our comfortable home in the Andes was quite the adventure. A rather active volcano, Tungaragua, had erupted the night before we were supposed to leave. So plans were delayed a day and we had to take a different way to Shell Mera because of roads being blocked from the eruption. So after an entire day of driving, we spent a night in Shell which is on the edge of the Amazon. The following day we flew into the Amazon to spend some time with a family there.Being with the tribe taught me the opposite of what I had learned in Quito. While in Quito, I was
able to connect with my family and the teachers well because I knew relatively good amount of Spanish. This was nice contrast to when I was in Guatemala during high school and unable to communicate with the people around me. So while I was in Quito, I was learning how much language matters in forming relationships with people.But then with the tribe, we did not have a common language. However, we learned to not let
that be a hindrance. We were able to play with the children and interact with the adults without a common language. When it came time to leave, it was hard to say goodbye even though we had only spent a few days with them, we had no conversations with them, and we didn't actually know how to say "bye". So while I was in the Amazon, I learned how much language doesn't matter in forming relationships with people.
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