see...this city and I were obviously made for each other.  Bookstores, libraries, and coffee shops were on every block.  Yes, the majority of the books were in Spanish which causes some slight difficulties, but I don't like to focus on those kind of details.  I'm more of a cup half full kind of gal.   Also, the city is bike crazy.  There are hundreds of miles of bike lanes; we saw bike lanes throughout the city and even along the highway.  They just created a bike/walking lane in the middle of the highway, incredible!  They even close off some of the major streets every Sunday and holiday so people can ride their bikes through the main arteries of town without dealing with the potentially dangerous obstacle of cars.  The city had me at hello. Dave found a wonderful place for us to stay that was right in the heart of the historic district of ...
Read more