MiddlEarth: Adelante Ecuador

On Saturday night, the coast of Ecuador was hit with a 7.8-degree earthquake leaving death and destruction in its wake. The earthquake has resulted in a country plagued by sadness and mourning as the death counts continue to increase and the extent of the damage is assessed. It has also resulted, however, in feelings of immense hope as the country has come together out of this tragedy.

Orange Cup Coral

First, on a happier note, some thoughts about my last week in Galapagos:
I spent my last week enjoying the island life and the strong equatorial sun. Don’t worry, (mainly directed towards my parents), it was not all fun and games, we also finished our research projects and took a field exam. My group researched the correlation between the abundance of Orange Cup Coral and the water clarity at several different snorkeling sites. Orange cup coral is an example of a filter feeder, which filters particulate organic matter from the ocean leading to higher water clarity. While it was awesome to conduct research in the Galapagos, we also quickly learned some of the struggles of researching underwater. Unlike the fish, we are not able to breathe underwater and are not quite as good of swimmers as they are.

In the last week, we also took a final marine field exam, which I have to admit was the coolest test I have ever taken. We took the majority of the test in the water snorkeling where we had to identify fish and other marine invertebrates, and describe their ecological role. We also needed to recognize many of the seabirds and the seaside plants that help sustain the beach. I am considering contacting the MCAT test writers to see if they will allow me to take that test underwater too.

Galapagos Shark

Our last day in Galapagos was by far one of the coolest days because we traveled to Kicker Rock. Kicker Rock is known as one of the best snorkeling sites in all of Galapagos. This was our last day snorkeling and not only did we see so many of the amazing fish and rays we had seen for the last three weeks, but we also saw sharks! We swam with a school of Galapagos Sharks and also Hammerheads, which the guide said he had not seen for two months!

Reef filled with algae and coral

It soon was Saturday and our time on the island had come to a close. I did not leave, however, without leaving my mark on Galapagos. My host sister who I lived with in the Galapagos Islands was pregnant and had her baby the day before we left. And the best part… she named her baby Rachel, and not Raquel (like it is usually pronounced in Spanish), but Rachel! I am looking forward to returning to Galapagos in ten or so years and introducing myself to the baby as her namesake!

Blue Footed Boobies mating

Pacific Green Sea Turtle

I thoroughly enjoyed my time spent in Galapagos and it definitely lived up to its reputation as an archipelago full of diverse and beautiful nature and life. While there we saw: finches, sea lions galore, dolphins, flamingos, penguins, sharks, fish of all kinds, rays, sea turtles and so much more! I also successfully completed my goal and swam in the ocean every single day while we were there (25 days straight)! I cannot wait for my next opportunity to return to Galapagos.

On a more somber note, two hours after we returned to Quito Saturday night, the coast of Ecuador experienced a 7.8 magnitude earthquake. Luckily in Quito, we were completely safe and only felt tremors that lasted for a few minutes. It was the strongest earthquake to hit Ecuador in 20 years. The epicenter of the earthquake was in the coast, which is already considered one of the poorest parts of Ecuador. It severely damaged several small towns we visited throughout the semester. Beginning next week, I was also supposed to start my internship at a hospital in Jama, which is now completely destroyed. The damage will end up costing billions of dollars to repair and it will take months for people to get back on their feet and years to truly repair everything.

One day after the earthquake my professors, who are founders of a conservation NGO, left for the coast in Tabuga where they own a reserve and have worked with the town for the last decade. Luckily, there were no deaths in Tabuga, but when my teachers arrived, they were the first source of aid that made it there and residents had no electricity, fresh food, or purified water to drink. After spending two days there, they helped set up tent communities, delivered fresh water, and made play areas for the kids. They returned to Quito Thursday morning and told us about their experience and mainly about how much more work and relief is needed. These people are largely cut off from the country and the world and have no work, no money, and no homes.

In the midst of all the sadness, however, I have also seen a country come together. Every supermarket has sold out of their bottled water, cans of tuna, and Saltine crackers every day. In every town and even my neighborhood, there have been collection drives for clothes, food, and games, and people have been extremely generous. On my teachers’ journey to the coast they said that there was a backup of 4 km of cars and trucks full of donations being delivered to the affected areas. Today, all the kids wore Ecuadorian shirts to school, instead of their usual uniforms, to show their solidarity.

If you are interested in helping, the Ceiba Foundation that is the organization I am studying abroad through is organizing a major relief and reconstruction fund. Already the money has been used to help bring food, fresh water, gas, and tins to make tent houses to help begin the rebuilding process. While money certainly isn't everything, it can begin to help set these towns and their people to a road of recovery. (Check out the website to make a donation or just keep informed about the relief work: Ceiba's Ecuador Relief Fund) My teachers will be returning to the Coast this week to continue to offer immediate aid relief and also to begin to help rebuild and rebuild better so that this does not happen again.

Unfortunately, we will not be able to do our internships in the coast anymore and there is too much unknown to send us in to do relief work right now. Our program and life in Ecuador goes on, however, and with the help of our teacher we were able to find new internships throughout Ecuador. On Sunday I am leaving for Pambilino, an organic farm located near the cloud forest and 2 hours from Quito. I am not exactly sure what I will be doing there, but likely something with water clarity and helping to make the food. I am excited about beginning a new experience and I will definitely take a lot of pictures and keep you all informed!

Until then, I wish everyone a Zissen Pesach and good luck finding the Afikomen!