Amelia Harrison Hall has been volunteering in the shop for almost two years, doing that hard-to-get-up- for shift at 7 a.m. on a Saturday morning. 

This Summer she went with World Challenge to Ecuador to help refurbish a school.  We spoke to her last week. 

Amelia’s World Challenge trip to Ecuador and Galapagos, August 2010

It’s a long way to go to get out of your early morning Saturday shift.  Why Ecuador and the Galapagos?

Ecuador appealed to me because I have never been to South America before, and I felt that discovering new cultures would be interesting and exciting. The Galapagos Islands have always been somewhere that I have heard and learnt about, but never thought I would get to, so when the chance arose I grasped it. I was excited at the prospect of seeing the fantastic wildlife.

What is World Challenge?

World Challenge organises trips for school groups all over the world, with the aim of building life skills and raising awareness of the environment. We had to plan the itinerary ourselves and raise money for the trip, and once we were there we took turns at leading the group for the day, and budgeting the finances etc.  

We know you had to raise the money for the trip yourself, was it difficult?

The first year was fairly challenging, as at 15, finding a job proved difficult. However, my friends and I organised countless supermarket bag-packs and we arranged cake sales and car washes at school. I also organised a Quiz Night in the Memorial Hall, and last summer two friends and I were sponsored to walk The Cotswold Way; 102 miles in a week, camping each night.

What did you do when you got there?

We straddled the Equator in Quito, we climbed Cotopaxi, the world’s tallest active volcano.  It is just over 5000 metres, and many of the group suffered altitude sickness, but luckily I was OK.  We also trekked to an amazing Crater Lake at Quilotoa, we harvested cocoa pods in the rainforest and made our own chocolate, and spent a week working at a village school in El Chaupi.  We also did white-water rafting, zip-wiring, and lots of trekking.

 

What did you do at the school at El Chaupi?

On top of our personal funds we raised $1500 to buy resources for the school. We bought cement, electrical wire and lightbulbs, paint and other materials, and spent the week renovating the classrooms, painting murals and creating a new playground for the children.

 

How did you prepare for the trip?

I tried to improve my fitness by going to the gym, and doing several long walks, but it is difficult to prepare for altitude sickness.

Where did you stay while you were out there?

We usually camped, or stayed in local hostels.  We rarely encountered hot water, as there was very limited electricity.  Food was pretty basic in the remote areas, and we roasted guinea pig for supper one night.  We saw a tarantula at breakfast one morning, and met several huge scorpions.

What was the highlight of your trip?

Probably the Galapagos islands.  We were really excited to be allowed to go as only a few groups are given permission, since tourism is now strictly controlled.  We sat down on a bench when we arrived and were surprised to find an enormous sea lion curled up beneath it!  We went snorkelling in company with turtles, humpback whales, sea lions, white-tipped sharks and a manta ray.  We explored the Lava tubes on Santa Cruz, and met Lonesome George, a giant saddleback tortoise aged 100, who is the last of his species.  We also saw land iguanas, pelicans and blue-footed boobies.

So did your experience of working at the shop help prepare you for the expedition?

Yes – definitely. All the skills I have learnt like problem-solving, communication, teamwork etc came in really useful!