Un Dia en la Vida

Hey y'all.

Before I start, I would like to point out, for those of you doubters, that I have indeed updated my previous post with photos!  Surprise!  I implore you to check them out.


So I had quite an interesting adventure this past weekend.  As I've probably explained before, the main component of our service here in Peru involves designing and implementing development projects in two local communities, Media Luna and Chicon.  Though we have been working on various diagnostics over the past few weeks, through which we've been getting to know the campesinos, we realized that we were far from understanding what day-to-day life is like for Media Lunans and Chiconians.  Therefore, Stephanie organized a "Day in the Life," in which we would each be paired with a person in one of these communities.  Our task was not just to observe and jot down everything in our notebooks, but to actively participate in all aspects of this person's daily tasks.  Though we barely scratched the surface--we only spent 24 hours in the campo after all--I still feel like I learned so much.

Street view

When I first arrived at my host family's house, it was only about seven in the evening.  It was already pitch dark, and they'd already eaten dinner and put the kids to bed.  My host mom, Goya, and host dad, Carlos, were poring over an interesting-looking milling machine in their tienda, or store, which is part of their house.  As Goya explained to me, they use this machine to grind corn into flour, which is the first step in making chicha, the famous corn beer of the Peruvian countryside.  Unfortunately, the corn hadn't had time to dry before they'd run it through the machine, and it kept getting stuck.  After nearly an hour, they managed to grind all of the remaining corn.  There was still work to be done that night though.  Goya carried a sack of flour out to a patio-type-area, where an enormous cauldron was being heated over a fire.  She poured the flour into the already boiling water, and stirred.  We chatted a little, and she told me how she wished she had a cocina mejorada (cleaner-burning stove from ProPeru) for her chicha as well, because the smoke gives her a lot of chest pain.  The next morning, I learned just how elaborate chica-making is.  It involves boiling and re-boiling, straining and re-straining.  And a lot of water.  Here are some pictures.

One of Goya's chicha pots

We used this gourd to scoop the liquid into the bucket, then into the sieve below.

The nest-looking part is made of something called paja.  Goya created it in the basket.

Speaking of water...unfortunately, there have been some major piping problems in Chicon, and the community is currently without running water.  This means that the families have to make frequent trips to the stream to collect water for daily activities.  As Goya said many times during our time together, "nos falta mucho sin agua"...we struggle a lot without water.

On Saturday morning, I literally woke up to the sound of the rooster crowing.  Carrying a pile of feed, I accompanied Carlos to the chacra, where we fed the bulls.  I hadn't realized before how time consuming animal maintenance can be, especially if the field isn't right next to the house. Later that day, I returned to the chacra with Goya to feed the pigs.  (The leftover corn pulp that results from the repeated siftings of the chicha makes a convenient pig slop.  I liked how nothing was wasted.) And in the afternoon, we returned once more to take the bulls out to graze.

The feed.  The bull.

The bulk of the rest of my time in Chicon was spent in the kitchen.  In the morning, Goya and I worked on preparing lunch.  We made fried fish, rice, lentils, and potatoes, which reminded me fondly of Indian cuisine.  Just like chica-making, cooking is can be quite difficult without running water.  It was hard to wash our hands properly, and we had to keep going back to the stream to get more water.  In terms of the actual cooking, Goya smiled politely when she noticed my shortcomings.  It's not that easy to dice potatoes in mid-air, sans cutting board.  Goya did it expertly, of course.  Anyway, after a morning of constant activity, we finally sat down to enjoy our lunch, along with her two sons, Carlitos and Josue.  It was absolutely delicious.  But when we were done, there was more work to do.

My meal of spaghetti, cuy, rocoto, and potato

I was lucky enough to come to Chicon on the day of Goya's grandmother's birthday.  In the campo, 'birthday' is synonymous with 'feast.'  All day, Goya's mom and aunts had been cooking up a storm, and after lunch we went to her grandmother's house to join in.  Several cuyes (guinea pigs) were roasting over the fire.  One woman was dousing stuffed rocotos (peppers filled with peas and carrots) in batter and frying them on the stove.  Another peeled potatoes, while another tended to the spaghetti.  I chopped onions, or tried.  After a long time, the feast was ready, and I had the pleasure of sitting down with the whole family for a traditional campesino birthday meal.  It was wonderful.  When I had finished most of my food, I took out my water bottle to wash it down.  At once, everyone in the room called out in alarm.  "You can't drink cold water after you eat!" they cried.  "Please, drink some matecito (hot tea) instead!"  I sheepishly downed my water anyway.   I found out later that their philosophy comes from the fact that digestion is slow at high altitudes.  Apparently, drinking cold water slows it further.  Whether it's true or not, I have no idea, but I was just fine after drinking my water.

With my Chiconian family, and our abuelita

I learned a lot about rural life during my stay in Chicon, but most importantly, I got an idea of just how hard the people work.  I remember during a tour in Cusco, the tour guide pointed out that many of the Inca figures have oversized hands and feet, and this is to symbolize the fact that they work so hard.  This is an Andean concept that definitely still exists.  There's no doubt about it: these people work hard.  And though Goya said she was cansada (tired) many times during the day, she always said it with a smile on her face.