I was told today that when we travel, time moves both incredibly quickly and incredibly slowly at once. We have just finished our fifth full day in Ecuador, but even though our activities fly by each day, each of us feels as though we’ve been here for weeks already. As today’s “Lider Del Dia,” I had the blessing and curse of managing our very first free day. We were encouraged to think about how we could best take advantage of our time today, and truly connect with the culture and with the experience. Although each of us wants to explore so many parts of Riobamba, we did an amazing job of coming together to form a plan we would all enjoy!
After eating a delectable breakfast that was similar to a tamale, we arrived in the heart of the city at 9:30 to begin our adventure! On our first tour of Riobamba, we strolled through a market in an area called “Plaza Roja.” We didn’t have the opportunity to spend much time there that day, so we were eager to go back and investigate a bit more closely! It was so fun to watch all the Glimpsers perusing each tent to see what treasures they could find, and then try their hand at bargaining (Since we can’t typically bargain at home, it was so fun to see everyone getting excited about receiving a discount of even just a dollar!).
After about an hour of shopping, we decided to go our separate ways until lunch. Amanda led a group of 6 Glimpsers on a walk through the city, and a tour of the Colegio de San Felipe and the Basilica. The group shared such interesting, funny stories of their travels with us at our nightly meeting tonight, and they sounded like they had an amazing adventure! Mr. Biaye led the other 15 of us on a (very confusing) trip to an internet café near our meeting point. Everyone scrambled to claim a phone booth or grab a computer to check FaceBook – I mean, we’ve been without social media for almost 6 days now; we just HAD to post a status and message some friends! As we walked back to the meeting point for lunch, the Glimpsers all had huge smiles on their faces(:
We had a delicious lunch in the city at a restaurant called “Rayuela,” which is where we get to eat tomorrow too – Yay!
Towards the end of dinner, the discussion had turned almost entirely to thoughts of having ice cream at everyone’s new favorite ice cream shop. When we got there we indulged in flavors ranging from Oreo to native fruits like Naranjilla!
Back at the hostel, a large group of Glimpsers decided to take a trip with Amanda and Hector to go for a run in a park about a mile away. They came back later gushing about the beauty of the landscape they’d seen, and we were told about the different animals (like cows and sheep) and other people they had seen in the park! When they returned, we all reconvened in our “classroom” where we were treated to a traditional Ecuadorian Folkloric dance lesson. We were greeted by a dance instructor and 4 other dancers wearing the traditional clothing for their respective dancing (Which, by the way, was incredibly beautiful!). Though we struggled in the beginning to keep up with the pace of the instructor, each of us had a wonderful time laughing with one another and learning 4 different dances.
At the end of the lesson, we were exhausted, but how could we go a day without playing our favorite group sport? A bunch of us divided ourselves into teams to play soccer until dinner (The final score was 1-0… Almost winners!)
Our nightly meeting was filled with smiles and positive attitudes about the amazing day we’d shared with one another. After just 5 days, we’ve all become immensely close as a group! We’re a family away from our families now, and I can’t wait to see what the next 13 days will bring us(:
Time for shout outs! *Ahem*
“Happy birthday, Mommy! I love you and miss you so much! Hugs and kisses xoxo” – Erica Andersen
To Arjun’s family + Alondra: “It was great talking to you today! I wish we could’ve spoken more… Today was amazing! I am slowly but surely becoming a soccer phenomenon (Sort of). I hope to call you again in a few days!” – Arjun
“S/O to my parents… I’m safe BTW, but you know that! Puszi” – Rebecca
“Hey, family! Today was so fun! We shopped at a market in the city, ran in a beautiful green park, and played soccer! We also got to take dance lessons with some locals. It was so much fun! Can’t wait to tell you more awesome events! Love you!” – Abbie
“Shoutout to Brent for making sure there were no problems with my plane ticket(:” – Jacob
“I hope Sachin’s graduation went well, and that he had a great time at Great America. I’m having a lot of fun, but I miss you all!” – Sandhya
“Liebe Grume aum Riobamba, Ecuador! Mir gents gut, und ich hoffe es gent euch auch gut! Schonen Grub an alle und “mucho amor” aum Ecuador. Deire lieblings tochter” -Marlene
“Hi, Katrine (?)! don’t think you were expecting anything from me, but here I am! Just wanted to say that I’m definitely alive! To my XC team, I’ve actually gotten a run in at this crazy high altitude. The biggest problem with altitude training is that there’s less oxygen. Lactic acid builds up pretty quickly. I find myself out of breath before I actually start to sweat!” -Anthony
“The altitude training here is amazing and only my legs seem to feel it. Anyways, I would just like to say that I am alive (Surprisingly!)” – Emanuel
And to my own family: Congratulations on your graduation, Zander! I’m so incredibly proud of you, and I can’t wait to celebrate with you when I come home! You better be home next time I can call! Love you all so much xoxo -Laynie
Hey Arjun, didn’t get a call but that’s okay I know you’re busy having fun! Get good at soccer so we can play against my tios and cousins when you get back! Miss you.
We love you too Laynie <3! Thank you for supporting me on my journey through middle school, and I can't wait to join you in the next year! You are a strong independent woman now, and you can never lose my respect. I am growing teary-eyed just thinking about what was in the past, and what is to happen in the future! I love you SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much <3 🙂 xoxo-Zander
Hi Helena! I really enjoyed your blog…well done! Zander had his 8 grade graduation yesterday, and despite the fact that we missed you, we still managed to have a wonderful time! I was thrilled to hear your sweet voice this morning …truly a treat. Slaap lekker laynie! Dikke kus!
Wow!!
Quite an amazing journey.
We really enjoy reading about it and feel really great about this program. Enjoy every moment.
Thanks for all the juicy details about your day, Helena! Very packed for a ‘free’ day 🙂
Go XC team members!! Arjun you must have enjoyed being able to run today. Glad there are other runners along for the journey. Yes, was great to hear your voice this morning, Arjun. Your enthusiasm was infectious: Appa and I chatted about the call for quite some time. Now I’m hankering tamales for breakfast….
Love, Amma
I was just reading your blog. We’re proud of you! Groetjes uit B.
You seem to have great experiences and adventures there, Helena! I hope you keep enjoying your trip, whilst I have most likely a very different experience in Vienna! I look forward reading the next blog!
Beautiful blog, I can envision you all walking through the streets of Riobamba and I wish I could have joined you on your run in the park! It is so magical to see you all having this experience that I only imagined possible when I first set foot in Chimborazo in 2012.
Much love from GG Headquarters,
Eliza
Hi Abbie,
So great to hear your voice the other day (sorry to miss your call). You sound so happy and all your experiences sound wonderful! Would have loved to have been in on the run, dancing, and market day! Dad made it to the top of Half Dome today. We miss you but are so happy you are having a great time. Your sisters say they miss you a lot but have fun and be safe.
Mom, Haley, and Kimberly
Sandhu, we miss you too! It is just too quiet with you but I am glad that you are having a great time. Sachin had a wonderful graduation and tomorrow a bunch of his buddies are coming over to our house.
Take care,
Amma
Hey Champ! (Christian) looks like you having a super great time. Enjoy it. Te extranamos aqui en casa ,pero estamos orgullosos de ti. Te amamos y Have fun !!
Hi Abbie,
Have been following your blog. Sounds like a wonderful experience. Cant wait to share them with you. We return to Vermont on Wednesday. LOve you and continue to have an amazing time, Nonna and Papa.
Me fascina verte en las fotos mi hija. Ya veo que fueron de compras, lo que te encanta hacer. Te vez feliz. Sigue disfrutando y aprendiendo de Riobamba, Ecuador. Besos y abrazos!
Ola Helena, what a wonderful and exciting trip you make in Ecuador.
I notice that you are enjoying every minute there.
It will be an experience that you will never forget.
It must be so enriching to see how they live there.
I’m really jealous 🙂
And what a total different nature…beautiful. (You know the landsscape where I live here in Belgium….boring….)
I wish you the best for the next days of your stay (half way I guess.. To quick?)
Muchos besos y ambrazos (tambien a tu madre y tu hermano Zander)