Day 1: Arriving in Quito, Ecuador

January 4, 2011

By: Aashish Shah

The day started almost literally as the day started. The NYU Alternative Breaks Ecuador group gathered together at the airport at 2:00AM, looking a little weary already but excited about the upcoming trip. The site leaders, Zach and Regina, double checked all the passports and documents as the rest of the group started discussing the schedule ahead. Among the group were veterans of the program, including the Staff Adviser and the Chair of the program, and rookies who were about to experience their first Alternative Breaks experience. The buzz around this trip was it would be the programs first international environmental trip.

After a brief layover in Panama City and 7 hours on the plane, the team touched down in Ecuador, all sleep deprived yet determined to immediately soak in the atmosphere. As the teams took buses to the hostel where they would be staying at night, the experience of a foriegn nation immediately took hold. The population of the air quickly made several the participants cough and have difficulty breathing. One of the cars got stuck behind a broken down car in a one lane road and the driver quickly jumped out to help push the car up the hill. Collaboration like this would hopefully be a theme for the week and will be necessary as a cornerstone of this country's rise to greater status.

After quickly settling down at the cozy and extremely inviting La Casa Sol hotel, the participants gathered together for an orientation with their ProWorld group advisor. The safety precautions for all the members was a splash of reality as conditions can be dangerous for tourists, but every member held their head high knowing that the group together would overcome any obstacles and the work that they were here to do would get done.

With stomachs rumbling, the group headed out to an area of the town known as Quito's "Times Square". While the entire group is studying at New York University and initially snickered at this notion, the appeal and quiet energy of the area quickly won the group over. Dinner was a fundamental bonding moment for the group as reintroductions and conversations quickly broke out. A much needed meal was completed and the group enjoyed the chance to walk around the area for a few more minutes before heading back to their hostels after a long day of travel.

The next day would mark the beginning of the journey into the rain-forest to the service destination at Yachana. What never seizes to amaze is how quickly a group of individuals who are barely more than strangers to each other quickly come together and enjoy each others company. By the end of the day, there were already several inside jokes, fond moments, and exciting plans for the rest of the time together here in the country.