Monday, just after lunch

Today we all drove out to the little village where we were going to build and we A) counted 108 dogs roaming the streets B) played chicken with every single rickshaw thing we passed (just because it's a narrow two-way road doesn't mean you can't pass anytime you please apparently, also the giant van always wins.) and C) learned that the village used to be a military practice range. Once we got there the instructions were to first take a group picture, then proceed to tear down the old house and begin building the new one. My jobs were to dig the super deep holes where the new bamboo framework would be placed (¡No está en la línea! - the holes I was digging weren't quite on the dirt line that marked the corner of the room), and to translate for my mother. The most important words to know are "cuidado" and "mira," which mean "careful" and "look!" respectively. In between holes I kept trying to get the toddler Gabriel who was hanging around to talk to me but he preferred to bury the nails in the dirt. Also, shout out to my dad, whose profession is apparently useless in Peru. The plans for our house were sketched onto some old cardboard with charcoal and all measurements were approximated and eyeballed. "Más o menos seís metros, más arriba, un poco, un poco," etc. Whatever, it looks like we've got a pretty sound foundation in the works! This afternoon instead of construction I'll be delivering food, which, by the way, is prime. ¡Hasta luego! -Madeline Gordon