Hola! Somos Michael y Jenna.

Today was “Living like a Local” day, and it impacted us all differently. Personally, I was surprised to see how people lived with so little, but still loved life. People lived in houses the size of my living room, and cooked over an open fire. This was one of the most humbling experiences I’ve had in my life. The other Glimpsers and I who joined me with Sophia, the mother of the family I stayed with had to haul buckets of water up a hill from the local well. I saw a little girl who looked so much like one of my cousins and I was taken aback thinking that my cousin could have so easily ended up living in this community instead of with my aunt.  This is real and this is actually happening. – Michael

DSC_0532

   Carrying jugs of water (left to right): Jimmy,                          Michael, Maddie, Maggie. 

Wow.  Like Michael said, today was definitely an eye-opening experience.  Getting to become apart of this incredible indigenous community and seeing the way they live just made me think how easy it is to forget about what’s really important.  Callie, Nina and I were placed in the home of a woman, Albina, who has two children, a 5-year old girl, Maria and a 17-year-old woman.  The 17-year-old was not there because she was at school, however, her 2-month son, Maron was.  In the short 3 hours we got to spend with them, I really got a glimpse of what life is like under their roof.  Everything they do is done with their own hands which means their entire day is dedicated to making food, cleaning the house, milking the cow, etc.  They take so much pride in what they have, even though they don’t get the same luxuries that we get.  Little Maria was such a joyful child and had fun playing the simplest games.  Albina was always smiling at me, even while she was cleaning.  So today, I learned that it’s important to not focus on what you don’t have, but to cherish what you do have. – Jenna

DSC_0669

     Left to Right: Ramon, Callie, Jenna, Maria,                                         Nina, Albina. 

As leaders of the day, we were challenged with the responsibility of making sure the group was up at 6:00 am, hydrated, all together, and in positive spirits.  It was definitely not an easy task, but we both agree that we rose to the challenge and improved on our leadership skills.

DSC_0744

          Hitting the pinata with all the children. 

DSC_0649