A Teacher’s Journey: Ecuador Teacher Inspection

By Peter Stallard, English Teacher

Travelling Across the World

From Heathrow to Quito: The Start of Our Ecuador Expedition

Bleary eyed from a two-hour nap and still running a hefty sleep deficit from a gruelling first term, I arrived at Heathrow Terminal 5 Costa Coffee, dragging my hold-all behind me along the floor like a child might their favourite cuddly toy.

I quickly scanned the café for fellow teachers, and I soon spotted Alyson, bedecked in a grey tracksuit and absorbed in her copy of ‘The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency’. I almost felt rude for disturbing her tranquillity but knew I couldn’t just stand there hovering awkwardly next to her.

We were soon joined by Karl, Claire and Tom, who were drawn like moths to flame by the hefty walking boots we were all kitted out in. Our Camps International guide, Sophie, then met us, instantly soothing pre-match nerves, handing us our boarding passes with the kind of maternal sternness that would help us (me) keep on top of things for the entire week. As I won’t mention them too much more in this blog, I will take this opportunity to say now what a wonderfully kind, resourceful and charismatic group of teachers (and of course Camps International UK staff in the form of Sophie and Nicole) went on the Ecuador teacher inspection visit; hopefully see you on a rainy day in Donbiki!

The flight was smooth; Karl completed every Angry Birds level on three stars whilst I watched the Mummy, The Mummy 2 and got through half of The Mummy Returns before drifting into the arena of the unconscious.

Landing in Quito, eight hours ahead of GMT and on an entirely different continent, I think we all felt a sense of unreality. Only two days before we had been teaching in stuffy classrooms in gloomy England; now, we were in the most biodiverse country on the planet.

However, we were swiftly snapped out of our stupor by the introduction of Chela, Regional Operations Manager – South America, who greeted us with what was to become her signature dry humour and compassionate demeanour. She was joined by Jhoana the Operations Manager for Ecuador, and both ladies could not have been more welcoming. We drove to hotel Tababela near the airport, and after a quick dinner crashed out in our rooms, dreaming of unrealised adventure.

Life at Camp Donbiki in the Amazon Rainforest

The next day we set off from Quito and drove for nine hours deep into the province of Pastaza; our destination – Camp Donbiki in the Shiwakucha community. As the towns grew sparser, the air grew thicker and soon we were entirely enveloped by lush rainforest, the horns of cars replaced with the ululations of tropical birds. We stopped at a beautiful mirador (viewpoint), eating empanadas from our boxed lunch and taking in the majesty of the jungle. I had four!

We arrived at Donbiki mid-afternoon, equal parts knackered and excited. It is difficult to put into words how astonishing this camp is. Situated right on the banks of the raging Arajuno river, a tributary of the Amazon, the camp is enveloped on three sides by lush vegetation but is a short walk across the main road to the Shiwakucha community proper, where the project work takes place. Throughout the night, the hum of insects blends with the birdsong in a natural crescendo that is utterly disorientating yet incredibly inspiring.

The facilities were wonderful: the main building contains bunk beds with decent sized mattresses and mosquito nets; there were fully functioning toilets and showers drawing water directly from the Arajuno via a water filtration system. I half expected to have to clean myself in the river, so to be greeted with working showers and working toilets felt like a luxury. (Just make sure not to swallow the water!)

Despite the encroaching flora and fauna, the camp possesses more than adequate social space, with a huge main hut and then some beautifully scenic areas next to the river for unwinding after a hard day’s project work. I admit having been slightly nervous about the possibility of unexpected visitors in our rooms, but my fears were allayed by the introduction of the dedicated ‘snake-man’ to ward off any inquisitive anacondas. (Disappointingly I saw no snakes, but at least that means the snake-man is worth his weight in gold.)

After settling into our rooms, a staff of locals cooked us incredibly hearty food; and, with the signature six bowl system in place, hygiene was top priority and not a single one of us felt the slightest bit poorly despite the unfamiliarity of the food. For a camp that is so remote, it is fair to say we all felt remarkably at home in a short space of time; we spent the night there, drifting off to sleep on our extremely comfortable mattresses, protected from bugs by robust mosquito nets.

Into the Jungle: Trekking to Camp Ceibo

However, as off the beaten track we thought ourselves in Donbiki, nothing prepared us for our sojourn to Camp Ceiba, the satellite camp named after the towering trees that stand sentinel on its borders. We began our trek early, the rain relentlessly hammering the road, me kitted out in a spare rain poncho courtesy of Claire (naturally I had forgotten to bring my rain jacket to a rainforest). Led by Theo, our guide and Pastaza native, we left the road and headed into the thick jungle. Theo’s intimate knowledge of the jungle was astonishing to witness; he drew our attention to the Toquilla plant, whose strong fibres can be woven into Panama hats; without missing a beat, he then opened a blister on a plant to reveal a line of bright yellow ants marching steadily along the branch of the tree. Remarkably, Theo then swiped a few hapless ants and ate them there and then. Turns out, the ants, scientifically known as Myrmelachista schumanni, release a citrus scent when crushed or bitten. It was genuinely humbling to be led by someone so attuned to the rhythms of the natural world.

We eventually arrived at the camp and put up our hammocks, which did their best to repel the driving rain that did not relent once for ten hours. (Well, they don’t call it a dry forest do they?) _ Although remote, this camp is extremely well staffed, and we ate an extraordinarily good meal despite the paucity of cooking equipment. I was initially worried that the satellite camp might be a bridge too far for the pupils, but after having experienced its slick management, I am now incredibly excited for them to experience it. Simply put, nothing else compares to falling asleep in a hammock to the surreal sounds of the jungle.

Exploring the Andes

Although less intrepid than Donbiki and Ceibo, the rest of the recce was no less enjoyable as we careened around the Andes courtesy of our tireless driver, Guille, visiting Camp Los Andes and Camp Kuri Kucho to scope out the project work our pupils will be completing in the summer. Nestled in the Andes, which casts its peaks over SEVEN countries, these camps lie in beautiful, fertile valleys, where farming forms the basis of the communities. Like Donbiki, these camps are based around making improvements to the facilities of the primary schools. The children did a traditional dance for us, whilst the headteachers provided a delicious lunch consisting of local produce.

Ecuador Beyond the Camps – Cotopaxi, Otavalo and Quito

As we dotted around central Ecuador (including a taste of the breathtaking Cotopaxi national park) we were put up at lovely boutique hotels in Otavalo and the outskirts of Quito. (Shout out to Hostal Colibri, so called after the kaleidoscopic range of hummingbirds who settle in its garden). Despite the constant travelling, we all felt positively pampered; it was lovely to indulge in the treasures of the country as tourist before the work begins in earnest in the summer.

After a visit to the Ciudad Mitad Del Mundo and garbed in psychedelic ponchos, we were off to the airport. Our flight home was smooth, and before you could say ‘dios del muerto’ we were back on terra firma. We said our goodbyes and I headed off, feeling immensely sorry for those making the trip to the far-flung provinces of England whilst I sloped off back to North London.

Final Thoughts: Why Every Teacher Should Join a Camps International Recce

For any teacher considering the inspection visit- just do it. You are so well-looked after; you gain an unparallelled insight into each camp as well as an entirely FREE week in a country you may never visit again after the expedition. Camps International run an incredibly slick operation, and the recce did nothing but fuel my excitement for the full expedition in the summer. Gracias Camps International;  Ecuador ama la vida!

Hear more from Peter, along with additional takeaways from a number of teachers who have joined us on a Teacher Inspection Visit across multiple destinations in the video below: