Bienvenidos!

October 9, 2009 9:37am CT, Bogota, Colombia: Welcome everyone to My Galapagosian Adventures. I have never been a blogger, but I feel if there is ever a time to start, it might as well be now. For those of you who can't tell from the title, I am heading down to the Galapagos Islands for the next three months. Through the organization Galapagos ICE (Immerse, Connect, Evolve), I am heading to the town of Puerto Ayora on the Island of Santa Cruz to volunteer in a local ER. In addition, I plan on finding other ways to help out the community such as helping construct a library (which I am doing for the first two weeks as I work on my Spanish).

So why the Galapagos? As my Mom clearly stated to me, I could have the same experience (volunteering in a local hospital in a poor Spanish speaking area) by driving less than 20 minutes in my car at home.


Well simply put, I wanted to do something that I would never get to do again. I had never been to South America before and the Galapagos Islands aren’t exactly the first thing that comes to mind when I think of them either. When one thinks about the Galapagos Islands, they think of tortoises, finches, blue boobies, and Darwin. They are considered a national park in Ecuador with some of the most exquisite wildlife imaginable. I plan on spending my free time exploring everything these islands have to offer.

But that is not the primary reason why I am down here. While the Galapagos Islands are the ideal vacation spot for those who want to integrate with nature, the people who live there and the way they live is usually overshadowed. The people who live on the Galapagos are not native to the land like the Aborigines people of Australia. They are transplants from Ecuador, many of whom work for the hotels, restaurants, and shops geared at tourists. The luxury of working in the tourist industry along with the 11% unemployment rate has resulted in a fast increase in the number of people who are migrating from the mainland to the islands. Since the year 2000, almost 10,000 people have migrated to the Galapagos Islands raising the total population to 30,000 people. As a result, there is a tremendous amount of poverty though that exists on the island and the health care that is available is incredibly insufficient. Most people on the islands will get their annual checkups on the mainland, an $1,110 burden.

When I came across the Galapagos ICE website, I saw that their program offered me the chance to work in the local ER in Puerto Ayora. In addition, the program encourages its volunteers to work on some type of project while they are down there. Whether its bettering an after school program or looking at ways to improve the quality of drinking water, Galapagos ICE appears to have immersed itself into the daily lives of the people of Puerto Ayora. My plan is to assess the overall health of the residents of the four major towns on Santa Cruz and then report these findings to a health campaign called Ponte En Forma.

I have been incredibly fortunate to live in a very nice neighborhood just outside of Denver and my parents provided me with private schooling for all of my life. I’ve never gone hungry, never had to worry about the water I drink, always was able to see a doctor when I was sick, had ski lessons, went on golf trips with my Dad, and attended summer camp for eight years. I have the closest of home friends and have made even more friends through youth groups and college. My life so far has been a blessing and I know that most people in the world dream to have the opportunities that I have been provided. This is the reason why I am going. I want to immerse myself into the community of Puerto Ayora and improve the quality of life for its members. I want to develop a personal connection with the individuals I will be helping. Even if I can help better just one person’s life, the trip will be a success. I’ll admit, I could have gone to Ethiopia or Honduras, some of the poorest countries in the world, but Galapagos ICE seems to offer me the chance to contribute the most.

After 14 hours of travel, I finally got to my hotel for the night in Bogota, Columbia. Our plane must have landed with ten others because the customs line to get into Colombia was about ten times longer than any line I have seen to get into the US. I started talking to this guy named Ron who told me he ran track for the Virgin Islands and competed in the Olympics in 84, 88, and 96. I didn’t even know they had a team. Being in Bogota, I have to say that I have a lot of Spanish studying I need to do and that South America is completely different than Mexico (as in Cancun or Puerto Vallarta). I am happy to state though, that I am not completely lost in translation, so I guess my Rosetta Stone is working J. I am only in Bogota for the night and I leave tomorrow at noon for Quito, Ecuador. Because of my wonderful Jet Blue All You Can Jet Pass, I was able to get down to Bogota for an extra 28 bucks, which in turn saved me about 700 dollars of travel expenses. I definitely used this pass to the max! Since my parents love me and care for me so much, I promised them that I was just going to stay at the hotel in the morning rather than venture out into the city, although if there is a hotel sponsored tour, I’m going to try to convince them to let me go. I arrive around 3pm Central time in Quito, Ecuador where I am staying at a hostel that Jake Singer recommended to me for the next 3 nights. I am planning on going to Chabad on Saturday night for Simchat Torah, so I’m pretty excited about that. It appears the Chabad Rabbi doesn’t really know English that well, so I guess I’ll be working on my Spanbrew. I then depart Monday for the Galapagos where I will be until January 5. I know this was an incredibly long post and that my writing style just doesn’t compare to Mr. Qatar hero, but I hope that this blog will still encapsulate you and allow your mind to be in the Galapagos with me.

Chag Sameach!