Waking up your first morning in any new place is always strange, especially if it's a room with four bunks, buildings on every side, and 9,261 feet above sea level.
We all woke up, got ready, and went downstairs for a delicious breakfast of biscuits, sausage, eggs, pineapple, juice, coffee, and tea made by our wonderful hosts, Steve and Hannah, and accompanied by several new friends. Our group then sat down together and we were given the cultural do's and don'ts and the run-down of events for the day. We then walked to the Youth World headquarters, which is only a few blocks away. The Youth World team told us about all of the incredible things that they do around the world and here in Quito. A delicious lunch was ordered and then eaten at Fruteria Monserrate, consisting of fruit and empanadas, and then we were on our way to La Basilica Del Voto Nacional, or Basilica of the National Vote.
That's when we realized what the phrase "thin air" really meant. We did lots of stair climbing just to get to the top of the inside of the sanctuary, and then much more climbing to get the top of the outside of the roof, and then a few final flights of what some called "chicken-wire ladders" to get to the top of one of the towers. But I must say, the view was absolutely worth it.
As we were going up the last two ladders, we got stuck on a platform that was just 13 steps from the top of the tower. There was an Ecuadorian family with a boy of no older than 7 trying to go down from the top. The little boy was very nervous about going backwards down the incredibly steep steps, and I can't say I blame him. They were steep. Anyway, his family spoke no English, and the three of us stuck on the platform spoke very little Spanish. We wanted so badly to encourage him, but we had very few words to do so; yet by repeating the phase "Muy bien!" over and over again, we got the point across. The father would look down at us and thank us, and we would try to be friendly without saying the same thing too many times. Seeing the father's gratitude and the boy's relief when he finally got back onto some solid ground reminded me that God created all people with different looks, languages, cultures, and situations, but all in the image of himself. We can all connect on some level and understand each other through what God has given us.
Once back down, we walked to the Presidential Palace and La Plaza de Independencia, which has El Monumento de la Independencia. Seeing their pride in who they are all in one place was very cool.
We finally walked over to El San Francisco, a very ornate church with what seemed like thousands of pigeons outside. It was very moving to see all the quite worshipers making their private, silent prayers.
Finally, we got back in the bus and drove back to the hostel.
Overall, it was a beautiful, clear day, and the only thing I have to complain about is the giant altitude-induced headache that several bottles of water helped. I am looking forward very much to the rest of our week. We have a great team in a great place at a great time, and I couldn't ask for anything more.
This post was written by Holly Sims. More tomorrow!
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