Hola todos!

The Guaranda Global Glimpse program had a big day today; we learned about an amazing cultural tradition and visited a museum to learn more about La Carnaval. We started the day with a large breakfast including eggs, bread, and surprisingly, blackberry juice! After, we visited a curandero, or healer, in San Lorenzo named Adan Angulo. He explained about and performed a ritual called La Chakana, which addressed the purification and celebration of the unity of the cosmos, the earth, and everything below. The setting of the ritual was next to a large river, causing Emily N. to get her shoes completely soaked! After Adan demonstrated La Chakana, we had a period of time to ask him questions about his life and the ritual. Many people stepped out of their comfort zone to ask him these questions in Spanish! I was especially impressed by Lucy’s courage in asking multiple questions about Adan’s family and the cleansing ceremony.

   

After the cleansing that left everyone feeling calm and mentally purified, we went back to the hotel and had some free time. Kieran taught a group of Glimpsers how to play Egyptian war, an extremely complex but exciting card game. Although we played many rounds, Kieran won all of them. After accepting that he was the master of Egyptian war, we went to lunch, where we got to try cow liver. Although the texture was hard to enjoy, we were all very proud of ourselves and each other for trying this new food. Some of the other foods we were able to experience were fried beef, chicken with cheese and ham, a potato puree, and maduro, or sweet plantain.

Soon after lunch, we went to Museo La Guitarra, or Guitar Museum. The building gets its name because it is actually in the shape of a guitar! This museum helped us learn about the history and tradition of Carnaval in Ecuador. After the museum, we took the bus to a neighboring hill where we got some amazing photos of the landscape and architecture of Guaranda.

 

We had an amazing day today and we learned a lot about indigenous cultures in Ecuador and how these cultures manifest themselves through traditions and customs, like La Carnaval.

Shoutout to my family and my dog—Love you guys!

Asha J.

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