Pisco

I'm afraid my command over the English language might be slipping...I keep wanting to insert Spanish words in my English sentences, so we'll see how this entry goes...
I'm going to separate my entry for Pisco from the rest of my entry...

About 3 weekends ago, the entire group of UVaers plus some of our foreign and Peruvian friends went to Pisco, which is in the region that was the hardest hit during the earthquake in August. We went to participate in an organization called "Un techo para mi pais" or "A roof for my country." The houses and buildings in the city are mostly built of adobe, which made them vulnerable to the earthquake. The city definitely experienced a lot of destruction, and most of the people are living in tents. Apparently adobe buildings, if built in the old way, can actually withstand the force of an earthquake. The problem is that people have started to build their homes as if they were made of "regular" brick but with adobe which makes the buildings very fragile.

It was a rewarding but grueling trip. We had planned to spend two days building houses, but when we arrived we were surprised to find that we would be staying there three days instead because Monday was a holiday. (We had packed enough food, water, and mental energy for just two days.) We stayed in tents in a sandy area (the Peruvian coast is desert) outside of the airport in Pisco. We worked on the houses 10-14 hours a day, then slept for 4-5 hours a night. I only ate one meal a day. We were working in the dark (it gets dark here at about 6 o'clock) for up to 8 hours by flashlight (which was actually kind of dangerous). We had no electric tools. Basically, we worked super hard and didn't get much rest, and we ended up arriving in Lima at 8:30am on Tuesday morning...needless to say I didn't go to my 9 o'clock class! I am not super-outdoorsy (never really been camping before), and I didn't shower or wash my hands for three days (haha)! I also got sick the day after I got home...a bad cold for about 9 days. And everyone else had some stomach issues upon return. Basically the trip kind of kicked our butts in terms of our health. But in the end we built 100 wood houses for 100 different families, which is quite impressive, and it was good for me to see a part of Peru besides the ritzy parts of Lima.

The areas we were working in were very poor--toilets, running water, and electricity as we know it are non-existent. The area itself reminded me a lot of the orphanage in Monte Cristi, Dominican Republic--very dusty and dry, lotssss of goats, chickens, and pigs, burning trash. But I realize now that in the DR we stayed in one of the most comfortable areas in the town (the orphanage) in that we had beds, toilets, and showers. I told Michael that camping in the U.S. will be a piece of cake because I've been through this trip! To summarize, it was a tough but interesting experience that might have been more fun and productive if it we had had more rest and sleep.

Oh--there was a tremor while we were there. About 4 on the Richter scale, very short. It felt like a buzz.

Another final note is that we were working in the area that has received the most aid--both state and private. There are areas in Peru that are not getting nearly enough help and are much worse off. There is an organization here that is working to bring aid to areas that aren't even on a map of Peru, places that you have to walk to for 4 hours after a 3 hour bus ride because the closest bus stop is so far away. That is something to keep in mind.