Epiphanies on Llikllas

I left home 40 days ago. How is it possible that Perú already feels so right? 

I miss home so much, and I don't expect that feeling to fade whatsoever. In fact, I anticipate the next two years to be full of FOMO (fear of missing out). Apple orchards, snow days, walks to the park with my puppies, family Christmas celebrations, lakes, paddle boarding, dinner with friends, trips to Northern Michigan, and southern Ohio, Halloween, spring break trips down to Florida, Maria's birthday cakes, weddings, graduations, best friends moving to new apartments, and getting new jobs, the whole lot. 

But two days ago as I sat on a lliklla on top of dirt and hay and grass with a back strap loom positioned tightly around my waist hoisting my legs uphill, with my feet painfully asleep, and my fingers intricately intermingled in hand spun and dyed sheep's wool yarn, learning to weave my own headband- well I knew precisely at that moment I was doing the right thing. I'm making the right sacrifices at the right time, I'm following my heart, and I'm not letting any fear hold me back from being on the adventure of a lifetime. 

Earlier that same day I found myself photographing local cooperative women in the higher altitude community of Huilloc, for our database of artisans at work. As I was adjusting for the harsh mid-day Peruvian light, and time and time again pressing the shutter just as soon as each woman cracked a smile or made emotive eye contact with my lens, it hit me like a wave that I was in fact using photojournalism to enhance the welfare of remote Andean women. My ability to work as an international photojournalist and anthropologist finally became a reality. 

The mere fact that my passions and hard earned skills are going to be able to be put to work to better the lives of women actually makes me giddy. My photos and communication are going to give a platform to these amazing women to promote their skills and hard work. I get to work everyday to connect my two worlds to empower women. We, as an organization, are actually sustainably empowering women with the work we do seven days a week. How cool is that? The possibility of a future world full of strong, confident, and independent woman, who can do whatever they set their minds to? Sign me up.

I feel like I've waited a lifetime for my photos to actually mean something, and here it was right before my eyes, right here in Perú. For my photos to strengthen women, for my photos to give women power in their communities, I'm really not sure it can get any better than that. 

More posts to come about the amazing organization I'm working for, coupled with struggles, challenges and frustrations, I'm sure. 

Today I took a walk down a road I hadn't been down before and tore a hole in my pants with barbed wire. I was warned all my clothes would get holes in them while living here.

Last night while walking home from using wifi and talking to my family I got stopped by Spanish speaking tourists asking for directions to a specific restaurant. It was somewhat far and confusing from where we were but I knew where it was and how to tell them where to go in Spanish. As my host mother said a week ago 'soon you'll be an Ollantina,' less than two weeks in and I'm already starting to feel like a local. 

Today with no electricity and therefore no machine laundry to do, no hot shower to take, and no Internet to search for in town, I plopped down on a bench in the plaza to read a book on what was left of my phone battery. I was approached by a little girl named Marisol from Rumira who wanted to take photos on my phone. She was fun, we hung out for a bit before I had to leave to head home for lunch. She didn't want to stop playing with my phone but I told her I live here so if I'm ever around and she sees me she's welcome to come play with my phone and take photos. I love being a local in Ollantaytambo. 

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In the meantime I'm going to stick to missing home, missing my family, and being absolutely swept away by the opportunity I have here in Perú, to learn and grow. 

Also- I should really study some Quechua, it's a beautiful language. Marisol helped me a little more today with numbers. Baby steps.

16/07/17