Sorry, it has been a while since I have posted something but since its a new year, lets forget about the old and start with the new and up and coming!
Ok, now get on with it...
In the past few months things have really come together. Right now, I am back in the Bay Area and having lots of fun...just listen to a bit of the sweetness. I will be leaving for Lima, Peru on Feb. 22nd. and I return back on July 6th. I will spend my first two and half months traveling from Peru to Bolivia and then to Uruguay and finally Argentina. After that I will return to Lima to volunteer in Chorrillos, a diverse and impoverished part of the capital city.
At this moment, my Canadian immigration papers are being processed and if everything goes accordingly, I should be back in Vancouver by the end of July, and resuming work at CLEBC , the best company to work for...ever.
Immigration has been a nightmare but I am determined to do it, or at least just get through it. I am trying to stay positive but I have a feeling this process might take longer than expected. Hopefully you will not receive many updates about my trials and tribulations, only posts about how enjoyable this whole experience has been (can you smell the sarcasm in that statement?)
So, after graduating from university and working full-time for almost three years, I felt that traveling is something I needed to pursue next. I am very interested in international politics, public policy and sustainable development and after researching South America from afar, I must see first hand some of things that have fascinated me for so long.
I have been fortunate enough to receive a fellowship from the Forgotten International, which is based out of San Francisco. They work to bring together people in the world who have great resources with people who have great needs. They are also working on a book and a documentary called, "Living on a Dollar a Day". I was given the fellowship to help them do research for the project in one of the areas they have been surveying in Lima, Peru. After telling them about my background in online education and my passion for teaching they were able to get me in touch with Mama Victoria, a grass-roots organization started by a local woman, Nelly Villegas. Mama Victoria is a multifaceted organization. It's a shelter for women who come from abusive families. It is also a school for children which is equipped with a small library. They also have a farm. Their next big project is to start of a fair-trade chocolate company in order to be self-sustaining and help financially empower the women of the shelter to become independent of their abusers.
The link to Mama Victoria is to their blog and facebook profile is only in Spanish, sorry, but that's one of the many things I hope to work with them on. They want me to teach business ESL to women and regular ESL to the children, which range in ages 5-15. I also plan to develop a website for them and research ways that they could start a sustainable business in their community. From what I have observed so far, this organization wants to be a self-sustaining resource for the community and I hope I can contribute in some small way.
I really am blessed to be able to do what I am going to be doing in the next six months. I am so grateful for every day and all the people who support and inspire me. These next 6 months will be full of adventures and I'm sure you are all biting at the chomp to see and read what its all about.
Peace, love and much happiness in the New Year....and away we go!
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