ALMA Camp Fundraiserç

June 24th, 2007 La Encantada, Peru

Overcoming Murphy´s Law

I will be participating in a leadership camp that Peace Corps volunteers put on once a year for adolescent girls. With the help of another lady in town who is very much respected we chose the 3 participants who would have the opportunity to attend the camp. It is expected that the girls will participate in a fundraiser to cover at least the cost of transportation.

We decided to host a movie night. The girls decided an action movie would work best and we chose Batman Begins. I literally had to look all over the market in Piura to find this movie even though the Spiderman movies were on every corner. I had planned to use the Peace Corps projector but it wasn´t returned in time. Instead we borrowed a projector and the screen from my counterpart agency CITE. As I start to set up everything in the Community Center I realize there is no outlet in this building. Besides that the power has been turned off do to negligence of an unpaid bill. Unfortunatley, I can´t relocate to the only other possibility, the Artisan Center, because there is a current order and the place is a mess. With the help of friend we rig up a very long extension cord to borrow electricity from the nearest neighbor who offered us the electricity free of charge. Everything is set up but the DVD doesn´t work in this player because of some regional piracy protection code or something of the sort. Another friend brings his player and we are in business. The place is bustling with people and we sell slightly over our goal. Everything is great except for the fact that you cannot hear the movie at all because well…teenagers really just want to be there to talk. But then ¾ of the way into the movie the entire town loses electricity. At least people were so helpful throughout the whole ordeal.