Trout for Breakfast

Zach shares a journal entry:

My 36 hours in Lucre is a time I will never forget. During our first night there, I was a little nervous. When James and I asked our host mom questions, she responded with very short answers. It was not until we showed interest in the family trout farm that her eyes really lit up.

Our host mom, Margarita, began talking about all the work that went into the creation of the fish farm. Shen then asked us if we wanted to see the farm in the morning. We immediately said “yes.” After playing  games with our host brother Jared, James and I went to bed early, excited to see the fish farm.

In the morning, we got up as the sun was rising. It was a crisp, cool morning in Lucre. As we got dressed, we heard our host mom’s brother calling for us to get in his taxi. Once in the taxi, we drove about 10 minutes, sliding around curves at breakneck speed. When we got the farm, we walked down to the river bank and saw the ponds.

The simplicity and ingenuity of the ponds was amazing. The family had simply diverted river water into a series of ponds, with a lock-like system between each pair. Our host mom was already there and she showed us the succession of pools, with ever larger fish, and then the peach orchard and vegetable garden.  We could hear the pride in her voice and see it in her face.

After touring the farm we watched them catch 10 to 12 trout. Back home, as we sat waiting for our food to be served, we asked if we could help several times and every time we got a resounding “no.” We finally gave up trying to help. They served us two plates of steaming, golden-brown, fried trout.

As we ate, the sun began to shine on us and warm the cool mountain air. It was easily one of the most beautiful moments of my life. But at the same time I was reminded of all the hard work that went into this moment. I could hear the sound of water rushing by in the river outside.

One of the things on SST that no one ever talked about beforehand was how much you have to receive. SST is a program designed to increase intercultural awareness and competence, but it is never mentioned that you are rarely able to give anything back. I think the hardest part of SST so far for me is being a gracious receiver of gifts.

While James and I were eating trout for breakfast, our family was eating soup.