Las Experiencias en Otavalo y mas - Caitlin

     Today has been very interesting  overall. Being immersed into the different culture helped me gain a better understanding of the people and their lives. Claudia's house and seeing the way the indigenous culture lives was my favorite experience and taught me so many things. Eating the food they typically eat and hearing the different songs and their explanations taught me more about how they have lived and thrived for centuries. I enjoyed seeing the land and the animals and how the houses are set up. It showed me that they live off of the land as much as possible, but still have the hearts to share their world with others and be kind. 

       I'm not sure what I was expecting, but some of my thoughts were a little ethnocentric. Passing through the area to get to her house I was looking at the houses thinking they were dingy and dirty and they should do more to keep the appearance up. I also saw a little girl doing field work which really had me looking down at the people for making a child work like that. But that is their way of life and they do all they can, and I can't judge them or try to change them. While we were at Otavalo, Thea, Tyessa, and I walked near the food part and saw someone selling raw chickens. I immediately thought about how unsanitary and gross it is, and how they really shouldn't be doing that. Then I realized that I was totally judging them and that I can't do that. From now on I will try to see everything with different eyes and see them as the kind, hardworking people they really are. 

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