13 February 2010

13 February 2010…this was the date engrained my brain for the past several months. This is the date the first group of Builders Beyond Borders (B3) volunteers arrived in San Antonio/Fuerza Armada to build pour-flush bathrooms. 37 high school youth and 6 adults from Connecticut arrived in Perú the morning of the 13th, and we immediately jumped on a bus to go to the work-sites (two of the communities in the district of Santiago).

The week started with a parade through the towns…with Peruvian and American flags, a band and Inca Cola. The work days started bright and early at 7:30. The B3 volunteers worked through the intense sun and sand of Ica. We witnessed a few paracas (sand storms) and quite a few sunburns. The volunteers worked very hard and at the end of each day considered how they could be more productive. The construction process sped up every day.

They all ate delicious Peruvian food in the community, ate panchamanca, went sandboarding and dune-buggying and checked out the Islas Ballestas in Paracas (a set of islands with sea lions, penguins and all sorts of birds). They even saw traditional dances. It was a busy week! By the end of the week Builders Beyond Borders and Peace Corps worked together to complete eleven pour-flush bathrooms. It was exciting and the communities are thrilled!

No portion of the week would have been possible without the help of fellow Peace Corps Volunteers Teigan, Kate, Pat, Bret, Win and Giorgi who helped set up everything from showers, to exchanging money and buying groceries ahead of time. During the week, all of the previously-mentioned volunteers were present and working hard in addition to Jess, Brian, Naomi and our solo brave environment volunteer from the highlands of Junín, Krista. They were rock stars during the week and throughout the whole process. THANK YOU!!!!

One of the biggest lessons we PCVs learned during the week is that we are an odd mixture of cultures now. We did not feel entirely American during the week or entirely Peruvian. One of the highlights of the day was buying a cold 3L of Inca Cola (the pop of choice in Perú) and sitting in a circle and drinking it while sharing our plastic cups. Go figure.

Overall, the experience was a good experience. I learned a lot in the process, and I am setting to work gearing up for the next group and trying to make all the improvements possible.