Galapagos and the Journey Home

I promise that I will get an updated post up soon- with some footage of my time on the islands. I was just able to purchase some new camera cords (so that I could download both video and photos) as someone with LAN airlines decided to help themselves to my original cords (as well as a few other items). Home safe and sound and greatly enjoying the many fine qualities of the PNW. Check back in a couple of days for pictures and stories of Galapagos excitement (shall I tease with fin whales, hammerhead sharks, and adorable sea turtles...)

Reflections

It is hard to describe the past few days. I am very eager for the adventure that awaits me on the Galapagos Islands and cannot thank Mogs enough for all of the hard work that she put in to making this adventure possible. Please check out ROW Adventures for all of your international adventure travel needs and of course state side whitewater adventures. You will not be disappointed! I am also very excited to get home and see the boys. It has been truly foreign not having them by my side for this length of time. Yet it was with a heavy heart that I left Loja at 5 am this morning.

We accomplished a lot in the two short months that we were down here. Each student achieving varying levels of success, and each truly changed by the experiences that they had while down here. The social science team collected 83 surveys, did 4 community mapping sessions, and 16 key informant interviews. We turned rural rapid appraisal on it's head!  None of this would have been possible without our cohorts at UTPL. Veroníca and Rossana are amazing individuals and I feel truly privileged to have had the opportunity to work with them. It is for this reason that the goodbyes were so difficult. However, I know that I will have friends in Loja, Ecuador for the rest of my life and it is always a place that I can call home!

Cultural Perceptions

Ones perceptions of various cultural customs are very interesting. Differing perceptions are in themselves worthy of taking into consideration for a moment. Greg repeatedly says that "perception is reality." This concept has gotten me through many management quandaries, and while I have always agreed with the statement the philosophy of the concept has never fully hit me until just recently.
While doing surveys in Urdaneta there was a sudden commotion just down the street from us. It seemed that everyone in a four block radius had quickly come to the city center to investigate the commotion. This was interesting in itself as the town had been quiet all day; the residents huddled under their wool ponchos attempting to escape the chill of the constant rain outside and the foreigners pestering them for their opinions. We made our way towards the cluster of people to see what all of the fuss was about. They had captured a possum! Her tail had been chopped off and it appeared as though she had an injury to her head. At first glance we all assumed that she was dead, but we quickly learned that she was simply following her instincts and playing "possum." There were two men standing there hovering above her, basking in some type of heroic glory. One of the men was holding a kitchen knife still dripping with fresh blood. The other man was holding a bucket full of water and was sloshing the water onto the concrete to wash away the pooling blood. It was in this moment that the man tossed some of the cold water onto the injured possum and as she contorted her body in attempt of escaping the frigid deluge of water we realized that she was not dead. The event suddenly became a sport, or rather a type of revenge as the growing crowd erupted in laughter. The event made me think of the outrageous circus side show acts; the ring master standing there with the knife taunting the crowd for more hoops and hollers, the bearded lady with the bucket of water participating in the show because it is all that she knows, and the giant elephant standing in the crowd- the four of us strangers that were equally as much of a sideshow act to the local residents as this event was to us.  After 45 seconds I made my way back to our survey haunt.
It is culturally believed that possum soup provides relief for individuals that are suffering from asthma. They are considered a pest, and this particular "side show" event has taken place so often in Ecuador the animal is now red listed in the country. The community members claimed that this particular possum had been killing their chickens for several nights. Thus, the treatment she was receiving was believed to be well deserved. They sliced her throat not long after I walked away. One of the crowd members took the six young that the possum was caring for home to raise for later consumption.
It is easy to place judgement; to be clouded by the luxuries that life in America provides. I needed to turn the lens to myself for a moment so as to adjust my perception. I grew up hunting, fishing, and living on a farm where my parents often encouraged my brother and I to name livestock after cuts of meat. Thus we were never surprised when Lamb Chop or Bacon were taken to the butcher. It has been an accepted way of life for as long as I can remember. As the possum met it's fate, I gave a nod of thanks to the ground just as I do when I pull a steelhead into the boat- my perception unaltered.

Lessons in Kichwa, Saraguro hospitality, extreme driving and upset stomachs...

Colors from the Sunday market!

Sunset view from the office.

Because everyone in Loja needs a raincoat! :)

It has been awhile since I posted last, and while there should be no excuses I can say that I have been very busy! We had another fantastic trip to the field- well fantastic in a sense. We had one mediocre mapping session, one phenomenal mapping session with the indigenous Saraguros of Gurudel, Ecuador, and taught a successful workshop on water. Unfortunately during most of this field experience I was sicker than a dog!  Back to the more interesting topic however, and the one that I have been promising to share for awhile now...the Saraguro people.

This indigenous group populates the southern highlands of Ecuador into Peru and all of the way down to Bolivia. Their traditional practices and dress, which are still heavily practiced today, are all done as a state of mourning. They are mourning the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors and the ultimate demise and death of life as they knew it, of an entire race, and of their leader Atahualpa. The traditional dress for men includes black capris (what Greg and I lovingly refer to as manpris), black boots, a black sweater often over a white shirt, and a black wool hat over their long black hair that is worn neatly in a braid. The women wear black shoes and a black skirt, that sometimes has a hem of bright colored fabric, a white shirt with a beautiful shawl like poncho that is held together in their chest by a silver gemstone sunburst like pendant. Their hats resemble a cowboy hat that has not been shaped, is made with plaster, and is painted to resemble a dairy cow. Their necklaces are the most striking piece of their attire a collection of delicate and intensely bright bead work that draws you into their beautiful and gentle faces.

The mapping session that we did in Gurudel was amazing and the first predominately indigenous session that we did. They were so very intrigued and interested that we were there and wanted to provide us with as much information as possible! There were people standing in the doorway and peering through the windows, everyone wanted to participate! Thanks to a lovely little white pill that encouraged my stomach to keep some  water down and in for at least a few minutes, I was able to thoroughly enjoy this session. At the conclusion of the session I started to draw smiley faces on some of the left over stickers that we were using as mapping indicators and passing them out to all of the kids that were running around the school yard. Needless to say I became the most popular person there in a very short period of time! I felt very grateful to be able to give them something back, as they helped us out tremendously, even if is was just a few smiles.

One of the Saraguro women that participated in the session taught us how to use her huango to spin wool before the session began. She let me pull my camera out to take a few shots, but only after I promised to buy her a beer for her efforts! :) This was a fantastic experience! During the afternoon the children running around with "fresh smiles" also taught us how to say the days of the week, how to count to ten, and other random vocabulary tidbits in kichwa. These interactions are truly what make this experience!

Time is quickly winding down and we are working our fingers to the bone to get all of our data entered and prepared for analysis. We collected 80 surveys, did 17 interviews, and 4 mapping sessions in our short time down here. None of this would have been possible without the dedication of Veroníca and Rossana who have worked tirelessly with us on this project. I do not know how I will ever fully express my gratitude to them.

I fly out of Cuenca Saturday afternoon and into the Galapagos on Sunday. ROW Adventures is truly a phenomenal company, just named Travel and Leisure's 2012 World's Best Tour Operator, and after travelling many river miles with me they are showing me around the Galapagos. I will spend 8 days sea kayaking, snorkeling, and hiking volcanoes. Beyond the fact that I do not want to leave the amazing new friends that I have made while here in Loja, I am ecstatic to see the islands! Photos of this adventure to come soon. In the mean time, enjoy some photos from life in Loja and more adventures in the field.
Chau!

Veroníca trying her hand with the huango.

Rossana, just after separating the wool ball and the huango!

Days of the week in kichwa.

Our mapping session.

From the Field to the Computer

Time is flying by down here. All of the days seem to be blurring together and before I know it the first part of this adventure will be over with. We have been diligently working on our research and I can say without any doubt that field days far surpass office days in the adventure category. Entering data into excel and translating interviews for 10 hours a day makes my brain hurt! The trips to the field make the days spent listening to the hum of the computer screen worth while!

Rossana our glorious field assistant extraordinaire, preparing to trek up into the páramo for an interview!

Some of the lush vegetation that can be found in the páramo.

Not a bad view for an interview.

A few of the street dogs- basking in the afternoon sun of Urdaneta

An example of the expanding agricultural practices. We are up in the páramo, which was historically thick with vegetation and some native trees. Pine and eucalyptus are taking over the forests, and the locals are burning the rest of the vegetation so that they can plant crops. 

Veroníca and Jaz checking out some amazing cold water springs that one of our KI's took us to. 

UTPL's trusty land cruiser. This guy has taken a beating and yet keeps on going!

Church in Saraguro

My first official thunderstorm of the summer moving in on Saraguro. It rains a lot in the Andes, but I was truly excited to hear thunder accompanying this particular rain fall!

They have built some very intricate irrigation systems to fuel the ever expanding agricultural needs.

We have finished our work in Oña and surrounding villages and have now moved on to work in Urdaneta. There seems to be a lot of conflict concerning water and ownership of the páramo in this new area, which is making for some rather exciting interviews. There is currently no land titling in Ecuador, so there is a lot of opportunity for conflict. 

 The Saraguro people have a very interesting history stay tuned for a post about their culture and customs!

Life in the Field

We ventured back up to Morasloma this past weekend to do our first mapping session. It is so calm and peaceful in the countryside, and life there definitely moves at a slower pace. We had a very successful mapping session and were able to collect some surveys as well because Oña was buzzing with people on Sunday. I bought some beautiful hand made rugs from villagers in Morasloma, and got to watch the gentlemen as he was working on another- too bad I left the camera in the car as it would have made a breath taking photo. We are headed back to Oña tomorrow for a few more interviews- the information that we are collecting is very intriguing and as crazy as it sounds I am excited to be able to analyze it all!

A tomato del arból plantation.

Preparing for the mapping session

Lassie, the guard to Morasloma- such a sweatheart!

Our headquarters for the night.

A Foreign Summer

Solace along the banks of the pulsing Rio León

 It turns out that this summer is foreign in more ways than one. Foreign is defined as being something that is of, pertaining to, or derived from another country or nation; not native. Spending 9 weeks in South America doing research work in the Andes is obviously a foreign experience at the very core. However, this transformational experience is foreign in another sense as well. This is the first summer in 7 years that I am not spending nearly every waking day on the river. While I am very excited to be starting this new chapter of my life, I am also quite intrigued at the many things I miss from my time on the river. While on certain trips quiet times can be rare, I am missing even the shortest respites of quiet that every river provides. Quiet times in South America are very rare- chickens, car alarms, horns, soccer cheers- can always be heard at all times of day and night. While in the field last week driving through the small village of Baijon, the car pulled over and I was allowed several minutes of river rejuvenation along the shores of the pulsing Rio León. For the first time in a month I felt at home again. I frequently ended river trips by making the following toast: "Every river you run stays with you every day for the rest of your life; it bubbles up in little pools and eddys every day to help remind you of who you are." While it was always a meaningful quote for me, and each river trip was a new and memorable experience- I had never been hit with the sheer reality of its words. Finally, standing on the shores of a foreign river, in a foreign land, during a foreign summer I was reminded of who I am and where I will always call home.

A delicious passion fruit!

Escaping the rains of Podocarpus National Park

A sunset view from the office!

Hiking the hills surrounding Loja