Reflection of my adventures

Sorry this has taken so long but this is my final submission to my blog.

It has almost been two months since my opportunity of a lifetime. That opportunity was when I had the chance to spend 6 six weeks in Ecuador volunteering with the Quito public school system. A day doesn’t go by when I don’t think of my experiences. I often wonder what I would be doing if I were still in Ecuador or what some of my students might be doing, or even how summer vacation in Ecuador differs from summer vacation in Canada. This was an experience that is going to stick with me for a long time and it has really put my views and life into perspective; I came home with a new found respect for myself, my family, and the opportunities that I am able to partake in every day of my life.

Ecuador presented many highs and many lows, there were points in which I wished I were back in Canada and other times when I thought I never wanted to leave. Many of my experiences were very emotional but at the same time, very rewarding. Some of these experiences tested me physically, mentally and emotionally. Some of these experiences impacted me more than others and it is these experiences that will stay with me for the rest of my life. I am going to share a few of the challenges that I still reflect upon and hopefully it gives an insight into what I experienced.

I think the first challenge I experienced came upon my arrival in Quito, it was adjusting to the altitude. It might not seem like much but this was one thing that was always present. Coming from Manitoba which is around sea level and arriving in Quito which is 3000 meters above sea level, is very physically demanding. Imagine that you just finished jogging up a flight of stairs and you are at a loss of breath. It takes you a minute or two to regain your breathe but it eventually returns and you are now breathing normally. In Quito you don’t regain that breath; well at least for a few days. Even when you are standing you are at a loss of breath. It was a really uncomfortable feeling and from my understanding it is a minor symptom of altitude sickness but it was enough to make the first week very challenging.

Another major challenge that I encountered came when I was climbing to the peak of The Basillica. The Basillica is a huge cathedral that is a staple to Quito tourism. One thing that I noticed about Quito is that security does not really exist when visiting these sights, as long as there is a place to walk you can explore as much as you desire. One fascinating part was that I was able to climb to the highest point of the cathedral. Far above any point you are able to access in any other country. I was able to stand in the middle of the clock tower, I walked by the church bells in the tower and eventually reached the highest part of the Basillica, but the challenging part came long before reaching the top of the Basillica. At one point there was a walkway to access the South Tower of the Basillica. This was no ordinary walkway. It was rickety, creaky, and with each step I felt like I was going to fall through. The pathway was only about 100 meters in length but during this walk I discovered the extent of my fear of heights and unstable structures. I think this small walkway for me was the most challenging part of the trip. I really did learn a lot about my abilities and my ability to push through fear and discomfort. I did eventually make it the 100 meter across the walkway with a lot of support from my group members. I believe I made it across in a quick time of about a half an hour.

Shady structures and altitude sickness were not the only types of challenges Quito presented, immediately I realized that I did not understand Spanish as much as I had thought. Going to Quito I thought that I could get by with what I knew. Or at least I could make sense of what was happening. I was so wrong. There is such a shock factor when you are bombarded by a new language. First off they speak so fast and secondly it is really hard to get past the dialect. At one point a waitress asked in Spanish if I wanted fruit for breakfast. I was so caught off guard my mind was moving a mile a minute. I then asked if she could speak English. She proceeded to say something that I have no recollection of. So I again asked if she spoke English. She answered back with “I just did, do you want fruit?” I was in language shock and I couldn’t make sense of her speaking English. The language part was very challenging but if I had to learn a language this is the way to do it. By engulfing yourself in the culture you either have to learn to communicate or you can sit at home all day to do nothing. Eventually with a lot of patience from my students I was able to pick up on the language and by the end of the trip I was communicating. It was a tough experience but it really puts you in the mind set of a person who immigrates to Canada or if you encounter a student who barely speaks English. My experience with Spanish has made me more aware of some of the challenges with Education and newly immigrated students. I have a better understanding of their challenges and of some of the problems they encounter. I am definitely more sympathetic now towards new Canadians.

The most rewarding part of my trip was working with the students. I made some great friendships with my students and some of them allowed me to take a deeper insight into their daily lives. For example I had one student who by the end of week 3 really opened up to me and talked to me about his beliefs, interests and future goals. This student’s name was Diego, he is the current Ecuador Fencing champion, he enjoys music and the arts, and one of the most important things that he wants out of life is to grow up and have people look at him and say you are a good man. There are some things stopping this from happening. His house life is very rough, he has a really bad relationship with his mother because she wants him to commit all of his energy into his studies and because his love of Fencing and music is not the norm, he is viewed as a bad person. He told me that there is a lot of arguing and yelling that occurs in his household. One of his biggest fears in life is that he will fall into the norm; that all of the negativity around him will crush his dreams and his future goals. He is truly a great person and I wish him the best. I often think of him and wonder how he is doing. Communication has not been the greatest. I have tried to stay in contact with a couple of my students but that seems a lot tougher than I first thought. Emails will often go unreturned and communication is literally lost. I know that my group and I made a difference in these students’ lives due to the emotions that were present in our students’ faces and our faces on our last day at the school. A lot was accomplished in our short time there and I hope that our presence continues to impact the students long after our visit.

There is so much to talk about and I experienced so many great adventures during my time in Ecuador. I could write and write and write if given the opportunity but I am trying to keep this to a realistic length. Ecuador presented me with lots of firsts such as repelling down waterfalls, zip lining from mountain to mountain 500 meters above cloud forest, climbing volcanoes, catching a fish using a strainer and then using just my hands, haggling in Spanish, seeing a church covered from top to bottom in gold, going to a little restaurant and having the national anthem sang to you and ultimately turning lights on by rubbing two wires together (the light switch in the grade 9 classroom). I had the opportunity to do so many great things and I could talk for hours about my experiences. I appreciate all of the support I received prior to my journey and during my journey. I thank all of the people who followed me on my blog and I am amazed at how many people come up to me and say that they followed my blog and started talking about one of my adventures. Finally I want to thank everyone who donated supplies and really changed a lot of students’ lives. When I arrived to my school I found out that the gym supplies consisted of 2 basketballs, they now have numerous soccer balls, Frisbees, basketballs and list goes on.

Once again thanks for following my adventure and I am excited for what future opportunities arise and hopefully I can fill you all in on my future adventures.

Justin