La Chimba by Dan Davis

I went to La Chimba because it's history of political activism fit in well with my Sociology/Anthropology studies. My aim was primarily to help the community through my volunteer work, and secondarily to find a study topic for the independent study I was doing for my undergraduate work. Once there, the form my work took was teaching English. The classes were fun, but small. The teaching materials were few, and the lessons were comprised of writing on the board with the students copying notes-there were no textbooks. As I had never taught any type of class before this time, each day was a learning experience for both student and teacher.

Another project I became involved in was writing a brief cultural history of the town, dating from pre-Inka times to the present. This paper was written at the request of the local director of the indigenous group, which was convienent for me because it fit in well with my studies. In this project, I was given names of possible interview subjects, and told where I would be able to find them. I also conducted research of scholarly sources. The resulting paper was around three and a half pages. The director was unable to assist me in this task.

The town is set high in the mountains and is very remote, and very beautiful. The landscape was very scenic. The people were all very friendly, and I had a great time. Something I wish I had known before was the usual temperature. Some days are chilly, others somewhat warm, but as soon as the sun goes down the temperature drops and it becomes pretty cold. There is no heating in the houses, so I would advise prospective volunteers to bring warm clothes, both regular clothes and to sleep in.

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