Welcome
to Piscacucho
By Rocco Babun
The last morning
in Ollantaytambo consisted of singing and guitar playing as we serenaded the
small city goodbye. After our forty-five minute bus ride to Piscacucho, we
visited the school that we would be working at during our homestay. We were
greeted in song and with hugs by little children right as we arrived. The
school contains three different housing districts where the children study and
in the center of them all is one large fútbol field. The stands near the field
were colored with a sun over a Peruvian rainbow. All of the emotion being
showed towards us was touching. It filled our hearts with hope as we saw the
happiness on all of the children’s faces from just us arriving. We then met our
host families and walked to our new homes. The sight was amazing; we have never
experienced living in tiny houses at the foot of snowy mountains. It took just
less then a day to get used to our new homes and to form strong bonds with our
new families. When lunch came around we were all nervous, we all expected really
unfamiliar South American food with names we couldn’t pronounce. But, even
though we still couldn’t pronounce the names we all enjoyed the food a lot.
Going back to
the school in the afternoon started with a game of fútbol with the children.
The point of the afternoon nonetheless was to be blessed by a Shaman for a safe
and productive working period. As we circled in a classroom, we prayed for our
families, the world, and ourselves two coca leaves representing each of these
wishes, which we then offered Pachamama (Mother Nature). The ceremony left us
wondering about the potential of the world as we all reflected on what the
Shaman preached. We went home thinking of how the only way people could unite
in the world is to reflect on the past, ancient wisdom, and not to be so materialist
because it draws us away from others. We look forward to a day of work and
interacting with the children at school, and uniting as a group and a community.
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