I want to base my second week reflection post on our trip to Picacho, a neighborhood which experiences extreme poverty and was they most eye-opening experience of my trip so far. Hearing about Picacho from our uber driver and hiking guide made me extremely nervous to go. They said things such as "good luck in that neighborhood", and "the people have no manners there and will speak to you terribly." I was ready to make that jump and go to the community, especially knowing we would be helping kids for the day, but I was apprehensive, thinking it was going to be a difficult experience. However, as soon as we arrived we were met by a kind man, Juan Carlos, our guide to lead us to the after school center where we would greet the children. He showed us his home graciously, accepting any questions we had with pride. When we arrived at Picacho con futuro, where we would be for the day, we were greeted by the cooks who had prepared drinks and meals for us after the long walk to the center. They were so excited to share the food and drinks with us, and to welcome us to their neighborhood. Then, we met the kids. I was stressed out by the constant questions (all in Spanish) which they asked, but quickly got used to their curious minds, and spoke in the best Spanish I could muster. We communicated about where we were from and our favorite foods while making bracelets. I loved these children and although the rapid firing of questions proved difficult, and it was hard to keep up and understand at the same time, at the end of the two hours with these kids, I felt changed. I hadn't understood before this how genuine the people of Picacho would be. Never were they rude, just interested. They wanted to know about my life, they wanted to make bracelets for me to wear. They wanted to truly get to know me, and I wanted to get to know them. We shared something truly special that Tuesday, because although I'm sure everyone was quite exhausted at the end, we were all smiling, grateful to have gotten the chance to meet each other. I had never been in a place where people were so welcoming to foreigners when they didn't need to be. I felt excited to tell them about my life and to hear about theirs. Afterwards, we met kids our own age who taught us how to dance and showed us the dances they had been working on. It was a judgement free zone even though they were well practiced professionals and we were just starting out. We were able to laugh together as we struggled through the dances with partner work, and it was incredible to watch their talents and join in with ours. It was a perfect ending to a long, but beautiful day. Although my Spanish definitely needs some work, I feel so incredibly gracious for this experience. My life changed that day and I hope we can maybe go back to see them again. Something I learned from this experience is that sometimes the most scary and anxiety provoking experiences can turn into the best and most rewarding ones. Thanks for taking us here make_sense :)