Hello Everyone! My name is Stevia Ndoe and today I was the Líder Del Día (aka LDD). Today, the RB2D group learned about Global Business through talking with and learning about the international quinoa business run by native Ecuadorian people. We traveled to Chimborazo to meet people who worked at COPROBICH (a corporation in Ecuador that makes and exports quinoa internationally). The facility was large; filled with large machinery and amazing people. Here are a few interesting facts about the quinoa business in Chimborazo that we learned today. The Ecuadorian quinoa exporting business was originally started by local quinoa farmers in Ecuador, but many large corporations started to take over the enterprise by lowering prices so much that is was difficult for quinoa farmers to grow and sell quinoa and still make a profit. Thanks to Fair Trade regulations, native Ecuadorians can grow and sell their quinoa internationally, without the worry of being pushed out of the business. Something that I learned today about local businesses is how important it is to support them. More times than not, we are forced to buy from brands who do not instill good labor practices because they are cheaper. From this experience, I understand how necessary is it to buy from local businesses (if possible) or advocate for local businesses/support their products. Support local businesses!

Aside from learning about global/local businesses, our group had our 3rd day of English tutoring. They usually say that “third times a charm” and today was no different. I think that all of the tutoring groups can agree that today was a really great day for tutoring. Not just because our students are learning but also because we are learning. We are learning how to lead, teach, and help others. I know that I’ve also been learning a bit more Spanish, which is really exciting. It is really motivating seeing the students learning English and it really motivates me to be better at Spanish!

Today was a great day and I know that tomorrow will be even better! Thanks for reading 🙂