Exploring Education at Adolfo Kolping School and Projecto Recreo in Riobamba

Buenas tardes from Riobamba!

Andre & Sam here,

We have had a wonderful first four days here in Ecuador, meeting our fellow Glimpsers, leaders, program coordinators, and Ecuadorian people. We started off the day at 6:30am, scrambling to get ready. We were anxious to learn about Riobamba schools and educational system. We had an amazing breakfast of bolon de verde with a fried egg, and delicious tea.

Sam speaking. My favorite experience was at the first school we visited, called Adolfo Kolping School, where we heard about how Adolfo Kolping deals with the Ecuadorian government’s requests to change its curriculum to better match all of the other schools in Ecuador, while also trying to maintain its identity.  We listened to the school representative for our Community Action Project, where we learned about the school’s need for students to express themselves and better paint on the sports courts. I was especially surprised about how the Adolfo Kolping school has struggled with government control even while trying to improve the school. I was also proud of how my fellow Glimpsers were very punctual and were on time to the bus and food time every time.

Andre here, today was full of amazing, fun, and interesting experiences. Overall though, for me, the most fun and enjoyable experience was visiting the second school, Projecto Recreo. Projecto Recreo was for ages 5-14 and was an after-school program for families who needed support to take care of their children after regular school. We donated some school supplies thanks to our fellow Glimpser Alden and his family. The reason this activity was so special was because of how patient, creative, and smart the students were. They we not upset about the language barrier and engaged us in their drawing activity. We also found ways to play games that didn’t require language such as tic-tac-toe, hangman, or origami. What surprised me the most was their patience. I know that, as a kid, I would not have been patient enough to hold a conversation and interact for almost 2 hours with another person who spoke almost no English. We found ways to navigate past the language barrier.

Overall, we had a great time today learning about the education situation in rural Riobamba, enjoying the Ecuadorian food, and learning how to be an excellent leader. Now, we’re about to head off to bed and move on to tomorrow’s activity. ¡Buenas noches!