Hello, my name is Moises Torreblanca and I was the leader for the sixth day in Ecuador. Day six was a free day in which we, the Global Glimpse group, had the chance to be able to explore the city of Riobamba more in depth and have fun. We started the day regularly, and at around ten o’clock, we visited the park named Guayaquil. This park is right in front of the hostel we are staying, so it was the first place that we visited. To get to the actual playground of the park, the group had to walk a twenty minute path. There was a little stream that ran next to the path, and there were cows grazing along the stream. There were also locals working on their farms, tiling the earth and caring for their plants. In the park itself, some of the people in the group played basketball with the locals, myself included, and lost spectacularly. Others walked around the park, exploring its attractions and also buying cotton candy. Later on in the day, after lunch, we were able to explore the downtown city of Riobamba for about three and a half hours. The first stop the group made was visiting a market, much like a flea market, where indigenous people were selling their products. Some of these products included scarves, ponchos, bracelets, hats, and other such things that we were able to purchase as souvenirs. We were able to talk to and interact with the indigenous people in the market, which made it all the more interesting. After the market, we continued on in the city and we were able to see more of the life going on in the city while also exploring some stores. Our second main destination in the city that we reached was another park, which was something similar to an amusement park. There were many people, and there was also even a pool in the center of the park which had boats on the water that some Glimpsers got on and used. These were the main things that we did on free day, where we were able to have fun and learn more about the city life.

As for myself, being the Leader of the Day allowed me to be able to take on more responsibilities that I never took on while in the states. I had the responsibility to not only take care of myself, but also the entire group. This required me to be on top of what the group had to do next and keep everything in order. It was challenging for me, but it also taught me that being a leader is something that cannot be done easily or taken lightly. Getting the attention of the group and having everyone move along with the schedule was a crucial task that takes a lot of commitment. I learned that I need to put myself more out there to take control of things. Today was a fun day, we were able to see many things in the city, and I hope that the trip will continue be this way.

Walking to the park

Cow by the river in the Morning

A great view near the park in the morning

An older playground

Playing basketball with the locals

The Riobamba Bullfighting Arena