Today was the big day, we finally got to see Nuevo Jerusalem. as the car went up the dusty hill up to the small town, I couldn't help but think this is definitely not Agallpampa. In my mind, Agallpampa was the poorest town we would see in Peru. I was wrong. All around us were houses made from cardboards, strawmats, I mean straight up shacks. I was surprised. And even more surprising was how desolate the area seemed as far as vegetation. Everywhere was simply sand. As I walked outside exploring the area, my eyes adjusted to the dust flying around. We walked into Senora Kelly's home and I was surprised to see that the floor of the house was none other than sand. Loose sand. Yup this was definitely a wake up call to a different degree of poverty. Besides that, I had a great times exploring the area. I absolutely love Senora Kelly's sun Usher (or is it Asher). The kid is so adorable! We also met up with the ladies to discuss what they had done as far as knitting scarfs, hats etc. Unfortunately, that endeavor hadn't gone so well since most of the women couldn't afford the wool. Bummer.
After Nuevo Jerusalem, we went back home and discussed what we as a group could do to improve the lifestyle of the people. Ultimately, we decided that an economic initiative involving guinea pigs would be the best. I didn't know this prior to this trip but guinea pigs are actually quite nutritious (and apparently delicious) and are great for growing kids. They are also expensive at 25 soles each for a medium sized one. Senora Kelly had a pen in the back with a few of them and we noticed that to feed them, she actually had to buy the food. Hence our new development plan is now to plant vegetable gardens in the homes of some of these women, so that they can grow an abundant amount of food for these guinea pigs, and in turn grow them, have them reproduce, and sell them in the market for profit. This way they have an income coming in from somewhere else. Right now, the guinea pigs are just meant for dinner, but with an abundance of food and a chance to reproduce at a high rate, heeyyyy money money in the bank!!
Oh and tonight, kids from a different program moved into the house (FIMRC). We played truth or dare with them. Sigh. I don't know maybe its coming from Georgia Tech and UTexas, or if its just them being nerds, but they are hands down not has vibrant, chill, and outgoing as we are.....well except for one or two.
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