Everyone in the community brought energy to all of us. On the first day, we traded clothes and shoes and this was the first village we traded with during our time in Peru. We didn't know what to expect or feel comfortable with the way trading worked yet. Due to the language barrier, the most difficult part was communication. At first, trading had been described as an uncomfortable or scary experience, for me, it was mostly awkward.
Since we couldn't communicate with each other, the interactions felt cold at first but as time went on, everyone became more comfortable and it was as if we could still communicate and understand them although we couldn't directly speak to them. I was inspired to see their use of customary resources and the different aspects of nature used to create these crafts.
After seeing their unique crafts, it was exciting to do a craft we brought to make with them and see how creative they could be. The craft was challenging, even for me, so some kids caught on very quickly while others we would complete and give to them so they would all get a turtle.
We also gave all the kids friendship bracelets which we have been making for the past 4 months leading up to this experience. Through our participation in working through our exchanges between adults and kids, we pushed ourselves out of our comfort zones. We learned the importance of leading life with an open mind because it will allow these encounters to fully enrich and immerse ourselves in this cultural experience.