Alas, the first week of work has begun and is in full swing. The work train has started and is picking up speed. The past couple of days while Maggie has been out hunting for community centers I have been surrounded by 4 cement walls in the Afider office. It has been nice because I
have been able to connect again with the women I came to respect and love this past year. Furthermore, it has also been nice because in Cajamarca it is already Carnival time. That means gangs of kids armed with water balloons on summer vacation hit you or me if they are lucky. If you are lucky, they miss. This can be fun, depending on which side of the water balloon throw you are on. As a gringa I must say I feel like a moving target walking around town. The water balloon soldiers would just love to get me good and wet. Although I have been in the country almost a week now, I can say that I am still not fully ready to participate in the water balloon fight. 
The success of this week is that our first event of the year is done! We had a Buy Day with Maggie and 13 women yesterday afternoon where we, DiscoverHope Fund, purchased 52 pairs of earrings, 16 necklaces, 21 artesian bags and 7 macrame belts. We spent a total of $465. We had some very happy women yesterday. This Buy Day was unique compared to similar events we held last year. This time we decided to both personally and as a group give the women feedback about the market in the U.S. What sells, what doesn't. Our classes in the future will help direct and advise the women about the difference in U.S. and local markets and give them ideas about how to use their capital wisely, so they don't invest in a bunch of kinda cheesy stuff for the U.S. So those of you in Austin, you will be seeing the fruit of our womens labor soon enough!Until next time, I remain the moving target.
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