Soul Sisters

Greetings from sweaty coastal Peru! I've spent the better part of my weekend enjoying the sweet, sweet comforts or air-conditioning thanks to the generosity of a friend's visiting mom. Moms really are the best. Now before you go thinking that I am living the high life here as Peace Corps volunteer, I would like to remind you of the many hardships I've put up with over the past 20ish months -- lack of running water, eating small rodents and unidentifiable intestines, limited access to the outside world, etc., etc., etc. Everyone deserves a break now and then.

Plus our relaxing weekend came on the heels of a three-day leadership camp for teenage girls, called ALMA, the Spanish word for "soul" and an acronym for female teenage leadership. And let me tell you, spending three days with 40+ hormonal teenagers is far from relaxing. Months of planning went into organizing and funding this year's camp, as well as weeks of incessant nagging to make sure that the girls I wanted to bring would actually come. It was a success by all accounts. I took two adorable girls (actually host cousins of mine), aged 14 and 16. They live with their (our) aging grandmother in a town a little further down the road from my house. They have three younger siblings for whom they are the primary caregivers. They don't have television or cell phones and have barely traveled further than Sipan. In short they needed, and deserved, a getaway.

Fun with balloons.

Hard at work creating promotional materials after my enlightening marketing workshop.

We spent three days leading workshops on leadership, self-esteem, sexual health and entrepreneurship. Once again I was reminded of the caliber of my fellow volunteers. I was inspired and moved over and over again by the dedication and commitment my peers demonstrated. The male volunteers especially shined in their role as support-staff -- it is such a valuable experience for these young Peruvian women to see men helping out in the kitchen, cleaning up after themselves and the girls, leading volleyball matches, trying their hand at traditional dances. We can give a thousand workshops, but leading by example is one of the most powerful and impactful things we're able to do here.

My sweet girls.

My girls, Angi and Mirella, seemed to have a great time. They made lots of new friends, though they were hesitant to separate at first, and thanked me several times for bringing them. We had a mini-debrief during the trip back to site and they both said they'd never been talked to about sex or sexual health in such an up-front and honest manner. This type of feedback goes a long way to making all the frustrating days seem worthwhile.

Angi participating in the world-famous condom/banana relay.

Mirella's turn.

The girls eagerly awaiting the volunteer relay.

And it was also fun to get in touch with my inner-teenager (not that she's ever too far from the surface) and spend a few days giggling, playing tag, and gossiping. There was an adorable 15-year-old boy who came as part of a marinera (traditional northern Peruvian dance) exposition. The girls went wild -- you'd have thought we'd had them locked up in a convent for months. But it was fun to watch, I even found myself happily posing for few pictures with cute William.

Group shot.

Best of all, the success of the camp has inspired me to pick up a few projects with the school once classes start up again. On the agenda: a youth entrepreneurship club with the high-schoolers and a geography/culture club for the younger kids.

But for now, I'll enjoy the last couple weeks of a lazy summer.