Buenos Dias! Welcome to my blog. I am delighted to have you join me. Would you like a spot of tea? Sugar cube? Organic milk?
Enough with the formalities. As it has become custom to pack up my life and jet-set out of the country with only a few days notice, I decided it was relevant to share some of my journeys (both physical and mental) with you once again.
The Backstory:
I had been living in Kansas City for almost exactly one year (having returned from my 8-month stint in India on June 22nd, 2010 I do believe). Over the past year I worked as the General Managing Office Associate Supervising Administrative Assistant Correspondence Representative for a small business in alternative health and healing called Energy Medicine USA (www.energymedicineusa.com for more details). While the office setting was breathtaking (this is not sarcasm), my co-workers (the owner) were extremely supportive and I was learning a great deal of interesting tidbits concerning the body's energy systems, I came to the conclusion that the full scope of my gifts and interests were not being employed. I re-trained another lovely Office Assistant (the shorthand title for my job) and bed adieu to the wonderful office sanctuary that was the Wedman's home.
Since January of this year I also started nannying part-time. It was a dual purpose job that allowed me to pay my rent and gave me the opportunity to spend time with the magical wonders of a 14-month old child. Needless to say, this job was delightful and allowed me to improve my improvisational, lyrical compositions on themes as diverse as pants, trees, various berries, pet stores, mother earth, butt paste and farm animals. The hours for this job were being cut as of July, so I would have had quite a bit more time in my schedule for new employment.
Nearly simultaneously as the above two conditions unfolded, the wonderful organization, Amigos de las Americas, was looking for a last-minute supervisor to join their project in Matagalpa, Nicaragua. Generally, Supervisors apply for the position in October, go to a training in the Spring and then set-up the project about two weeks before volunteers arrive. The supervisor who went through this process had to leave just before the volunteers' arrival, so I decided to pick up where she left off. I had two and a half days to prepare for the trip and at 5:30AM on July 2nd I was on my way to Nicaragua.
So now I am here in the mountainous and lovely Matagalpa, Nicaragua on my second project as an Amigos supervisor. I was first a volunteer with the organization in 2003 in Intibuca, Honduras, then again in 2004 in Michoacan, Mexico and in 2006 I was a Supervisor in Valle, Honduras. Having done this job before, I got to jump right in and the staff that had already been working on the project was glad to re-distribute the responsibilities that would have made it a very challenging summer.
Here's what the Amigos website has to say about the program: "Amigos de las Américas (AMIGOS) is a summer abroad, service learning program for high school and college students. The program empowers young adults to grow as leaders and increase their multi-cultural understanding through training and community service projects in Latin America." This description does not do the organization justice and just barely scratches the surface of the intensity and breadth of experience an Amigos project encompasses. I will attempt to condense the entirety of the Amigos volunteer experience now: "Welcome to Amigos, you will spend approximately 7 months training, during which you will learn about being a stranger in a strange land. In June we will hand you over to a group of strangers who will be responsible for your health, safety and project progress (Project Staff). This group of strangers will then drop you and a partner off in small community where you don't know anyone and will only understand 10-65% of what anyone ever tells you. You will live in a house with a family you have never met before, use their outhouse, play with their children and try not to get diarrhea. You will also facilitate activities with as many children and youth as possible to discuss clean watersheds and soil management (among other things). You will help the community execute a project(s) that they identified would benefit its members and give a minimum of 20 children colorful friendship bracelets. Include local youth in the planning and implementation of all of your projects (only 15% of you will do this successfully) and tell everyone that their rice and beans are delicious. Do not smoke, drink, ride a motorcycle, leave your community, or use a firearm during this time. Remember to purify your water, use your mosquito net and try not to vomit inside the house at any time during the project. In six weeks we will send you back home. You will be happy not to have fleas anymore and to have access to delicious pizza and chocolate, but your heart will ache for the openness, generosity and loving care and affection that no one else can give but a Latin American." This is not entirely comprehensive and is somewhat specific to the project here, the volunteers I am responsible for (7 total) as well as my own experiences as a volunteer way back when. But it will do.
My role as a Supervisor is entirely different than that of a volunteer, but I presume I have already saturated you with information. The idea is to share these tidbits with you as I move through the summer, but I'm gonna give some basics now anyway:
The Project Staff includes:
-Senior Staff (3 people): they keep watch of the home-front in Matagalpa and do most of the coordinating and relationship building with the Nicaraguan organization we work with here who directs the work that we do. It's all the behind the scenes, nitty-gritty of the project.
-Project Supervisors (6 people): We are each responsible for 3-4 communities. This means we make sure the communities understand the volunteers' role over the summer and their part in the process. We help plan for the Community Based Project, set up the meal plan for volunteers, figure out housing, etc etc. We visit each community for one day/night every week to check in on the volunteers and basically fix anything that has gone awry (from irritable bowels, dire homesickness, and utter confusion to halted project implementation and disinterest of local youth-counterparts). Over the weekend we all return to Staff House in Matagalpa to report back to Senior Staff and plan for the next week's events on Route. Yay!
Now you are caught up on the goings-on of Keily (my Spanish name). I will attempt to make future post less logistical and more reflective and philosophically convoluted. I'm thinking next week I will discuss the relativity of time.
Thanks for coming. Just leave your cup, I will wash it.
Love to you Earth traveler,
Kayleigh
P.S. Here is the link to information about the project, if you are curious to learn more: http://www.amigoslink.org/project/matagalpa-nicaragua
