EIL Intercultural Learning

Greetings from Paradise! It has been two weeks since I arrived in the beautiful pueblito of Ventanilla, and each day I find myself more and more tempted to destroy my passport and stay put! Ventanilla is breathtakingly beautiful, with 70km of white sands and clear oceans, a vast labyrinth of a lagoon infested with crocodiles, iguanas and tortugas, and an idyllic island of palm trees and hammocks a short boat trip away! Life moves at a much slower pace here, and it has taken a while to adjust to ´el ritmo tropical´. The heat and humidity means that most of the work here takes place during ´las horas frescas´, from 6am-12pm and 4pm-7pm. Needless to say I don´t mind the descanso in the middle of the day, as it´s the perfect opportunity to chat to the locals, or take to a hammock! The village consists of about 30 families, who have made me feel very welcome, and are really keen to talk about their home and the ecotourism project which they almost all contribute to here in this unique place.

It is very easy to lose track of the days, because the weekend doesn´t exist here - the tour guides work every day to accommodate the considerable number of tourists. Every morning I wade into the lagoon at 7am with the reforestation team, and we plant about 200 red mangrove trees in the shallow water, always keeping a wary look out for crocs....! In 1997, two hurricanes in the space of a month wiped out 70 percent of the Mangrove here, and in order to save the ecosystem, an extensive reforestation project was undertaken. Along with the reforestation team there is a crocodile team, and turtle team, who have looked after these protected species since the hurricanes destroyed their home.

After 2 hours in the lagoon, I usually help out in the restaurant or help collect rubbish from the beach before the heat becomes unbearable. In the afternoon we take the sapling mangroves for the following day´s work from the island, and paddle through the endless winding corridors of vegetation in the lagoon. I have spent the rest of my afternoons going on as many of the guided tours of the lagoon as possible with the guides, who almost all live and have families in the village. Their knowledge of the natural world would put Bear Grylls to shame! The crocodiles often come right up to the tiny wooden boats, but they are pretty passive, and I fret a lot more about my friends the mosquitos! After 2 weeks of tagging along, I have just about managed to translate the whole tour into English.  This week I will start giving English tours, once I have practised my rowing which is an art form in itself! The rest of the time I spend helping out the guides, helping the other volunteers with their English classes on Mondays and Tuesdays, serving customers in the restaurant, and trying to improve the old español! Starting tomorrow I am giving guitar lessons to some kids from the village, and I am looking forward to learning a few Mexican tunes myself!

As the sun sets, most evenings we have a turtle liberation on the beach which is an incredible sight to behold. The eggs usually hatch around this time of year, and a crowd gathers in the evening to help release the hundreds of tiny turtles as they venture in to the Pacific. The first liberation I took part in truly was a sight I will never forget.

Internet access is limited in Paradise, so for now I will have to leave you with this and fill you in on some of my adventures as soon as I can. Needless to say I am having an incredible time and can honestly say I have never experienced anything like this! If I don´t show up in Dublin in September, you know where to find me.....!

¡Hasta Luego!