Aubree

Seeing the beautiful architecture within each of these historic buildings was truly amazing. My personal favorite part was the intricate paintings and stained glass filled with flowers and bright colors that the Basilica held. Walking through the National Plaza and appreciating the integration of convents and the “white house” was something that I was not expecting. Experiencing the liveliness of the community, the colors, and the love in Quito.  

Quinn

Today, our group went off The Center campus and started exploring south Quito. We started off in the Basilica and climbed the clock tower stairs to get a better view of the city. After we walked down the La Compañía Jesuit Church where we learned the priest that started The Center and saw a timeline of the beginning of The Center. After lunch we headed to the equator where we got to walk the line and balance an egg on a nail. This day was full of new experiences and joys shared by all of us.

Isabella

Today was a very fun day and a great opportunity to be able to explore the very vibrant city of Quito! The first thing that we saw today, and my personal favorite, was the Basilica. Not only did it have beautiful views from the top of the spire, but the glass-stained windows and Blessed Sacred Chapel were jaw-dropping. It was very insightful to be able to learn about the different perspectives of Ecuador's most admired Saints, surprisingly being women, even in their machismo culture. Mary, as well as the other females, provide a motherly inspiration and care that contrasts the hurt and pain that was propelled on them in the name of “Our Father” and men. Next, we walked to the La Compañía Jesuit Church, seeing a lot of European influence within the beautiful architecture and vibrant colors of the buildings. The history, pride, and joy that all of the employees of the center hold was very transparent through the tour that we received of the prior location of the center. Their history and growth is a huge source of pride for them. Lastly, we went to the museum on the equator and learned about the indigenous tribes and culture that live throughout the Amazon region of the country, as well as partook in some fun activities surrounding the science behind the equator. Overall, it was a very fun and definitely more touristy day, but provided lots of good background knowledge about the city and the people here!