Hola familias y amigos!! This is Clarisse and Nancy and we had the honor of being Day 11’s Líderes del Día (Leaders of the Day). Today we got to experience how it is to live like locals in the Nabuso community. We traveled up the Andes Mountains in an hour long bus ride to meet and learn about the different experiences that the community members have faced. The Nabuso community is a small rural town located in a valley. The bus ride really allowed us to indulge ourselves in nature, not typical in the busy buzzing cities of California. We got to see breathtaking sights such as the Rio Blanco River and along that we also got to see many plantations and farm animals. Upon arriving, we were in awe about how different the town is compared to Riobamba because of how spread apart the houses were. In addition, the houses there were simple but more than enough for the community members.
Upon arrival, Charito, the community leader, greeted us with breakfast. Charito is one of the survivors of the 1999 Tungurahua Volcano eruption which severely damaged her hometown, Puela. Charito and her neighbors were forced to move to a town an hour away. Her experience inspired her to strive for economic independence with different projects within the community. Charito had a tough time adjusting to her new life for the next couple of years, because of the debt that came after losing her home. However, with her son’s help, she was able to surpass the challenges she faced as she worked her way to a new beginning. Today, Charito proudly welcomes everyone to her new home in Penipe, Riobamba.
After breakfast, we split into three groups. The first group went to Marta’s mother’s house, another Nabuso community member. A season or two ago, her mother grew Alfalfa and potatoes on the land right next to her home but today, we helped them level the land so that they can start growing the grass they use to feed their Guinea pigs. Guinea pigs, one way they make money, are sold in the city every weekend. Sadly, we weren’t able to meet most of the community members because tomorrow, being father’s day, most of them went to the city to sell their products in order to buy the fathers a gift. The second group went to Marta’s husbands house. They were also expected to level the land the land right next to their home. Marta’s husband owned chickens which Will and a few others were able to pick it up. Half-way into the activity, both groups decided to switch (not knowing that we were doing the same thing). Leveling the land was much harder than any of us imagined but we were all very proud of the outcome.
The third group went further down to the mountain side. We helped the community members remove the weeds and plants growing into the road to help clear a path for the machines to even out the road. The community members used machetes and hoes to chop off the plants while we threw them down the hill. We all worked together pulling out the plants and lifting up the rocks. This activity gave us an idea of what it is like to do work that we normally don’t do back at home. There were many bugs and it was dirty, but that didn’t stop us from working together to get the job done. Seeing us collaborating with one another helped us realize one of the main components of being a glimpser.
Afterwards, we hiked back to Charito’s house for lunch where we were served with chicken, rice, potatoes, corn, and fruit juice. The food was simple, but delicious after a long day of work. The chicken was cooked to perfection and the rice was topped with a spicy salsa. After lunch, Charito told us her story and how she was able to overcome the struggles that came alongside it. Her story inspired RB1A to no matter how bad life may get, as long as we work hard, we can create something even more beautiful than what we may have had before. Even though the Nabuso community may not have the same opportunities as people living in the cities, they still were happy as any other person.
We then headed back to the hotel for an hour of free time and then around 4:45, we held group discussions reflecting about today’s activities. Afterwards, we had dinner at Roma Santa. Tonight, Mama Isabel’s menu consisted of pizza, broccoli, and Coca Cola, giving us a little taste of home. At our nightly meeting, the leadership torch was handed off to Louis and Aaron after presenting their talents. Louis performed a bunch of difference accents and Aaron juggled apples that were supposed to be tomorrow’s snacks. Today was an amazing day for all of us and we cannot wait to see Aaron and Louis do a fantastic job leading our team for tomorrow’s hike up the Chimborazo Volcano.
Hasta pronto, Clarisse y Nancy
Shreysi,
Seems like today was the hardest day of all, in terms of the physical labor. Good to see you smile while working in the field. Where are the gloves? 😉
Listening to someone else’s story provides one with a new perspective and ability to respect their hardships and constraints. I am sure it had some positive impact on you!
Counting our days to see you!!
– Shreysi Dad
Amazing work done today by all the glimpsers. I’m sure the Nabuso community will benifit from your hard work in years to come. That was a lot of work for a day! I’m glad after all that sweat, you get to enjoy pizza and Coke! Shreysi, i’m proud of you for learning and experiencing so many essential life skills. Hope you are staying healthy and taking care of yourself, waiting to hear from next time- love Mommy
Hey Will, were you picking up chicks again? Looks like all you Glimpsers worked really hard today. And what great lessons you learned. Since you’re probably reading this at the end of the day Sunday, hope you all had fun hiking the volcano! I’m looking forward to reading about it and seeing the photos.
I think this was the most memorable day of your stay in Ecuador. Thanks for another inspiring read!
Luisa, hasta la victoria, siempre!
What an experience! You are all so blessed to hear of other life stories. We can’t wait to hear about the volcano hike! Love you, Zachary!!
Ben, it is clear that you have embraced this experience with heart, and muscle! I have a few rocks that need moving!
Through acts of kindness we show others that we care, but more importantly, compassion leads to understanding what journeys others face.
You’re awesome!
Manual labor might have made your arms sore. Hahaha, good job guys!
Dalila, I’m going to show grandpa the picture of you working on vegetation. Te va a poner hacer eso cuando regreses. Haha.
Guess what! Vane climbed Half Dome at Yosemite, I forgot to tell you last message. She did it!!!!
Have fun, ma.
Ps. Mexico just scored!!! GOAL!!!!!!
shreysi – hey best friend! sorry I didn’t get a chance to comment yesterday until super late but I’m still alive if that helps! I loved reading about your day and I’m so glad to see that you got to help out the community. I love you so much and literally can’t wait until you get back p.s – I also had pizza yesterday!
Sounds like a productive day. We love hearing what the group is up to. It seems like you are a really nice group of people, and we are enjoying the daily blogs. Thank you daily leaders for the details you provide.
Bryn, we miss you. Wish you were in more of the pictures. Heads up for a sailing Sunday and lots of family joining us this weekend to see you. We are proud of you and love you so much.
Mom, Dad, and Kelly
Hi Kai. Looks good. Pretty eventful experience. We are so proud of you embarking on this adventure. The scenery looks beautiful and it seems the kids are having a great time.
Kayla is here for the weekend. Aiden’s team tied 1 game and loss 2. Aiden pitched 3 1/3 innings. No runs scored. It’s a great Father’s Day weekend knowing you’re exploring and having fun.
Aloha. The Gang
What a memorable day in so many ways! Thank you for sharing all your hard work and compassion… you are all amazing! I hope hearing the personal stories will resonate with you and inspire you all to continue to embrace every opportunity to learn and share your talents! ? Skyler- we love you and are so proud of you!
Hope you are using your bug spray ?
Love Mom, Dad and Austin
Lots of hard work today Nancy, don’t overwork yourself! Mom and Dad are doing great! Mom changed dad’s room a bit and it looks very lively and spacious now. We’re celebrating Father’s Day today with Com Tam and later Danny’s birthday with Dave and Busters. We’ll try to get you something pig-related! We all love you and miss you a lot! Except for Kathy and Danny. She’s having the time of her life. We can’t wait until you come back, maybe Cotton won’t bite you!
– Mommy and T ❤️
We’ve been busy here, so distracted. Today is the first day it has really set in that you are a long way from home. Also a long time! We miss you Kevin.
Congrats to all the Glimpsers on all your hard work (and play). It is impressive how productive you all are. Enjoy your last 7 days.
Hey Kaylee!!!! I miss you so much! I hope that you are having a great time in the Dominican Republic. It has been so long since I have seen you! I can´t wait until I can see you on Tuesday. I have been texting you the entire week! Why haven´t you responded? I know you still have your phone with you. Anyway, in America, Florida has voted to secede from the US. Good riddance!!!! LeBron James won his first Master´s at the America´s Cup Golf Tournament! He scored the winning touchdown!
At home, James and his underwater basketweaving team advanced to semi-finals in the State Championships. Grandma went shopping at Whole Foods, and Dad is traveling to Soviet Jamaica.
Hope you are having fun,
-Mom
Dang Sela i see you putting in work LOL. I can’t wait to see you girls 3 more days!!! wait actually 2 & a half!!!!!!!!!!!