A Family Affair

Good bye dirt floors, hello cement!

After 3 months, 6 days, and probably an afternoon later, my cement floors are finally in! And they look beautiful in all their shiny glory. This is a big deal for me since not only does this mean no more worries about everything covered in dirt, but it also marks that fact that I have accomplished something…even if I actually didn’t DO the cementing…it’s the fact that I created change that counts.

So now the story of how I got this new addition…

From about the moment as saw my dirt floors, I knew I would have to breach the subject of cementing at some point. It’s not that I couldn’t live with the dirt floors because after 3 months, I know that I could of, but that wasn’t an option since cement floors are required for all Peace Corps volunteers. So I knew I would be getting them at some time.

When I brought up the subject, they said that was fine and that my host dad even knew a guy that could do it. So that was settled then. But wait, what about the money? Well turns out my host family didn’t have the funds to put one in and that I would have to front all of the money. Not a worry, I thought. Cementing floors can’t be that much, right?

Well it turns out cementing floors is kind of expensive…at least on a volunteer’s budget. With all the material and man-power, my cement floors were going to cost S/600 (about $200). Seeing as how I make a wee bit more than that a month, I was going to have to get an advance from Peace Corps.

So after the swap of phone call and emails between Peace Corps, my APCD, regional coordinator, and I, I finally had the a-ok to from “the man”. But with being governmental organization, going through all the tape took a while…until a few weeks later, I finally had the cash deposited into my account.

Now about that guy that my dad knew…Turns out he was a cousin of my host dad. So when I told my host parents that I finally had the money, they said they would contact him about doing the job. But seeing how this is Peru and nothing is that easy, he wasn’t at his house, but instead up on the mountain. So a few more days go by and no word from the maestro (Master of Crafts), as we were calling him, so I had to turn other tactics if I was ever going to get my cement floor.

My friend Barbara said that intimidation goes a long way, so I used the fact that my boss was coming at the end of the month and that I needed my floors done by then. Next thing I know, Boom! We were going to meet with the maestro the very next day.

So we all took a family trip to the pueblo together, which was the first family outing we’ve had in my 3 months. We ended up hanging out in the plaza, as is the favorite pastime in Peru, with the maestro AND his family. Business is not an in-and-out transaction here. You have to sit and talk awhile before any work can get done. And this isn’t just a stranger that we hired to do this work, but actually part of the family.

So not just him, but his whole family came up to help with the cement floor…son, daughter, and wife. They helped collect rocks to put down first, so less cement is used and later on helped with cooking while the men took over the rest of the labor. And it turns out too, that not only were we cementing my room, but our living room as well, which I was happy to hear about. My house family is probably the most deserving people I know, so any improvement to their lives that I can help with, I’m glad with.

With all the work being done, there were bellies to be filled, so lunch was a big family affair, complete with soup AND a Segundo of rice, potatoes, and meat! You know it’s a special occasion when meat is present, as I have basically turned into a vegetarian at site, except for those times when cuy is presented to me ;-)

And after 2 days and a lot of food later, my cement floor was finally done. And it’s not just any cement floor, but red. Yes, red. Apparently they tint their cement floors here, which I’m fine with. The more color the better. And according to my host dad, it was either red or black, so I told him he made a good decision with the red. And with 6 inches added to my floor, I now have to bend down to get through my door. Which means anyone taller than 5’8” is going to have to watch their head (i.e my gigantic family from the states). But having lived in a college house with a “hobbit” hole, I know how to go in and out with ease.

So now with everything being done, I’m excited to go back and move all my stuff back in. The only disadvantage to this whole cement floor business is that I’m going to have to be a little more careful when I have those midnight bathroom needs and just make sure not to miss my bucket, as there will no longer be dirt there. In the words of my wise mother, “Modernization does has its downside.”