¡Hola from your Líderes del Día!

Today we started off early at 7:30 a.m. and headed to breakfast at Roma Santa. We had sausages, eggs, bananas with strawberry sauce, peaches, and bread with cheese filling. It was really tasty! Afterwards, we left for Pucará Tambo, home of the Cacha people, the first official indigenous community established in Ecuador. It was only half an hour from Roma Santa!

When we got there, we were greeted by Cesar, a spiritual leader and tour guide of the community. He led us in a traditional spiritual cleansing ceremony that involved various herbs used to rid people of bad energies. The herbs smelled very natural and were a big change from the cities most of us are used to. We were then given a tour of the botanical herb garden and the small museum that housed Cachan artifacts.

We then had the pleasure of meeting Poncho the alpaca and Michaela the llama. They were both quite friendly and photogenic!

Afterwards, we ate a traditional indigenous lunch that consisted of corn, potatoes, cheese, other vegetables, and a special oatmeal drink. The meal was vegetarian, and it was really enjoyable!

Following the meal, we drove back to the hotel and had a seminar about teaching English. Spanish speakers were assigned to teach the basic English, while non-speakers will teach more advanced students. We start tomorrow! Woooooooo!

After the seminar, we walked to dinner at Roma Santa, where we had chicken soup, garbanzo beans, and tea made specially to cure stomachaches. The food was delicious!

Then, we went to our nightly meeting, where we reflected on our day and gave shoutouts to people we appreciated. After, we passed the LDD torch to the next leaders: Fabi, Elena, and Pana. It was an honor being the first student LDDs, and we wish the best of luck to tomorrow’s leaders!

– Kenson and Adri