Today I stood on a hill over one of Ecuador´s highland towns, Otavalo, and drew the scene before me in my sketch book. Steep curving young lush mountains patch worked by farms surround this northern highland town. Grey icy white clouds added depth and texture to the sky and hung around the bases of distant mountains.

Two years ago I spent an afternoon in this town, which holds one of South America´s biggest artisan markets, with 15 other PLU students as a part of PLU´s J-term environmental literature class. I have returned to explore further what captured me on my first visit. I´m taking things slower, staying in places longer so that I can catch the things I missed before.

I´ve been in Ecuador for five months now, studying Spanish at one of Quito´s language schools. Time has truly flown by and I can´t believe I´m almost done with my language school. Next weekend I leave for the coast to work on an organic permaculture farm to learn some hands-on skills in sustainability. In January I will start doing research with Kate Fontana and Dr. Bergman on how oil development has impacted indigenous communities in Ecuador´s Amazon rainforest region.

Oil has left scars upon this country in the form of ecological destruction and human health and rights violations. From 1970 to about 1992 thirty times more oil than was spilled in the Exxon Valdez disaster has been spilled in Ecuador. Oil companies have dumped billions of highly carcinogenic waste from the drilling process into unlined pits, swamps, streams, and rivers. Sadly Texaco, a U.S. oil company, is largely responsible for much of this ecological and human health disaster.

As I have already written friends at home the question that daily chases after me is: "how can we live more socially and environmentally responsible lives then we have been?" Lives which honor both human and non human life. While I´m here I want to learn more about how the way people in my country are living is affecting others beyond our boarders. I hope to start discovering the road to my ever persistent questions about ethical living. Already I have some ideas. Consume less. Reduce your consumption of oil. Purchase locally. Base your ideas of success not on money or material possessions but on your relationships to other and the earth. I´m sure my upcoming work on the organic permaculture farm will offer me more.

Thanks you Ecuador for a wonderful eyeopening experience so far, I´m looking forward to the upcoming weeks!

Cheers and peace to all,
Rachel