You may have noticed my absence from blogging over the past week or so. I was disconnected, floating on Rio Negro in the Amazon Rainforest. I hope that's a good enough excuse. About 60 other exchangers and I were on a 10 day trip in the Amazon, sleeping on hammocks in boats without any internet access. A truly life changing experience.
I may have been disconnected from reality but at the same time I was really living it. I encountered a few communities in the forest and I learned about their realities. It's so insanely different. They were lively and active, but also struggling and distant.
One community that really changed me was the last one we visited. They didn't even have electricity of any sort. It was a community of people drinking water from the river and struggling to build their lives. It was even harder to see how they acted about having us there. They were very kind but you can tell having a bunch of rich foreigners come in to see how lucky they have it is kind of degrading. Especially for the grandmother. Growing up normally and then all of the sudden having dozens of kids show up every week asking how it feels to have almost nothing. The grandmother seemed to feel as if she was trapped in a zoo just to help keep her family above water.
Along side with visiting the communities we got to see an array of wildlife in the amazon. We swam with pink dolphins, went night searching for crocodiles, held an anaconda, and got pictures with the cutest sloth ever. Now who all can say they've done that? I really am so thankful to have had this entire experience.
Seeing how colorful and lively it is in the amazon really does make you realize how poorly we are treating the rest of the world. The last thing I want us to do is ruin such a beautiful place. I want the stars to continue gleaming like they did. I want the fresh water to stay fresh. I want the air to stay crisp. I want the animals to stay safe. I want the communities to be safe and happy. With the way things are going and how rapidly the world is changing I'm not so sure my kids will be able to experience all of the amazing, eye opening things that I had seen over the past 10 days.
This trip really was the trip of a lifetime. If I could describe it all in one word, it would have to be: perfect.
