¡la exposición!

This past Saturday was the grand finale of my photography project here in Bolivia - an exhibition of the girls' best photos, all relating to the theme of nature in the city. I'm happy to report that it was a big success and that, most importantly, it was a time for the girls to really show off their work and take pride in their own creativity. Oh, and the event got covered in the national newspaper! It's only in Spanish, but google translator does an okay job if you're interested in reading it. My heart was so full from the day, and my only big regret is that I myself did not get a chance to pause and look at the photos (though other things like the fact that the photos didn't hang straight still nag me as well). Thanks everyone for your prayers and support along the way.
 

With only 9 days left in Bolivia, I'd appreciate your prayers that I'd love, invest, and finish well. See you all so soon!

Psalm 34

6 days till the exhibition and I am needing these words. Prayers appreciated for the crazy amount of preparation that needs doing between now and Saturday!

34 I will bless the Lord at all times;
    his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
 ² My soul makes its boast in the Lord;
    let the humble hear and be glad.
³ Oh, magnify the Lord with me,
    and let us exalt his name together!

⁴ I sought the Lord, and he answered me
    and delivered me from all my fears.
⁵ Those who look to him are radiant,
    and their faces shall never be ashamed.
⁶ This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him
    and saved him out of all his troubles.
⁷ The angel of the Lord encamps
    around those who fear him, and delivers them.

⁸ Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!
    Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!
⁹ Oh, fear the Lord, you his saints,
    for those who fear him have no lack!
¹⁰ The young lions suffer want and hunger;
    but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.

¹¹ Come, O children, listen to me;
    I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
¹² What man is there who desires life
    and loves many days, that he may see good?
¹³ Keep your tongue from evil
    and your lips from speaking deceit.
¹⁴ Turn away from evil and do good;
    seek peace and pursue it.

¹⁵ The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous
    and his ears toward their cry.
¹⁶ The face of the Lord is against those who do evil,
    to cut off the memory of them from the earth.
¹⁷ When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears
    and delivers them out of all their troubles.
¹⁸ The Lord is near to the brokenhearted
    and saves the crushed in spirit.

¹⁹ Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
    but the Lord delivers him out of them all.
²⁰ He keeps all his bones;
    not one of them is broken.
²¹ Affliction will slay the wicked,
    and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.
²² The Lord redeems the life of his servants;
    none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.

jugando con harina

Several months ago, I showed the girls a photo I took as a part of an art project with some friends at Wheaton, in which we used nothing but our imaginations, cameras, and a 50 pound bag of flour. I showed it to them so as to help them to think a little more outside the box about photography, but then without my even suggesting it, they all made me promise that they would get to do their own photo shoot with flour. A week or so ago the day finally came and they had an absolute blast, covering one another in flour and coming up with all sorts of crazy things they could do with it.

With just a month left in Coch, things are ramping up quite a bit. I'm finishing up my research on the seguimiento program (i.e. the "follow-up" that they do with the girls who leave Albergue)--analyzing data and coming up with some proposals for the changes that could be made. And with the photography exhibition just two weeks away, the planning it can feel a little overwhelming at points, though I am hopeful that everything will come together. It is difficult to imagine saying goodbyes so soon, but the reality is that the time is coming and there's nothing I can do about it. I am now split between two places: I may be really excited to go home and be present with everyone I love there, but that does not change the fact that I have become woven into the fabric of life in Bolivia, and it is sure to be a painful experience to take myself out of it.

Some things I've been ruminating about lately: 

“If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality.” 
-Desmond Tutu 

“The individual is... held accountable for complicity with the present-day social structures that continue to deprive racial or ethnic group[s] of privileges and benefits.” 
-Miguel de la Torre 

“The problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete. They make one story become the only story.” 
-Chimamanda Adichie