7 de Junio 2011 - 19 de Julio 2011

My time in the RBCS was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It is something I will talk about for the rest of my life!

After my first year of veterinary school, my brother and I decided to take a trip to Ecuador to improve our Spanish and do some volunteer work. I arrived in Ecuador proficient in conversational Spanish (but rather rusty after some time not using it) and Isaac (my brother) spoke non at all. Marcelo (the director/owner of Cerro Seco) was incredibly patient with the two of us and our varying levels of Spanish. On our first day there he showed us around the preserve, took us into the town of Bahía, and cooked us some delicious ceviche. In addition, Marcelo (who is also a trained veterinarian) took me on a wonderful bird-watching hike (if you are a birder, Cerro Seco is the place to be!). 

In our 6 weeks on the preserve, I did everything from paint a church in the local town of Bellavista to talking on the local radio station about controlling the domestic dog population. The atmosphere at Cerro Seco is very laid back, and each day is different. I attended meetings of the local government to discuss water resource issues (I was not a participant, just an observer), helped to build a new section of a green house, cooked a LOT of amazing traditional food, took daily hikes to the beach, planted native trees for the reforestation effort, saw incredible sunsets, went birding, talked to local school kids about environmental issues, camped on the beach, and the list goes on and on. 

If you are someone who needs a strict schedule and is highly organized, Cerro Seco may not be the place for you. While they do a lot of really great things and have many wonderful projects going on, sometimes the day-to-day activities can be a little disorganized and it can feel like you don’t know what is going on. But if you are looking for a more laid-back atmosphere and a chance to practice your Spanish in a an incredible setting, go to Cerro Seco!

Emily Windle, EEUU