Advertisement
Published: March 27th 2008
Uwijint
The village of uwijint.When last I updated the blog I was talking about giving presentations in the local high schools about global warming. This past week was more of the same. On Tuesday, I gave a presentation at Colegio Doce de Mayo. Whitney Shipman (another PCV) was in town with her husband so she came along to see my presentation. It went fairly well - I was rushed through it though, since the principal told me that I would only have 40 minutes to give it. Whitney chatted with the principal afterwards about collaborating on a project she has with some high school students in her site. Her site is near Loja in the southern part of Ecuador - a mere 16 hours by bus.
Anyhow, Whitney has a group of students that she does Env. Ed. stuff with and she is planning a 10-day field trip with them to see other parts of Ecuador. They are going to make Puyo one of their stops and they want to do a presentation for other high school students in the area. So, it looks like they will be working with the students at Doce de Mayo.
Whitney and her husband Akul were in
Our cabana in Uwijint
Our cabana on the hill overlooking Uwijint. town because Whitney is collaborating with me and another volunteer Andrea Crosby on the Environmental Education guidebook for teachers. The three of us had a planning session scheduled here in Puyo. Unfortunately, Andrea did not come - apparently her wallet/purse was taken/lost on a bus in her community. She didn’t have money for bus fare to Puyo and the banks were closed on Sunday when it happened. So…..she didn’t come. No worries though, Whitney and I had a very positive and fruitful session. We hammered out all the details for the design and layout of the guidebook. Now, each of us has our own specific responsibilities which should make the process a heck of a lot easier.
It was good that Akul came with Whitney. He is not part of my project, however, he is co-president of GAD (gender and development) committee with Susan. The two of them have a few GAD projects coming up and they utilized the time together to their advantage.
It was nice spending time with another married couple. There are just things you can’t talk about with other volunteers since they don’t have the married perspective. Whitney, Akul, Susan and I had a
Swimming Hole
The swimming hole in the river that runs through Uwijint. great time hanging out and chatting about life and Peace Corps.
We met up with Chris Canady - the guy who runs the ethnobotanical park in town and who does the composting toilets. I have spoke about him before. Anyhow, we had lunch with him on Monday and beers with him Monday night. Whitney is going to take her students there for a tour when they come, and Chris agreed to donate some stuff for the upcoming GAD raffle.
The two of them left on Tuesday afternoon. They went up to Tena to spend some time with other volunteers. When they leave their site, they generally get some traveling in because the trip takes so long. It just isn’t worth going back and forth 16 hours each way for a two or three day meeting - you might as well spend a week away seeing the sites.
On Wednesday, I had a presentation at the military high school. I thought this would mean well behaved students (the majority have been great). However, the students at the military school were the worst group yet. The teachers and military personnel there just kept telling me, “ah, it’s the age
Raft
The kid´s built their own raft to play on in the swimming hole. - this age is sooooo hard to deal with.” I humored them, though I didn’t have the guts or heart to tell them that they had the worst group.
During my presentation, a group of 3 girls and 2 boys just chatted away. I ignored them for a while and then walked right up to them and asked what was wrong. They immediately started pointing at other people around them - classic teenager response - as if the teacher just randomly decided to pick on them. I singled out one of the girls - the one paying the least attention and talking the most and told her that I was sorry that she didn’t like my presentation. I told her that it must be frustrating to have to sit and listen to a gringo talk about the environment, to what the cool videos I have in my presentation. Then I pointed to the door and said that she could leave at any time, that I wouldn’t be mad at all. She swallowed hard, like she was swallowing any sense of pride or dignity that she had left and said she was sorry. I haven’t decided if my reaction to
The Jungle
The thick of the jungle. her was mean, right-on, unnecessary, or sarcastic, however, it worked.
After the presentation, I spoke with a sergeant for a good 30 minutes about the situation with Ecuador and Columbia. He told me that every country has a right to their sovereignty and that Columbia violated it. I agreed. He also said that we all want to get the “bad” guys and all Columbia had to do was give Ecuador a call and they could have gone at FARC together. This guy seemed to have his head screwed on straight. He, as well as the majority of Ecuadorians, seem to think that Hugo Chavez of Venezuela and the leaders of FARC are friends - I think I might just agree on that one. It would explain Chavez’s response to Columbia’s bombing of the FARC camp.
The sergeant and I also chatted about global warming and water issues. We both agreed that in the future there is a high probability that wars will be fought over water and water rights. Hell, they already are. It is downright scary. As a global community you would think that we could find a way to share one of the most important resources
More Jungle
This is another image taken during our hike. for life on earth. Everyone, no matter who you are or where you are from, has a right to clean water.
Enough of my soapbox. Last week was Easter Week - Happy Easter to everyone. I hope that the bunny brought plenty of smiles, candy, eggs, and time to spend with your families. I spent my Easter away from Susan and away from Puyo.
Katie was giving an ecotourism workshop in a community near her old site. The community is called Uwijint and it is an indigenous Shuar community. We left early Friday morning and headed to Siraku (her old site). There we met up with the guy who was sponsoring the workshop, Ramon. Ramon is from Siraku, but also has family and a home in Uwijint. Katie has worked with Ramon before and actually already did one workshop in Uwijint - this was to be the second.
Admittedly, I really didn’t want to go. I kept hoping for some valid excuse to pop-up. Part of my reason for not going was that Susan and I have spent so little time together over the last month and she would be leaving Monday morning for a series of
Hidden Frog
This frog certainly knew how to blend in. workshops and meeting in and around Quito - she will be gone for 9 days. Another reason for not wanting to go is that I really didn’t feel like slogging 4 hours through the rainforest to spend my Easter with a community of people that I do not know at all and who speak yet a different language. Alas, I promised Katie that I would see her old site before she ends her service (she is done in 10 days). Plus, my excuses all suck - I have the rest of my life to see Susan and spending time with other communities helping out is why I signed up for Peace Corps.
Anyhow, after saying hello to Ramon and having him tell us that we were late, which we were, we missed the first bus to Siraku - we headed out on the trail to Uwijint. Like the majority of jungle trails that are used to haul out wood by horse, this trail was super muddy and rough. Each step must be carefully placed to avoid sinking in thigh deep mud or tripping over hidden rocks and roots. We plodded along and had great weather, so I was in
One of the kid´s
One of the many children in Uwijint. good spirits. After all, this was my first trip adentro. I didn’t know what to expect and just took a wait and see approach.
After an hour of hiking, we caught up with three other volunteers from Jatun Sacha - a local NGO that does development work and attracts volunteers from around the world. They were headed into the community with us and started out with Ramon’s kids and horse, Carlos ahead of us - since we were late. The volunteers were a nice group. One of the girls was from the States, the other was from England. The guy was from Germany.
Three and a half hours later, we arrived in Uwijint. It was as if you carved a little opening out of the jungle and a small village appeared. There are only 5 homes in Uwijint, as there are only 5 families. There is no electricity, though they did have some solar panels on the school house - they didn’t work.
Uwijint and the jungle around it were spectacular. When we arrived, they unloaded the horse. Poor Carlos was carrying food for the community and some of the volunteer’s stuff. I didn’t have the heart
Shuar welcome dance
They perform this dance as a traditional greeting to visitors. to put my pack on old Carlos. I carried my own weight - which was no easy task in the humid muddy jungle. I was soaked with sweat, but felt that sense of accomplishment. The dogs in the community went nuts at our arrival - us being strangers and all. This set one of the horses off - the horse just started to kick and buck. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw two kids fighting with sticks, when the horse started to buck, one kid looked that way and the other whacked him full force in the head. The kid who got hit was about 4 or 5 years old. Blood was gushing down his face, yet he didn’t even cry - somehow he knew that he screwed up and that it was his fault. When the others finally caught site of him they yelled at him to come over. The mother washed his head off with a little water, yet he still bled.
I couldn’t just sit there and do nothing, so I motioned for Katie to come with me. I pulled out my medical kit and the two of us got this kid cleaned
More traditional dancing
We had to eventually get up and dance with them. up. The whole time we were pulling stuff out of his cut he didn’t even cry. When we asked if it hurt, he just quietly whispered, “yes”. This kid was tough as nails. His cut was about an inch long, right above the hairline on his forehead. It was a good gash. In the States it would be a sure bet for stitches, here, you wash it off and keep going.
30 minutes later when we were swimming in the swimming hole with the kids, our little friend joined the group and played as if nothing had happened. Resiliency - it is an amazing thing.
I truly believe you can measure the quality of a community by the kids who live there. I am not just talking about kids being well-behaved either - you can scare kids into behaving well. When the kids are smart, inquisitive, independent, well-behaved, generous, and willing to share, you can pretty much bet that the community is top-notch. These kids were incredible - they all look out for each other, they respect everyone’s property and space, and they are downright genuine. I knew within minutes that this community was full of wonderful people
The smart high school kid
This kid was pilas - which means very bright and intelligent. and I was right. Who would have thoughts that kids would be such a good tool for measuring quality? Seriously, think of a family that you know and don’t really care for - I’d be willing to bet that the kids are brats, or at least act that way.
The workshop was supposed to start at 2:00pm. We got there at 1:00 and were told that we would start at 2:30. By the time 2:30 rolled around, the men wanted to go fishing so we were told it would start at 5:00. I could have cared less, it wasn’t my workshop, I was just there to help. I helped Katie realize this as well and we were fine with it. We went swimming with the kids and the other volunteers.
By 4:00pm, I headed up to our little cabin on the hill and took a picture of the community and the surrounding forest. Katie and the others joined me in the cabin and we shared some peanuts that I brought with me. About 30 minutes later a huge storm rolled in and we were told get leave the cabin because the winds might knock it down or make
Fish Dinner
This is one of the bottom-feeders they caught and that we ate for dinner. a tree fall on it. They didn’t have to tell me twice. The winds were probably 40-50mph and you could hear trees falling in the forest. We headed down the hill and road out the storm in the school house.
When the storm subsided, we had our first real meal of the day. The food was surprisingly good. After hearing all of Susan´s crazy stories of eating just rice and pasta with no seasoning or anything else, I was expecting more of the same. We did have rice and pasta, but we also had aji (hot sauce), fresh veggies, tuna, and beans. I was told that this was due to the fact that the Jatun Sacha donated some food and that normally it would have been meals more bland.
After dinner, the community treated us to a traditional Shuar dance and they made us gringos dance as well. The whole routine is more like synchronized stomping and it is surprisingly tiring. It gives me a greater appreciation for the people who dance in the parades in town. They often have to dance for 2-3 hours covering a couple miles in the process. After 5 minutes I was cramping
Watusa Dinner
This is the Watusa that was caught. up. Perhaps this had something to do with the four hour hike earlier in the day, but I think it was mostly do to me being a wimp.
After the dance routine, we all headed for bed. Normally these communities die down when the sun goes down at 6:30. However, tonight, with the dancing and all we burned the midnight oil until 8:30. We were tired, so I wasn’t complaining.
I fell fast asleep, however, it was a restless sleep since I was sleeping on a board and since we discovered that our cabaña was infested with poisonous lizards. Cute little buggars that we were told would only bite you if you bothered them. What exactly constitutes bothering them? A glance? Being where they want to be? Being noisy? Snoring? Swatting at insects? Amazingly, we all made it through the night without incident. However, each of us confessed to getting very little sleep. Ramon was a heavy snorer and the German volunteer, Uri, was 6 ft. 6in. and every time I rolled over I discovered his feet a foot off the end of his bed and in my face.
The next morning we had breakfast and began
Cleaning the Watusa
You gotta gut em to eat em. our workshop. The workshop was scheduled to last 1.5 days, however, through the amazing talents of Katie and I, we were able to give the whole thing in 3.5 hours. It was well received and the community members asked good questions and actively participated in the discussions and activities. My favourite part was an activity where we gave each of them a note card with a situation on it that they had to respond to. The situations were all based on things that could happen with tourists around. Katie and I were playing the part of the tourists.
One of the teenage boys had the card that said, ¨one of the tourists goes to bathe/swim in the river naked - what do you do?¨ As the kid read the card, I started to strip down - everyone was laughing. The kid did great though, before I got into my birthday suit, he told me that I shouldn’t swim naked in the river because there were fish there that would eat my testicles. Everyone burst out laughing, however, I stayed in character and said that I saw the kids bathing nude yesterday. He then said that they could do that
Katie and I painted up
This is some of the traditional Shuar face-painting. because the fish new the community members and they were all friends - they wouldn’t bite their testicles. I started laughing at this point. I explained that using humour was one way to deal with the situation; the other would be to just say it is not part of your culture. In reality, the community would care-less whether a gringo wanted to swim naked - it would be a show for them.
At the conclusion of the workshop, we had lunch, and then went on a hike through the jungle. Ramon and the president of the community, Jorge, served as our guides. They pointed out various plants and animal tracks (we actually saw fresh jaguar tracks that were huge). A few of the kids came along on the hike, I think just to see how gringos negotiate the jungle. While we were hiking another group was fishing and another group was hunting.
We came back and had a good swim in the river and then retired to the cabaña for an hour or so of relaxation before dinner.
Dinner was great, we had fish that was caught in the river that day and a Watusi that was caught that afternoon. A Watusi is an overgrown rat-like creature about the size of a raccoon. It was dark when they brought it into the village so I held my flashlight for them as they gutted it and cut it up to put in the soup/stew they were making. Apparently one of the dogs actually caught it by crawling down its hole. The dog was about the size of a Chihuahua and was covered in mud. It had to have been out-weighed by 10lbs and was half the size of the Watusi - gutsy dog is all I gotta say about that.
After dinner, it was more dancing and discussion and then time for bed. We all slept a little better the second night, though not as well as we would have liked. The next morning we packed up and had breakfast. Breakfast was an ordeal though. Katie brought some Quinoa to eat. It is a grain similar to rice, but loaded with protein. The community had never had it before and it took a while to get them to cook it. By 10:30 (2.5 hours later than we had planned) we left Uwijint and headed back to Sariku. We didn´t take many breaks on the way back and we walked hard, so the return trip only took us 3 hours.
When I got back, I bought a Gatorade and a candy bar and then hopped on a bus back to Puyo to spend the rest of Easter Day with Susan.
Susan and I exchanged stories from our weekends, chatted with family, and then went to bed. Susan had to get up at 6:00 to catch a bus to Quito with Katie. The two of them had a training workshop on organizational development to give to the new group of volunteers.
This week, I´ll be giving more presentations and working my tail off as usual.
Peace
Jeremy
Advertisement
Tot: 0.12s; Tpl: 0.014s; cc: 5; qc: 45; dbt: 0.083s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.2mb
Chris Thomas
non-member comment
nice pics
Love the pics. Como Se dice en espanol, banana hammock?