Day Five: What next?

Today was an exciting day, in many respects. Though a national school closure prevented us from going to Efrain Naula today, we were able to spend some quality time here in Cuenca. For one, we went ziplining and for many of us it was our first time. Many a yelp and squirming leg could be seen canvassing the scenery of the Andes mountains. Afterwards, we got to check out some incredible views of the city. Secondly, we had a meaningful conversation about how we will move forward as a team based on what we've experienced here in Ecuador. This to me was the most exciting and impactful part of our time here.

Many of us are left feeling frustrated. Though we were able to serve as resources to the teachers here during our short time in the schools, we  wanted more. We wanted more time to learn about the community. We wanted more time to be in the community. We wanted more time to ask questions and delve deeper into the issues surrounding indigenous education. And we want to know what else we can do, once we return home. These feelings are impactful because they will carry our service forward, beyond these 10 days. We are left with an impetus to do more.

We ended the day with a celebration dinner for our team- having completed our week of service in the school together. We stuffed our faces with all sorts of foods typical of Ecuadorian culture. Tomorrow we are off to Efrain Naula one last time to celebrate our incredible time together. We are all hoping to use this time to ask more questions ame continue learning about issues in indigenous education.