Blogs from this weekend

17 de enero de 2009


Well today is the second day of Camp ALMA, which stands for Actividades Liderazgo para Mujeres Adolescentes (Leadership Activities for Adolescent Women). This camp is set up each year by the volunteers within each department that wants to participate. This year the volunteers of Piura were joined by 2 volunteers from Tumbes. Each volunteer can bring 1-3 girls in Secundaria. In the states Secundaria is about 7th grade till Junior year in high school. I brought 3 girls from Pedregal Grande. One girl is entering 3rd which is Freshman year (mas or menos), one girl entering 5th grado (Junior Year) and the third just graduated in December from Secundaria. (Remember we are on opposite seasons so December for them is the start of summer like our June, hence the end of the school year for them, like June is for us.


This weekend we planned all sorts of activities, (Icebreakers, Teambuilding, Trust-building, Self esteem, Brain teasers) and held speakers, (Talks of Auto esteem, Reproductive Health, Being a Woman, Taking Risks, Professional Woman in Today’s Workforce). The girls seem like they are taking in the information well and I hope this really motivates them to work hard to do better for themselves in their lives. Some of our speakers could really relate with the girls from poorer backgrounds, being someone who didn’t have money growing up, she worked in order to pay for college and go into med school. I really hope this hits the girls and they are excited to do more and try harder. I would be happy to help them along their path toward their dreams.


I have helped a lot in order to have this weekend go smoothly and I hope it continues to do so. (Ask my mom she knows I was constantly working on it!!) We did have some bumps though the first day and I def think that they were coming. We have issues in PC with the whole role of a Leader. Yes, I know, we are at a leadership camp, but that’s also the problem. Though all volunteers come from different backgrounds, with different experiences, and different education, there is one thing that links every volunteer together, the ability to lead, hence where our issue came from. When you have 20 people in the same room that lead and lead well, with each having amazing, creative ideas, and also the small factor of being head strong, it becomes a little difficult on the compromise issue and problem solving. Yesterday I think gave us all the realization that we need a bit more preparation than 2 meetings (with everyone in attendance) to go over the whole schedule and be done sooner, with more participation from all volunteers. But turns out that all is well in Camp ALMA now and things should be running rather smoothly for the duration.


Okay well I’m going to continue my main job this weekend filming and photo taking; therefore, unfortunately, I will prob be in one or 2 photos!! Will write more later.


18 de enero – Back at Site(Reflection)


As the weekend progressed things really began to mesh well and we didn’t have any more serious issues. I went to bed early on Saturday night because the food was awful and I got sick along with 5 other volunteers. Sunday morning the last speaker (which was my responsibility) came and actually did a great job with an activity as well. Then things for wrap up continued. Basically the focus on Sunday was how to replicate a mini-“Camp ALMA” in their home towns. If and when they do, they receive the cd from the weekend with the photos and videos that the volunteers and I took, that being my job to combine all the cd photos and film. Woo hoo! Still debating if I want to edit all the film to create a video of the weekend…bc that’s a lot of work. Especially by Tuesday when I have an appt with my laundry basket for like 6 hours then I have computer classes with the artisans in Catacaos from 3 till 7 tomorrow. All the volunteers are getting together Tuesday for the Inauguration and probably staying the night, going out. Right now I’m focus on how Not to melt from the heat and not to be eaten alive by the multitude of Mosquitos. Not to mention, trying not to inhale too much because I raided the shit out of my room, I think its bad to have too much contact with Raid, because my skin is tingling… woops… at least no bugs are biting me now =)


19 de enero de 2009


…Just got back from teaching computer classes. We had back to back session 3-5 for artisans of Paja Toquilla (Straw Weaving) and then 5-7 for artisans of Joyeria (Jewelry – Silver). It was really successful, both classes were filled. One issue that we had was the different levels that the artisans were on. In the paja class some were young and just wanted to do messenger the whole time and some people couldn’t move the mouse! So that was interesting, but everyone learned fast. The only people we are going to have serious issues with are the people that can’t see. I mean there are def 2 people (1 in each class) that could be on the border legally blind. But hey, if they want to learn and show up… why not? There was only 1 artisan who didn’t turn up, who do you think it was?...Martha… my counterpart. Que roche! I was so angry with her and I left her a message on her phone at about 3:30 and then she had the nerve to show up at5:30 to be like ohhh I had something urgent to do in Piura sorry. I was so angry and also I now have to teach her personally the lesson that she missed today. I was supposed to be at her house right now, but I feel really sick and my head hurts so I’m proud not going to head over. PS im soooo tired because of the 4 hour class and what I did earlier today!! What did I do earlier today… I know you all want to know…


WELL…. I woke up to do the laundry that I have been hiding from for 2 ½ weeks (yes, we do have a washing machine, but no desague, so that means I fill up a bucket or several and have to bring it back into the corral and empty it and I have to be next to the machine so the buckets don’t overflow and flood the house.. its annoying and a workout. While I was doing that I always dust and sweep my room like usual, but this time I decided to tackle… the bathroom. It is extremely dirty and I didn’t want to just start cleaning a room of the houses when I first got here, but I decided enough was enough and the nastiness had to go, so I filled up a bucket with bleach and went at it…3 buckets of bleach and water followed but just hot water bucket, not to mention the 4 hours it took… Ladies and Gentlemen we had a …semi-dirty bathroom. I’m not shitting you!! How awful!! I spent 4 hours scrubbing it but it just wasn’t enough. I’ll be getting back to it next week for sure. Anyway so back to the story, so I cleaned and then I Raided the bathroom to I could feel the poisonous liquid entering my bloodstream. When my sister came home, I asked her when the last time that bathroom was cleaned. She told me that it was when the bathroom was painted… which my friends was not this year nor last, it was January 2002. Yes, 7 years of filth. I feel gross that I went this long not cleaning it out of “respect”. Lol. But hey I cleaned it and now when I just went to the bathroom a few minutes ago…there were no bugs and no grime on the walls, in my book, a success.


Okay I’m going to rest my head it pounding.