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ODSS students’ Ecuador mission a “life changer”

March 2, 2018   ·   0 Comments

By Mike Pickford

It was an educational excursion like no other and one that will not only stick with the 25 Orangeville District Secondary School (ODSS) students who embarked on it, but change their lives forever.

Leaving behind their lives of relative luxury and comfort, the group, which included four ODSS teachers, ventured down to Ecuador on Feb. 16 for a 10-day mission in the South American nation.

Once there, students spent time helping an indigenous community in the Amazon rainforest, participating in experiments at the Equator and visiting stunning waterfalls in “beautiful” Banos.

Only two days removed from landing back in Canada’s winter wonderland, the group of students met with the Citizen to describe exactly what they learned and what they loved about their tropical adventure. The group having been made up of Grade 11 and Grade 12 students, there was a definite theme among their responses – an increased sense of appreciation for everything we have here in Orangeville.

The group spent three days deep in the Amazon Rainforest, in a small local community called Los Rios. There, they did their part in helping to construct a building that would likely be used as a community kitchen. There was lots of digging and heavy lifting, as the students were responsible for assisting with the foundation for the building.

“That was a lot of work. We went in there and immediately it was lots of lifting,” said Grade 11 student Lily Burgess. “We were moving lots of rocks, we helped to make concrete, the whole group was involved in one way or another. It was messy, but we had fun, while also helping people.”

The community is home to 58 families, but also boasts a school that has a student base of 112. The ODSS students had a chance to engage with those kids, which Eryn Bonney-Brookaman said was a nice experience. After seeing how the Ecuadorians live their life day to day, with very little of the services we all take for granted, she says she now has an increased sense of appreciation for things such as heat and running water.

“One of the jobs we were asked to do was bring water up to the community from the river. It easily took around two hours each trip, and that was something these people had to do three times a day every single day,” Ms. Bonney-Brookaman said. “It was definitely a big culture shock.”

Upon completion of the service aspect of their trip, the students found themselves on a bus bound for Banos. When translated to English, Banos means bathroom, which Grade 11 student Aaron Goodison said it was appropriate considering the number of hot springs in the community, which locals used to bathe and wash their clothes.

“Banos was honestly so beautiful. It was a very well kept community, the locals were very respectful, while there were a few tourists there too,” said Isaac Cavallin. “It was very artsy. There were paintings on walls, poles, pretty much everywhere. The cobblestones in the streets were all different colours, it was cool seeing how different it was to a place like Orangeville, where everything is very plain and structured.”

A bump in the road, or the runway to be more precise, meant the group had to wait for their trip to the Equator until the end of the trip, as opposed to it taking place on their first day as originally planned. Delays with their flight meant they didn’t get into Ecuador until Feb. 17, not that the missed day deterred the students.

While at the Equator they found that at that point water flows in different directions on either side of the line, or straight down if they happened to be standing right on it. Everyone admitted to straddling the Equator, with one leg in the Northern Hemisphere and another in the Southern Hemisphere.

“That was really, really cool. Our guide had us do a bunch of different things. We had to try and balance ourselves on a beam right on the Equator and we all felt like we were being pulled on either side as we tried to steady ourselves,” said Honour Stahl.

After listening to the kids excitedly discuss the trip on the plane ride home and in the classroom with this reporter, Ms. Chamberlain reaffirmed her belief that traveling and experiencing different cultures and different ways of life is the very best teacher.

“It was such a well-rounded trip. The students got so much out of it – they learned to appreciate everything they have in life, while also getting to see how things work in other countries. They had the amazing experience at the Equator, which is something you just can’t replicate anywhere in Canada,” Ms. Chamberlain said.

She added, “This experience, undoubtedly, has changed these students. They’re not the same kids they were 10 days ago, and that’s a great thing. There’s no substitute for experience, and what they got to experience over the past week and a bit is life-changing.”

This marked the second straight year that Ms. Chamberlain, along with her fellow teachers Koven Padayachee, Darryl Stevenson and Angie Litzen, had embarked on such a journey with students. Last year, 36 students spent 10 days in Costa Rica, where they volunteered at a wildlife sanctuary among other things. Susie has confirmed there will be no such trip next year, but that they were tentatively planning a mission trip to Africa in 2020.

“It’s maybe a little too much to be doing these trips every year, so we’ve decided to put them together every other year from now on,” Ms. Chamberlain said. “The students gain so much in such a short period of time. It’s a no-brainer to keep the ball rolling. While there won’t be anything in 2019, we’re planning something big for 2020.”

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