Today was a very long day, but nonetheless it was enjoyable. Breakfast consisted of a cake dish, a plate of fruit, and a small plate of eggs. Following this we kicked off our day by practicing some military drills to wake everyone up just a little bit.

After everyone was prepped and briefed on the plans for the days events we got onto a private bus that took us to our first destination in the city: A train station dedicated to one of the founding fathers of Ecaudor. This led into us visiting a museum with small train figurines that showed what types of train once led commerce into Ecuador. After the museum, we visited a statue of Pedro Maldonado as well as a Cathedral which had a statue of Saint Peter at the top. (Saint Peter is the Patron saint of the city).

After visiting these landmarks we stopped at a restaurant and enjoyed two dishes. The first was potato soup with chips in it, alongside a tea from the Amazon. The second dish was a small plate of chicken, vegetables, and rice alongside green tea with strawberries in it. The desert was a very small plate of funnel cake with some chocolate sauce at the top.

Some of us made a point to play with the son of the restaurants owner, and we enjoyed a nice game of pseudo volleyball/soccer in a big circle.

Before we went home, we stopped at supermarket in which everybody had a chance to pick up the junk food of their choosing. Some of us (myself included) made a point to buy washcloths and drinks for when we’re in our rooms as well.

After getting home, we got to enjoy a seminar in which we were prepared to teach the locals (ranging from ages 6-20) some english. We were instructed to create a lesson plan as well as plan some materials that we think we might need to teach the kids.

We met some tiny Ecuadorian children and played actual soccer and volleyball back at the hotel, and the stopped to watch a short documentary before dinner. Dinner itself consisted of rice, some beef, vegetables, and quiche. After dinner we concluded our day with our first complete nightly meeting as well as a nice game of manhunt.

Just so you all don’t worry – I set a precedent as an excellent leader of the day by keeping everyone’s children safe. In addition, everyone is getting along very well. Despite the fact we’ve only known each other two days, we’re speaking to each other as if we’ve been friends for years.