NHESP 2009 Update 7

Hola a todos!

I always am so excited to write and share our Ecuador experience with you. It’s always a pleasure.

These past few days have been very intense, physically especially, but also very wonderful. Leaving Herman’s house early in the morning, we headed in the back of trucks to Cayambe. Getting closer and closer it was exciting to catch more and more glimpses of the majestic snow covered mountain. We dropped Marcea off so that she could head back to Palugo for the weekend, and then continued on our way until we reached the spot where we left some group and personal gear behind. The last few miles we walked to get more acclimatized. For some, it was a challenging walk as we were hit strongly by the altitude. For others the walk was quite enjoyable and empowering. Each step brought us closer to that magnificent mountain and the glacier school.

Our base camp was placed in a large, open and silent valley with a river where we could get washed up. On our day of arrival, we had a nice solo time. The clouds moved in and out of the valley very rapidly and it was amazing to think that our base camp was actually in the clouds. The second day at Cayambe we got all of our mountaineering gear as high up as possible, so that the next day we could ascend with little on our backs. It was a slow paced and challenging hike at the altitude of around 5000m above sea level. Up sandy dunes and steep cliffs we went, even coming across ice, as we got higher. We left all of our gear under a boulder and had fun building a stone wall to protect our stuff from the weather. We practically flew down the mountain back to base camp in the sandy terrain. We bounced, leapt and hopped on down! Journal time and a delicious dinner waited for us at “home”. I forgot to mention that for some reason the spoon bag wasn’t packed so we were “spoon-less” until people started carving new ones. The next day we woke up at 3:30am. By 5 am we were climbing up the mountain, first with headlamps. The dawn with the rising sun and swirling clouds was spectacular.

We picked up the pace, now that everyone was stronger and more acclimatized. We headed through ravines filled with colorful rocks and boulders, until we got to the snow line. Michael was great in teaching us how to use our crampons on the ice, always with our ice picks. Our final task was to tie up in teams, sharing one rope that was attached to our harnesses.

Up, up we went, around blue ice structures and over crevasses. It was a whole new world to explore and learn about. Slowly but surely we got more confident with our crampons. That night we had a feast around a fire and under the Milky Way, a feeling of accomplishment in our hearts.

Leaving Cayambe behind and walking down the road with our gear we felt very light and excited because we were closer and closer to getting to the jungle. We rode on the backs of trucks to where we had left off some gear and finally hopped on a bus for about an hour to go to Cayambe City. There we were happy to reunite with Marcea. The city felt over stimulating and strange, with all of the people and the smells of exhaust. We bought caramel milk cream and biscuits for the long truck drive down the valley of Oyacachi. The trip was filled with singing and we enjoyed our intensely sweet snacks. Oyacachi is a sleepy village tucked away in lush and vibrantly green mountains. Some of the houses still have their traditional moss roofs. It felt very gnome like. We headed to the nearby hot springs, which were even hotter than the hot springs we had visited with April before she left. At a very cold river nearby we could take a quick dip to ‘cleanse’ ourselves before going back into the thermal springs. It was so nice! That night we had a delicious dinner cooked for us, and then we sleepily went to bed.

Our reason to stop in Oyacachi was to make the traditional Oyacachi wooden bowls, the main income for the village. So the next day was dedicated to making bowls. Six wood masters greeted us with pure excitement on their faces. We had lots of help with the carving of our bowls. The wood, called Aliso, is native and hard to work with for beginners. Nevertheless they all came out very beautiful in the end because we had help from the gentlemen. Unfortunately towards the end of the day, using the special tool that we used to carve out the bowls, the Azuela, Trina cut her leg. She ended up getting 6 stitches in the medical center that was conveniently located across the street from where we were. Because we had a lot of walking to do in difficult settings in the next few days, Trina wasn’t able to come with us and went back to Palugo with Ross at 4 am the next morning. The rest of us woke up shortly after, packed our bags, ate a hardy breakfast and colada with dumplings and headed off on our 18 km trek.

About half of the trek was on a road, heading down the valley past lush green mountains. It felt mystical to be in the cloud forest. One of the locals of Oyacachi walked with us until we almost came to where the trail began. We enjoyed his company. The rest of the walk to base camp was very, very muddy. We all arrived at camp looking like true bush walking adventurers. It felt good to set up camp, eat a wholesome dinner and fall asleep to the lullaby of the rushing river.

The next day we had a river reading lesson by Thomas and then after lunch a 3-hour solo time. Joey did not come back from his solo by the time dinner was already being served and it was getting dark out. We started to get worried about him, but then he came with a big grin on his face. He had caught a fish! A beautiful trout about 10 inches long. The next morning we all had a taste of his fish. It was delicious!

We left camp promptly after breakfast and used ropes to cross a sketchy bridge with large holes in it and covered in vines. Once we were all safely across, Marcea, Thomas and Lily left ahead of us. So there we were, alone as a group, exotic bird calls around us and the smell of fresh, dense and alive cloud forest. The trek was beautiful and always interesting because we had to squiggle beneath fallen logs, climb over them, climb over steep cliffs and bush walk. Everyone stayed together for the whole way, only occasionally having to wait for those who stayed in the back. We found a beautiful spot for lunch. Just imagine large mossy boulders right on the edge of the rushing river. It was perfect. Almost all of us went for a dip before eating our lunch of crackers, mustard, cheese and sausage. It felt so good to have a break and to refuel. We got back on the trail soon enough and stayed on it into the evening. Out came the headlamps, we were tired, dirty and oh so sore, but were determined to find Lily who was waiting for us. Joey, our navigator, would occasionally take off with his machete, looking for paths with footsteps, which could be Lily’s. Finally, Joey found Lily. Excitement filled the air, and everyone started to move faster and was yelling, “Lily, Lily we are here!” And there she was along with Marcea and Thomas. They had chocolate waiting for us. It was amazing and so good to see them. They sent us off with ropes to cross the Santa Maria River on another sketchy bridge, and to pitch our tents for the night. About half the group immediately fell asleep, and others stayed up until 1:30am, because it took so long to start a fire. It was impressisive how motivated some were to make soup, which apparently was a success.

The next morning, Marcea, Thomas and Lily joined us for breakfast and we packed up camp. What a pleasant surprise to right away see Ross and Trina who walked with us to where Michael and Marcela were waiting for us. Back to some sort of civilization we drove in trucks for about an hour to El Chaco. There we said good-bye to Marcea and Thomas who would rest for a couple of days. We ate a delicious fresh salad and sandwiches and excitedly read our letters, which Michael brought with him… thank you so much, parents and friends, for all your letters!!!!

From El Chaco we took a bus through lush mountainsides to Tena. We were shocked by the intense heat and sun when we got out of the bus and went to our hostel, called El Establo de Thomas. It was a seriously relaxing and beautiful environment. We had 3 cabins to ourselves, fluffy beds with mosquito netting, a bathroom with showers in each room…we felt like we were on vacation! A river flowed right by, where we could go for refreshing dips and wash our clothes. Imagine blue Macao’s, and parrots flying above, monkeys playing in the nearby trees, yes monkeys! They were so fun to watch. After we were all clean and refreshed, we agreed to spend our group money and eat out for dinner. Dinner was amazing. We went to a local hot spot and we each paid $3 for each dinner. What a feast: chicken soup, a choice of pork, beef or chicken for our main dish, a bunch of rice and beans, salad and delicious plantains. It was amazing, oh and there was refreshing juice as well. So falling into our fluffy beds when we got back was like a dream in itself.

Today we all woke up slowly to the sweet calls of tropical birds and the balmy morning breeze. Breakfast was at 8am, the latest we have had breakfast at Kroka yet! We ate delicious banana bread Trina had baked at Palugo, a rich fruit salad, granola and yogurt. We reflected on our solo hike, what the group did well and what we could improve, as well as what we personally could improve. Then we worked on our big jobs. Later three taxis arrived and we all left the wonderful hotel with all our gear. When Trina and Jackson saw some banana trees, the taxi driver pulled out his machete to take down the bunch of bananas. Now how often do our taxi drivers in the US do that!

After a short drive we arrived to the edge of the Jatunyacu River, where we will put in our rafts tomorrow. The shore here is rocky and delightful to walk on because of the big rocks. As we set up our tents, passing locals from the overhead bridge stared at us in amazement. After lunch we went straight to work to put together the rafts and kataraft. We still had time for swimming and kayaking. It is so hot and humid here. Even our dear Ecuadorian students are taking dips every so often to cool off. Bryson and Tobias found a cliff to jump off of into the river. A lot of activity is happening everywhere.

Right now we just finished dinner, which we shared with Marcela, Michael, Mathias, Adela and their cousins. It’s dark out so I am writing with my headlight, people are still organizing gear, others are sleeping, the moon is shining and the river is flowing. Everyone is ready to get on the river tomorrow, after we have the river safety and rescue lesson in the morning. I think everyone is really enjoying our expedition together and the group is getting stronger every day. We all talk about home and how we miss our family and friends, we also talk about how we wouldn’t want to be anywhere else but here right now. This is truly a special opportunity. With much appreciation and gratitude, BUENAS NOCHES.

For the NHESP, this is MELODIA, the scribe.

NHESP 2009 Update 6

Buenos!

It feels like just yesterday that I was sitting in the stable at Palugo writing the last update. Time is flying by so quickly! And yet we’ve accomplished so much.

I don’t believe we’ve properly introduced our Ecuadorian students, so I’ll just take a moment to do that. Nati, which is short for Natividad, is 20 years old and comes from a family of 10. Like the other two students, she is from San Clemente. She doesn’t speak much English at all, is very sweet and thoughtful, and wears the traditional clothes of her community. When the rest of us are hiking in our mountaineering boots or rain boots, Nati still hikes in her little black sandals and her ironed pleated skirt. The other two students, both boys, are cousins and are named Tupac and Roberto. Tupac is 18 years old, very generous, sweet, energetic, musical, and is constantly trying to learn English. Roberto is 17 years old and has a knack for art, is really sweet, and insanely generous. 

It has been a joy having the three students become part of our group. Everyday we learn a little bit more about each other and practice our home languages.

When leaving Palugo, everyone had a bounce in their step, ready for our expedition. We walked into the town of Pifo and caught a bus that took us to Lago (lake) San Pablo. It was a sleepy 2-hour ride. When the bus dropped us off, we walked down a road that stopped directly on the edge of Lago San Pablo. Tomas kidded with us and said that we had to swim across. We were looking at Joey’s map, trying to figure out how to get around the lake, when suddenly a boat appeared! The boat driver agreed to take us most of the way around the lake and was excited to show us a few things on the way. He pointed out a boat that was made from just a bunch of reeds tied together. It was quite impressive. When we got off, we started trekking on a road, passing women and children washing clothes in the river, loose pigs, cows and many dogs. After a bit, we heard rushing water down from where we were walking. We decided to hike down the steep hillside, and found a beautiful grand waterfall where swam and played under the falling water. It was so cleansing. Afterwards we ate a quick snack and proceeded on our trek. Traversing on the sides of mountains, overseeing a couple of towns below us, and balancing on logs over rivers, we finally made it to a bus stop to catch a bus to the city of Ibarra. 

There, rushing though the streets we caught another bus up to San Clemente. We were admiring the women’s traditional outfits, gold necklaces, pressed skirts, hats, black slippers and elegantly embroidered shirts, just like Nati’s.

When we arrived to San Clemente Manuel greeted us. He is the man who had the vision for San Clemente, which was to preserve the tradition of the indigenous people, After a sweet welcome we were introduced to three members of the community, who would be taking 2 students into each of their homes. Some students would also be staying with the families of our three Ecuadorian students. Geoff and I were paired together, and right away parted from the group to go off with Mathias, our San Clemente father. Mathias lives with his wife Magdalena (one of Nati’s older sisters), and their four children. The family didn’t speak any English, so it was a wonderful opportunity to practice Spanish. When we arrived to their house, Mathias told us that his family was our family now, and that we could ask for anything. He was very humble. We went outside and Mathias proudly showed us their medicinal herb garden. It started to rain for the first time in a long time, and Mathias thanked us because he said we brought the rain with us. That night we peeled potatoes with the whole family, and then ate a rich dinner of quinoa veggie soup, mashed potatoes that were rolled into balls, stuffed with cheese and then fried, and tea. After dinner I helped their daughter, Flor, with her drawing homework. It was a full day and it felt wonderful to get into our beds.

The next day we walked up to Roberto’s house and met everyone else. It was fun sharing our experiences with each other. The work that we would be doing to help the community was plowing their Abas field. (Abas are similar to a large bush bean). We each got a turn, directing the oxen and giving orders in Kichwa: “Isa, Isa”, for “go, go” and “Shoooooww”, for “stop”, and many more like staying in the rows, or turning. Many of us were amazed by the deftness and skill of the oxen and asked more about their training. We found they always place an old ox with a young ox to pass on the training and that the mountain people have been using oxen for a very long time because of their skill and easy keep. (Mules are also a favorite).

After lunch we picked out our graduation shirts that we would embroider with the help of our host moms. Everyone’s designs looked so beautiful and colorful. Once we all made some progress, it was time for a soccer game. So almost everyone went down to the school field and played an energetic match with some of the locals. Then we went over to Tupac’s house to meet with Louis, the local shaman. He diagnosed one us using a guinea pig. He took the guinea pig and whacked the body allover her while she sat next to him, and then proceeded to peal the guinea from its skin and diagnose several ailments of hers by looking at the inner bleeding of the guinea. The Ecuadorians believe that the guinea pig is the poor man’s x-ray. It can show everything that is wrong in your body. It was quite an amazing experience.

Leaving San Clemente was very emotional for all of us. In the morning we had an indigenous walk with both Manuel and Juan, Tupac’s dad. Juan showed us the community’s agricultural calendar that was carried on from their ancestors. It showed the importance of celebrating the solstices and equinoxes. During planting and harvesting, they celebrate the beautiful connection between the earth and humans. Juan explained to us that the community of San Clemente is trying to recuperate their lost traditions. When one of the students asked if it was part of a religion, Juan answered that they are just practicing old methods, and that it’s real life and they’re just trying to figure out how it works. A lot of their methods were taken away from them when they weren’t allowed to speak their own tongue and were degraded in the society. Today there’s still racism, but it’s gotten a lot better. The people of San Clemente are standing for the pride of being indigenous. They just want to be respected, as they respect others. We finally realized why Nati always wore her beautiful skirts and delicate blouses and why all three of our Ecuadorian students were so eager to be with us and so amazingly strong.

After the agricultural calendar, we took a look at and learned about their sweat lodge. The lodge is considered the womb of mother earth (Pacha Mama). A beautiful ceremony, using a total of 9 stones that represent the nine months of gestation, is held four times to represent the sun, water, earth and wind. The lodge is used four times a year to celebrate the equinoxes and solstices. The structure was stunning and perfectly arranged. It was fascinating to learn about.

Our departure was so sweet. After lunch Manuel sent us off with kind words from his heart, telling us that each of our host families had rainbow scarves for each of us as gifts. The rainbow is nature’s flag and the sign of the indigenous. Each color signifies something from nature. For example, red represents fire, green represents nature, blue represents the sky, and yellow represents the sun. Each of our host families came individually and placed a beautiful rainbow scarf around our necks. It was very touching. Before we left San Clemente, we quickly went to Nati’s house. She gave each of us students a handkerchief, and both Marcea and Tomas shirts that she embroidered herself. Then we were off! Up, up and up towards our first base camp, followed the whole time by Roberto’s dog. By the time we reached our camp, it was dark and we were all stiff and tired. It was a wonderful day.

The next morning when we were eating breakfast, we had a surprise visit from Roberto’s older brother who came to fetch their dog. Then once we were all packed up, we started on our grand adventure up to the summit of Imbabura at 4,563 meters. 

There was incredible plant life once we got closer and closer to the top. Some of us were having a very difficult time with the high altitude. But we all made it to the top! Walking through clouds, seeing a condor flying, eating dried fruit at the top and being altogether made the dizziness from the high altitude all worth it. Going back down to where we left our big trekking packs felt so nice after such an accomplishing hike. That night, after dinner and shares around the fire, we split up for solo sleeping. This is something we had done once before, where we find our own special place to sleep by ourselves.

The next morning I woke up to hear somebody loudly remark, “They’re gone? I knew it!” I right away knew that they were talking about Marcea and Tomas. Thus, our solo group day started. We packed up camp, ate breakfast, and headed for the hills. We would have to hike a mountain together and get to the other side to Zuleta, which was where Marcea and Tomas were waiting for us, by nightfall. It was a long hike. First through pine tree farms, then sliding down steep hills surrounded by low branches and thorns, and then to Cubilche, the mountain we had to hike. By the time we arrived to Cubilche, almost all of us had already finished our water. There would be water at the top of the mountain, but all of us were so thirsty. The closest source of water was a 20-minute walk away, but everyone thought it would be best to push through until the top of the mountain. It was definitely a struggle. The group started pulling people up the mountain and helping them with their bags. It was amazing how close everyone was. Tobias and Tupac had swiftly gone up to the top, and at one point while the rest of us were slowly following them, we saw Tupac running down with a full water bladder, filling everyone’s bottles! It was so sweet. At the top when we finally all made it, we arrived to the water source, a volcanic crater filled with water.

 It felt so wonderful to be at the top. We sang in a circle, like we always do, before eating lunch. Right when we left, it started raining. So our walk to Zuleta was wet. We marched to the songs of many frogs, along grassy roads, down slippery muddy paths, and into the sleepy village of Zuleta by 6. Seeing Ross and Lily was so exciting, and it was reassuring to see Marcea and Tomas. We met our hosts for the next few days, Herman, his wife Carmen, and their three sons. We ate a nurturing soup and drank hot tea, and right away went to bed in our cozy dwellings.

These past few days at Herman’s have been very informative. We made covers for our main lesson books, sheaths for our new machetes, dyed hides, and one night we stayed up until 4am making bread with Mama Pito who kept falling asleep against Jackson’s knee and would doze off while shaping bread. Her husband also joined us, in his poncho and special hat, and fell asleep within the first five minutes of his arrival. They are really old, and generous to stay with us so late. We learned a lot more than just making bread. We would not have made it without Tobias who entertained us with his guitar playing and singing until 4 in the morning. We also learned how to butcher a sheep. Before the killing, we had a ceremony where we stood around the sheep in a circle and shared our thoughts. It was very beautiful. After the slaughtering, we first skinned it and then cleaned it’s organs. Trina was very excited about dissecting the heart, and Erica took the skin off of a leg for her machete handle. We were all very into it. And that night we feasted like never before. Some said that it was the best meal we’ve eaten yet.

The next few days was a flurry of activity with leather and scissors and pencils flying everywhere, finishing our projects. This evening when we placed all of our elegant Main Lesson book covers and machete sheathes and some little other extra projects up against the wall in the golden afternoon sunlight, we could finally take a breath and admire how all our hard work had paid off. This evening we also finished up our feast of the mutton and boiled bones as we packed and planned for our next adventure, Glacier School on the ridges of Cayambe! It’s getting late and we depart early tomorrow morning to catch our bus, so I must go to bed! Thank you all for your support and wishes! We can’t wait to show you all our beautiful crafts. We wish you all warm weather as we depart for the snow!

Ciao!

For the NHESP, this is Melody, your Friendly Scribe.

P.S. Erica wishes her brother a very Happy Birthday and was thinking of him as we hiked through the pouring rain to Zuleta on the eleventh of October.

NHESP 2009 Update 5

Hola a todos!

My name is Melody and I’m going to be the scribe for the rest of the semester. It’s an honor to be the voice of the community while here in Ecuador. Mucho Gusto!

This past week has been totally packed both physically and emotionally.

On September 29^th we started making sheaths for the knives that we had made a couple of days earlier. The knives have antler handles and high carbon steel blades. They are all so unique and well made, that we were excited to start applying them to our daily lives. Thus, Lily patiently taught us how to make sheaths for them! Lily somehow managed to give a clear lesson on the process of sheath making, even though she had 15 students asking her the same questions for two hours. She’s great! To make our sheaths, we used local half-tanned leather that we had to keep wet until our sheaths were fitted to our knives and sewed up. Just like the knives, the process was very easy and fun, even though it took a couple more classes for us to completely finish. And now we all have yet another practical thing that we made ourselves and feel proud about!

This same day, Ross excitedly announced to us that we would be going to hot springs in the evening. Energy filled the air as we all anticipated the warm baths. It was too good to be true! The same bus driver that brought us to Palugo from the airport came at 5:30pm, and drove us up to 13,000 feet where the thermal springs are. It took around 45 minutes. The mountains up there are majestic and we drove past a rainbow that we could see both ends of. It was as if we were driving into another world. When we finally arrived at the thermal springs, we were all shocked with how cold it was! We were shivering!! It was dark and misty too, which didn’t encourage us to change into bathing suits. But once we passed the showers with hot water, we couldn’t resist. There were three thermal springs available for our use. It was truly a blissful experience to just relax in the magma-heated water. We sang together in the springs, and gathered in a circle to say goodbye to April, who after much contemplation, decided to leave Palugo and Ecuador to continue on her healing journey at home. We went around the circle and shared something that we appreciated about April, and then sang a song to her that Lily taught us.

We are here to tell you that you’re wonderful and beautiful,

We are here to tell you that you’re always home,

We are here to notice that your loving is a miracle,

How deeply you’re connected to our souls.

We all feel an empty space now that April is no longer here, but feel at peace knowing that she’s happy to be home and continuing on her journey. Thanks for everything, April!

On October 1^st we had a very early start with chores, and then Michael, Tomas’ brother met us for our geography lesson. It started off with walking up past the gardens, up the steep path in the woods, past Marcea’s and Tomas’ house and up a thorny path to the top of a hill. We took out our drawing utensils and journals, and started to draw the landscape that was in front of us. Micheal explained to us that Palugo is on the lava of Pichanga, an old volcano that is behind Palugo. To better understand what he meant, we took a walk. On the sides of cliffs, through thorns, and up and down, we wandered. We checked out the entrance to the cave that Michael thinks the wolf lives in, and left leftover chicken bones as a gift. The sun was strong by the time we made it back to where we started, but the adventure didn’t end! Next, we walked down to some whispering eucalyptus trees, which was where the path to the irrigation caves began. It was a true expedition. With our headlamps in place and turned on, we started treading in single file through one of the caves - dark, chilly, narrow, low and wet. I was happy to have my rain boots, as my feet stayed dry the whole time. However, in the next irrigation cave that we explored, the water came all the way up to our knees when we first entered! And then we had to crawl in the water, just barely keeping our backpacks dry. Well, there went my dry feet. But I didn’t mind at all. It was quite a memorable experience.

The same day of our trek with Michael, Trina, our medic, taught an impressive class on first aid. At the end of the class she had us practice our first response first aid skills on Marcea, Tomas and Lily, who were acting out hypothermia, being covered in blood, and having fallen from a cliff. I’m happy to say that all three are recovered and safe. Thank you Trina!

On Sunday night we experienced a "Noche Chozonera", which is usually held here at Palugo once a month. Friends, family and visitors came to share pizza together and listen to a presentation. The clay oven that the 2007 semester built was heated up, and the kitchen was filled with excitement about making pizza. It was quite chaotic, as more and more people started to show up, pizzas were flying in and out of the oven, and a few of us were making extra goodies, like granola and cookies at the same time. Once everyone was settled and done eating, the presentation commenced. Our speaker shared this 2-month expedition down the Amazon river with 3 friends, in a seawater solar charged boat. It was very inspiring to see his photos and listen to his stories.

A lot of preparation has been in place for our own expedition! Erica and Tupac have been working so hard with managing the group gear and making lists of what we personally need to pack; Hannah M. has been pondering over her menu plans and organizing food; Joey has been carefully looking at maps and our routes that we’ll take ; I have been drying tons of fruit, and with help last night, made crackers, energy bars and lots of granola; Trina has been gathering and drying herbs to bring along for teas, etc. It’s really been amazing how hard everyone has been working. Susanna built a sawhorse for Palugo, and Geoff built a clothes-drying rack.

On October 2^nd we headed down to Thomas’ parents house to have a cooking lesson from his mother, Adela. We made Sopa de Locro, which is a soup that has a lot of potatoes, milk and cheese in it. Adela explained to me that it’s important to not cut the potatoes, but rather stab them and then twist, to let them break themselves. This way they’ll break apart easily in the soup and make it thicker. It worked! We also made Salsa de Ahi, hot sauce, and Postrei de Oritos a Caramelados, which was fried small bananas covered in mandarin juice, and baked. You can add a little bit of liquor on to if you like. The whole dinner was delicious, and I’m so happy we could learn how to make a typical dish from Ecuador. While a few of us were in the kitchen, the rest of the group played an energetic game of soccer in the backyard.

The next day we split off into the back of two trucks, and drove to Quito to go to the Tatoo factory, to make quick drying pants for the expedition. We were greeted by warm friendly faces, and right away started helping cut the fabric we would be using. It was amazing to work with such fast and high quality sewing machines. The owner of the company came by to give us a quick tour, and showed us their gortex machine. In the factory, he said they have 115 workers, and all together, including their outlet stores in Ecuador, Chile, Columbia and Peru, they have 150. It was quite a treat to be in their factory, and to see the behind the scenes making of outdoor clothing. Our pants were truly custom made for us, because they had to resize them, adding a little fabric here and taking some out there. While we waited, some of us took out our knitting, or patched up holes in our clothing. Tupac, Roberto and Nati were happy to finally finish their backpacks! It was a progressive day! And now we all have really great pants.

Yesterday we had a cheese making class with Marcela. Every week she sells her fresh cheese at the market, along with yogurt. After that it was a full day of expedition preparation, and at night, even though we had to use candlelight because the electricity went out, Marcela came to see our finished paper-mache puppets. We played with them and started to bring out their different personalities. They’re all very unique.

Today we are in full gear packing and preparing. This morning we brought all of our gear outside and went down the packing list with Erica to set aside our mountaineering gear. Right now I am sitting in the stable, where the cows are milked, because it’s the only place I could find working electricity for the computer. I’m about to take out the dry fruit from the food dehydrator and reload it. After lunch we’ll have a geography lesson with Michael, and then finish up with cleaning up Palugo, our dwellings and the kitchen. We also need to distribute all of the group gear into people’s packs. Expedition is just around the corner, and we’re all very excited!

With lots of smiles and thoughts of gratitude,

For the NHES, this is Melody

NHESP 2009 Update 4

Wow. I am still a little dizzy. It is a whole other world down here in Ecuador.

Traveling was pretty fun. It took us an entire day. Lynne drove us to Boston to catch our first flight, and then we had a three-hour layover in Miami. The flights went smoothly. We had plenty of time to talk and catch up on writing assignments and sleep. We saw incredible cloud formations outside the plane windows. By the time we got to Quito, it was night-time, and we marveled at the city lights sparkling below us.Some people have gotten obsessed with knitting.

At one point, in the airport there was a line of five people knitting! On the plane, during our nightly meetings, any time they have a spare minute, they whip out their knitting needles.

Thomas met us at the airport, and when we got to Palugo, we were welcomed by Tupac, Natividad and Roberto, the new Ecuadorian additions to our group. It was a very happy meeting, even though most of us don’t speak the same language. We walked up the path to camp together, where we found our cabins waiting for us, and a delicious dinner prepared by our new friends.

Just walking up the hill was exhausting, due to the high altitude. The air was dry and dusty, and rich with the smells of savory plants. I noticed that the rocks under our feet were different, red and black and shiny. In the distance, we could still see the city lights sparkling, and the next day I found out why. There are virtually no forests up here, just scrub. The only tall trees are the rows of eucalyptus planted along the roads and fields. You can see for miles and miles. I woke up the first morning to people outside our cabin exclaiming about the view. “Oh my gosh, come outside! You have to see this!”

The mountains are beautiful. They are a patchwork of fields and trees and roads. You can also see cities, and in the distance stands Mt. Cotopaxi, tall and white and waiting for us.

We arrived here at the end of the dry season. There has been no rain for the past three months, but we are expecting it any day now. Every day we watch the sky and say, maybe tomorrow it will rain.

The first few days we took it relatively easy, adjusting to a new place and altitude. I felt weak and dizzy. The air is too thin and the sun was way too bright.

Now we are mostly adjusted and are getting back into gear with lessons and projects and whatnot. Those of us who speak English have been working very hard on our Spanish, and those who speak Spanish are working hard on their English. Everything takes longer to say because someone always has to translate. Melody has been very helpful in bridging the language gap. So has Hannah C., even though she keeps denying that she speaks Spanish.

Yesterday, we made our knives, with handles made from deer antlers. Nati, Tupac and Roberto have also begun working their spoons and backpacks.

Here is a backpack quote from Mathias. (Read with an Ecuadorian accent) “If you pack your backpack right, you need no pockets.”

Daily chores here are a little different than in NH. I have felt right at home helping out in the garden and with milking. Francisco, Thomas’ dad, has a beautiful herd of Brown Swiss cows. The cows are on pasture and the gardens produce food year round, which is quite a novel idea to me. It has been challenging trying to communicate with the farm workers, who don’t speak any English. Most of them have been here for many years and are a big part of the farm.

One day we had a tour of a neighboring farm, which is run by Thomas’ uncle. Another day we walked to town to buy shoes. It was interesting seeing the different culture. We bought some tasty fruit that I had never even heard of before!

Melody asked me to include this quote about kefir, a tangy drink made by culturing milk with kefir “grains”. She has been making both kefir and yogurt for us.

“The first Kefir grains are said to have been a gift from Allah, delivered by his prophet Mohammed. The grains were treasured by the people who possessed them, passed down from generation to generation, and definitely not shared with strangers.” - Wild Fermentation by Sandor Katz

For the NHESP, this is April.