On our first day of orientation at the university, our trip planners told us that we would be spending 10 days on the Galapagos Islands instead of three days. They also mentioned to us that we would have our class over that 10 day period. Wow! How lucky were were we? 10 days in paradise! We went straight home and started packing our bags to head to Galapagos. Two short plane rides later we landed on the smallest runway on San Cristobal Island. To our surprise, we did not see huge hotels, tourist attractions or many tourists. It was deserted. We collected our baggage and took a 10 minute tour around the island. Trust me, we saw everything in 10 minutes. And, all the taxi rides (which were white trucks) cost a total of $1, anywhere. When our group of 11 students arrived at the Gaias school we were happy to see that the entrance opened right up to the beach. The school was very small, with one two-floor building and another building under construction.
On the first day we discovered that we would be staying with homestay families in the community instead of with each other. Some of the students were worried because we were told that some of the families did not speak English. I was very excited because I was finally forced to speak Spanish. And, our group was told that our Politics and Ethics in the Andes class was changed to Human Ecology and the Environment. The only thought running through my mind at this time was whether I would succeed in this class or even enjoy it.
Well, as I was taking my white taxi ride to my host families house I was reminded of many towns I have visited during my humanitarian trips abroad. The houses were half-way built, the streets were not all paved, and there were many people out in the hot sun doing physical labor. As soon as I arrived at the house I was told that I would be staying in the families small bed and breakfast hotel right next-door. It was very pretty and homely, but I felt alone in a two-bedroom, kitchen, and dining room. The family also told me to leave the key that locked the house on the window panel. Whenever I came or went I just had to pull the window open and grab the key. I knew it was safe but, coming from a society where we lock our doors every night and shut our blinds, it worried me. Plus, I was by myself. The first night our group met up at one of the few places that was open on the island and shared our thoughts and first impressions. At first some were hesitant about staying for 10 days because of the language barrier, meals received, a class we did not sign up for, or the level of comfortability in this new environment. This would be an adventure!
