Day 4: Introduction to Projects in Zurite

 

Hello from Peru, Jacob and Tyler writing today. We started the day off with a wonderful breakfast made by our host families at 7 AM and adjusted to waking up in a new bed and new home—at least for these two weeks. Many were surprised by ice cold showers this morning, but we have now thankfully learned how to use the hot water adapters in Zurite. We met up at Don Tomas's compound at 8, and then stretched, where we learned Dr. Garvey is extremely flexible.

We set off for the mountains, as each day has had hikes of increasing difficulty and magnitude. We first hiked to a major reservoir that supplies Zurite with the majority of its water. Once we got there, we were shocked at how empty the reservoir was, because we could see almost no water inside. We then trekked to the trailhead for the Hummingbird Terraces and Cave Paintings. There, we learned about the importance of sustainable tourism and relished in the majesty of these two historic sites with the kindest people you'll ever meet.

After returning to Don Tomas's compound for lunch, we began our hardest hike yet. We followed a chasm with a river at the base that had formed after devastating landslides that covered pre-Incan buildings and destroyed essential water canals for the community. The hike ended at a tree nursery focused on repopulating the landscape with more sustainable plant species: specifically, exotic pine trees and native queuña trees, both of which require far less water than the Eucalyptus that were planted by the current elders of this community. Eucalyptus trees soak up about 7 liters of water per day, which is unsustainable in the current ecological climate.

Each of the three places that we've visited will serve as the meeting place for the three projects we will work on in the coming weeks. At the nursery, we will work to maintain the plants in hopes they will be planted soon. Near the trailhead, we'll paint signs and clear the path for tourists and community members alike to see the Hummingbird terraces and the ancient petroglyphs. Lastly, the third project will be to map out the canals from the reservoir to the farms and homes of all those who call Zurite home. (This is Tyler) Jacob has created an amazing GPS system in the Whitaker Lab that allows us to map the canals from the reservoir to all parts of Zurite. Without this technology, much of what we've set out to do could not be achieved (Jacob doesn't want me to write this).

The last thing we did was play sports and cards with the local kids. They were extremely good at soccer, far better than any of us, except Matthew. We also introduced Spikeball to the kids, which they enjoyed thoroughly because of a selfless act by William to use a good amount of his packing space to teach the kids something new. After that, we returned to our homestays for dinner and (hopefully) a good night's sleep for a difficult first day of service tomorrow.

We just want to say we're doing great here and we love the people, the food, and the community. Every day we learn so many new things, and acclimatize to the high altitude little by little. Everyone's healthy so far and we can't wait for a great next two weeks ahead.

Best,

Tyler + Jacob