Life was busier than I could have imagined while trying to prepare for this trip, and I didn't have a chance to write. All kinds of little unforeseen challenges happened in succession, and it felt like I was wading through peanut butter to get things accomplished. Strangely, the struggle did not come from anywhere I was expecting, and I covered a lot of bases. But they say this is how it works.
To say more, a friend who is helping to guide me while I am here told me many who come to do this level of inner work experience a kind of test, to make sure they are ready. She also said many of the dark energies living inside us who are about to be expelled do not want us to succeed, and can become meddlesome. She said it most often comes in the forms we are not anticipating. This sounds a lot like most big spiritual work to me, especially when it comes to purging the shadows. It´s sort of a right of passage. But honestly, even as I write this, the entire perspective is changing, and these words just don't do the trick. Everything is so much more than it seems.
Nevertheless, I nearly missed my flight, but I made it in perfect time. It wasn't until I got to the gate in Florida for my flight to Lima that I started to realize what I was doing. Very few people were speaking English anymore, and all airline communications started to be in Spanish first, and English second. I liked that.
Iquitos is a bustling, busy place, with Moto-taxis everywhere! I´m actually back there now, after a little over a week in the village, and am a little more acclimated this time. The night life is awesome, with a market that comes alive at night, and a beautiful fountain in the main square. There are people on stilts and some in costumes, and all kind of people out and about. I like the place better at night. The lights do something special to it, and the energy wakes up in a way that is easier to handle.
I stand out rather significantly as a tourist, and very few people with something to sell miss it. Local people hand make artisan jewelry and textiles. In Iquitos, they carry them around and stop to display them for you in hopes you will like something enough to buy it. This is their livelihood. One young man who spoke English talked with me today, when I remarked on the craftsmanship. He told me about the President in Peru. He said it is not a good situation for the people, and that this is the best way to make a living for them. I want to read up on the situation here to understand it better.
It was a 3 hour speed boat ride to get to Jenaro Hererra, and I got a nice sunburn. I have been out on the boat again, and managed to get another sunburn where my last one was healing and peeling. From now on, it´s sunhat and long sleeves when out on the boat! My friend who helped me prepare for this trip even warned me about this, but I just didn´t register how different the sun is here! I´m usually a one burn per summer person, and the rest is tanning. Not so much around here! Lesson learned!
I have to say, crispy or not, the boat rides are incredible! The river is the largest body of water I´ve seen outside of the ocean. Apparently, it splits near Iquitos. One way is the Amazon, and another way forks off, which is what we take to get to the village. The water is often brown, due to the tannins from the trees. If you swim in certain parts of it, you will get it on your skin. It looks kind of like rust. Other times, when the light is right, the water reflects the sky... And the skies are so beautiful it is hard to believe they are real. I didn´t bring my computer to Iquitos this time, but next time, I will show you some photos, and you will see!
I confess that aside from the skies, my favorite thing about the village is the children! There are so many! And they love to see foreigners so much that many will come running up and take our hands and walk with us! They love to get their pictures taken, especially if you show them afterward! Their smiles are so big and precious. They are so happy! They love to play, and are so cute it´s hard to hold it inside! They also play the "Hola game" where they say, "Hola," and wait for you to say it back, and then they say it back, and so on, as long as you will participate! We all love it!
The other travelers who are in the group I am in are neat. As with anywhere, there is strong resonance with some more than others, but everyone gets along great, and there is a lot of cooperation and sharing. Everyone looks out for one another. I really appreciate it, especially being in a foreign country.
Internet in the village was down by the time I got there. To be honest, it was perfect, because I needed to take some time to myself to adjust to my new circumstances. Also, I´ve been surprised to discover that I haven´t had a lot to say lately. I´ve been taking quite a few pictures, and otherwise just taking everything in. Outside of the occasional engaging one on one conversation, I´ve found myself relatively quiet.
Although I am often immersed in a small group of English speaking people, I think I´ve been quite humbled by not speaking the language of my environment. It has been an attitude adjustment, which I am grateful for, and is a likely contributor to my introversion. I admit to having a bit of guilt for coming here without that level of preparation, but I value my need for healing high enough to be here anyway. Though I know I will never really comprehend it fully, I am beginning to imagine to a very small degree what it might be like for immigrants in my own country. It has been amazing to experience communication that transcends words, however, and I am moved by how willing the people here are to try. Most are patient, and gracious.
My least favorite thing is the bugs! It is mosquito city in the jungle! My bug repellent doesn´t really work, so I don´t even bother most of the time. I just deal with it, and try to cover up during peek hours. But there is another culprit I did not know about...
One day I put on a pair of pants, and I kept getting bites on my legs. It took me a while to figure out what was happening, and I mentioned it to someone. He recently had the same thing, and said they were these tiny little ants that you can´t see! Apparently, they are too fast to catch! I ran back to my room and took off all my clothes, put them in the laundry, and took a shower. It stopped. I asked around and it seems that is what it was, which means I can now say I had ants in my pants! Those buggars have a mean bite for being so small!
The food is different, and I was very surprised to discover that vegetables are kind of hard to come by. I have enjoyed fried plantains, though! And fresh coconuts right out of the tree! I´ve had to shift things a bit and eat things I wouldn´t normally eat, but it´s going alright. I think the medicine is helping in that way, as well as others, but that is another topic I am not quite ready to delve into just yet. I will, though, when the time is right.
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