Carnival weekend is a time of fun and mischief for most Ecuadorians. (Carnival is the same holiday as “Mardi Gras” only with a water fight theme instead of masks and parades.) However, 22 Alliance Academy International high school students (and several adults) gave up vacations on the beach, favorite television shows, and even running water for four days (Feb 25, 2008). They spent the long weekend camping out on the floor of a small high school and eating meals cooked by a local family in San Juan, a community near the dump in Manta. During the school year, this same group of students organizes a Wednesday afternoon club for approximately 40 children at the Zambiza dump in Quito (and volunteers at the Extreme Response Daycare), so the Carnival trip was a natural extension of the yearly community service project.

The purpose of the trip was to provide a program of activities for over 100 children, who otherwise might not enjoy their vacation. The high school students prepared songs, stories, hygiene lessons, crafts and games. The children loved the framed Polaroid picture craft. The next morning, the students helped the children trace and cut out their hand prints to make sequin-decorated butterflies. Another afternoon, the children painted creative designs on t-shirts. Long after song time was over, the children were still singing a song about a “sapo” (frog) and a Spanish version of “John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt” (Juan Paco Pedro de la Mar). The children loved running under the colorful parachute, and playing duck-duck-goose or freeze tag. The hula hoops and jump ropes were also popular novelties for the children. The high school students quickly became friends with the children, and the farewells on Saturday morning were only softened by the hope that the group might return for the 2009 Carnival vacation.