Hola Todos! My name is Zainab Haque and today I was Líder del Día, or Leader of the Day. This was our second free day, and this time we were able to travel without any Global Glimpse Leaders. It was an interesting experience because we were able to explore by ourselves and undergo different challenges.

My group went to different food venues because the shops were closed on our first free day. We went to Tia, which is a supermarket and bought some stuffed animals and face masks. I got a stuffed cow and named her “Mooria” for Maria (haha get it). Afterwards, we went to a bakery called Dolce Tomacito to get some sweets. We ate ice cream, milkshakes, cake, cupcakes, and coffee. The designs and drawings on the walls were wonderful to look at and made the time even “sweeter” (aha). Once we were done with our deserts, we went to a restaurant called Folk. Unfortunately, they were not open during the time we went and we could not get any hamburgers. Fortunately, we walked to La Bohemia, a blue and pink colored restaurant, where we ate sandwiches. During that time, we saw a protest for better laws on the transit system. The other group went to supermarkets and souvenir shops and bought many beautiful items, such as bracelets and lanyards.

For our second time out, I went with Dania, Andrea, and Sophia to a hardware store to get out materials for our CAP project. We were able to buy enough for the bookshelves that we wanted to create. Later, we got ready for our 3rd session of English tutoring. Everyone went into their respective groups, based on different levels of English, and begin working furiously on a lesson plan. We then walked to Verbo Divino and taught our classes. Personally, I love my English class because the students try their best to speak English and participate. I realized how difficult it is for teachers to create a lesson plan and teach the class. Although the language barrier was an obstacle, my partner and I were able to work around that and effectively teach the students.

One thing I learned from this day is how to communicate better in Spanish. It is not easy trying to speak in a different language, but with hard work and courage, it is possible. Becoming Líder del Día opened my eyes to the challenges of leading the day. I was constantly checking the time to make sure the group was not running late and making sure everyone was safe while roaming the city. Despite this, being the leader was an. I empathized with the past LDDs and saw the beauty of leadership. I have a new found appreciation for the Global Glimpse program as it allowed me to learn more about Ecuador and what it takes to be an effective leader.

Sincerely,

Zainab Haque 😀