For our second day of constructing the greenhouse, Ramiro had prepared a breakfast of sunny-side eggs, pineapple, and fried plantains. A less sweet cousin of the banana, the plantain is a staple in the South American diet and a popular food item in Cusco. Following our hearty breakfast, the team gathered in the van for our scenic drive to the construction site in the village of Quillahuata.
Besides the breathtaking view of the pristine mountain ranges, the drive out to the construction site is interesting because of the long stretches of smoothly paved road. For a rural area like Quillahuata, one would imagine a majority of unpaved dirt road (of which there is some on our route). The fact that the roadways of a small village such as Quillahuata are developed reflects the gradually growing investment from the Peruvian government.
Upon arriving at the work site, we changed into our soiled work clothes and climbed up the hill to the greenhouse area. On the previous day, we had just finished digging out the space which would become the greenhouse foundation. This morning, the team set about breaking apart and transporting large rocks that would be placed inside the trench for the foundation. In conjunction with cement, which we would add later, the rocks help to strengthen the building. Many of us found the filling in portion of the job interesting since it resembled a game of Tetris as we tried to fit differently shaped and sized rocks into various crevices; others really enjoyed smashing the rocks with a sledgehammer.
We then broke for lunch with our guide Nico. As we sat around and ate our guacamole sandwiches (who would’ve known that bread and guac make a great combo), Nico gave us a brief historical overview of Peru. One of the topics we discussed was the Shining Path, a communist terrorist group in Peru, and its effect on the country. Founded in the 1960’s, the Shining Path detested the rampant corruption in the Peruvian government and sought to curb it. Unfortunately, their methods of achieving this goal were incredibly violent, to the point where members of the Shining Path would venture into villages and murder anyone who showed any support for the government (even purchasing crop seeds from the government was seen as a sign of support).
Nico also shared with us Peru’s current political situation. While the Shining Path is no longer as prevalent as before, we were all pretty shocked to hear of the problems still plaguing the Peruvian government. For instance, the majority of the candidates for the 2016 presidential election are former high ranking government officials, some of them even former presidents, all with very corrupt pasts.
Following our lunch and impromptu history lesson, we returned to work, this time transporting clay bricks that would be used for the walls of the greenhouse and making the mud that would glue the bricks together. As we wheelbarrowed back and forth, we felt a definite rapport developing between us and the other workers. Instead of thoroughly instructing us on what to do, they gave us greater responsibility by allowing us to decide how we would accomplish our tasks. Moreover, we began cracking jokes with them. For instance, every few minutes Pippen would holler, “Rapido, Nico!” (Hurry up, Nico), much to the delight of everyone, including Nico himself.
With a second day’s worth of work under our belts, we all left a little more sore and soiled, but more energized about the challenges and excitement ahead.
EGL Family Abroad 