Click here to see pictures of today’s adventures!

From the calming sounds of a running river and letting go of bad vibes; to the stunning views of Guaranda and learning even more about the party city’s Carnival, today we dove a little bit deeper into both the ancient and modern traditions of the people of Ecuador.

Hey everyone! My name is Jeisanelly Hernandez (Jessy), and I had the honor of being the first Lider del Dia of the trip for today’s Indigenous Worldview day. We started the day off with a yummy breakfast of an omelet, bread, fruit, and yogurt with freshly squeezed juice from some of the fruit we had bought at the market yesterday. Then we had the opportunity of getting to do an ancient ritual with a curandero, or healer, in San Lorenzo named Adan Angulo. Adan brought us on a hike along the river telling us about a couple of medicinal plants and their properties and how people in the past and present use these plants for different problems. Afterward, Adan led us through a serene ritual right next to the river called, La Chakana, where we celebrated the unity of the universe, Mother Earth, and everything below, followed by a cleansing to definitely get rid of any remaining bad vibes.

After leaving Adan feeling light and free, and a hearty lunch with some good ‘ol fresh passion fruit juice; we headed up the mountain to La Guitarra museum, getting the name from being shaped like a Guitar! There, our PC’s, Marco and Margarita, taught us more of the history and tradition behind Carnival. In Carnival, there are important people traditions like the Taita Carnaval, who generously sponsors the party, and the Queen of Carnaval.

Finally, we got to thinking about our Community Action Project聽 or CAP project for short, and how we can get more involved with the community with thinking of important questions to ask for our Education Day such as who, what, and why to get a basis on how we can help.

Being able to experience such an important part of someone’s culture and belief was truly an opportunity I will carry with me forever. I’m forever grateful that Adan shared this meaningful celebration with us and proud of how respectful and open minded the group responded to Adan. Taking a deeper dive into the history of Guaranda allowed the me to truly appreciate the city and its uniqueness, beauty, and happiness even more. Guaranda is truly an amazing place and rich with history. I’m happy to have been the first to help show everyone its beauty. 馃檪

Big Love,

Jessy
Lider del Dia