Day 5: Global Business

Hi from Dina and Madison!

Today was Global Business Day. We had the pleasure of waking everybody up at 6:00 am… we were really tired. We walked to Roma Santa at 7:00 am for breakfast where Isabel provided us with oranges, watermelon, plantain, bread with peanut butter, coffee, tea, and orange juice. After breakfast, we took the bus to Guano, a city half an hour away from Riobamba. First, we visited Fábrica Cerquié, where Eduardo, one of the founders of Cerquié Qropppy’s, talked to us about the process of how quinoa cereal is made. They make quinoa cereal in flavors like vanilla, chocolate, and passionfruit. Some members of the group purchased the cereal, which was delicious! Then we took a short bus ride to Zapateria Arévalo, a local shoe factory in Guano. We had the opportunity to see the construction of a pair of shoes and learn about the history of their small business. A few people purchased shoes, and then we went to a nearby park (where we discovered an El Chavo statue!) to reflect on everything we learned from the small businesses and how it relates to global business. After that, we took the bus back to Riobamba, snacked on cholitas, and played 2000s trivia.

We had lunch at 12:30 pm, where Isabel made quinoa salad, chicken, french fries, and white rice. Afterward, we walked back to the hotel, where we had a little free time, as a leadership meeting was taking place to prepare for the next leaders. Around 2:45 pm, we took the bus to our CAP partner, Despertar de Los Ángeles, a local center where disabled children can receive services including hippotherapy, canine therapy, and hydrotherapy. We met Lisette, Pamela, Tamara, and several other staff members at Despertar de Los Ángeles. They gave us a tour of their facility, told us about their mission, and shared the greatest areas in need of assistance. We came back to the hotel, reflected on the discovery portion of the CAP project, and began the process of designing our project.

We had dinner at Roma Santa around 7 pm, where, to our surprise, we had dinner with the other Global Glimpse delegation from the Bay Area! We ate lasagna and avocado salad and we were able to talk with some of the Glimpsers from the other delegation. We came back to the hotel, enjoyed some free time, and had the nightly meeting. We then passed the leadership torch to the next Líderes del Día: Cynthy and Jennifer! It was a packed day and everyone was exhausted, but everyone was able to learn more about local businesses in Ecuador, and we’re excited to start our CAP project soon!

Personal Messages:
Hi to my family and friends, missing you guys! Thanks, Mama for commenting with the surprise songs! Love you TIAB (Madison)
Hi Mom! I miss you so much. Say hi to Abbas, Yara, Hassan, and Adam! (Dina)

We’ll be in touch with you in 2-3 days, parents! ?