Hola! Today was indigenous worldview day, so we got to experience a journey through indigenous life. Throughout the day, we kept in mind our question of the day which discussed the importance of maintaining culture and how this can create a better world.

To start we had another delicious breakfast at Feroz. Then we hopped on a bus over to Tagma San Jose, where we met with our guide Carlos Rea and his two daughters. Carlos lives in the community of Tagma San Jose, which is a rural indigenous community that focuses primarily on agriculture. Carlos is a very nice man whose speaks very clear Spanish, which enabled many of us to understand his commentary and knowledge. On the walk we took through his community, he taught us about various plants and crops as well as how they are used both medicinally and traditionally by his people.

One of the plants that Carlos showed us was called Ortiga which is a stinging nettle. He explained how in his culture they use it as a cleansing ritual for people who committed wrongs in the community. This is done by tapping the nettle on the person which was demonstrated to us by one of our leaders, Steph (no Stephs were harmed).

Then we finished our walk and were able to participate in a spiritual ceremony, paying homage to Pachamama (Mother Earth in the indigenous language). Just as the ceremony began it started to rain heavily. Carlos explained to us that this was fortuitous, because the crops would grow more. Then we went inside for lunch and the rain promptly stopped. We were treated to an amazing lunch by Carlos’s wife, America and Rocio. We presented our hosts with gifts after the meal was over.

After we returned from this excursion we were blessed with a glorious three hours of free time. Some people took to go out with the Global Glimpse leaders and explore the neighborhood near our hotel. Others played spirited card games or took this time to bond more with our fellow Glimpsers.

We really want to appreciate and give “Big Love” to Carlos and his community for letting us experience their culture and welcoming us into their home. We also want to personally thank all the other Glimpsers who helped to make our jobs as leaders of the day easier. And finally, “Big Love” to all of our families and loved ones back home who are following our journey.

Through this amazing experience, we were able to see how our question of the day applies to everyday indigenous life, as well as our everyday lives. Some of these ideas were discussed in our nightly meeting including how being of one culture doesn’t require giving up another culture and as Carlos commented the world and its cultures have no borders and we are all hermanos y hermanas.