Hi GG families and friends, It’s the Líderes del Día,

We started the day off at 5:30 am; waking everyone up for our 6:50 am departure to eat delicious breakfast at Isabel’s place. On the menu were coconut granola, orange cake with passion fruit syrup, scrambled eggs with veggies, strawberries and grapes, and higo tea as a beverage. I personally love Isabel’s cooking. After breakfast, we had our mental warm-up, which consisted of information on the two factories we visited today.

Victor drove us to the first one we visited today which was Cerquie, a quinoa cereal factory with a goal is to feed malnourished children. We were given a tour of the factory and got to see how Quinoa Pop (the cereal brand) was made. We also got the chance to buy some Quinoa Pop. Our next stop was the Zapateria Arevalo. It is a local family-owned business in Guano. Some students had to step out of the factory and head to the garden outside due to the strong fumes from the glue that was used. We learned how to make shoes and the history behind the factory. After the tour of the factory, we sat in the garden and practiced mindfulness. We sat on the grass and appreciated the nature surrounding us.

After Zapeteria, we traveled back to Riobamba for our self-reflection where we discussed our observations at the factories. Afterwards, we traveled to Isabel’s again for her lovely food. For lunch, we had yellow rice, fish or chicken, and salad. For dessert, we had Blackberry ice cream and hibiscus tea for the drink. It was delicious, as Isabel’s food always is. We walked back to the hotel once we all finished our meal. The group had a little bit of free time to spend until our CAP seminar. Some people took naps, played games, or called home. When the free time was over, we headed straight into our seminar. We were introduced to Despertar de Los Angeles, a school for Ecuadorian children with special needs. After the seminar, we got onto Victor’s bus and traveled to the school. The drive there was short but scenic.

The school was empty upon our arrival, but it still had so much life present. It was colorful with mountainous views surrounding the area. There were even dogs. Katy, our tour guide, showed us around the campus and explained to us which areas needed the most improvement to aid in the development of the children. When the tour was over, we all eagerly headed back to Isabel’s restaurant. Before dinner, the group played games to get to know each other, like “The Great Wind Blows,” and “Heads, Knees and Shoulders,” which became extremely competitive but brought the group a lot closer.

After seeing the school we’re going to be working at, I am extremely excited to do our Community Action Project and I believe the rest of the group shares this opinion. I’m looking forward to the upcoming days!!

Lots of love from Trinity and Ytzel