When we arrived at the Fundación Almeria school and greenhouse complex where Kathy and Juli are working, we found them sorting a small mountain of beans, some in the pod and others in hiding. Both Juli and Kathy grew up on farms, and the location here in the highlands, far from the smog and crowds of Lima, surrounded by hills that welcome hikers, seems to fit them well. Kathy said that she raised her fists and shouted “yes” when she arrived.

They gave us a tour of the greenhouse complex first. They showed us where they had planted tomatoes and peppers and lettuce, on a wooden doubledecker frame that looked a lot like a bunkbed (on one bed, for example, they planted lettuce on the lower bunk, and peppers on the upper). The food grown in the greenhouses is served to children from the community, who attend classes here as well.

For Juli and Kathy, the 15-minute walk from the greenhouses to their host home follows dirt roads, with adobe houses on either side, and often a pig or a cow or a rooster in the yard, tied up by a leg to keep it from wandering. They’ve gotten to know the rooster at their house pretty well. Their morning alarm clock, which actually sleeps in a room under their second-floor bedroom, goes off around 4:30, 6, and 7, they said.

Evenings they usually retire early to their room and read or write, sometimes having to schooch near the single lightbulb in the room. Nights are cold, and the walls let in the fresh air. On the far side of the bedroom ears of corn are piled against the wall, ready for when the family needs it.

Kathy and Juli live with the grandparents of their host father, Nilton. Their host mother is Eufemia, and three boys round out the family: Nilton Cesar, 13, Yemmi, 11, and Yhosed 4.

Once in a while, the brothers stop by to watch the family's TV, which is in Juli and Kathy's room. Sometimes, for better or for worse, the Goshen students have had to put aside assigned readings to study the nuances of love and heartache on Peruvian telenovelas (the boys' choice in programming). When the TV signal fails, as it sometimes does, one of the boys will give the television a whack, and the picture returns.

Kathy and Juli are also teaching English at the Fundación Almeria school: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th graders, in different classes, three days a week. They invited us into the classroom. Among other things, they taught greetings (How are you? I'm fine. And you?) and animals (chancho = pig). We also sang “Heads, Shoulders, Knees and Toes” together before the class was over.

Sitting next to the outdoor kitchen stove at the greenhouse, we enjoyed a healthy lunch with Juli and Kathy and volunteers from Spain, as well as the regular workers, managed by Baltazar, a big Goshen College fan (he mentioned how much he enjoys wearing his college T-shirt, a gift from a student a year or two back).

Juli and Kathy traveled back with us as far as Izcuchcaca, about 20 minutes away by kombi van, where we found some pastries in shop on the main street and walked around the corner to eat them in a park. Then they were off to an Internet café (there’s no Internet at the greenhouse), and we were off for Cusco.