Pachica and more

Today I went with a couple of Gringos and a Chilean to pick up a table saw in Pichica, which is about a couple hours away, through the desert and in a canyon, in the middle of nowhere, or so it seemed to a city girl. We had to drive through a creek or two to get there. There is an Agricultural School there, part of EMANA called Instituto Agricola Kusayapu. EMANA is the project that I'm working under. It was a beautiful drive. The desert doesn't have vegetation in many areas, unlike in the U.S. and Mexico. And all along the way, we'd see stacked stones, which is a way for people to ask the spirits permission to pass. Also saw dust whirlwinds. At the agricultural school, there were rabbits, goats, pigs, alpaca, gardens, a workshop, and probably more that I didn't see. It's closed right now, to be opened in 2009, but it is still being maintained, etc. One of the past students was one of the guys who was working customs at the airport when I came in. He was the one who asked me if I had brought any plants or food into Chile.

These pictures are on the way to Pichica:



Going into the canyon:






The river we drove through:






Geoglyph call "the Atacama Giant:"





Two Gringos, Nina and Jack from Illinois have been coming to Iquique for sixteen years on work teams. They have a strong relationship with some of the Chileans. They've been here since December and will be here until March. They are going to start on the church windows tomorrow. Nina made lasagna and salad this evening that was absolutely delicious. Another Gringo, Walt, from Tuscaloosa, has been here for awhile too, four months I think. He's considering going home to do some training with Volunteer In Missions and then returning to do some work in Pachica. People seem to come here and fall in love with Iquique. I think it's awesome that these Gringos have such wonderful relationships with people here and vice versa. Gringos come and do some construction, but it's not just a one time thing. Over time, they've become like family to the Chileans and vice versa. Some of the Chileans have been to the states to visit too.

I felt my first tremor today. It felt like a truck going by, in fact I wouldn't have noticed if someone hadn't pointed it out. I'm told they happen everyday, but if you are moving around, you don't really notice. I'm in earthquake territory. Yikes.

Well that's all for now.