How do keep 50 kids occupied during their school vacations?

Vacaciones Útiles:
These past couple months I've been doing a vacation school with the local kids. Started with over 50 kids, ages 6-15. We did English, took "trips" to other countries (via pictures/info in powerpoint presentations), identified problems and created work plans to solve them, focused on the environment with a trash pick-up day and a lets-make-crafts-out-of-recycled-materials day, learned about history, and had 2 field trips to nearby places. Although I was totally overwhelmed at times and even super frustrated, we finished strong and I will always remember that I got to have an impact on these kids' lives. Praise Him :0)

Artisans:
I've been working with my artisans over this winter as well. Some BIG blessings...one is that we now have the support of another NGO to help in the aspects of business management and writing a business plan. Also we won a mini-grant that I solicited so now we have our own weaving machine. And we were able to participate in a fair recently- didn't sell much and were pretty bummed. But then we got the surpruse that we won S/.500 for our stand!! The ladies defended their products in front of the judge so well, I am super proud! We will likely use that money for a sewing machine since they don't have one. Now I have less than 5 months, so these ladies are my main priority to finish strong and get them trained to take this business and run with it. Write back soon, thanks for reading you all are the best!

Year-End Reflections...

Reflections of 2013…

This year, I’ve lived in a foreign country. The entire year. I’ve never done that before. This year I really started to feel comfortable with my Spanish. My personality was finally able to come out and I could pick up on and laugh at everyday jokes/idiosyncrasies. I got used to being called “gringita.” I lived through my first rainy season, phew! I taught vacation school and made some great little buddies. This year I helped our artisan group become a formal association. I taught business classes to many groups, and was even able to bring two young girls to Lima to compete with their business idea. I celebrated one year as a Peace Corps Volunteer. I was able to develop and deepen many relationships here and have people care for me immensely. I got to bring many cultural insights/traditions to the people here.  This year I had the blessing of going home twice to be with my beloved family and friends and watch my brother get married. This year I memorized almost the entire book of James (need a major refresher). This year, I traveled to Machu Picchu (with my parents), two different parts of the jungle, the beach, the highest elevation lake in the world, and the 2^nd biggest (and probably most beautiful) city in Peru.

This year I had lots of challenges. I’ve been sick, well, more than a few times. I’ve been misunderstood, and I’ve wracked my brain trying to understand why certain things are the way they are in my daily reality. I’ve felt convicted of judging those things and people instead of having compassion on them. I’ve doubted my work and my worth. Many times. I’ve felt left out and like I didn’t belong. I often craved, needed to hear positive feedback and didn’t hear it here (thank you to family and friends who filled that gap so well).

But I’ve also been held closer by God than ever before, because He put me in situations where I had to rely on Him. I’ve worshipped Him in another language and found myself in a church community who is truly like family. I have learned how to open up, share what I’m feeling and let others listen. I’ve learned from the wisdom and generosity of the people here. A ton. I’ve learned that you don’t have to pretend everything is ok. You can live in the ups and downs, but live it full out. I naturally am a person that holds back and “plays it safe,” but oh how God is dragging me out of that comfort zone, little by little.

I am so thankful for this beautiful, frustrating, growth-stimulating, adventurous year. Can’t wait to see what He brings in 2014.

Girls Camp and Jungle Trip #2

Hey friends and fam,
A few updates for ya...

Our girls camp went great! For the first time we did it with other partners- the regional health post and government, an NGO, etc. Of course some bumps in the road, but 39 girls got the chance to laugh, play and learn interactivelly about self-esteem, leadership, sexual education and rights, among other things. Here I am teaching morning aerobics:

 And the whole gang...

Aaaand the jungle...wow. We went to Puerto Maldonado, Madre de Dios. We stepped off the plane and started laughing because it didn't seem real. Felt like we were in a sauna! We (11 gals!) went to a jungle lodge for 2 days and got to see all kinds of insects and creatures...tons of species of birds, an alligator,

 The whole group on our pirannah fishing adventure. I surprisingly caught the first one!

 Jungle lodge...

 At the bridge to Brazil!

My monkey friend!! They climbed all over us and let us pet them!

So that's what I got for now. Keep it real and I'll be back soon!
J

Bro's Boda and Birthday Bliss...

Buenas Noches con Todos (Good Evening Everyone),
Lot's to catch up on...mainly about my brother's wedding (boda = wedding) and my birthday...

The wedding/trip home:
The whole thing was a highlight. Seriously such a blessing. I forgot how long/hard the trip home was, so it took a toll on me, but I was too excited to really care. Wednesday night I got to see friends and try on rehearsal dinner dresses while Kristen, Katie and mom got the Ravens Wagon ready for the flower girl and ring bearer. Thursday I got to give a presentation in spanish for a class at my high school then family started to arrive. Later on we got to just hang out and have a nice yummyyy pizza and salad dinner (if you can't tell, the food was a highlight as well lol) :) Friday it was craziness trying to get ready to leave for the wedding. Mom and I both forgot things and weren't super prepared, but you can't sweat the small stuff diga (right)?

The rehearsal went smoothly (funny to see Kristen driving all us girls in an 18-passenger van and her nice dress ha) and the dinner was awesome. SO fun to be there with family and family friends and I got to say a few words as well to congratulate my brother and new sister :) The wedding day was chilly but beautiful, and although we suffered a bit I can't WAIT to see the pictures. A couple funny anecdotes: I was to do a scripture reading and there was some miscommunication on getting the paper with the passage on it, so I got up front and when it came to be my turn realized I didn't have the reading with me...uhoh. I had a mili-second of shock and immediately started thinking of how I would improvise and kept moving forward. I told the pastor as I was casually walking by that I didn't have my reading and he cordially gave me his entire black wedding book and said "Don't forget to bring it back." Haha. So all went well after that slight hickup. Party was amazing and afterparty was fun, too. The other anecdote is that all the girls were a little uncomfortable with their fake eyelashes and when one of my mom's came off at the reception, she decided not to let it get her down and went to the afterparty with one fake eyelash. Ha! Love it.

Sunday was wonderful in Annapolis with family walking around and shopping and we had a great day. The rest of the time was running around getting errands done and time with my parents mostly.

Leaving was harder this time...I think because I just had SUCH an amazing time and got to see the whole family. Also being so close to finishing in the spectrum of 27 months, but at 8+ months still far away is tough. Mom and I, after sharing one last coffee together in the airport, said a tearful goodbye and off I went.

My Birthday:
Although it was hard readjusting and I'm still sick, I had one of the best birthday's I've ever had.
I woke up to a cake that my host mom had made (Cake #1. breakfast). Then I went to church and got one of the best suprises I've ever had. They ended church early and shoo'ed me out for a bit (they are terrible at suprises but I love it lol) then I came in and they had moved the chairs along all the sides of the room and had a cake in the middle (Cake #2). The pastor and another guy from church started to sing happy birthday- a really neat Christian version- and had me stand in the middle to honor me. The sang worship songs, and what the people said was just seriously so amazing. I couldn't stop crying I was so moved. They were so grateful that I was there with them and encouraged me in my faith journey, it was amazing.

Then I went to eat lunch with my host family, visit the artisan president who wanted to give me my birthday hug (tradition here), then my friend Heidi (a PC volunteer who thankfully live close :) came over and we went to Miriam's house (my sitemate's host family when he was here) where I was met with 2 more cakes- 1 from Miriam and 1 from my french friend and japanese friend (Cakes #3 & 4). Then the next day my artisan ladies threw a party for me and that was really nice. They were hiding in a back room and when I came out they each gave me my birthday hug and a little flower or present...so sweet (Cake #5). Then just yesterday the professor at the community college had me over for cake, jello and tea (Cake #6). Funny combination I know. Anyway I felt super special and loved...last birthday was hard, but I appreciated this one even more for it!

Write back soon :)
Me

The girl cousins, Kristin, and Cam!

 Love this one!

 Me and my cousin Kasey :)

 Bridal party, wohoo!!!

 The Kahler girls!!

 At church for my bday!

Of course they shoved cake in my face, ha...its tradition here!

 The whole church crew!

 At Miriam's...

With my artisans :)

Reflections rolling in...

Its been a while so I'm just gonna dive right in...

Been reflecting a lot lately on my first year of service now that the second year is already flying by. It is amazing the power time has. Things are finally happening and coming together and my perspective toward my service has been changing for the better. There are still tons of frustrations and sometimes I feel I just want to be done with this place and these people. But then I remember how much has changed in the last year-ish.

As many of you know, "my first year" and "easy" or "piece of cake" will never be found in the same sentence. Much of what I felt was confusion, lack of purpose and loneliness. There were some amazing, memorable times as well, but those aren't what stand out. It is not a bad thing, though. I fought and fought from my American mindset accepting that things weren't as productive as I'd like them. But if I had to define the year in a phrase, it would be "character-building." I think I've grown more in the past year than many earlier years combined. As the only solid, stable, familiar thing I had, I clung to the Lord like I've never had to before. He held my hand/carried me as I navigated life and work. I also reached out to people in a new way. I learned its okay to be vulnerable. Its acutally correct...we are vulnerable. Maybe I just needed to be in a situation where I could see that for myself.

The rocky path of my first year also makes me appreciate the recent months more. If my whole service was smooth sailing, I wouldn't appreciate the small successes and blessings God has provided me.

Ok I also want to give some work updates:

1. Artisans- We brought a teacher in to help us learn to dye wool/fabric and use the big wooden weaving machines that we have in town (see below). Its going well and the ladies who are really interested are picking up on a lot. We have participated in another regional fair and our clothes will be featured in a fashion show in the capital city. The consortium of NGOs that works in town wants to train the ladies on computer literacy/internet skills, create a website and blog for us, and give us a computer and printer to use! What a praise! Last night we celebrated our 1 year anniversary as a group and it went so great...we played volleyball, soccer, games, ate a great meal and danced the night away :) Sometimes it is still super hard to work with a large group like this (25ish) and we face issues with irresponsability and poor attitudes, but we have great leadership so I believe we can keep moving forward.

2. My farmers- I've been working with an associasion of rural farmers- first with the business plan/entrepreneurship class I teach, and now with a government-run program that offers to fund businesses in their endeavors to improve the implementation of techonology. The guys want to start a cuy (guinea pig) farm since they are a delicassy here. Last week my bosses came from Lima and Cajamarca and were able to give the certificates to the guys for completing the business plan class. The guys were so grateful and motivated by the visit and they all gave little speeches. Later my Lima boss Alfredo told me he had was super inspired by what he saw and it made him remember why he does Peace Corps. What an honor!

3. Chamber of Commerce- This project had been started years ago by a former business volunteer but unfortunately never held the momentum strong. Recently, we changed presidents and the new one is doing great. We are going to put an office right in the main square so we can have a presence and hopefully motivate the local merchants to work together and come to use the resources. We are doing a raffle of a baby bull...yes I did say bull...to raise money for the office. I am excited to see what will happen. We've even talked about startuing an annual business plan competition with a cash prize. We'll see.

Anyway I hope you enjoyed reading a bit about my life here...my next post will be about my time home and brother's wedding!
Love and Peace,
Me

Our jungle experience...
Last week, one of my best friends Jen came in for an adventure we'd never forget. I picked her up in Lima and after an almost sleepless night, we got up super early and made it to Iquitos (the capital city of Loreto). We were met in the airport by our guide Rodrigo, who took us around the local marketplace until the boat arrived to take us on our adventure.

Three hours later, we arrived at the Tahuayo Lodge. Built right into the jungle, it is beautiful but basic. No AC or amenities, solar paneled electricity, etc. We definitely signed up for an adventure :) The first day we had a great lunch, relaxed in hammocks, then went exploring a bit and did the zipline. I decided to hoist myself up instead of let them do it cuz I wanted the challenge. I got about 10-15ft up and changed my mind, but what they neglected to tell me was that I couldn't turn back. So onward and upward I went, and I did it! Still have the healing blisters to show for it.

Day 2: The next day we went hiking again and saw the smallest monkey in South America- and it really is tiny. We also saw a family of spider monkeys but they moved so quickly we couldn't get pictures. Our guides, who have all had survival training, did a demonstration of a trap you would set to catch animals. Super neat. Also they showed us how to make rubber from the rubber tree by scraping away the bark and putting flame to the white sap. At lunch we got to try fresh juice made from Camu Camu- the fruit with the highest concentration of vitamin C in the world... soo yummy. In the afternoon we went looking for pink dolhpins and found them! They were beautiful but seldom showed themselves and when they did it was only to grab some air for an instant. They like to play hide and seek. I also saw a hawk come down, scoop up its prey from the water and disappear into the sky-all in about 3 seconds. Craziness. At night we went exploring by boat, "looking for frogs." Til the moment the guide grabbed the caiman (aligator) from the water with his bare hands we still thought it was a big frog...man were we fooled!

Day 3: We went fishing, caught piranas, catfish and other kinds and then headed two hours further into the amazon to the research lodge. There we got to see a sloth!! We named him "Sid" (Ice Age). We also saw a beautiful woodpecker and I got to go swimming in the Amazon :) That night we went hiking and saw a jungle chicken and the most beautiful night sky I've ever seen. They said they cloudy-looking part was the milky way!

Day 4: our boat driver catching an anaconda with his bare hands! Playing soccer with the employees at the lodge (all guys lol), and going for a night canoe ride with our guide and talking to him about God and Jesus :)

Day 5: long boat ride followed by loooong hike looking for poison dart frogs, and finally we found them (when I say "we" I mean our guides lol). They are small but might creatures. Then on the way back we lost our propeller cuz the water level is so low and we crashed with tree branches. As soon as it happened our boat driver Freddy, a local, goes "Now this is an adventure!" haha. Jen and I just look at each other and laugh. They paddled for a while with tree branches and canoe paddles, then Freddy got off at a village and appeared downriver with a new propeller in hand. Impressive. On the way back, we had the biggest highlight of the trip...monkeys that came into the boat!! They are so adorable. The company rescued them from locals who kept them as pets and didn't know how to care for them. Now they know the sound of the motors of the company's boats and come running. We got to pet and interact with them, and feed them. The one monkey name Chela cried when we left...my heart broke. Such a beautiful experience. Jen and I decided to pass the time back to the lodge by making up raps for our guide and boat driver...lol. Back at the lodge they made us a delicious goodbye cake and thanked us for coming... so nice!

Day 6: Went on a cultural visit to a local village, El Chino (named because apparently the people look a little asian...not sure if I saw it). It was very interesting to see the slow pace of life and how things work. Most people have farms where they grow corn, rice, watermelon, yuca, etc. The kids were goregous and we got to buy some artisan stuff. They make beautiful woven baskets and hand crafts that they dye with natural colors. The women we bought from would always give us a little gift to show their appreciation. I was able to give the necklace I was wearing, that was made from an artisan woman in Morocco, to one of the ladies. It was a very special moment.

Then we had to leave and I was so sad. I absolutely loved it there and sharing it with Jen made the experience. We flew back to Lima, had a quick dinner at one of my favorite spots- the burger restaurant of the most famous chef in Peru (Gaston) and parted ways. I am so blessed to have had such a wonderful experience and I hope you enjoyed reading about it.

Til Next Time,
Jackie

Hey All!
Well, we're at the end of August...how the last few months went by so quickly I'm not quite sure. But I wanted to write to give some updates, so here goes:

• June: Had a wonderful trip home. Was able to be a part of 2 weddings, celebrate my mom's birthday, and see the wedding venue where my brother will be getting married (in 2 months!!) It was surreal and often strange to be back after a year, but totally worth it and I am so blessed to have had that experience.

• July: July was filled with preparing my girls for their business competition, going to Lima to be a part of the Youth Initiatives Committee (and getting to see my lovely host family there), and going on vacation with 2 awesome ladies to Puno and Arequipa. Puno is where Lake Titicaca is- the highest elevation lake in the world. People live on man-made floating islands so we got to observe their way of life...soo different. Its SO cold there but so beautiful. Strangely the city of Puno has a ton of pizza shops...they know what the tourists like ha! Then we went to Arequipa, the 2nd biggest city in Peru. Its gorgeous, with european-style arquitecture and a beautiful central plaza. Such a lovely trip!

• August: More preparing with my girls then headed to Lima for the national business competition "Somos Emprendedores, Somos Peru." My girls didn't win, but what an experience to be able to compete in the US Embassy with peers from around the country. My group wants to put a coffee shop in the central plaza in town, so now I am trying to find other funding sources to help make that happen. We also had med-checks, and though I had 2 more cavities, no worms/more serious stuff. Great to see my friends and explore Lima more- there are some wonderful coffee shops and restaurants there.

• "Welcome to the Jungle"
• My next post will be after I get back from Iquitos- the selva (jungle)!! One of my dear friends Jen is coming on Wednesday and we are flying to Iquitos from Lima, then taking a 5 hour speedboat ridge to our eco-lodge where we'll be staying 5 days!!! I cannot wait! I will post pictures.

Ok, that's about all I have time for now...I will write back sooner than 3 months this time!

Be Blessed,

Jackie