Getting along with the Rents

So since returning from Vacation, I have had the rare opportunity to get to spend a lot of quality time with my host mom. She really is the amazing person that I first met when I moved to Catilluc. The other day we went to a parillada (bbq) and really had a good time. I danced and she helped serve and take care of the people. I got to meet some more of her sisters, my host aunts. And mostly it just felt really chill and naturally to be with her.

My host family (ul Ailyn, me, Yobani, ll Fran, Maximo)

It's good that I'm starting to get along wtih Yobani, because Rosa left me about a month ago. I'm really feeling the lack of good, close friends. Friends that I can confide in and not hear about it the next day in the community. Gossip is an amazing thing in these small Peruvian towns. Not that I can blame them. They didn't have a written language in this country until the Spanish came, and most of their entertainment came through storytelling which caught them up on what was happening with the families in nearby villages. Gossip is just a continuation of that particular tradition. Now, of course, that doesn't make me feel any better when I hear lies about me in the community. But I'm learning I can't always control what other people think or say about me. This is one tough lesson for me, because I always want to be liked by everyone, and I don't want anyone to have a bad opinion of me. But I need to grow up and move on.

Mama Casilda and me.








Things in Catilluc have certainly been difficult since December. I feel like everytime I managed to get my foot in the door while staying planted firmly on the ground, then another big bomb will drop in my lap and completely devastate me. Of course, the current highlight, is just getting to spend quality time with my host mom and host family. It's so nice to feel like I'm a part of this family really for the first time since my early days in Catilluc.