From
a safe distance, Ian Henderson observes his son Harry grow from boy to man on a
volunteering trip to Ecuador.
This article first appeared in The Sunday Telegraph.
This article first appeared in The Sunday Telegraph.
Gapyah. You may have seen those YouTube
videos spoofing the offspring of the British middle class chundering their way
around Thailand and Australia somewhere between school and university. It’s
become a modern rite of passage and the rise in student numbers means more of
our youth than ever before are setting out into the world in search of freedom,
enlightenment and cheap beer. Which means more parents fretting over how to
broaden their little darlings’ minds without them getting jailed, mugged or
worse.
For the last generation a gap-year
experience often started with just a rucksack and a student railcard. But in
these more risk averse, culturally aware times, there’s a whole industry geared
to travel for the 18-24s. The best of these firms promise fun, adventure and
like-minded company as a volunteer on worthwhile conservation projects in a
choice of far-flung places – some of which could genuinely do with the help,
and a good percentage of their revenues actually go into those communities. It
looks like the perfect answer to a parent’s dilemma; but is it?
As I watched my eighteen year old disappear
into security at Heathrow on his way to join a group of volunteers in Ecuador, I
felt the same as any parent seeing their child leaving home; pride, anxiety, even
a kind of grief. Ecuador was Harry’s choice – he’s about to start university to
study Spanish, so it makes some sense. And while all the traditional student destinations
are available to volunteers from Botswana to Bali, South America is cool, cheap
(once you get there) and best of all, a long way from Mum and Dad.
Harry was going to spend a few weeks with a
group of other British kids aged 18 to 23, helping rebuild a school in the
Andes and working with a tribe in the Amazon rainforest. That was to be
followed by a week’s R&R on the surfing beaches of Montanita, with the
option of a trip to the Galapagos. He’d been uncertain at first but a call with
Alice, bubbly organizer at The Leap (she’d started out as a volunteer then stayed
five years) was enough to convince him to leave behind the Olympics, annoying
younger siblings and his beloved Xbox.
The trip out, via Schiphol to Quito, could
have been challenging for someone who previously had to be reminded to take his
travel card to get him to school each day; but Harry’s closely-written journal
dismisses it as problem-free and moves rapidly on to the more immediate matters
of remembering the names of the girls in his group (three of them conveniently
called Emily, along with a Daisy and a Becky) and locating an all you can eat
Mongolian restaurant. (He’d taken the precaution of packing a bottle of spicy
chili sauce, rumour having it that Ecuadorean cuisine tends to the bland.)
Tedious bus journeys and even more tedious
Spanish tests play a big part in the first few days of his journal. Sanding
roofs and painting walls on a schoolhouse and a church in a village called
Chilcapamba hard work at first, but it’s not long before the mood relaxes and
the writing flows more easily. There’s growing satisfaction in the work and friendships
flower under cloudless skies high in the Andes. They take a day’s hike around
Lago Cuicocha, breathless in the hot thin air, cooling off in the waters of the
crater lake. A boy called Luke cuts his foot swimming in the plunge pool of a
tall waterfall. There’s a day off at Otavalo market town, buying llama-wool
hoodies and sweet fresh-made pies.
Some companies leave the volunteers to
themselves, but most have a couple of guides who are around all or most of the
time. Not an easy role – the point of the trip is to be independent so the
guides need to balance being part of the gang while gently keeping things on
track. The Leap’s guides seemed to get it about right, taking care of minor
mishaps and advising on places to avoid while joining in activities like
whitewater rafting and zipwires – even the occasional drinking game. That’s one
parental worry of course, but happens everywhere there’s a group of teenagers;
another is the risk of crime. One boring bus journey – from the Andes down to
their next job, in the Amazon rainforest - was relieved by the satisfaction of
seeing a couple of thieves arrested for lifting one of the group’s cameras. The
group soon learned to look out for each other and part of the guides’ job was
to warn them off taking unnecessary risks.
Another worry is drugs; apart from the
obvious, ayahuasca is a hallucinogenic root made into tea as part of Amazon
tribal culture. Some would argue it’s the source of South America’s own
literary genre, magical realism. Ayahuasca allows the village shaman and elders
to communicate with the spirits of the jungle; an irresistibly enticing idea
for any adventurous young adult. The guides were very clear that it was a
choice but most wanted to try it, even though the results are being very sick,
seeing faces in the trees and a lifetime aversion to ayahuasca.
As well as hallucinogenic tea the villagers
had more entertainment in mind at the expense of the volunteers. Given nets,
they were shown the local river where they duly failed to catch the local small
black fish, invisible against the black sediment of the river bottom. After a
while the villagers relented, hauling a generator out of the bushes with an
electricity cable into the water, stunning the fish which were then easily dragged
out using the same nets. Another lesson in appropriate technology; much the
same, in a way, as getting the volunteers to cut down thousands of leaves and
re-roof the village hall with them.
That’s not to say the volunteers felt
exploited; most understood it was a privilege to be living among the Colorados
(so called as they dye their hair red) in the virgin rainforest. Doing
something genuinely useful was really the least they could do; and the visitors
got their own back by soundly beating the villagers in a farewell football
match. Then it was time for more all-day truck and bus rides for a few days
relaxation on the beach at Montanita – the high points of which were taking a
boat out to watch newborn whales and bonfire parties on the beach. Experiences
any parent would wish for their teenager; ones which they’ll remember forever.
Along with being driven around town in the back of a police pickup with
flashing lights and the driver shouting that it was the gringos’ last night in
Ecuador, so to get out of the way. Harry’s journal closes with just the right
balance; not wanting to leave, but not being able to wait to get home.
It was good to see our son again;
especially as he came back more open, more confident, more himself. He’d grown
up a little, had a lot of fun, done something worthwhile and come back safely.
The trip had worked. For both of us.
THE INSIDE TRACK
- · Volunteering is not a cheap holiday. Discount airlines don’t go to to places like Ecuador and the organizing companies have to pay for reliable guides as well as transport and accommodation. Then there’s the beer money. Some kids will work to pay for it all themselves, others will go to the Bank of Mum and Dad.
- · There is an independent register of gap year travel companies called THE YEAR OUT GROUP (www.yearoutgroup.org). About 38 members who have to comply with code of conduct and are vetted and financially checked. Thirteen YOG firms operate in Ecuador.
- · Check with the firm how much of their revenue gets spent in the destination country. A good ratio is 65% - some firms keep substantially more, which doesn’t help the local community quite as much.
- · Think about when to go. If there’s a whole gap year to play with, choose the right season; if you’re restricted to summer vacations choose your location. (Ecuador is on the equator so the seasons don’t vary much; further down South America it can be cold and rainy during our northern summer).
- · Be aware of the risks, but don’t worry about them; take sensible precautions, lock up your stuff whenever possible, be aware of people trying to slip you drink or drugs and look out for other members of your group.
WHAT TO TAKE
- · The volunteering firms usually provide a clear list of what to take, but the essentials are good walking shoes, quick-drying clothes, a torch and protection against rain and insects.
- · A currency card. Preload a card at home – Harry used Travelex – and you can withdraw money from ATMs without worrying about getting it stolen or giving others access to your bank account.
- · Get a local mobile and SIM card for those reassuring calls home; much cheaper than using one from home, and less difficult to replace if it gets stolen.
- · An open mind. The point of these trips is new experiences; for some it may be the first time away on their own, and the vagaries of South American transport and plumbing may take some patience.
HOW TO GET THERE
- · STA Travel (www.statravel.co.uk: 0333 321 0099) organize student-friendly flights to Quito. It’s worth asking about student prices, but expect to pay from £650 return (one stop, depending on airline).
- · The Leap (www.theleap.co.uk) organizes 6 or 10 week volunteering trips to South America, Africa and Asia with a good mix of locations and activities. (01672 519922; info@theleap.co.uk)
This article first appeared in the Sunday Telegraph
