I apologize that it's been almost two months since my last post, it has not been for a lack of news. April and May have been absolutely crazy months. Here is my best attempt to recap the latest happenings here:
March: I became a godmother.
This is me with Abraham Valentino Pisfil Azabache, my new godson, and his grandparents. This is one of the families I am closest to, and they asked me to be the godmother of Abraham's first holy blessing and his first fingernail cutting... yes, you read that correctly. In Peru you can be asked to be the godmother/godfather of many different things, but doing so for baptism is the most serious, and implies the most financial obligation. The family asked me to be the godmother of baptism as well, but I explained that I can't promise I will be here or be able to support him like I would want to, so we're sticking with the holy water and fingernails for now.
March: Quality time with my host parents.
March through present: Sex Ed for Teachers, Parents, and Students.
With the company of my Youth Development sitemate (Kimberly) since August 2012, I've become a lot more involved in the largest high school in Monsefú during my second year. Together, we and the Health Center are presenting an integral training in Sexual Education that started with sessions for the high school teachers, then for the high school parents, and now for the high school 3rd graders (about 13-15 years old). So far this project has gone surprisingly smooth, and I think part of that has been getting all of the teachers and parents on board before talking to their kids about such untraditional topics as sex, contraceptives, STDs, and masturbation. A large part of the project is correcting myths that are prevalent here-- golden nuggets such as "don't shower/eat lime/eat hot peppers during your period because it will make it stop and that's unhealthy," "a man has to finish once he's erect because otherwise it will hurt him," "you can't get pregnant the first time," and "the pull-out method is an effective contraceptive method." There are even some myths among the Health Center professionals that we've had to discuss-- the level of understanding of homosexuality was an obvious difficulty, and recently I've got in some heated discussions about the long-term fertility consequences (or lack thereof!!) of male masturbation. Needless to say, we're all learning a lot!
March-April: A dream come true project.
No exciting picture, but a huge project began that brings together everything I have wanted for the artisans since my first weeks in Monsefú. By luck I made a great contact at the regional Chamber of Commerce, and they are now spearheading a huge project that integrates Peace Corps, regional and national governmental programs for artisans, an NGO working with the artisans, Monsefú's municipal government, and the regional public university in order to put together a long-term project for public investment in preserving Monsefu's artisan craft. This would involve many level of training, but the end goal would be the construction of the "House of the Artisan" in Monsefu to be a shared workshop and tourist attraction. This is something we have all wanted for a long time and after so many broken promises from the local government, it looks like it might finally happen! My site replacement is going to have his/her plate full.
April 19-21: Dance Workshop.
A friend and fellow volunteer named Kelly came all the way from Ancash (in the mountains, way down near Lima) to teach a weekend dance workshop to Roberto's dance school. The workshop went really well but the reality of the dance school in the last few months has been frustrating. Roberto does not run it like a business because he doesn't charge anything to his teen students, and he's lost the support of his older, more experienced dancers because he neglects them in favor of the teens. His attitude has changed a lot recently, but I guess that's a part of him growing up (which he still needs to do). All problems aside, the teens involved in the dance school love it and have a healthy way to occupy their time, and Kelly's workshop helped them improve their precision and dance technique.
April 22-April 30: Last Hurrah in Colombia.
Using up my last vacation days before the deadline, I traveled to Colombia with two other volunteers, Hallie and Michelle. We visited Bogotá, Medellín, and Cartagena for a total of 10 days... and it was incredible! I always had a feeling I would love Colombia, and I was right. Bogotá and Medellin are light years ahead of Lima in terms of public transport, cleanliness, and general order. Cartagena and the coast was wonderful, especially the Tayrona National Park (pictured above) outside of Santa Marta. The food was nowhere as good as Peruvian food, but it was a nice change to enjoy plentiful high-quality coffee, pizza, burritos, and other comforts that are not as common in Peru.
Colombia was a life-changing trip for me, because I met someone who you will probably be hearing about a lot if you haven't already. I'll explain a little more in my May activities.
May 1 - 7: Close of Service Conference and Final Medical Checks in Lima.
This is the beginning of the end, folks. All of the people who came in to Peru together on June 9, 2011 (or rather, those who have survived two years) reunited in Lima at the beginning of May. We received diplomas signed by the Ambassador recognizing our two years of service, and we got all of the administrative and medical information we need to close out our last few months. Soon after this conference, I set my official end date to Peace Corps service: August 2, 2013. ah!!
While in Lima, I also got to spend some more time with this person I met in Colombia. Without delving too far into my personal life on a public blog, he is really someone special and is effectively changing my life because... as some of you know... I have decided to move to Santiago, Chile after Peace Corps service. This decision is really sudden and unexpected, but it's something I have to do for my current and future happiness. If anybody has good job contacts in Chile, please let me know! Also around this time, I applied to, interviewed for, and got rejected from my dream job in New York (with a satellite office in San Francisco) so that made the decision a little easier. Since I'm trying to get some private sector experience, it might even be better for me to stay international, so that I can woo employers with my perfect English.
Lima was a whirlwind not only for Close of Service Conference and this visitor, but also because we had some serious security incidents among my peer volunteers. Everyone is okay but it was a harsh reminder that we're not in the clear quiiiiite yet.
May 24 - 26: Girls' Leadership Camp ALMA
A HUGE thank you to Donna Ayers, Jette Simon, Mom, and Mary Lotto Ross for your donations to our camp! It literally would have been impossible without you. Yet another successful Camp ALMA, with 53 happy adolescent girls from our region going home with new knowledge about their bodies, their futures, and their communities! They learned to belly dance, they took vocational exams and met diverse female professionals, they learned how to use a condom, and they talked about what makes a healthy romantic relationship. I was able to bring 4 wonderful girls from our sex ed class, who I now know much better and trust me more. Up next, Camp VALOR for the adolescent boys in the end of June-- thank you to Dad, Fran, Caitryn, and whoever else donated! I don't have the donor list yet but again, these chance-of-a-lifetime camps would be impossible without your support!
So there you go, a short summary of the huge changes happening in my life in the past few months. Lots going on work-wise, lots of personal life changes, and lots of transitions happening. Here's what the end of my service will look like:
July 31: Last day in Monsefú.
August 1-2: Close of Service in Lima (officially end Peace Corps service).
August 2-7: Visit Santiago, Chile.
August 8: Arrive at RONALD REAGAN NATIONAL AIRPORT AT 1 PM!!
Sometime around September 8 or later: Move to Santiago, it seems. Eeep!!!
I love you all and can't wait to see you in August!
Links to recent photo albums:
