First Day in Pusunchas
After three years away, the day for EWB Peru to return to Pusunchas has arrived. The day began earlier than usual since we had an 8am meeting with the community leadership (JASS). Julio (A.K.A JuJu) gathered us all at around 7:15 and it was time to go to the community. The roads to Pusunchas were more treacherous than those that take us to Carnachique, but with JuJu driving, we were in safe hands. After about a 40-minute drive, we arrived at Leoncio’s, the new president of the JASS, house where they had prepared us breakfast. To start, we were given a warm oatmeal drink with some “cachanga” (a fried bread). We thought that was all, but Leoncio then came out with soup for everyone. Leoncio’s dogs, one of which was named “Fleas,” (you can probably guess why) hung around us while we ate. After one of the biggest breakfasts in quite some time, we were ready for our meeting with the community.
The meeting took place outside of a school where the kind community members had set up some stools and a table for us to sit at. Bryan, now fully recovered from his illness, began the discussion explaining the purpose of our visit to the community. Once complete, we began a survey of the JASS, which was led by Arielle and Bryan. After completing the survey, it was time to go around the community to complete our household surveys. We split into three groups and we each surveyed different parts of the community. Lucy and I were lucky enough to be guided by Teresita around the community. As we walked with Teresita, we learned a valuable lesson: do not fall or else you will be talked about by the community members for years to come. As we made our way through the community, we saw tons of animals including dogs, chickens, ducks, turkeys, pigs and cats. Teresita alone had around 6 dogs, some cats, and chickens running around her house. At around noon, the three groups gathered at Leoncio’s house for lunch.
The team meeting with the JASS
Ellen and I sat at a desk which Julio explained was meant for kids and after telling Julio we were kids on the inside we remained at the desk – not our brightest ideas. For lunch, we were given a plate full of lentils, rice, chicken, and salad. Some of us had a hard time getting through all the food, especially after that large breakfast hours earlier, but we ate as much as we could to show our gratitude for the wonderful meal Leoncio’s family had prepared for us. Once lunch was finished, we decided to split into two groups – one group would go up the mountain to the higher sections of the community while the other group stayed closer to the bottom. Before splitting, we went back to the van to fill up on water. We had to add pills to the bottle we brought to get rid of the iodine taste and color. Ellen was taking care of adding the pills when we heard her gasp because she realized that we had taken an empty bottle with no pills. We were meant to throw that one out the night before – specifically Bryan - but didn’t so we were stuck with the weird looking water, although the taste and smell appeared mostly normal. Once we filled up with water, it was time to continue with the surveys.
Ellen, Lucy, Arielle, and I were led by Teresita and Leoncio up the mountain to a sector called “Progreso.” Leoncio took us through some off-road shortcuts up rocks. Every time we would reach the top of a section, the climb just continued with no end in sight. We had some breaks on the way up which allowed us to get to know Leoncio and Teresita better, so that was a bright spot. In the end, we climbed up to an elevation of around 10,500 feet. Up in Progreso, we continued with the household surveys and got some amazing views of the mountains around us. We also took some pictures of Teresita and of the group that went up the mountain. As we were leaving one of the houses, we saw some animal limbs and a skull, which was quite unexpected. We made our way down the mountain, surveying households on the way, and, finally, met up with the rest of the team. They tried convincing us that their afternoon was tougher than ours because they went up and down the lower part of the mountain a couple of times, but we weren’t buying it. Once together, we all got in the van and drove back to Otuzco.
For dinner, not for the first and definitely not for the last time, we went to “Pollos a La Brasa.” We got the usual chicken, salad, and fries with some Inca Cola to drink. Scott and I had some “emoliente” after dinner to help with digestion, or at least that’s what people claim this stuff does. Our night ended with some UNO with me winning the first game and Lucy winning the other two (she’s weirdly good at that game). After our longest day of hiking up and down mountains, it was time for bed to get some much-needed rest.
Prompt: What’s your favorite Julio memory from the trip so far.
Arielle – When I sat with him on one end of a PVC pipe and he yelled ‘HELLO’ into it to the surprise of everyone on the other end
Bryan – When he bet against me hiking a mountain in 30 minutes
Daniel – When he said my name then proceeded to salute me
Ellen – When he bombed it down a steep hill in the combi and said “wheee!”
Lucy – All the times he has reversed half a mile downhill with ease
Scott – All of his support and coordination for meetings, field work, and working with our community partners. We couldn’t do our work without him!
Vivian –