Influence

Hello everyone. It’s been a while since I last updated. Things seem to be moving faster than ever. It feels like 2020 started yesterday but here we are in late February, which of course brings with it some context. Firstly, on Feb 15th I had a birthday. I’m 24. I got a free ceviche (seafood) lunch out of it, and spent a great day with my family, and friends here swimming, eating cake and playing games. Even outside of birthdays the three boys I’m living with always want to play something, and I have a hard time saying no. Losing in monopoly is now a regular tradition for me. 

Also, as of Feb 19, it will be 6 months since I left for orientation in New York. A lot of work has been put in since I’ve arrived, and in memory, the days have blended into each other. This means, I don’t exactly remember how I got here, but when I step back and look at the full picture, a lot of painting has taken place. I have been blessed with all that has happened, all I have, and all the lessons learned. 

For example, I now take it for granted that I speak Spanish. I’m nowhere near perfect, and I’m not even fluent really, but where I’m at now based on where I started is really cool to me, and I’m proud. I need to keep going. 

I also have started spending a lot more time at the farm. I feel a great sense of responsibility to it now. I go in early and work hard to do all I can to make things better. The work is never finished, but that’s life.

I had a meeting with my site coordinator recently, and she told me that I’m working more than my program is comfortable with, and that the other areas in my life were also being effected by my schedule. She suggested that I need to find a better balance. It was true. There is more to life than work. I’ve since taken more time off and my family seems happier, and I feel more rested and available.  

It being February also means that I’ve entered into the second half of my time here. It’s a major opportunity to continue building, and I’ve been starting to think about legacy. Now that I’ve better learned to navigate the environment, for me it’s about how can I make a lasting impact on the situation. 

Out here, the vision is strong. The people at the farm, the shelter, and the NGO’s here are doing great things, but in some areas they lack resources. The shelter is undergoing a transition in ownership from one NGO to another. A lot of the workers, including the other volunteer in the YAV program here in Huanuco who works at shelter aren’t sure about the security of their positions, and the future of the girls. 

As far as my role, I want to help and feel like I can, but I’m also limited because I’m a volunteer. My boss, the workers and I don’t have the resources to throw money at problems. At the farm, Wifi is too expensive. We can’t afford a good lawn mower. If I want to make a difference, I grab a machete and start wacking away. I don’t know how much of my role here is designed to create change, but I’m realizing that if I want to make things better in a lasting way, I have to be clever. I also have to be humble enough to understand that my help may not be needed beyond showing up and working hard. But I also don’t want to limit myself.

Me being American, and not only that, but from Scottsdale, I have access to a world that people here do not. This world has resources and frameworks in place that make change a lot easier. I want to communicate what’s going on here in a clear and concise way to the people who care and can make a difference. The YAV program, not just in Peru, but throughout the world is perfectly placed for this, and this provides us with an opportunity that I don’t know we are taking advantage of. There are a lot of people in the church that want to help, but I think the distance from the problem, the lack of information, and uncertainty in the path of resources makes it hard to commit. The world is full of good, and not only that, but very smart people who could do so much with just a percentage of the resources that exist in the more affluent parts of society. 

So is this a challenge? Simple answer is, yes… yes it is. But it’s a challenge that primarily falls on me, and others in my position to bridge the gap between here and there, and to communicate what is needed and just as importantly what isn’t.

For example, it’s not realistic or even desirable to want to rewrite the rules, but what can be done is help the people who have been here on the ground trying to do that for years. These people, and their missions need to be known, and the lines of communication need to be better. I’m starting to think about how I can help do this.

The thing that’s plaguing me the most right now is if I work here for a year, and don’t bring any of that with me, I’m no different that any Peruvian they could find off the street. That would mean the YAV program is just another expensive experience of culture to help shape privileged individuals. Whether that is true or not is up to me.