Being the first Leaders of the Day puts a lot of pressure on us, but with the help of Emily, Nacho, and our GG leaders we learned to overcome nervousness and shyness. However, our day started off pretty hectic. We woke everyone up extremely early, about 30 mins earlier and we banged on their doors to make sure they wouldn’t go back to sleep. Breakfast was at 8:00 and the food was delicious and everyone ate well and enjoyed it. After breakfast we took a short commute to the city center of Riobamba and we were divided into teams and given questions to complete tasks about Riobamba and Ecuadorian and Kitchwa culture. We started at 10:30 and ended at 12.
So, I’m Michelle one of the leaders of the day, and I’d like to talk about my group during the scavenger hunt. A very intelligent young woman named Lisa who is very well spoken when it comes to group meetings in speaking Spanish helped at lot in my group because we didn’t speak as well as she did.
I’m Palden some shy kid form Brooklyn and I’d like to say how proud I am of my group on how well we worked together and coexisted as a team. We were extremely competitive, we wanted to win as much as we wanted to learn about the extravagant Ecuadorian culture. Perla, Waleska, and Emelyn did an amazing job of being confident and bold asking random strangers questions about the culture of Ecuador. Perla basically led the team with her amazing skills and communicating with Ecuadorian people and helping our team get points as well as enlightening and opening our minds about the Ecuadorian culture.
Later on after the trip we commuted back to our hotel and after 2 hours, we were headed to Nativa, an Ecuadorian restaurant. Before we feasted, we headed back to the kitchen and made empanadas. Everyone seemed to have a lot of fun with smiles on their faces and experiencing how to make empanadas. Even though I’m pretty sure no one made a perfect empanada, it’s the effort that counts! After an hour or so we got to eat our handmade empanadas which were surprisingly good and we also got to try new fruits of the country Ecuador. Ecuador has a lot of weird looking fruits but it’s not about how it looks; it’s about how it tastes and it tasted really good. Soon after everyone was really having an amazing time sitting around and just getting to know each other better and as Leaders of the Day we had to summarize how the day went, then as a group we talked about the good and the bad things about how the day went. We shared our talent and everyone seemed impressed and had loving energy. We ended the meeting by passing the torch to the next Leaders of Day and I hope we helped and set a pathway for others on how to be a leader and to improve ourselves from here. We wish the next Leaders of the Day nothing but the best!
OMG! I imagine the hardest part of being a leader is getting everyone awake in the morning! Eliza – hopefully you remember how to make those empanadas, you must make them back home for us. Scavenger hunts are so much fun! Sounds like you all had a great day.
Xoxo
Jodi
Good morning, please can you, take picture from my son alvin mooi, my mother want see what he doing! Thank you, wish you all have a very fun days..
I love the pictures.Breana mommy miss you?
Emely’s mom
Oooh, my God, they cook, I’m happy and proud of all
Where can I order some of those empanadas?
Tigga we miss you so much hope you call today….love you
Sounds like a great foodie day with great PROTEIN ( 🙂 Josh!). Looks like alot of fun! Enjoy! Can’t wait for you to make them at home!
Looks like a great foodie day with lots of protein (Josh – 🙂 !). Can’t wait until you make them back at home! Enjoy!!!
Looks like a great foodie day with lots of protein (Josh – 🙂 !). Can’t wait until you make them back at home! Enjoy!!!
Hey Kevin. Ok, so you can come back and assist your Mom in making her delicious empanadas even better (lol). Enjoy my love!
Jaydel, Imani, and Josh,
Hello from Walach, Nina, and Jessica in Constanza, Dominican Republic! Have a fun trip and enjoy being liders del dia. Jess: “tip for being LDD: project your voice and remind people of what they need.” Nina: “Hey, it’s Nina! I am about to be LDD tomorrow. The DR is pretty litty. I hope you guys made some awesome friends, but no one beats the people here. Have fun!!”
Sabrina, Perla, Waleska, Frankie, and Jessica,
Elice: “A tip for being LDD: be aggressive, but be friendly. I love you guys!” Marilyn: “FRANKIEEEEEEE! I MISS YOU! All this interconnectedness, but we’re still miles apart. Take plenty of pics wifey.” Yadhira: “Waleska! Stay safe and tortilla.” Luna: “Hey, I love you guys and I hope you guys really learn and grow from this trip. I can’t wait to hear about your experiences and read your blogs.”
Tyrese,
Abdul: “Hi have fun, and enjoy yourself!”
Wow! Looks like a foodie day and more! (with protein, Josh!). Can’t wait for you to make the empanadas here at home! xoxoxo
What a fun filled day you all had! I agree with Jodi, waking up everyone in the morning must be tough! ? Matilda, please make sure to get the recipe for the empanadas – cannot wait to have some when you get back! Looking forward to the next post and pictures! Have an awesome day everyone! xox ?
Wow! You guys rock! What an amazing experience! I’m sure you are making some lasting friendships! Daniel…now you can help Grandma make the empanadas?
My lil day ❤️ Can’t wait for you to cook for me
So, Andrew—will you be cooking empanadas for Dad and me when you return? Firefly will let me the empanadas, too! Yatb, Mom
Hey Kevin. Hope you are continuing to enjoy your trip. Can not wait to hear all the exciting experiences!!!!! Love and miss ya.
To Michelle, it was glad to hear your voice on the phone and know that everything is going good with your Trip. You are thought of and missed everyday… I know at times it can get hard being away from home, just like when i was away from you guys when I went to Puerto Rico for a month to help them out after the hurricane. Your almost done and everyone you know is missing you terribly even Roxy…. Remember keep your head up… Your work with the community is important.
God Bless and Love You Very Much……
Hi Kevin. Just checking in! Love and miss you much. I read the exciting blogs and it seems that you guys are experiencing a great time, one that you can someday share with your children. Your family is super excited to hear all about your trip! Only one more week and you can share ” your trip” with us. Your Mom called me to tell me she spoke with you, can’t wait to see your experience unfold as the team leader, I know you will be great a great leader! Love you and continue to enjoy. See you soon!