Returning to my homestay has been an even better experience than the first stay in Tiquipaya. I‘m not sure if it was because returning to somewhere familiar was nice, or being able to call someplace “home” (even for only two weeks) is more appealing. The first day of my return, my host family was so excited. My host mom welcomed me with open arms and my sisters helped me unpack all of my stuff. They’ve definately made me feel like a part of the family over the course of my stay. My host mom always jokes around about being her third daughter and my host sisters always invite me along when they go out with their friends. Sometimes, I refer to my host mom as just “my mom” – to a point where I sometimes confuse people if I’m talking about my mom in the U.S.. I find myself asking “which ones?” when questions are proposed about my parents. Another benefit of my home stay is that I finally know what it’s like to have cats and dogs (and even cows and now two calfs). Overall, I’ve gotten used to the way of life here and have come to really appreciate it.
The second day into my homestay was Todos Santos – a big holiday here, my sisters didn‘t have school and we spent much of the day cooking. My (host) mom took me to the cemetary, where the celebration of the holiday mostly occurs. Walking down the street was insane. It was packed with people and stalls on either side selling food, candy, jewelery, and anything else you could think of. There were trampolines and bouncy houses and a corner that had five or six foosball tables. As we walked down the street my mom grasped onto my shirt tightly for fear of losing me to the crowd. It seemed every other vender was a friend of my mom, handing us plates of food and ice cream from their small restaurants which were set up for the special occasion. What should have been a 3 minute walk took about 10 minutes, from a combination of the crowds and stopping to talk to everyone, When we finaly made it into the cemetary I was immediately overwhelmed by the commotion. More or less every grave was surrounded by people or were filled with offerings of bread and pastries from friends and family that had already visited. As we walked further and further into the cemetary the chants of prayers in unison filled my ears. On occasion we saw small bands playing music at the graves. I was fascinated to see such appreciation all at once.
Coming back to my homestay was definitely a change from living on a boat for three days. There are parts of each that I appreciate more, but so far each different experience has contributed to the overall lessons I have learned and being able to compare all the different experiences has been truly amazing.
