On the night that I arrived at my new host family's house I asked Mabel if there were hiking trails
around here. She told me that there were some by the school and offered to
show me after dinner. I agreed and
thought that we were just going to be walking to see it but she told me to get
in the car. I had no idea what I
was getting myself into! What
started out as a walk to the trails turned into a 3.5 hr. excursion that took
me to her neighbors house, to two markets, the neighboring town, and finally to
her aunts house where they were having a funeral service for a family
member! I must have misunderstood
when she said what we would be doing, because the next thing I know I'm sitting
in her relatives living room and participating in a Catholic funeral ceremony,
or "reso," in Spanish! I
didn't have the slightest idea what to do or say, so I just sat there trying to
look respectful. It was very
interesting to watch, and I was very lucky to have been able to be a part of
it and experience this important aspect of their culture.
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