Today is the first day of the "Clean Burning Stove" project! I am not really sure what to think about it. It all seems so different that I don't even really have any idea of how today will go. But, I woke up about an hour earlier to get to the ProWorld office, because I will have to try to figure out my way there. I got ready, ate breakfast, and left the house, but I was running late a little late. In spite of this, I was forced to take a taxi. I will have to leave the walking for tomorrow I suppose.
At around 9 am, we arrived at the site, and were prodded to split up into teams of two. I went ahead and joined up with Angie, and I was feeling pretty confident heading to our first house. When we arrived, it was a lot more complicated than the example we had seen previously. Our example was built in a home with the platform up against a wall that went straight up to the roof. Ours had a platform built to a wall, but we couldn't build straight up because of the support system of the roof. To remedy the situation, we placed a board from platform to roof as our new wall and went ahead with the construction. The father of home was semi-helpful, but he definitely didn't go out of his way to help us very much. Unfortuntely, with the setbacks and it being our first stove, we did not get done before lunch. So after we ate, we went back to finish it out. We got done with about an hour or so to spare so we stopped and talked to one of the local people, Raymond. We got into a conversation about the campo and how simple and tranquil it is. He told us that he has 3 children that are going to college in Cusco and other places. He told us that he did visit Cusco every so often to see his children, but that he much prefers living in the campo. The scenery, mountains, people, and everything were so beautiful (the people had beautiful personalities that is). However, we were shown firsthand that life out there is a difficult one. We were only there for 6 hours and we were tired, but they have to live that way all day, everyday. They raise there own animals, food, and only receive (I have been told) a small amount of money every month. But when you think about it, they get 100 soles ($37.04) each month and they have to try and make that stretch for their children, clothing, medical care, etc. It is hard for me to wrap my mind around that.
After we got back, I hopped in the shower, and then went out for ice cream. The sad part about everything, though, is that I ran out of minutes on my phone calling Lalo, our project leader, earlier in the day. Therefore, I couldn't call or text anyone to see if they had arrived at the ice cream shop yet. I figured that I would just watch the ancient ritual across the street at Qoricancha. It was pretty interesting. There were old dances, music, and the royalty there all on display. It was pretty cool. Soon afterward, some of the group appeared and we went to the ice cream shop, bookstore, Mega (grocery store and more), and the market. After the adventure, I came back home for dinner, talked to Amy, and went to bed.
It was a pretty crazy day, but I am ready to get up tomorrow and do it all over again. I think the service we are doing is something I wouldn't mind doing everyday we are here (other than excursion days) instead of going to class. However, the value of my classes are starting to pay off. I feel more confident using my Spanish with the natives, and I hope that continues through my time here.
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