La Pura Vida

light up, light up...

Just left the monthly meeting of the Red (union) Contra Violencia Intrafamiliar (specifically for Guacimo) - my favorite meeting thus far.

As usual, I wasn´t sure what I was facing as I walked into a new place - this time, the Auditorio del Area de Salud de Guacimo. Erlinda dropped me off in taxi (clean and fresh from my first shower with of a pot of rain water! new and different, water´s cut off again). I walked in and there were only 2 others. They confirmed that I was in the right place and I started talking to them: Oscar, a psychology student, and Mariela, a government employee who works with various social problems. Timeliness often doesn´t exist here... the meeting began once two others joined us after close to an hour. I felt the energy giving sense that I was with like-minded people driven by the same things I am - always a comfort. This organization exists as a way for different members of the community (police, government, psychology, medicine) to collaborate and brainstorm methods of addressing intrafamiliar violence. I loved listening to them, and was excited to be able to follow almost everything. Being around people who have jobs I would like to have is always thrilling. It was very interesting to realize the parallels that exist between their obstacles and those of similar U.S. organizations...they spent much time talking about the ¨falta de deseo¨and need to motivarse the community - what will inspire more people to act?

another note about the meeting: ha, more randomness, the (what looked like a defunct) phone rang halfway through the meeting. all looked surprised but Mariela answered it - it was a friend of hers taking orders: did we want coffee or fresco? We all chose fresco (don´t want to caffeine myself out) and so before long she showed up with the juice as well as amazingly rico banana bread that for some reason made me (happily) flash back to a distant Christmas.

It´s taken 3 weeks (and we´ll see what happens in the next), but I can now say that I feel centered (to use your word Aunt P!). Today during the meeting I wrote out my 10s - what Polly Weiss at Duke calls those things that make you get up in the morning. She recommends identifying them so you can make sure that you´re focusing on what you want to be...

The ones that came to mind today are-(grouped them, not supposed to have many)
-collaborating with others on how to approach social problems/direct service work
-keeping up connections with queridos (like this word) - right now, long distance communication, but usually-quality time
-reflection (thinking, journaling)
-exercise
-reading...books and also the world

It was reassuring and confidence boosting to realize that these can and will be my cores in Argentina as well, more than ever. Shifting my thinking from the more philosophical topics to what I want to do to get ready for the coming semester.

Time to walk back for lunch. It is brilliantly sunny right now but chances are it´s the ¨sol de lluvia,¨ and any time it will be raining.

I like wearing my glasses here! Decided that a couple days ago. Adds a new twist to the days (life on the edge I know).

Title is from the Snow Patrol song Run, in my head today. ¡Hasta la proxima vez! Yay for the future.

posted by Colleen @ 11:30 AM