As the Leadership Coach I am the first Lider del Dia (leader of the day). I would like to begin by saying that parents and guardians you should be proud of your children! I am super impressed with their ability to show up and be as present and involved as possible to not miss anything despite the exhaustion level.
So we began the day on 4-5 hours of sleep by waking at 5:30 am and loading up on the bus for a 4.5 hour bus ride to Riobamba. Some slept, some were fighting car sickness as we were climbing up and down the mountains. The view was amazing which made it difficult to choose to sleep. Although, for the most part we all napped a little.
After arriving to our new home for the next 15 days, we dropped our bags in our rooms and had a safety and culture orientation and seminar. La Primavera is amazing, the staff are super kind, the food is incredible, and the outside is gorgeous. Following a super yummy lunch and then a quick mental warm up about the history of Riobamba we took a 15 minute bus ride (private) downtown to see some of the amazing historical sites. In particular the students were most impressed by the great Pedro Vincent Malondado- so much so that Malondado was our Unity Clap word. The train station, the high school, the cathedral, the fountain and all the architecture downtown was impressive. In particular the indigenous influences on El Cathedral stone work was great to see how art and resistance are so important in preserving important stories from history.
Ecuadorian flavors as options for ice cream ended our city tour and then we came home for another seminar- Lider del Dia- so I could pass the torch to the first 2 students. Everyone signed up for the date they wanted, and then we had a yummy dinner, our first successful nightly meeting and self-reflection and then finally time to unpack, shower, and collapse into bed.
Unfortunately, we still haven’t figured out how to upload photos yet, as we are having technical difficulties… but stay tuned and check back in a day or two and we will add photos to these past posts.
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Glad to hear you all had a wonderful time. Thank you for the update. Can’t wait to see the pics! ❤️Miss you Julia..take lots of pics
Wow. Seems like quite an adventure thus far . Hope anyone that got car sick is doing well. Proud of these young individuals who have taken an extra step to self reflect and enhance their vision of life. Have fun!
Miss you Zahra 🙂
Sounds like fun! Faith, your uncle says to stand in the front when you take pics so that he can see you.?
Enjoy! We are all excited for you❤ Love Mommy?
Sounds like a great start to a amazing experience! Don’t miss anything Faith. You can sleep when you get home! ?
I love you!
Dad
Sounds like a fantastic day. So exciting! Can’t wait to hear more. Love to you, Katie! 🙂
Sounds like so much fun… I am sure everyone is having a great time.
Time will fly so treasure every moment.
Everyone, be safe and enjoy!!!
Miss you Zahra.
I know I would have been one of the sickly ones taking a bus through the mountains! Such hearty souls you have. Can’t wait to see more pics. Hey, KK, got the CR-V fixed, again, and Stingray 18s are ranked #1 going into the tourney! Love you, baby girl! -Mama Belle
Hi KK,
Since mom did not want to include me in her message, I’m writing my own. I hope the weather isn’t too bad and make sure to keep a journal of what you do each day (I wish I did that on my trip).
And don’t touch the dogs even if you really want to.
Love Aly
What a fantastic first few days! Packed with experiences full of new foods, sights, travels and friends. Loved the first pics and can’t wait to get more. Love to you Sara and miss you!!!!
History. Love it, such a great way to understand the culture. Cannot wait to hear about it Sara, so excited for you! with love. d
history. what a great way to learn about the culture. I’m excited to hear about it Sara. With love, D
Such great updates! Thanks for sharing. We all know 5 hrs of sleep is nearly enough for teenagers but I’m glad they all pulled through. Take lots of pictures Mindy!!?
*Mom
Sara..to be immersed in a different culture is truly the way to learn and understand others. Oh, that more of us could do that our world would be the better for it. Share your pictures, give talks…you will help us to achieve that. Hugs, Grams
The pics that you do have up are great! Marissa be sure to share your pics that you get. Enjoy this experience as the time will fly by. Love and miss you, Mom
Shiloh aka Ms B
It looks very beautiful and friendly and we enjoyed all of the pictures especially the rainbow. Sounds like everyone is having a good time. It was great to hear how well things are going, seems like a great group of people. We look forward to following your blog.
We are so proud of all the work your all doing
Tons of love, Shayne and Mom
LA PRIMAVERA on 4-5 Hours of sleep? How can you enjoy something so beautiful when you’re all dead on the inside?
Hi Mindy, take lots of pics. There’s some nice sculptures and buildings out there!!!! Miss you!!!