Something weird is happening. Somehow, not only do I see a circle of my very own Peruvian friends forming, but, ‘Stability’ has become my middle name (go figure, I know).
A small group of educated women that are teachers in the schools has invited me to join their cooking circle. It almost feels like my life in Austin doing round-robin potlucks, which I love.
I have been so busy I haven’t had time to get lost in my head. I have a set schedule materializing and a rhythm that feels good.
Today Rocio, Edgar and I organized a meeting for the greenhouse project. Rocio heads this project and has organized it amazingly well.
The meeting ended up being invigorating for all of us. It isn’t just a charity that Rocio is organizing, but a 6 month series of workshops that train each potential greenhouse recipient on how to grow organically and how to cook nutritiously. The community members themselves provide all of the labor to build the greenhouses, but the materials are coming from a grant application to the regional government. Basically, it is the perfect example of Peace Corps supplying human resources to use the local resources optimally. I am honored and excited to be helping her with such great justice work.
Of the 32 expected to attend, 21 showed up, which is a HUGE percentage here in Peru. When I made 20 copies of everything everyone thought I was being overly optimistic. The most beautiful part of the meeting today was the excitement in the community members’ eyes. We really focused on emphasizing the fact that this is their project, and it can only be successful if they stand up as leaders and responsible members of their representative towns. I think they all walked away with a sense of ownership in the project. It was truly beautiful.
Of the 9 towns involved in the project 7 individuals (33%) are coming from Madrigal. I am SO proud of them for making this project a priority. I am also very pleased to know that my knocking on doors and ear pulling is being appreciated instead of found annoying.
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