I stumbled upon a new group of friends as I was making my was home from English classes in the Amazonian Community. Three people were sitting on the street corner selling jewelry. One of the men greeted me to begin a conversation. I was in no particular hurry so I joined them on the street corner. Once again this group fit the stereotype of hippies with their dread-locked hair and herb sack necklaces. The french woman, Nadia, was wearing baggy rainbow colored pants and leaning relaxed against the wall taking a break from working. The man who had greeted me is a traveling musician from Columbia named Daniel. The other man, Jupita is the the actual artisan of the group and is making his rounds through South America from is home in the rain forests of Peru. I struggled with the different dialects and accents as I listened to them speak. Jupita taught me how to make one to the bracelets, which added another challenge from my brain. I enjoyed my Valentines day afternoon with this group, before being reminded by the Taxi driver on the way home that I ought to pay special attention to my "boyfriend" on this special day.
I returned to join Jupita for nearly every day he was around. New people came and went from his station on the street corned, and I have learned a little more about the art of living as a Traveling Vender.
