Hola!

Today we had our second “free day” from the two weeks we have been in Ecuador! Unlike the last “free day,” where we had to be accompanied by our Global Glimpse Leaders, this time we were able to go on our own in groups of 4 or more Glimpsers. People separated into groups and many of us explored the downtown area. Many of us were able to buy more accessories such as necklaces, keychains, and even blankets and ponchos! Many of the Glimpsers were able to buy Ecuadorian chocolate, which tasted amazing. Everyone was able to call their parents, which made everyone happy to be able to do so! The day was just filled with fun adventures which everyone enjoyed!

What stood out to me today was that the Glimpsers were able to take in more of the architecture and energy of the city. Simply trying to cross the streets was exciting to us because you need to get with the rhythm of the cars and the locals. Also, all the one-way streets and lack of traffic lights felt completely different than what we Glimpsers are used to in the US! We also had more time to be able to explore the downtown area by walking with our groups. Some of the glimpsers who are non-Spanish speakers had the chance to expand their Spanish and tried their best to speak to the locals without any help from the Spanish speakers.

My key takeaway as a Glimpser and being Líder del Día is making sure every Glimpser was feeling okay and checking up on every one of them. It’s a responsibility that I needed to make sure I was doing throughout the day. From this experience, I was able to grow more confident and learned not to be scared of asking people if they were feeling okay, and finding out if they needed anything.

Chao!