Skip to Content Skip to Footer
Goshen College

Moving a mountain (or at least making a dimple in it)

January 22, 2017

Friday, January 20

Mighty Meghan gets a small souvenir to take back to Goshen.

Today we drove 25 miles north to Puente Piedra, an area more typical of where most people live in this sprawling capital city of 10 million.  The outer regions of Lima, known as the conos, didn’t exist 50 years ago when the population of Lima was less than 2 million.  Rural poverty and, in the 1980s and 90s, a brutal conflict that began in the Andes brought millions to the capital, causing rapid population growth that urban planning didn’t come close to managing.  Vast areas were populated by illegal land seizures, and only years later did basic utilities like water and electricity arrive.  Much of this growth occurred on the desert hills surrounding Lima, where shacks are built after carving into the steep inclines of rock and dirt.

Puente Piedra is older than many shantytowns, having been settled long enough ago that today it has water and electricity.  We were welcomed by an Anglican priest, Padre Benjamin, who asked us to continue excavating into the side of the hill, where the Fall SST group had also worked, so that the parish church can eventually expand their auxiliary building.  We discovered a small part of what it takes for families to build a home in the conos of Lima.

Although we worked for 2 hours, with plenty of arms for pick axes, shovels, and wheelbarrows, the “before and after” pictures show that we only removed a dimple of what needs to go yet.  Father Benjamin gave good advice for more efficient ways to remove the largest rocks, and this group accomplished more than the fall SST group, but some students felt a little melancholy that we left dirt and rocks for the summer group.

After the manual labor the group was very hungry for our lunch in the chapel, prepared by Livia, the wife of Padre Benjamin.  During lunch we heard some of the history of the settlements in Puente Piedra and the problems local families face.  Livia told us differences between living in Lima and Cusco, where she grew up.  We asked her for a Quechua song from her hometown, which she graciously sang and translated for us.  We reciprocated by singing a hymn, “Be Thou My Vision,” which we have been practicing for an ecumenical church service we will attend next week.

 

We drove past many miles of shantytowns covering hills of rocks and dirt.
Being warmly greeted by Livia upon arriving in Puente Piedra.
Hiking up the hill to the Anglican parish church.
Vanessa and Tyler show where the parish wants us to dig out rock and stone, making room for a new building.
Rowan and Tanner start loosening dirt/stones at the top.
Katie helps cart away the dirt and stones.
Students also used sacks to carry away the dirt and rocks.
After much labor, Tanner and Rowan succeed in dislodging this large rock …
… which 4 ultra-strong arms of Trent and Isaac cart away. Gabby follows with the rest of the defeated rock.
Vanessa and Dusti with another load taken from the hill.
Curious neighborhood kids watching us.
Trent kindly asks Meghan to remove this large rock …
… and Mighty Meghan happily obliges, getting a small souvenir to take back to Goshen.
With some big rocks gone, Jordyn, Katie and Dusti remove loose dirt and stones.
Lauren starts another wheelbarrow load.
The combination of Mark and the rock were too strong for the sledgehammer.
A proud chain gang.
The hillside as we found it, and how we left it 2 hours later.
Everyone was very hungry for lunch of fried chicken, rice, and beet salad.
Singing “Be Thou My Vision” for our hosts.
Hiking to the hilltop. The stairs aren’t built by the municipality, but by residents themselves.
The view was worth the hike.
On the right, an untouched hill face. On the left, a growing settlement of neighbors carving their niches into the rock and dirt.
Group picture.
Tanner spies a water slide below.
The hike back down.
The neighbor boy, who also helped the Fall SSTers, stands on a rock we leave for the Summer SSTers.