Good Evening from Ecuador,

Today we woke up late at 8 in the morning and got ready for another exquisite breakfast by Chef Isabel such as Ecuador’s native fruit, Tuna (NOT THE FISH), Kiwi, Eggs, toast and fresh fruit juice. Before we went out our fantastic LDD (Leader of the Day) stood up and had us listen to Ecuador’s national anthem. Led by an amazing LDD, we headed to the internet café where we called home.  Then we went to the Ecuadorian market to buy a variety of handmade crafts.

Calling Home!

Valeria and her new pet Riobamba Baby!

Jocee, Jax, Max and Diana showing the local fashion!

Rose, Max and Jocee showing their Riobamba Bling!

So next we had a delicious lunch chicken, veggies, potatoes, and fruit juices.  Now that we had more energy we went back to the hotel and decided to go get DELICIOUS ice cream (which canceled out the fruits!).  We walked to a beautiful park where some played soccer against some fun locals (who were impressed with our skills), some played games while others exercised.  We all then went to the local grocery store and discovered the snack aisle – both salty and sweet!  The flavors here are different from what we find in the States to match local tastes.

After the fun, it was back to back to work.  We had English tutoring tonight and we finalized our lesson plans. There were three different groups who will be tutoring three different classes of English Learners.  Since it’s summer the students were adults because the children are on summer vacation. Everyone was nervous, but for never having taught a class before, we did terrifically – but we realized the challenges of teaching!  It is much HARDER than we thought and we have a newfound respect for our teachers!

Since tutoring was in the evening, dinner was late so we ate at eight.  We had beef, salad, potatoes, rice, and a delicious cake.  After dinner, we were tired from our day and Jax even fell asleep at the table!  We headed back to the hotel and had a brief nightly meeting where the LDD gave a fantastic, unique and breathtaking speech. He then passed the torch to tomorrow’s leaders.

Since we ended our meeting at 9:30 pm, we only had a half an hour to hang out at our spot – the roof deck of the hotel where we can bond and enjoy the beautiful Ecuadorian skies. Tonight is supposed to be COLD – down to 32 degrees!  BRRRRRR!

Leader of the Day!!!