It’s hard for me to believe, but today is my last day as a Kiva Fellow in Puno Peru. Although some days in the field, searching to find Manuela Ramos entrepreneurs, have been long, and some weekends, without family or many friends, have been lonely, these past three and a half months have still flown by. I feel extremely lucky to have been given the opportunity to meet women who come from very different back grounds than my own, to have worked with strong, dedicated people at Manuela Ramos and Kiva and to have learned, first hand, the amazing impact of microfinance.
Tomorrow, I head to Cusco to meet my mom and to start a full month of traveling! We will visit Manchu Picchu, Puno, Lima and then Quito, Ecuador, before I fly to Guatemala, where Anthony and I will have over two weeks to enjoy Guatemala and Nicaragua. I look forward to returning to San Francisco, where I will commence my job hunt, and to spending time with family and friends.
Below are a few photos of some trips I took towards the end of my fellowship:
In the beginning of May I traveled to La Paz, Bolivia, to take the GMAT (required test to apply for business school). I did better than I was hoping to do and celebrated with a small side trip to the jungle town of Coroico. Other than the 80 something bites I received from the sand flies that just couldn’t get enough of me, I had a great time!
The videos below are of Maneula Ramos employees (loan officers, office workers, women rights workers and directors) as they celebrate Manuela Ramos’s 31st anniversary by playing volleyball, soccer, and other games (think wheel barrel racing and tug-a-war!) in a field outside of Puno. I was so happy to see these women, who often work 60-70 hours a week, be given the opportunity to relax and have some fun (and I was happy to participate J)!
The photos below are of Peru’s second largest city, Arequipa, and the world’s second deepest canyon, La Canyon de Colca. At the end of May, I made this side trip in order to enjoy a larger city and some truly amazing hiking!
See you all soon!
