¡Pelican Rescue!

Shell (American ex-pat extrodinaire), was strolling along the beach yesterday minding his own business and admiring the lovely birds fishing over the waves. Suddenly a pelican came swooping down with its eye on (what it must had thought was) a tasty fish, and BOOM, crashed into a rock hiding under the water's surface.

But our wily pelican was in luck. Shell came rushing in to the rescue. Calling over some local guys to help, they scooped the poor thing out of the water and brought it to shore. The wing was badly broken, but after some clever splinting, the bird was relatively calm, and Shell called us for some advice. Luckily for Shell and our pelican friend, we knew just what to do.

MSS has been working with Acuario Vadivia, so several years now. They're not just the only coastal Aquarium in Ecuador, they are the only animal rescue center in the area. Mr. Pelican was bundled into the back seat of a car and rushed to help.

Javier, the head biologist at the Aquarium, cleaned up, fed, and re-splinted our brave little pelican and placed it with the other rescued seabirds that are living at the Aquarium to recuperate. Though the wing seems to be too damaged to allow our pelican to fly again, he will be able to live out his life, well fed and safe with the other pelicans at the Aquarium. Thank you to Javier and the rest of the great staff at Acuario Valdiva for providing this great service for the local wild life and a great educational center for the local community. And of course thanks to Shell, the Pelican rescuer!

If you are interested in volunteering at Acuario Valdivia, or any of other great volunteer projects, contact us at the Montañita Spanish School at info@montanitaspanishschool.com or check out our website at montanitaspanishschool.com.

Corinne at the Guarderia

The other day, I got a lovely email from a former student and volunteer named Corinne from Switzerland. She had been traveling through South America with her boyfriend when she landed in Montanita decided to work on her Spanish skills with us at MSS before continuing on her travels. While studying, she decided to visit the Guadería with me one morning, and fell in love with all the kids. She ended up at the staying there and volunteering for two weeks, getting to know all the children and helping the staff at this super worthwhile organization. Today I got these awesome photos in my inbox.

¡Sonrisas grandes!

The kids at the park with Betsy to get some fresh air.

Is it snack time yet?

Corinne in the toddler room.

Thank you Corinne for all the time you spent with the kids of Manglaralto and for sending me these great pictures. And the señoras and niños all say hi!

If you are interested in volunteering at the Guardería, like Corinne, or with any other of our fantastic non-profit partners, contact me, April, at info@montanitaspanishschool.com. It's not just about traveling and learning Spanish. Get involved! Be a part of something!

Werner at the Primary School

Werner was our last volunteer at the Primary School in Montanita, and he has taken the job head on. Working with hundereds of students from 7 to 16 years old is definately a challenge, but Werner has conquered the hearts of the kids and been teaching English for 5 weeks.

A few weeks ago was the big Defile in Montanita. Kids representing schools from all the nearby
pueblos came together in Montañita for a big parade. Obviously, Werner walked with his class, and we all came out to cheer him on.

Thank you Werner for all your hard work. The kids already miss you! And good luck to Dushka, who just started volunteering this week. We're so proud!

If you are interested in volunteering at the Primary School, like Werner, or with any other of our fantastic non-profit partners, contact me, April, at info@montanitaspanishschool.com. It's not just about traveling and learning Spanish. Get involved, be a part of something!

Chocolate in the Jungle

So we're back from another amazing jungle trip to Pomarrosa, a small organic finca on the outskirts of Machalilla National Park. Anthony, our school director, 8 adventurous students and I made the journey, and it was definitely worth every minute. The beautiful scenery, and amazing food, the thrilling horseback journey, hiking, coffee roasting, and my favorite part, CHOCOLATE.

Benito, the manager of Pomarrosa, walked us through each step of processing cocoa, starting with the pod, and ending in a rich delicious cup of cinnamon hot chocolate.

Step One: Go out into the bush and find some cocoa pods!
Cocoa grows out of the trunk, not on the branches, and can ripen all year round, and even at different times on the same tree.

        

Anthony finds a ripe one!

Step Two: Pull out the beans inside the pods and roast them

The "roaster" that we used is a traditional ceramic oven made from local clay. First build a fire inside and wait until the coals get and hot. Then you put another ceramic bowl over the first one that's holding the fire. Then you throw in the cocoa and keep it moving around so it doesn't burn.

               

Step Three: Peel the cocoa beans by hand, leaving the shiny inside part.

By the way, this is the perfect moment to grab a few and pop them in your mouth. 

Pure dark cocoa-y goodness.

Step Four: Throw all the beans in a grinder

A warning: As you grind the beans, your face is over the bowl and there will be an intense chocolaty smell bathing your face. This causes uncontrollable smiling (as seen in the photo below), and makes you ignore the pain in your arm muscles from working the grinder.

Flavia grinding away

Step Five: Ball up the cocoa paste and boil it with water, milk, sugar and cinamon until it's creamy, hot and delicious.

First bring the water to a boil with the cinamon. Then add the cocoa and let it simmer until the cocoa flavor is imbued in the water. Then add lots of milk and sugar to taste.

Step Six: ¡Disfrutalo!
This is the easy part. You will notice a bit of on oily sheen on the surface, and lots of sediment at the bottom. This is normal. That's how you know it's the real stuff! And by real stuff, I mean experiencing the richest, smoothest, freshest chocolate you ever had in your life.

Mother's Day in La Entrada

Mother's Day is a big deal in Ecuador. It's a time to celebrate families, and women who make it all possible. Every village had a fiesta Mother's Day weekend, so we at the Montanita Spanish School decided we had to get involved in at least one of them.

La Entrada is a beautiful little coastal village just North of Montanita. Marsha and Shell, an amazing couple from the States and friends of the school, have a beautiful home there and decided to open their doors to all the older mothers of the community with their husbands and children and enjoy an afternoon of fun, music, and good food. Gijs (our charismatic bearded intern), Anthony (our school director / intrepid photographer), Jacqui (kiwi imported fashionista / mother), and I, all hopped in a taxi up north to join the festivities, and provide entertainment and extra helping hands. Sorry, no pic of Anthony, who insisted on hiding behind his camera the whole day.

Gijs

Me

Jacqui

The venue was absolutely picturesque, the ocean stretching out in front of us and the balloons and streamers draped on everything. The average age of the mothers was about 60, but that didn't stop them from playing musical chairs, dancing, playing dress up, and posing for Anthony's camera like runway models. After a big traditional Ecuadorian lunch (marinaded chicken, rice, and a delicious salad), we broke out the cake and all went home happy and full.

Kati and Jenny mixing salad

Marsha with some of the mothers

Feliz día Mamá

One of the mother sings for us.

The ganadora of musical chairs

Some mother's performing a dance.

The winner of the Reina competition posing with Shell

Happy Mother's Day!

New Supplies and Volunteers at the Guardería

Yesterday, we were able to present the Guardería with brand new chairs and tables for the children. The old one's were beginning to fall apart, and there weren't enough for all the new kids.

Thank you so much to all the volunteers that have been working so hard to help the children and the families at the Manglaralto Guardería, and thank you all for contributing to the donations that made this gift possible.

Here are a few of them that are volunteering at Guardería now:

Sarah, a volunteer from the States making a collage with the 4 and 5 year olds.

Ann, another volunteer from the States posing with Pamela

Stephanie from Switzerland posing with Leandro.

Katja at the Acuario

Katja dedicated a full month volunteering at the Animal rescue center at Acuario Valdiva. She amazing girl from Switzerland, whose previous work at a zoo, as well as her preparations to go to veterinary school next year, has bad her one of our most hands on and proactive volunteers we've sent to Acuario Valdivia. We are so happy to have had her, and I'm sure the animals feel the same way. Good luck in Veterinary School!

Katja administering antibiotic to a sea turtle who has been injured by a boat propeller.

A project with a Aquarium's Biologist, recording sex, size, and weights of the large collection of rescued land tortoises. 

Transportation of one of the Aquarium's injured Pelicans to her new pen. The aquarium has many Blue-footed Boobies, and Pelicans that have injured or severed wings, and can no longer fly.

Acuario Valdivia has to beautiful Humboldt penguins, and male and female.

Vilhelm at the Acuario

Vilhelm had been taking Spanish with us for several weeks before he decided to throw himself into a new project at the Aquarium in Vadivia, a little village 20 minutes from Montañita with the only coastal Aquarium in Ecuador. Since then he has been helping feed the animals, and then in the afternoons he works with the children in the Aquarium's ecological kids'club, playing games and soccer, working on environmental projects and teaching English and yoga.

Vilhelm meets the Ecological Kids Club children

¡Pengüinos!

This crazy pelican wouldn't leave Vilhelm alone while he was trying to feed the sea turtles. I guess he decided to give him some of the fish so that she'd leave him alone

Lobo, the cubby sealion, getting his lunch fom one of the girls in the Ecological Kids Club.

If you are interested in volunteering at Acuario Valdivia like Vilhelm, or any of other great volunteer projects, contact us at the Montañita Spanish School at info@montanitaspanishschool.com or check out our website at montanitaspanishschool.com.

The the guys at the Aquarim are always looking for an extra set of hands, and the kids love when new people come in to work with them and teach them something new. Be creative and make a difference!

Selina at the Guadrería!

Selina, an awesome chica from Switzerland decided to spend a couple weeks during her stay working at the Guardería (day Care Center) in Manglaralto. She was kind enough to share some of her photos of her experience with us so we could post them here.

Playing with the kids in the 2-3 age group classroom.

Taking the kids outside for some air.

Sonrisas :)

Lunchtime!

If you are interested in volunteering at the Guardería like Selina, or any of other great volunteer projects, contact us at the Montañita Spanish School at info@montanitaspanishschool.com or check out our website at montanitaspanishschool.com.

Come make a difference in the day of some super adorable kids, and learn Spanish while you're at it.