Today we woke up in San Andres (small town in Riobamba region) and got ready for our last day in Ecuador.
We drove to a local school, which was no more than a five minute drive from the hotel. There were 6 different classrooms, ranging from 5/6 year olds in first grade to 7/8 year olds in third. We rehearsed what we wanted to say (in Spanish) as we visited each classroom and were ready to deliver the goodies.
Each class had 23-29 students, all working on art, math or language. They were SO excited to have us. We spent a few minutes in each classroom where Loganites got down to chat with the little ones and I spoke with every teacher. The kids at this school come from many little areas, some from indigenous communities in the mountains. All teachers were very thankful, a couple specifically said that they were so thrilled for the students because their parents don't have the ability to buy such things. One asked for a baggy for her own daughter. Another asked for my email and wanted a picture with us. Prianka's kiddo almost made us cry! While everyone was opening up their bags and excitedly switching supplies with their friends, a little boy told Prianka he wasn't going to open it. He wanted it to be a gift for his sister. THAT is one awesome six year old!
Though the whole visit went really fast, we were all very happy to have done it. It was neat to see the littles' reaction, to know they will have a great story to tell their parents tonight as well see my own students' meeting locals and making a difference.
After the school, we went back to Palacio Real, the community where we met Manuela and Messi yesterday. Today we had two jobs: feed the large animals and feed the small ones.
The students were taught how to cut cabuya negra and feed it to the cows. The smaller pieces went to the sheep. After a while some definitely became pros. Next job was to cut the alfalfa plant and carry it over to the guinea pigs and the bunnies. Rosario knew how to do this quickly and efficiently but I'd like to think we helped too. We tied our alfalfa plant on Manuela and carried the rest to the "pet" area. The guinea pigs were less than thrilled to see us, after all a lot of them don't come back to the pen after people visit them. A few of us were able to catch them and have a petting party. We also got to feed the bunnies and those were so cute! Fluffy and hungry, they were happy to see us.
Rosario let us smell a few plants today, such as eucalyptus, lemon grass and toronjil. We also tried golden berry and it was yum. Visiting this community really does change the way you look at food and its preparation. The quinoa we had for lunch? Walked by that. Strawberries? They grow them a block away.
After another tasty lunch, we headed back to Quito. Today was our last trivia and it was a good one. When no one knew the names of the six provinces we visited, Fabian came to the rescue and earned a keychain himself! By the way, they are Imbabura, Pichincha (where Quito is located), Chimborazo (wjere Riobamba is), Galápagos, Tungurahua and Cotopaxi. All named after major volcanoes, Ecuador is made of 23 mainland provinces plus Galápagos.
This eve we had our dinner in the Historical Center and went to see a high energy Folklorico Dance Performance. I couldn't have imagined a better way to end the trip: us dancing with the pros and one of the students on stage, in Ecuador, responding to questions in Spanish, reading off the raffle numbers.
As this trip comes to the end, I want to thank everyone for their patience, flexibility and overall awesomeness. Sometimes we weren't sure what our next task was or we had to wait two hours for pizza. But no one ever complained and for that I'm very thankful. Oh wait, one complaint! These guys have a ridiculous amount of hideous pictures of me. "Thanks" for Snapchat-ing them all over the place!
This group was always on time and I *never* had to remind them about tardies. Though it may seem like such a minute thing, it really can make or break your day when you are traveling with a bus full of people.
We walked by many loud groups along the way and each time I thanked our group for always talking in human voices and being courteous tourists.
Lastly, I'm so glad these guys were adventurous eaters! I appreciate that every time I stopped at a random corner and purchased who-knows-what everyone was always willing to try. Sometimes we liked it, sometimes not (that sweet tree tomato was a questionable dessert!) but there is no better way to find out other dive in when you travel.
This was undoubtedly one of my favorite student trips and I can't wait to relive it all through the photos. When your kids come home, they will sleep, eat the food they've missed, share the many pictures they took and share their journals with you. Some have written a ton, others a couple of sentences. But even those few words can jot a memory of the many many things we've done in the last 13 days.
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