Day 2 - Piscacucho: Home Sweet Home

Piscacucho: Home Sweet Home

Nestled below the treasured Veronica, Piscacucho is a town that values unity, friendship, and its history. Yesterday began with a knock on my door by my host sister, Harumi. The four of us, Claudia, Nicki, Claire, and myself came downstairs to a large bowl of unpeeled hardboiled eggs and uncut potatoes. The eggs were cold and none of us could determine whether they were raw or not. It seemed strange that something so simple could puzzle us so much. Harumi laughed at our incapability and we laughed at how spoiled we all were when it took us more than five minutes to peel the eggs. Our new lifestyle began to seem less foreign when we all showed up to the worksite late- how typical.

Four of us: Rachel, Elettra, Nicki, and I began the workday learning how to basket weave. It was amazing to watch our teacher knit the resistant branches into a continuous weave. He helped us form trensas, or braids, that made the onion-looking shape we had initially created transform into our final product. Just as we finished, the kids were all let out for recess and came to compliment our work. Proud of our accomplishments, we walked home in high spirits and anticipated what lunch would be.

               Yesterday was a transitional day. Although I began uncomfortable and hesitant, I began to feel more at home and accustomed to the lifestyle. For me, the most transitional point was the ANCHOR meeting we had and realizing that my house was not the only one that seemed like a drastic difference from American life. During the meeting, we categorized our personality types by taking three colored personality cards that seemed most applicable to ourselves. Once everyone was satisfied with their cards, we categorized ourselves by the majority of our card’s colors into four groups: blue (conceptualizer) , green (traditionalist), red,(idealist) and yellow(artisan) for me, it was blue.

               The most fun part of my day, however, was exploring up and down the main road with all of the girls. We half-heartedly looked for our teachers but mostly enjoyed the view. There was one point in the road where you could look down and all you saw was the river below. Our surroundings were stunning and awe-inspiring. Later, all the houses came together and played cards and told stories. When we all joined together to speak in a mix of Spanish and English the blend of cultures made me appreciate their value of unity. In the spare time that I would typically be watching Hulu or Netflix, I spent time with my friends. It really helped me further appreciate my life in the States and made me rethink the value of “home”.