Passport: Check
Visa: Check
Bags packed (already over-stuffed): Check
Goodbyes to family and friends: Check, check
Peanut butter stash: Check
The essentials are accounted for and I'm ready to head back down South! This year I will be working at a technical high-school in the Ecuadorian Amazon in a town called Mondana (Mondanya) located in the Amazon rainforest along the Napo River, South and East of the capital city of Quito. The school is a part of the Yachana Foundation which is dedicated to teaching children from remote areas of the rainforest who might otherwise not have the opportunity to attend school.
While I'm there, I will be teaching... something. Due to some last minute changes (as is the pattern in most Latin American countries), I won't be teaching English in a traditional classroom setting per se, but will be tutoring students in Social Sciences during a Gap Year program that will be taking the place of the normal school year. I will also have a variety of other mystery roles (I like surprises) and I'll be excited to learn about what those will include. But there are lots of things going on at Yachana including sustainable agriculture and horticulture and wildlife conservation projects which I hope to learn more about once I'm on site!
I will be writing updates when I am able - access to computers while at Yachana may be a bit limited, but I will have 7 consecutive days off each month and will be sure to spend time in the internet cabinas uploading photos and hitting the hightlights of my adventures in the Amazon.
Here is a video which was posted on another volunteer's blog. So I'm copying his idea, but I think you all will get a better idea of where I'm going to be for the next year or so.
http://youtu.be/oYw4N8UBOl0
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