The 6th, if you remember correctly, I presented,
for the second time, to the council members and mayor why their kids need them
to pay the salary of someone to replace me when I am gone, teaching the VALE
program and managing their young library.
They said they were meeting the following day with the
treasurer to see if they agree as a group to support the program and see from
where they could pull the funds. I was told to come by in the afternoon.
When I returned, they told me all was well, they want to
support the porgram, but the treasurer hadn’t arrived to get a check to me, but
would the 20th. That I should return that day to get the contract
and check.
Today, being the 20th, I went to the treasurers desk and she had no idea about any
VALE program, library, or check. And rudely turned back to her work trying to
ignore me. Lu, quickly switched to bitch-mode.
“Who do I need to speak to to get the check today? We need
it by March 1st, before school starts.”
“You aren’t getting any money for any program I don’t know
about.” (p.s. she doesn’t live here. Everyone who lives here knows VALE)
“Exactly, so who do we need to talk to right now so that you
know about it? And, we are getting the money for this program, you just have
push the papers, my dear.”
So, we step upstairs to the three council members on duty
tonight. The whole 20 minute conversation was a fog. I was more harsh with them
than I have ever been…
“I was told to be here today to get the paperwork and check,
why do I feel like you didn’t even talk about this project on the 6th
when you meet? This money is not for me, this is for your kids that I am
fighting for here. Where is your responsibility to them?”
“This is not the time to be talking, gentlemen, this is the
time to be signing. School starts in less than a month. You have been talking
since November. I have 4 months to train my replacement and stock your library
with $4000 worth of books. There is no more talking to be done, all of your
families have benefited from this project, you want it to continue, it is time
to back it up with your signatures.”
“To be honest, sir, I don’t believe that you need to check
and make sure you have the funds. You do have access to these funds. You can
get it from the regional government if you haven’t gotten it already. You all
need to do this and you know it.”
“I have been the person representing this project so that
you don’t have many community members bothering you about it. But, if need be,
I will bring in the directors of the schools, parents, and nurses, and your
kids to bother you. You have access to the funds. Make this happen without
upsetting the community.”
I have never put a room of “powerful” men so silent so many
times in my life. The fathers who’s children are in the program were
embarrassed and had their eyes constantly at the floor. As the couple others
gave me the typical delay dealy delay responses, they were saying, “we have to
get this paperwork through” or “we can do everything on the first, she can
come” or “she has been here for two years for free you know”.
“You tell me what you need me to do to help you make this
happen now. Tell me how I can help with paperwork or paper pushing in Arequipa.
We need to do this together for your children, now.”
The thing that I feared most: upsetting them, making things
harder for me, precisely did not happen. I have always been patient with their
system no matter how beurocratic and inefficient. Today, I attacked them. As
city leaders, as fathers, even as adults. I did upset them, but in lighting a
small fire under their asses, one so many of their eyes showed me that they
felt the deserved.
My time here seems to be shortening every day (pun
intended), and… ladies and gentlemen… she has pulled out the big guns.
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