By Olivia Van Norman
Staff Writer
English teacher Cameron Chow traveled with 33 Costa students to South America during Spring Break from Mar. 31 to April 10 to tour and do community service in Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands.
Mira Costa has been doing this trip for years, but this year, students and staff helped to improve the quality of life in Ecuador for the first time in 3 years. Students worked two days of community service to help bring clean water to a village of indigenous people in the Andes.
“We dug a trench to let water flow to the nearby city,” junior Zack Saros said. “Then, we built a fence using tree trunks and large branches so an old woman’s animals would not escape from her farm.”
The following day they helped an old woman with tasks she could not do herself. Some students and adults carried tree trunks and branches to build a fence for her animals so they wouldn’t escape.
“I feel much more connected with the Ecuadorians when I was carrying the tree trunks because I know I was helping them out by doing something that they physically cannot do.” Saros said.
The first stop in South America was Quito, Ecuador, where the Costa students and chaperones spent most of their time. They also visited a local community the same day to explore the culture of the people living there.
“We stopped in the savanna where Mr. Chow let us go and explore,” Saros said. “The scenery was absolutely amazing, I’ve never seen anything like it before.”
This group also visited a women’s community in Ecuador. There they helped them complete chores that would otherwise take a long time. Students and adults harvested vegetables, carried sticks, and chopped wood. In return, the women taught them how to make wool from sheep and make clothing.
“We helped at a women’s shelter with their chores and saw what it was like to live there,” junior Sammi Block said. “It was a super awesome experience.”
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