Trujillo

Whenever Liz and I mentioned that we were traveling north to Trujillo people shook their heads and told us to be careful, usually following up with a story of a distant relative being robbed by a taxi driver or falling victim to another crime. As seems to always be true of my life in Peru, we were put up in a hotel in the cleanest, safest part of town and had no problems.





We were there to meet with the different businesses supported by
Idea Tu Empresa, who work jointly with our host organization Nexos Voluntarios (NeVos). The businesses are all very small scale, but it was exciting to listen to the entrepreneurs talk about their future plans and visions for their enterprises.



This woman has a stall where she sells used clothes that come from Canada, the US, and Europe. The clothes are apparently donated, but by the time they reach the wholesale markets in Peru each bag costs around 400 USD, leaving her only a slim profit margin. Orlando, the man on her left, is in charge of the projects in Trujillo.



This man co-operatively owns a large convenience store and bakery with five of his siblings. They sell anything you could want, and rent out the large second floor for parties. Their goal is to expand the baking side of their business and redesign the store, making more space for people to sit and eat. The project has helped him purchase a new oven, allowing for a larger quantity and variety of baked goods.


Of course, I spent a large portion of these meetings concentrating on the rapidly spoken Spanish. I perfected a facial expression to communicate "yes, I am interested, but please don't ask me to say anything". It's incredibly frustrating to understand a conversation but not have the skill to participate, like hearing the music and laughter of a party you weren't invited to. I really hope that once I get out of Lima (next week!), start my Spanish classes and spend less time with English speakers, my speaking will have a chance to catch up with my comprehension.