Red de Mujeres

Today my group had our first meeting with the group of ladies we will be working with for the fair; the “Reina de Mujeres” or the “Red” (net). We came prepared with a bunch of questions, all nicely translated into perfect Spanish so we wouldn’t stumble upon our words so much, and we got a lot of blank faces in return. They are just all so shy, timid, unsure, and very soft-spoken. I’m sure it takes a lot of time to build a business relationship with someone, especially a foreigner that doesn’t really speak your language very well, but I was not expecting this. I don’t even have the energy to write about how the meeting went I’m so overwhelmed. Part, actually most, of my job here is to assist and teach and train more than actually do. It’s good to know that all I really have to do is facilitate the organizing process, and it’s going to have to be up to the Red to put in some effort if they want their Artisan Fair to succeed. But I want it to succeed also, for them and for me, to know that I can actually be of use in a field other than a science.

In other news I’m playing more basketball than I have since my first year of high school. Everybody in my group likes to play, most of the Peace Corps people in our neighboring town like to play, and many have host-family members that come along also. Most of us are pretty good or can at least hold our own, which makes for some fairly competitive games most of the time. The only thing is that the natives here they like to play half-court (while a full court game of fútbol is going on at the same time on the same court by the way) but you don’t have to clear the ball past the 3-point line with each change of possession. This basically makes it a rebounding game and because I’m 5’6” with my shoes on, I don’t put up that many points. It’s still a lot of fun and a pretty good workout if I play hard. Though I have gotten pegged by a rogue fútbol which was only a little painful but a lot more surprising.