Today is my final day in Independencia before I head out early (3am early!) to Cochabamba. On Saturday we had the final jewelry making class with the chicas, huddled up in the library hiding from the cold, stormy day! Working with the new chicas this year has been a joy. The girls are so cute, engaged, and interested in just about everything they can ask about. Watching them learn a new skill and challenge themselves has demonstrated what creative and driven young women they are.
Reina with her class projects
I’ve spoken about her in other blog posts, but I particularly enjoyed watching Reina, the oldest in the class, flourish. She works one day a week at PAZA teaching the younger girls crocheting and she is a superb role model. During the jewelry classes, she always helped the younger girls and often I would step back and let her take over the questions, so as to put her in the role of teacher. She has an inquisitive mind, constantly guessing the next steps of a jewelry piece, and this creative initiative will take her far. On our last day, I told her I hoped we wouldn’t see each other again and that next year she will be fulfilling her dream of studying outside of Independencia.
Jhessica and Nayela
The final jewelry class with the women was also a perfect end to the two weeks. We made wire beads and I showed them how they could utilize the beads beyond the class earring project. In the afternoon, several of them returned to make bracelets from the beads and experiment with other designs.
Dona Sebastiana models her earrings
One of the main goals of this class was to have the women learn more about the overall construction of wire jewelry so they could start designing their own pieces. By the end of the series, the women were testing their design skills, using a mixture of techniques that were taught in the class. This was extremely rewarding as many of the women have a real talent for jewelry design and color. I’m hoping that next year we will begin to see more jewelry designs from the women.
Dona Juana measures her wire
I concluded the class with photos of jewelry that utilizes woven textiles, showing the women how they can integrate jewelry with weaving. I also wanted to show them how weaving has become a popular hobby in the U.S. with young adults and demonstrate the innovative ways weaving has evolved. Who knows- maybe next year we will see some woven textile jewelry as well!
Dona Maxima and her final projects
Like leaving Ayacucho, leaving Independencia is always bittersweet. I feel fulfilled and inspired by the women and girls, but also sad that it will be another year before I see them again. Each trip it becomes a little harder to leave, as I get to know the women bit by bit and become used to their presence in my life. This year the new women and girls, along with the past students, have been wonderful company for two weeks and I’ll be missing all the women I’ve worked with this summer. That said, I am so excited to see how the women and girls here apply the jewelry skills and color theory we’ve worked on in the coming year.