Countdown to The Beginning

In about a week and a half I will be beginning my trip of travelling around South America for almost 4 months. Originally planning on being 3 months, my funds are more than I calculated they would be when I was planning this trip. Thus, I have decided to extend my stay down there, and give myself an opportunity to see and do more things. My trip includes 2 months in Ecuador, and 7 weeks travelling around Peru and Bolivia.

To begin my trip I am going to be living and working with an indigenous tribe located in the Amazon rainforest in Ecuador for 2 months. The tribe is called the Shuar, and at one point in time were the most feared and warlike tribe in the entire Amazon for their much feared practice of shrinking the heads of their foes which they call tzantzas. I have spent most of my time towards learning Spanish relentlessly and I feel completly confidant in my fluency. The Shuar tribe all speak fluent spanish but it is their second language. Their first language is Shuar. Although a lot has changed up until these recent years, they are faced with increasing pressure from logging companies to come in and destroy their land. the whole idea for them is to help them to develope their community and create a source of income without having to resort to selling their land and timber. this includes initiatives such as creating tourism, making crafts for which they can sell in the markets, or raising cattle or fish for which they can substitute their diet. Some of the activities that I will be doing are building trails with machetes in the Amazon, teaching English in their village school, farming, or building structures. It is also a cultural exchange for which I will be living and eating with them in the Amazon and participating in their activities such as hunting with a blowgun or spear, and going on camping trips with them into the jungle.

These past few weeks have crept up on me very quickly and although I have dedicated most of my time towards researching and mapping out my entire trip. It is only today that it has finally dawned on me of what I am actually going to be doing. Something I have been picturing in my head and imagining for so long is finally going to become a reality. I am overwhelmed with feelings of anticipation, and I truly feel that I am ready for this. Being by myself and getting away from everyone and everything is something I think I need to experience and will be beneficial to me. I will try to update this as much as I will be able to, thank you for reading
-Justen