The New Hampshire - Ecuador Semester

August/September: Marlow, NH
For the first few weeks of this semester our home will be our Farm Base Camp in Marlow, New Hampshire. Each day begins with early morning chores: cutting and splitting wood, carrying water, caring for the farm animals, preparing and cooking our breakfast over an open fire. In peaceful silence we will greet the day before breakfast. Generally, academic work happens in the morning while craft and work projects as well as the arts are in the afternoon or evening. We will study Spanish, learn about New England's past and present, engage in environmental and natural history studies and nutrition. Every day there is time allotted to write in our journal. We will also read, discuss and write about relevant topics regarding New England. On a bike expedition we will travel to local farms where we harvest vegetables and prepare the earth for the cold months ahead. Back at base camp we will preserve our harvest by making sauerkraut, pickles, and jams and drying meats and vegetables. During this time in New England, we will make backpacks and knives for our travel to Ecuador. Biking, running, swimming, paddling, caving and rock climbing will be some of the activities to help prepare our physical bodies for the expedition ahead. By late September, our community of students and teachers, now a strong and close-knit group, will embark on our journey south.

October/November/December: Ecuador
On Hacienda Palugo the Mysteries of the High Lands will begin to unfold The following leg of the journey takes place at the foothills of the Ecuadorian Andes near Quito on Hacienda Palugo. We will focus on the Inter-Andean region, its people and traditions, music, geography and history. We will observe the daily weather and look at the stars in the Southern Hemisphere. Spanish becomes the language of our daily life. Skilled natives, craftspeople and old time farmers will teach us about practical designs and architecture, local materials and hand tools. We will make Penco(Agave) drums, whose sounds reveal the mysteries and influences of Andean music. We will learn about the ecological and economical value of native plants and their products. Our felted vests from local sheep wool will keep us warm in the coming weeks. We plant, harvest, milk and collect eggs. We learn how to use animal products, how to cook simple meals, make yogurt and cheese and bake bread in our hand made clay oven. After a month of living in the Highlands, we will prepare our packs, pull out the compass and venture over hilltops across the Eastern Andes following the watercourses that feed the rivers of the Amazon Basin. We will have the opportunity to experience the living history of indigenous Amazon tribes. We will learn about trees, roots and vines for the purpose of building the frame of our cataraft, which will carry us to the remote village of the Shiwakotcha natives. The indigenous people will teach us about life in the jungle. We pole and paddle a dugout canoe; we ride the river, fish, gather food and learn to identify plants and how to use them. We study the history of the nomadic tribes, and the Amazon River's ecosystem, ecology and ornithology. We will look at the impact of the modern world and the oil industry on the Amazonian Tribes. The contrasting realities of Ecuador and New England will open our eyes to the needs of people in the developing countries and the positive role we can play in bringing about change. "The Final Expedition..." For many weeks, the glacier-covered volcanoes will have provided us with water for living, farming and paddling. These giants, connected with the soul of the Earth are responsible for the shapes and the richness of the Inter Andean Valley. At 19,200 feet, Mt. Cotopaxi is the highest active volcano in the world. Its base is about 35 miles away from Hacienda Palugo. Its summit will be our final destination. Our handmade backpacks will be filled with the food we have harvested. Our bodies will be strong from the daily work on the farm and our travels to the jungle. We will climb the mountain listening to the rhythm of the kena. Upon our return to Palugo we will reflect on our experiences by preparing a theatrical presentation for the community, our family and friends.

December:
Return to New England We will take a few days to reflect on the journey we just completed and with a new sense of responsibility to live a conscious life that will guide us into the future we will say goodbye to one another.

The mountains are the means, the human being is the end, the idea is to improve the human being, not to reach the top of the mountain. -- Walter Bonatti