4th of July

How weird to be in a country that does not appreciate one of my favorite days of the year. It was slightly depressing to be in Ecuador while the rest of America takes the day off, enjoys parades, hot dogs, the pool, family, friends, fireworks, and wearing red, white, and blue. I wanted to tell every person we passed on the street that it was Independence Day in my country but I realized no one really cared. I was definitely missing home.

We were determined to make the 4^th of July as festive as possible. During our car ride we watched The Patriot to remind ourselves of the heroic efforts of our forefathers. Once in Riobamba we settled into our wonderful hotel and then went to the supermaxi. We purchased hot dogs, macaroni and cheese, watermelon, the makings for guacamole, and coke. We took over the kitchen, playing American music and began to make a feast of sorts. We cooked across from a couple from Switzerland and were sure to tell them all about our traditions. When the food was ready we sat on the floor in the hotel and enjoyed a taste of home while sharing our favorites 4^th of July memories and family rituals. Of course in Ecuador nothing can go as planned and during our meal we had a musician from the street come into the hotel and entertain us with 3 songs on his windpipe instrument. We thanked him by giving him a hot dog and watermelon. Post dinner we found it absolutely mandatory that we light the fire in the fireplace on the 4^th floor and roast marshmellows. One hour and 2 boxes of matches later, we enjoyed smores out of coconut tasting mellows, nestles chocolate, and benvita crackers. I must say, they were the best smores I have ever had. One highlight of the night was aiding the Swiss couple in making and consuming their first smores ever. I will never forget this day!

Today began at 4:30am when we had coffee and eggs before boarding a bus and then pick-up truck to Salinas. We arrived to this cold, mountain top town at 9am for more warm coffee before beginning our campaign. My morning was filled with walking around the town and handing out fliers, inviting individuals to take advantage of the free eye exam and telling them about our products. This campaign was the most organized I have seen so far and I liked walking around town although I was very cold. We had a traditional almuerzo and then bought delicious chocolates from this Salinas which is known for its chocolates and cheese.

The bus ride home was breathtaking as we were close to the peak of Chimbarasu, the mountain whose summit is the closest place to the sun in the world. After marveling at this site we decided to had to spend our free time tomorrow hiking this mountain. We went to the travel agency and are now hikinh from one base camp to another tomorrow morning. Hopefully it will be clear.

At 7:30pm, half of our group assembled on the top terrace of our hotel while SJ, one of the interns, led a turbokick class. We were looking out on the beautiful city, sparkling with night lights while kicking, punching, and bopping for an awesome workout. We finished with abs, glutes, and then went to a late dinner at the pizzeria. What an awesome evening in Riobamba. This is a great city and I could not imagine a better group to explore it with.