Day Three

“and would it have been worthwhile?”
The famous Eliot line resonated in my ears as I stirred wet plaster in a bucket with a “batidor.” It is our first day working at the site in Ancopacha. Everyone is excited to start helping the community, which has lost nearly everything in a flood. The heat is manageable, and with the scenic mountain view that unfolds before us, along with the anticipation of starting a new project, it is virtually unnoticeable. We have divided into three groups, each working on a different project. Our group is plastering a fractured wall, while another one is designing a painting on the wall of the local “school.” In reality, the school is hardly more than a small classroom without lighting. 12 students usually attend the school, which is taught by mothers of the community. However, today there are only eight due to the coldness of the winter mornings here. The final group is working on a shelf in the school, sanding and refining the wooden boards. The vastness of the effort needed appears before our eyes. The area is very bare, and is isolated, even from the village of Ollantaytambo. A train track runs through the edge of the village, and the wave of Machu Pichu-headed tourists rushes by us every now and then. As we work with the local people, communication has proven to be a crucial necessity. Body language has proven to be extremely helpful for those who have not studied Spanish (and for many that have.) Learning the process of plastering and sanding is challenging, but everyone is optimistic that they will get it eventually. The combined group effort is not unlike a discussion in a Groton classroom, and the small community of the trip reflects on the family-atmosphere so familiar on the Circle.
The home stay experience has been an unbelievable success so far. Molly Lyons, class of ’12, has even gone far as to say “I want to be adopted by my host family.” (Sorry Mr.Lyons) All the families have been accommodating, and have done much to make us feel at home. The initial warnings given by Jason that we would be fed an enormous amount of food proved to be true, (Eat through the pain!) and experiencing the Peruvian food has been new and exciting for everyone. Though there is obviously a language barrier for most of us, we have managed to communicate our thoughts and feelings fairly easily. The families seem genuinely excited to meet the students and to get to know them better. Jiangbo Yan ’13 and Dilong Sun ’11 have immersed themselves in a linguistics exchange with their family with the family teaching them Spanish and Quechua (a local pre-Colombian language), and them teaching the family English and Chinese. Tim Morrill ’12 and Prescott Owusu ’12 have insisted on helping their family in the kitchen and in the store despite reluctance from the family. In my home, the family has given Brad Uhm ‘13 the cognomen “Lucas,” and James “Santiago.” Games have proven to be an effective means of bonding and communicating. Gia Kim, class of ’13, played Connect 4 with her host family for about 3 hours. Gia has never studied Spanish, yet found that it wasn’t so necessary during the game. Madeline Cohen ’13 and Kaitlyn Peterson ’12 also played Uno with the kids of the host family. Diana Chen ’12 was surprised by the Spartan nature of a Peruvian household, but found that she had everything she needed. Each household has one student that can speak Spanish, and the non-speaking ones have learned to depend on their housemates. Nick Fischetti ’12 is growing increasingly thankful to Thomas Choi ’12. Nick also says that the majestic mountain view in the background is amazing.
For Brad and me, the World Cup has proven to be a useful subject. The awkwardness in conversation disappeared immediately at the mention of the “Copa Mundial,” and we even talked about some players that we all knew. Though the Cup may have ended with Spain’s victory over the Netherlands, the effects of the worldwide festival are global and lasting.
All in all, I think that the experiences of everyone so far can be summed up in one image. This morning, when Jason asked “so who has the best host family?” everyone immediately raised their hands and began to excitedly talk about their experience. Though the trip is far from being over, it is looking to be worth everything that we may have hoped for.


We’ll see you when the plaster dries

James, Jiangbo, and Dilong