Hello friends and family!
Kalei and Ariana here! Today was a long day filled with lots of work. It provided us with a glimpse into the lives of Ecuadorians in Guaranda. Our day started at 6:20am and we were eating breakfast at La Estancia by 7am. Once our stomachs were filled with scrambled eggs and cheesy bread, we headed to La Tarabita (Oscar’s family farm). When we arrived, we were greeted by Oscar and his sister Magaly who gave us a detailed tour of their beautiful property that has a striking view of Mount Chimborazo in the distance. Their family grows peas, avocados, peppers, chamomile, uvias, corn, wheat, and so much more! We watched Oscar feed their many fish including tilapia. Next to the pond, there was a pen of four little piglets and their mother. The piglets chased each other throughout the pen as we fed them unripened corn. After feeding the pigs, we were led to another barn where cuys (guinea pigs) were found bundled up on top of each other. Cuys are considered a delicacy here in Ecuador and some of us look forward to trying it!
Oscar had multiple jobs for us on the farm, so we split up into two groups. The first group’s task was to plant one hundred pepper and chamomile plants into separate bags. This group decided to create an assembly line where some filled bags with soil, while others planted the sprouts into the bags. With this team work, after an hour of digging through manure, they surpassed Oscar’s expectations of one hundred bags! Using hoes, the second group had the task of tilling twenty rows on the property which would soon be a place to plant corn and peas. We all had no idea how back-breaking the work is! While a difficult task, we completed Oscar’s request within the hour. Right after, as a whole group, we planted the corn and pea seeds on the tilled land. Oscar expressed that he will send picture updates of our plants’ growth!
After a labor intensive hour, our group was wiped out and needed a snack! Oscar and Magaly provided us with fresh choclo (corn) and cheese. It was quite a treat. Following this break, it was time to create bricks made from dirt, water, sawdust, and ashes! Although this may seem simple, it was a long and tiring process while baking under the sun. First, we had to smash the dirt with a large and heavy stick to make the dirt as fine as sand. We all struggled with this, as the workers told us our shoulders are too tight! Second, we mixed in sawdust and water into the dirt. To get the right consistency, it was a continuous process of stomping, combining, and kneading the mixture. While doing so, we met Maria, an indigenous woman who has been making bricks for over fifty years. Every step of the way Maria was there to fix our mistakes and made the work look easy! With her help, we pressed the brick mixture into the molds to get the perfect shape. Our last job was to milk a cow! Oscar had separated one cow and her calf from the cattle to give us this opportunity. This wasn’t as easy as it looks! Many of us struggled to obtain any milk from the utters, while some were naturals!
Our final moment on Oscar’s farm was having lunch made from farm fresh ingredients including cilantro, peas, and spinach. It was a much needed meal after a hard morning’s work! After lunch, we headed back to the hotel. Once everyone cleaned themselves up, it was time to give our CAP presentation to the Director and teachers of a nearby primary school, Las Gradas. After extensive planning, the staff loved the idea for our CAP project! Now, the moment you have all been waiting for… our project! After having visited the school earlier last week, the staff and students expressed the desire to have the aesthetics of the school improved. We all know that a beautiful campus stimulates children’s learning experience and encourages them take more pride in their education. With the school’s input and the idea of sustainability and feasibility in mind, we plan to paint a mural in the students’ play area. Stay tuned to find out what the mural is!
At our nightly meeting, we discussed the physical labor we saw today with Maria and the brick-making and challenged each other about Ecuador’s income inequalities and made several comparisons to back at home in the U.S. The LDD Torch was then passed to Ellery and Josue – who are going to be great leaders tomorrow!
Thanks for reading and please keep commenting!
P.S.- Hi Mommy, Dodes, and Biji! Miss you guys so much. See you soon! -Ariana
P.P.S.- Hi mom and dad, I miss you tons, but am having such a great time and am so thankful to have this experience. Love you both so much! <3 -kaleiiiii
Hi everybody,
I really enjoyed the working as a local posting. It most be challenging and and at the same time rewarding working as farmer. Hopefully there will be some pix in the future showing the pepper and chamomile that you guys planted. I also didn’t know making bricks was so labor intensive! It was great hearing your voice Ariana! I love the Father’s Day gifts! I think Bijan and your cousins went though the maple brittle pretty quickly with some hot chaee. Bijan is being a good scribe at the office and learning a thing or two. But I think he’s mainly dreaming about USC.
Miss you lots Joojie!
Dad
Wow! I’m exhausted just reading this! I bet you may be a little sore tomorrow 🙂 What a great experience you had at the farm and your CAP sounds awesome- can’t wait to read what the mural will include! Lindsey, I think Simba’s limp is improving! Love you!❤️
Thank you Ariana and Kalei for your blog! I can see by the photos that the group was working very hard today on many different labor intensive chores. As you learned, Oscar and Magaly do these chores day-in and day-out to support themselves and their family. I loved that you all had a discussion about the challenges of Ecuador’s income inequalities and had a chance to reflect upon the differences of our countries.
Keep up the good work!
Skyler’s Mom
PS. Skyler did you already eat that very big bag of snacks?
Ellery, We are so proud of you! It’s fantastic to see you farming and helping local folks by making bricks. Can’t wait to see the mural your group is doing for the school too, and see how your day as leader goes. An interesting thing happened yesterday here: Leah Senang and I hiked that residential hill you & I pass on the way to school. It’s a bit of a grueling hike and includes climbing a steep ravine and walking on a makeshift fire road. Poison oak near trail too. Afterward, we saw a sign for an Open Studio art exhibit in Pinole at someone’s house. Turns out she was the only artist in Pinole who was participating in East Bay Open Studios. Her name is Gabriela Nunez and she is inspired in her paintings, etchings and prints by the women of the Andes. She visits Peru but she said the culture in the Andes is similar in Ecuador too. I bought some beautiful cards of her Andean women paintings. I hope you have had time to buy authentic and indigenous souvenirs there or will have that opportunity in the coming days. Bob misses you – today he had a staring contest with a squirrel on the fence and he won (after 20 minutes and shaking his tail, the squirrel finally gave up). Love you lots. 💜 Mom
Thanks for the wonderful write-up Ariana H. & Kalei S.. It sure sounds like you have all gained new skills that you can bring home 🙂 . EP’s Taos Grandma lives in an adobe house that was built using the same ingredients that you learned to work with today. And EP’s aunt in Santa Fe would appreciate help in her garden as well. Kidding aside – we’re so proud of you all and are happy to see how your daily activities build and expand your horizons in so many ways. Your CAP project sounds like it’s going to be amazing – can’t wait to see it. Miss you EP. xoxo
Hi Ariana, Kalei and all Glimpsers. You guys must be exhausted after such a long day! From tilling land and planting crops, to milking cows and making handmade bricks, you guys did it all today. You will sleep well tonight for sure! The big reveal for the CAP did not disappoint. A mural is such a wonderful, collaborative, and inclusive idea that will leave a long lasting impression at Las Gradas. Can’t wait to see the final product!! Ariana we cant wait to see you in one week! Love you to infinity and beyond <3 (which reminds me……lets see Toy Story 4 when you get back?) Lots of Love and Cuddles, Mom P.S. Are you going to try cuys??????????
Hi Ariana Joon / Super Jooj,
Sooo very proud of you and your group.
Loved your pictures… especially your smile.!!!
Ecuador’s trip won’t last forever, but the memories will.
Love you loads…miss you tons.
Ame Lobat, Amo Syrous
heya kiki, miss you to pieces!. it was papas bday today and we got to facetime with him. he hopes you are having fun. The farming looks and sounds very difficult. we know you love animals and plants though and hope today was enjoyable even with all the work involved. also, baby pigs?! do you think we can make a brick oven in the yard? see you soon Kieran we really miss you. Penny has taken to galloping back and forth across the house while doing her chirps. we think she’s looking for you. Tin tin is mad that it’s not hot anymore and is keeping to himself.
Thank you for the big announcement Ariana and Kalei! Well done. The project sounds perfect and I think it’s great that the global glimpse program teaches you to work with the community instead of imposing our cultural ideas or expectations on them. Can’t wait to see your progress!
Hugs to you Simone. Love, Mom
Hey Yoni!
Sounds like you and Kalei made great leaders. What was the hardest part for you? For me it was waking up everybody in the morning…some girls yelled at me for waking them up early lol. Anyway I am glad to see you and the group getting your hands dirty. I’m sure you all have a newfound respect for Oscar, Maria, and everyone else who dedicates their life to such hard work. Not everybody can do it! I think the idea of a mural for the CAP project is great and I am curious to find out what you guys decide to paint.
Keep grinding Yoni and enjoy everyday!
Big love,
Bijan
(P.S. Drake dropped a couple of songs since the Raptors won the finals…nothing too crazy but definitely a vibe )
(P.S.S. Oliver just told me to tell you that he misses you)
Hi Emily! I know you were homesick when you called but you shouldn’t be anymore…Nellie got sprayed by a skunk tonight and it was one of the worst hits she has had yet! We miss you and can’t wait to see the mural you all paint.
Love,
Mom, Dad, Rachel, Kevin, Nellie, and Joey
Thanks Ariana & Kalei!
It truly was a full day for all of you and I’m sure, most of you have done all these activities for the first time.
Can’t wait to see the mural Josh!
We miss you!
Hi Kalei! Great update and wow sounded like a day of intense labor. The mural is a cool idea and can’t wait to see how it comes along. Time is going by fast and you will soon be back home:) Enjoy every moment of this amazing experience xoxo Mama
Dear Kalei. Thank you for calling me on Father’s Day and for the wonderful card. I love you and am glad you’re having such a great experience. You and Ariana wrote an excellent summary! Love Dad
Hi Glimpsers! What a fantastic blog and amazing day. Must have been a lot of hard work!
Mads- were you able to get milk from the cow? Great photo! Makes me think we should put you to work more in the garden at home 😉
You kids are killing it!! I’m sure your energy has its ups and downs. Glad you have each other to rely on. Have fun!
Wow. What a hard-working experience living like a local. Working on the farm, making bricks is not easy. I am glad that all you glimpsers had an opportunity to have this truly immersive experience. This is also a great leadership experience for you all to look at the current situations, drive social changes and be part of a solution. Great to see you all collaborate together, present to the principal and get consensus and buy in for your idea. The mural project is amazing. Can’t wait to see you all progress through it.
Asha – here at home, we were back to the regular weekly routine of office work and gym. I cooked a lot today and was thinking of you. I am sure you are enjoying the great food there, but I also know that you are looking for some home cooked meals when you get back. Have a fun time.
Mom Dad Ravi Sparky
I want to congratulate you all on your posts – they are so well written, friendly and informative. It is a treat to read about your (long) days and find out what you are doing, seeing and learning. I can imagine that you fall into bed content and exhausted each night! Can’t wait to read the next blog post tomorrow!
glimpsers: they all look very pretty, if they had a hard work, it shows that they enjoyed it a lot and above all ate rich and fresh. congratulations for the CAP project. It’s great and interesting, I’m already worried about seeing it, because we want to see the photos. take care and congratulations. greetings and hugs Josue, we miss you and we love you.
Hey, Ariana, I hope you are having a good time. I think it’s pretty amazing how you guys are helping out at the farm by making bricks and planting plants. It’s interesting how you get to see how life functions in another country. Looks like lots of work, but a blast at the same time. Have fun!
Love,
Jonah