The End is Near...
Two weeks left to go before I finally return to the states. I´m sitting in a small internet cafe in Huanchaco, Peru, a small tourist town by the beach, and there are Peruvian boys all around me playing Starcraft, Warcraft, etc. Some things never change no matter where I go.
What I've learned:
Patience: I thought I was pretty patient, but I don´t think you can learn true patience unless you´re trying to get something done in Peru. Everything works more slowly down here and the Peruvian perspective of time is totally different. If we´re expecting a shipment of pipes to come in the morning, it might not reach us until the afternoon of the next day. And since we don´t have all the latest machines and equipment available to us like we would in the U.S., we have to do things the hard way a.k.a. dig 3 km of earth, 45 to 80 cm deep, through all types of crazy land by only shovel and pick. But we get everything done despite all the inconveniences, and that takes a lot of patience.
Getting to know the community: I came into this project thinking we'd be building a water system for the people of Ciudad. So much has changed in the past few weeks, however, for the better. Now, the ownership of the water system is in the community's hands, and we're merely helping them build their water system. They are much more efficient at digging trenches and laying pipe than we are. I'd say the man power of one Peruvian = three of us. Anyways, the point is that we're not just coming into their town, installing a water system, and then leaving. A lot of us have become friends with people of Ciudad de Dios, and I think the connections we've made make this project more worthwhile.
Plastering, using a shovel and pike correctly, making adobes... I've done more manual labor here than I've ever had to do in my life. I'm getting crazy arm muscles because of it! And I can proudly say that if my Duke education doesn't work out for me, I at least know how to plaster walls (I'm one of the resident Plaster Masters) and make adobes to build a house.
Lucuma is amazing!!! It's a type of fruit in Peru and they use the flavor in everything! I've had lucuma pie, lucuma icecream, lucuma yogurt, lucuma cookies, and I'm sure there's much much more. I wish I could smuggle some lucuma with me into the states :( If you ever go to Peru, you have to try the lucuma flavor. I'm going to miss it a lot...
One last observation. I've never been to a place where I stood out like a sore thumb (maybe the boy's bathroom by accident?), but I definitely do here. It's weird because I'm not even blonde (the blondes in our group get the most attention). There is a significant asian population in Peru, but at the places I've been, I always hear comments about my asian eyes: ojos chinos! Especially in Ciudad de Dios, the kids love commenting about my ojos chinos. I guess they rarely see asian people, but it feels odd to stand out just because of the shape of my eyes.
Chaufa!