3 months in the jungle

Voices of Volunteers

Amazonia! The one I’ve always dreamt of. Big trees, the endless rivers, animals with the most creative survival strategies… I’m here, at last! Here we go for three immersive months in the indigenous Shuar community, where we will participate in various construction projects, teach English classes at a school, and experiment with a lifestyle that is diametrically opposed to the one in Brussels.

An indigenous community caught up in globalisation

When I talk about my experience, my close relatives picture me in the jungle we see in Tintin comics. In fact, it was not exactly like that.

To visualise the location: we are in southeastern Ecuador, situated between Macas and Macuma. The family Tucupi’s land is situated in the heart of the forest, on the outskirts of two idyllic rivers.

Indeed, we live simply. It’s in the rivers that we bathe, where we do the dishes and the laundry, but also where we take the necessary water to cook and drink. We live in tune with the sun, we use our flashlights, and we gather around the fire. The families, in large numbers (up to 12 children per household), live together in very simple houses.

However, most of the indigenous communities are now part of the globalised world, with no exception for the Shuar community. A concrete road connects the main villages. Residents move around by bus or hitchhiking. Their clothes are the same as those worn in the cities (we even see logos such as Coca-Cola or Hello Kitty). Many adults have a phone. There is no signal, but several internet antennas along the road.

The cabin and its housemates

I’m staying in a small cabin that I adore, built almost entirely with the forest’s natural elements. I have so many neighbours. There is César, Lucy and their son Tuntiak (which means “rainbow” in Shuar), but also other volunteers. We’re taking care of two dogs, a pig and 30 hens. We’re observing butterflies, ants and spiders. In my cabin’s roof, I’m encountering bats, one gecko and a mouse… It gets really crowded!

The inspiring Shuar community

• The living conditions of the Shuar are complicated: land grabbing, pressure from human activities on the ecosystem, and few income opportunities… Despite all that, I’ve been hugely impressed and inspired by the community. Why?
• Their wide range of skills: the Shuar know how to do everything! Unlike our highly specialised society, over there, everyone can do a bit of everything: build a cabin or a tarabita (a gondola enabling the passage from one side of the river to the other), plant, hunt, fish, cook, nurse, etc.
• Their hyperactivity: they’re early birds and always in movement, always a project in mind. Never put off by the difficulty of a task!
• Their calm spirit and their catchphrase: no te preocupes, which means don’t worry.
• Their extraordinary solidarity among members of a community. The family bonding. We’re helping each other; we share. We laugh together over a drink of chicha.

César: the true king of the jungle

The most memorable person of my stay was the president of the community, my host and friend: César! He has a kind look, an easy laugh and a natural welcome. He believes and applies the runoff theory: he wants the money he receives from hosting volunteers to go back into his community. He creates jobs, protects his forest. He’s also badass. The strongest man I’ve ever seen (do you see Jérôme in Bob and Bobette?). He carries enormous loads, crosses rivers and climbs trees at night to catch frogs. He knows how to identify the edible root, the healing sap, the leaf that heals and the one that stains wood. César is teaching me how to find my way in the jungle, how to move around safely and how to handle a machete like a pro. There are no two days ever alike: building a kitchen, fixing cabins, making a fence with bamboo for the vegetable garden, and installing a running water supply system (1km of rubber running through the virgin forest). Every morning, I tell myself that his project of the day is impossible to accomplish. Every evening, I realise that… we did it! Without needing Panoramix’s magic potion.

What I bring back in my suitcase

I’ll go back to César’s jungle in my thoughts, whenever our world seems a little too crazy, a little too fast and a little too sick. I want to keep the peace of mind, the simplicity of life, the connection with nature, and the strong bonds with the neighbours. Thank you to SCI, to the foundation Chiriboga and to the family Tucupi for this unforgettable slice of life. By integrating myself into another culture, I grew up. I’m a better version of myself (and not only because I now know how to cook plantain banana, and Yuka like a queen). And one thing is certain, when I grow up, I will live near a river!

Yuminsajmé,

Elena McGahan, volunteer at SCI Belgium