The rain brings life to the crops in the fields, which end up on our plates, and fills the rivers with water, which flows through the pipes in our homes. Thus, the rain is critical to life here.
That said, this type of climate doesn’t exist without its challenges. In the rainy season, there are often intense downpours. These can cause a lot of problems with the roads, buildings and bridges. Here we have what are called huaicos or huaycos (avalanches). The intense rain combined with the rocky cliffs found along the roads often causes rockslides and mudslides. These are very dangerous and can keep people from traveling since there is usually only one road from one place to the next. These rockslides can also crush homes and hurt people who live on top or underneath the area that is crumbling. In the dry season, there are also challenges with droughts, or periods of time with no water to drink, shower or cook with. Where I live, we are fortunate enough to have a steady supply of water, but there are towns nearby that struggle with not having enough water when there is no rain. Finally, people depend on the rain to harvest a successful crop. Because of this, if it rains too much, the crops are spoiled and people either don’t have enough to eat or they lose business, but if it doesn’t rain enough, the same thing can happen. Thus, it can be a tricky job to be a farmer here, a job where the success of your efforts is sometimes out of your control.
