We’ve made it to Guaranda! After a midnight landing and stay in Quito, we traveled the day on windy roads past the beautiful Chimborazo mountain to our new home. The students marveled at the scenery around them and after arriving got acquainted with the immediate local area. After lunch, the glimpsers sat down for personal check-ins to discuss health and safety information and got to decompress from the long journey. Next came dinner, followed by a seminar on daily protocols and a breakdown of tomorrow’s itinerary.
My first impressions of the trip are extremely positive. In our nightly meetings we reflect upon the day’s activities and overall vibe, and when it was my turn to share tonight I spoke about how open everyone has been in getting to know one another. The excitement of this new experience has a resonating effect on their attitude towards each other, and it is great to see the friendships developing from the very beginning. Alex, another Global Glimpse program coordinator who sat in on our meeting tonight, gave the students an important piece of advice: make this place your home and everyone in it your family.
The next couple of weeks will be filled with a mixture of experiences and emotions, and it’s important that we are all there for each other in good times and bad. I am grateful to have such compassionate and caring students and leaders here in Guaranda and excited to partake on this adventure together!
Big Love,
Jeromie Whalen
Global Glimpse Leader
Click here to see a quick album of our first day in Guaranada!
Thank you for the update!!
Jeromie! Thank you for the beautiful first blog and your stunning pictures! Your words brought tears to my eyes as I’ve dreamed of seeing students from different communities, backgrounds, and perspectives across Western Massachusetts come together through Global Glimpse for a decade. We are immensely grateful to you and Jean-Claude and so happy to hear that the first day has been so positive and that students are stepping out of their comfort zones and having their eyes opened with every step they take.
I will be sending courage to these brave students, I hope that you all soak up every moment and treasure the experience of being on such powerful land so close to the sun and the equator. It is magic. Alex and the Ecuador team are incredible, I so look forward to following your journey over the next two weeks!
I am so happy to see all of these amazing photographs and to know that your trip is off to a wonderful start!
Thank you for the amazing pictures, looking at them brought tears to my eyes, but from the emotions to see my daughter living that wonderful experience.