The same day, we visited Primero village, allowing us to compare the differences and similarities between the two communities. The people in Primero were extremely welcoming and had no hesitation in allowing us to immerse ourselves in their culture. They immediately invited us to join them in their cultural dancing, eliminating any barriers between us. The way the kids and people in the village interacted and welcomed us was something that I had never experienced before, and it filled me with something beyond happiness. Their way of simple living seemed to be the key to their inexplicable joy and it has truly inspired me to be a better person. Through this experience, I realized that although we went to Peru to help the people in the Amazon, they are the ones helping us. I have learned so much from them and it is all rooted in honest connection, unlike anything I’ve felt back home. Many of us are hoping to bring this feeling back to Michigan with us so we can continue to live in the spirit of the Amazon for many years to come.
In both Sucasari and Primero, we were given the opportunity to ask the communities more about their education system. Although each village we visited had a slightly different depiction of what education means to them, most of their responses were focused on community and building opportunities for the children. As we incorporate the design thinking process into our Project Term experience, we want to build off of the attributes they already value in order to further expand on what they believe in. Sucasari is a Maijuna village, which is one of the things that makes it so different from many of the other communities we visited, such as Primero de Enero. We saw this in our interactions with them in the way that they almost seemed more reserved compared to what we saw in Primero. They were still very welcoming, just in different ways. As we traveled along the Napo River, something that never wavered in our findings was an extremely strong sense of connection and community that we hope to continue to share far beyond our time in Peru.
I find myself more and more distanced from my life back home with each thing we do here. Everything feels so big and important, and it’s making everything else in my life seem almost insignificant in comparison.
Sucasari
& PRIMERO DE ENERO
by EVA DROLET