Ava: Today I was split up into the first group and spent the day in the classroom at The Center's school. I was working in the 4th grade classroom along with another classmate. Immediately being welcomed and dragged away to recess, I walked with a few of the girls as they shared their snacks. I got one Cheeto! They were so sweet and they admired my nails and bracelets and were very fascinated by my apple watch, playing with the calculator. They also helped me improve some of my Spanish vocabulary by correcting my sentences when they were wrong. They were so sweet making sure that both of my hands were always being held. We then went back to the classroom and learned about sharks or tiburón, did some division and multiplication, and helped a little boy named Leo with his English. Other people who were working in other classrooms painted, made paper cranes, did some of the TA's English homework (lol), and played word puzzles. We then went to the cafeteria for lunch and ate with the kids. We had soup with posole (corn), yucca, and a plate of rice with chicken, garbanzo beans, and tomato. Having conversations was difficult, but we picked up the Spanish we knew and tried to give our best responses, though we all bonded over 67 (which I am shocked they knew).

Olivia: Today I was split into the second group of students who were sent to three Center members' homes. Our morning started off with a long drive by bus and then walked down a steep hill to the first family's house. The first mother, Monica, has three children and carried her one-year-old baby boy as she welcomed us into her home. At all of the houses we encountered, we were welcomed with love and open arms as they brought us into their homes and set up seating areas for all of us students. Monica shared her experiences with work and her dreams for herself which felt very inspiring. Thankfully, we had two generous volunteers at the center who were fluent in both English and Spanish who helped translate answers and questions between the whole group. At the end of our visit with Monica, we walked up the insanely steep hill for about 1/2 a mile. What we learned from Monica was that her children have to wake up at 4:30 AM to get ready to leave for The Center each day. Monica leaves the house at 5:30 to get ready for her job selling at a market, while her two daughters commute up the 1/2-mile steep hill to the public bus to go to school. Monica is someone who stood out to me, she is physically and mentally strong, as she goes out each day to sell food hoping to make the most for her family. We also visited Anita and Ana, both strong, loving, caring and selfless mothers. They work so hard for their children and were very open to our group of students about their lives. Our group headed back later to meet the rest of the group at the school cafeteria. Ava mentioned the menu above, but the encounter with lunch was really fun. I sat at a table with older kids, maybe middle school, and they were very curious about me. The conversations were difficult but I tried my hardest with my very limited vocabulary in Spanish. The kids were so helpful when I would try and communicate back to them. 

During lunch it started pouring rain, so we met back at the house and decided if our soccer game with the Center's team would still happen. Agreeing that we still wanted to play, despite the pouring rain, we walked up to the soccer field which was dirt and now covered in deep puddles.  We started "warming up" by running down the field once, and then made our way to the bench, where Ava was "coaching". Despite not knowing the rules of soccer and the whole team complaining about how she did hockey lines instead of soccer subs, we played a fun game.  On the field running through the mud was difficult, but we had fun with the team.  Running through puddles, and falling getting soaking wet, and muddy, we accepted it and played our hardest losing 4-10. Pepina was even wearing a colorful sweater! We ended the game with a handshake line and a group picture with both teams. Heading back to the house to debrief our family home visits and taking very short showers. We then went as a group to the convenient store below the house, and tried a bunch of new snacks, played some card games, and ate dinner. Ending the night with a reflection on our day and how it impacted us. 

So much love from Ecuador...
Ava and Olivia :)