Working On a Building With Local Chacabamba Men

After lunch and the welcome ceremony, we went to work. First, we hiked up the hill to learn about farming. I liked how they took time to talk with us about their particular methods and reasons for how they farm. They had a small field ready and tilled for us to plant potatoes. They showed us how they make the holes and to put two potatoes in each hole. They handed us a bag of potatoes and put us to work. Truth be told, I actually didn't plant any. Mackenzie, Rhonda and Abbi all jumped in and planted many. I was busy taking pictures. I was still emotional about the warm welcome we received. And now, I was getting emotional again, watching our teenage daughters be some of the first to jump in to help. I was so proud of them. That, coupled with the fact that it was a very small field we were working on, too small for 19 helpers, kept me at a distance. I think I cried during that, too. I was feeling so thankful for the experience.

 A short walk from the potato field was the newest and most modern building in the village. It was to be an office for the Mayor and a community center. To the side of it, they were building a cafeteria. They explained to us that the entire community works on one home, then another. They all help on each home. Navidad explained how the bricks are made. They must dig down under the early layer of dirt until they get to the layer with more clay. They mix the clay with straw and water and pack it into a mold. They let it dry in the sun and then pack them to the location for building. The mortar is the same clay mixture with water, minus the straw. They mix the mortar using their feet.

There are one or two builders who are carefully skilled at squaring the building. They don't use levels like we do. They use string and a process for squaring that requires detailed skill. We watched them for a bit and then we were invited to join. It was difficult to know how to help. A few of our group grabbed some bricks and packed them to the wall. I handed my camera off to Abbi and dug in. I was in Peru to work and help and I couldn't wait to see progress!

The men on the left are using string and weights to square the corner.

I found a guy to "job shadow." I packed bricks everywhere he did. They are HEAVY! I don't know how much they weighed, but I do know it was hard for me. I was sweating. My back was aching. My arm muscles were tired. And then my guy disappeared. I looked around to see him chewing coca leaves and talking with his buddy. Break time? We had worked for maybe 20 minutes. Inside my head I was thinking, "Let's go! Let's get this done. Progress, people!"

I surveyed the wall and found another area that was ready for bricks. I did my best to speak in Spanish to some of guys who seemed in charge. "Mas?" ("More?" I asked.) "Todas," he replied with a hand gesture that showed me he wanted the whole side of the wall filled with bricks. I was happy to oblige. I was kinda irritated to see that I was one of the few people working. Not in my group, that didn't bother me. I understood why most of our group wasn't pitching in. There was little-to-no instruction for helping and it was hard to know how to help.  I was frustrated with the village men. They seemed to stand around and shoot the breeze as much or more than actually working. Again, I wondered what they thought of me. It was all men working on the building. The women of the village were packing wood. Many of our girls, including Rhonda and Mackenzie, helped the ladies pack wood. I'm not sure what they were packing it for. Or where they were going to. But, here I was, the only lady and lone volunteer, working as hard or harder than the men there. I was kinda miffed at the whole situation.

But then, it dawned on me--what was the rush? As Kim put it, "They've got nothing but time." What would the end goal be? Hurry to finish this shelter, to build another? It's not as if they would work hard to finish so they could begin a bigger goal. This is their life, day in and day out. They build one building and start another. They aren't hurrying home to watch The Voice, or posting status updates on Facebook. There was no soccer game to drive kids to or even grocery shopping to be done. It was a culture shock moment. They have a relaxed pace and a very limited lifestyle.  This wasn't just their job, this was their life. And socializing was a part of it. Really, what's the rush, white girl?

It isn't wrong to set a slow pace. It's just different-foreign, if you will. I'm a pretty driven person and when I set out for a project, I like to see it finished. It was hard to wrap my mind around their way of life. But, the community is tight-knit and safe. The kids are left unattended all over the place. They build your house, then they build my house, always working together on each project. They help each other out. Then, they slow their pace at night and take time to be together with their family. Although we aim for this in America, we have a million things on our to-do list and schedules to make your head spin. The village life is not a lifestyle to affront. It's something to aspire for.

Stacy carrying wood with a local girl

I worked until my back hurt and Navidad said it's time to go back for more celebrations. Up until this point, most of the children had been in school. After we planted potatoes, kids started showing up. They had found us at the building. They stayed their distance, but then they'd approach and laugh and run away. Abbi took pictures of them playing while I was working. We were to head back "home" to meet the kids officially and celebrate some more.