Letter to You

Dear Friends and Family,
Hey. What's up? I haven't heard from you in awhile. Things here have been busy. Busy in the way that I love what I am doing and feel like it matters, but also busy like I am ready for a little break. That is exactly what I am doing this week. I have to leave the country for visa stuff and Ecuador is the closest country to go to. So I am heading to the northern part of Peru and Machala, Ecuador - banana capital of the country. Too bad I am not that crazy about bananas. Anyways, I am looking forward to a little R&R, beach sun, shrimp meals, and new views.
When I come back there are lots of planned activities - we are planning a kind-of Artesian Fair and Mother's Day activity - both of which I am sure will require all my energy. So I have frantically been getting things in order this week to prep for the return from Ecuador week.
I have to tell you this week there were lots of highlights and lowlights. One of the highlights was going to visit one of my literacy groups. They are progressing well, although the teacher complains of one of the old women in the group who sometimes falls asleep during class. Before class on Wed. this group invited me to eat guinea pig with them. I was like the guest of honor, eating at the table, while everyone else sat on bricks near the fire. Well, the table was nice - but lonely. So I joined the group by the fire and we had a great conversation about men and guinea pigs (2 separate unrelated topics). My lowlight was my counterpart organization gave me some last minute bad news about not being able to help out financially with one of our big activities next month. Sometimes Peruvians are so great and sometimes they get under my skin and I can't handle it. The problem was somewhat resolved by the end of the day, but it makes me mad that my co-workers can give me a last minute problem as I am walking out the door and not coming back for a week. I am trying to remember if that happens in the states?
Anyways, I am curious to hear what is new...and the elections are you getting sick of it or excited for a change? I still have to request my out of country ballot. Miss you and hope your life is full of light and love. Will write again when I am back "home" in Peru.
Paz, Nora

Sewing with Ribbon

This month we started more workshops (besides jewelry). Jewelry is still a hit, and we will do another one next month, but there have been requests from women to learn other things. Aida, a women in one of the banks, makes precious, beautiful things with ribbon. So we contracted her to teach other women how to "sew with ribbon." It sounds kinda corny, I know, but if you look closely at the bag Aida is sewing it looks fabulous when all is said and done. The first one was so successful that we decided to hold two workshops next month - one in the city and one in the country. Aida is a patient teacher and I was so impressed as she went around and individually helped each women start their first ribbon project. In the first picture above I made all the women look at the camera, and when I said "cheese" in english everyone started laughing. Who knew my job was part comedian?

Globalized world

On Sat. I was walking home from a women's group and heard mariachi music blocks away from my house. When I opened the door it was confirmed. There was a full mariachi band playing Happy Birthday to Gilmer, the father of the family I live with. I knew there was going to be a party in the afternoon, but I didn't know the patio would be full of people and a mariachi band? That is our globalized world - the influence of cultures besides U.S. has triumphed here. I felt like I was in Mexico, but later in the afternoon we put on cumbia music and starting passing around the beer glass (everyone here drinks beer from the same glass and just passes it around, waiting their turn to drink), so I knew I was really in Peru. It is B.day season now, Happy Birthday to all!

Patience of Poverty

I wait for familiar faces to show up.
Materials ready. Everything ready.
There was excitement. Reassurance.
Yes, we will come.
I wait.
We want to learn how.
Make a better life. For our kids.
I still wait.
Do I know how it feels to be poor?
Really poor.Not college poor, but poor when I am not sure if there is food for my family tomorrow or money to get into the city today or hoping I get a decent price for my pig so that I can provide what I need to for those I care for.
I prioritize education, growth, learning - that is how you can get ahead.
But, if I lived in an adobe house with cracks where the rain comes in and I spend all morning cooking lunch or selling vegetables on the street or wake up at 5am to milk cows and wonder why my guinea pigs died - would I go to class in the afternoon?
Maybe. Maybe I would go a little late. Because I had to pick the kids up from school, go to the 3 pharmacies because no one had the medicine I needed and take the crowded combi that doesn't pass close to class...
I am just trying to understand why I am still waiting.
An hour later I see two faces I know.
We start.
Frustration. Anger. Disappointment. Can I let it go so that we can start?
It is not as I imagined, but there is a start.
This is the patience of poverty.

Way to work

I realize that I have only been writing about women, women, women. Really that is my world here, but there are some other images that you should also witness if you are picturing Nora working in Peru. When I walk about 10 minutes to my office I often pass by these images. There is a famous morning drink made with Aloe and Noni (no idea what that is). It is said to cure any aliment for any organ you might have a problem with it. I haven't tried it, but I hear it is slimy. I am tempted every morning. I also pass by these gentlemen in their 3 wheel bikes. I never see them working, but I am sure at some point they use the bikes for something. Jealousy. I sometimes wish I had a day like them where I wasn't in a hurry to go from here to there. But, on the other hand, they sit on this busy street corner inhaling awful grey smoke with all kinds of loud, crazy noises...not so relaxing. I'll stick to my women.

Can't stop....

The women in the banks have got me running here and there and I just can't stop. I never thought being an independent contractor would be so much work. This week was just filled with stuff. Where to begin? I had to stop by some groups to follow up on activities that they want to do, which in and of itself is a lot of work - our village banks are so spread out. Thankfully I had to visit groups in Los Banos, where there are thermal baths and I could finally shower! (I have been without a hot shower for more than a week)
I also visited one of our newer banks, Triunfo. They initially told me that they were interested in literacy classes, but then changed their minds - no time. Well we chatted again and this time they said, if we can learn handicrafts during our literacy classes, then we want literacy class. So I brought Nelly out to meet the group, and they were delighted. Nelly brought some examples of her crochet projects and that is all it took. They are starting with 1 hr. of literacy class and 1 hr. of handicraft class next week on Wed. They are going to learn how to make ponchos first.
We had our 3rd jewelry workshop. 26 women in one patio. Pictured here is the smaller table, and it was lovely until it started to rain. The women learned how to make necklaces and earrings without the tools we have been using. It was great and chaotic. More women showed up than expected, so we were running a little thin on materials. But, no complaints. They are getting creative and I decide to host an open jewelry workshop on Friday so that women can come and use the materials leftover from previous workshops.
But the activities don't stop there....We also finished up our health talks this week - women will continue to go to their visits (dental, pap and psychologist) next week. Vanessa, my co-worker, who is also a vet, gave a "how to protect your animals from disease" talk to one our banks. It was great, I didn't know that if your hen sneezes it is a sign that they are getting sick. I definitely feel like there is lots of great stuff happening with our banks, I just need to rest so that I can be prepared for the women next week.

Did I just say/hear that?

I have had a couple of interesting exchanges in the past couple of days. I went to visit a village bank that was celebrating the arrival of a new baby in the group. So it was more of a celebratory meeting, complete with snacks and drinks. The women were asking me if I have gotten use to the food here. I said I love the food...except the only thing that I don't like is eating potatoes with rice all the time. I like both potatoes and rice, but not together for every single meal. 10 minutes later one of the women started to bring out plates of food for everyone, and of course on the plates were potatoes and rice and meat. I immediately wanted to crawl in a hole. I couldn't believe I had just disgraced the food before it came out. The women were kinda chuckling and giving me a hard time. I ate my whole plate and smiled through my shame. Here you must eat your whole plate, or it is a sign of disrespect. But regardless, I had already stuck my foot in my mouth.

Today I went to visit a school to find out if we can use their space for a Mother's Day activity. I have visited this school 3 times in the past week and no luck meeting with the Director. Today I got lucky! So here I am explaining DHF, the purpose of our activity, is it possible to use the space, etc....and he changes the conversation to "I want to go to the U.S., can you help me?" Well I say, "as far as I know it is difficult to go to the states, you either need to have a work visa or marry someone from the U.S." Bad move. He then asks me if we could get married. WHAT?!?! So, I never got an answer to the question about our Mother's Day space, nor do I think I will be going back anytime soon to find an answer. Augh.

Health Prevention in the Dark

I am writing this entry with some mixed emotions - but that is how things go in Peru. Per request of many of the women, I organized some health "charlas" or talks. There is a non-profit clinic near our office that was very interested in providing preventative health education to our women. When I went out visiting women in my first few months in Peru everyone told me they wanted more information and access to health information for themselves and their children. And, many women told me that they hadn't had a pap smear in years, if ever. So in combination with health charlas I wanted to offer low-cost appointments. Great!

We had our first charla on Monday and 20 women were signed up. 4 came. 40 minutes late. So we started the activity late, and we ended late - and for 2 of the women who live more than an hour away in the countryside, I know they walked home in the dark that night. I worked my butt off calling people through out the week to make sure the same thing didn't happen on Friday. The same thing didn't happen, other things did. Friday we had 20 women show up, early and on time. But, the doctors were late setting up the projector, which ended up only working for less than half of the program. And when the final presenter, a psychologist, went up do her presentation on self-esteem and family violence, the lights went out. No electricity. So there she was in the dark, women getting anxious to leave and again ending our program after sunset.

Despite my frustrations with not having control over being able to put together a "perfect" health charla, the general feedback is that the women loved the information. They learned about family planning, breast and cervical cancer, importance of paps and how to do a self-breast exam. It was lots of info., but there were also lots of questions. I guess perfection comes in all kinds of different forms.

Literacy images

This week was another week to visit literacy classes - check in, make sure things are moving along OK, and OH, bring a chalkboard to one of our groups. Lily is pictured here in the non-muddy section of our walk to bring her chalkboard to her class. Our taxi couldn't take us all the way to the house where classes are held because the road is to narrow. But, no worries - the chalkboard made it. After visiting Lily's class, I walked to Lucia's class, which is only 20 minutes down the road. I needed to check-in with this group because last week when they met there was only 1 student present, and she arrived an hour late. This week there was 3 students and they were all busy writing in their notebooks when I arrived. We talked about changing days that women will have classes to make it more convenient. The group also agreed that they would like to mix their literacy classes with "manualidades," or handicraft workshops. So during their Saturday classes, their will be an hour of class and an hour of handicrafts. We'll try it, see how it goes. For me I am just happy to see there is still some interest.

30

Feeling blessed, loved and not really 30. I was expecting to wake up and have a depressed wave of feelings - the disappointment in not being where "society" tell you to be at this age, but nothing of the sort happened. In fact it was a perfectly lovely day. My co-workers surprised me with a cheese and cookie breakfast. I took the morning off to get the best mud massage I have ever had in my life, and then in the night I celebrated with my good friends here in town. Luz, my landlady/Peruvian mom, made a beautiful cake and my friends gathered in my apartment to sing a string of songs (almost kinda like the traditional Bedard b.day song list). I had to give a little speech, because that is what you do here on your B.day. But then we went around the room and everyone said a little something to celebrate the day. It was just right. Not only did I feel cared for and loved here in Peru, but I felt it all the way from the states. And so many people have told me that from now on life as I know it just gets better. At 20 you explore and at 30 you know yourself and you commit, relax, be, enjoy, give and take, radiant confidence more than ever before. So here I come!

I'm also sharing a picture of my friend Vicky and her daughter, who held an early B.day lunch for me on Sunday and taught me how to make one of my favorite dishes here - Aji de Gallina - a kinda spicy chicken and potato dish. Oh, it was delicious.