Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Yo Merezco camp and closing up

Hello!  It's been quite a while since I've written, but I wanted to update those who don't know about the camp that I organized with another volunteer for our youth groups.  It was a four-day camp in a town called Copan Ruinas, which is about five hours away from Ocotepeque.  We left on Friday the 19th and came back the following Monday.  The camp was awesome and all of my Yo Merezco girls had a wonderful time.  They made some new friends and really learned a lot about themselves and their culture.  Some of it was pretty hard work and I'm proud of them for how it turned out because at times it was a bit challenging.  It was also the first time for almost all of them away from their communities (this had some unforseen carsickness consequences) and the first time for all of them to be away from family.

On Friday we started right after getting to Copan Ruins with some introduction activities, rules for the weekend, and an activity called the eight faces of women so the girls could see that women are so much more than just someone who cooks and cleans.  On Saturday they had to do an activity to think about what they liked about themselves, what goals and dreams they have for the future, and got to listen to a panel of successful women talk about their experiences since many of them were able to rise above poverty to find success.  After that session the girls couldn't stop talking about what their dreams and goals for the future were.  It was great!

On Sunday we visited the ruins (which they all loved) and then to this fancy hotel up in the hills to eat our lunch on the grounds.  We ate in an open air place that is designed for yoga and sits right on the hill overlooking the ruins below.  After lunch we were sitting in a circle to check in with them before continuing with our schedule and a conversation started about everything that they've all had to live through.  Most of the women chaperones shared their stories, as did some of the girls, which was really emotional.  I think it was good for some of them to say what they've been holding back for years about emotional abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, and absent fathers.  Some pretty scary stuff about home life and what they've been through, but I think it helped the girls a lot to see that others had been through similar things.

That evening we had our clausura (close of the weekend).  Lena and I had gotten every girl's parents to write her a letter about why she's special and why they love her, which was a secret, and gave the letters to them the last night.  People are so closed in this culture and I think it was probably the first time for a lot of them to even hear what their parents really thought about them and got to hear something positive rather than negative.  They were really emotional about this too and will really cherish those letters.  I know the girl in my room slept with hers that night.  This camp was a once in a lifetime opportunity for them and was something I know they will never forget.  When we circled up the last night to reflect on the weekend, there were a few tears when the girls were explaining how much it meant to them.

I've attached some photos of the girls and some of the activities we did.  The first is a photo of all of the girls in my group who went as well as the women chaperones at the Mayan ruin site.  The second is a picture of the mural they made on Saturday afternoon.  They each had to create a couple pictures representing their culture which was then put into a huge mural that we will always have hanging up in our town library.  The third picture is a few of my girls (and chaperones) tracing another for an activity where they had to explain who they are and why they like themselves.  The final picture is at the ruin site again and I've attached it so everyone can see some of the ruins and the t-shirts we all have as a group.  Enjoy!
I also wanted to update everyone on the coming close of my Peace Corps experience!  I'm leaving Honduras on April 9th, which is quickly approaching, and will be heading south until coming back to the US at the end of July.  I'm planning on updating along the way.  These past two years have just flown by, been full of so many ups and downs, but at the end of the day I wouldn't change anything about it.  It's been an amazing and really meaningful experience for me.

2 comments:

Leslie said...

Great pictures Sarah! I'm so glad you got to do the camp. Have fun traveling and I can't wait to have you back in the US!

Anonymous said...

Congratulations, Sarah! You persisted despite civil unrest and political upheaval, showing that compassion cannot be limited by anything. Have a safe and fun time touring, and we'll see you soon! Sally A.