Charlas, Cheap Seats and Culture

One of the projects PRISMA wanted us to work on was providing their clients with business classes (charlas de negocios). It is common for microfinance organizations to provide services to their clients in addition to loans. After preparing a series of classes under the topic of Aumente Sus Ventas (Increase Your Sales), we delivered the first class on Thursday evening. The first class specifically dealt with customer relations.


This is all sounding very BUSI 101. But what is important to understand is that PRISMA clients are largely conducting business in literal markets. Many of the women sell produce, clothing and handicrafts in very congested and competitive markets in town. So what do 8 American undergraduates in varying majors know about this? Nothing. Thank goodness for pre-made rural South American charlas. Our job has largely been to take preexisitng information already proven to be helpful to these clients and present it in an organized and fun way.


Through interviews and roaming around the offices, the PRISMA clients have come to know our faces and recognize our broken Spanish from a mile away. This has made it easy to approach the women and invite them to the charlas. After personal invites, sign up sheets, transportation strikes, and a rescheduled charla, we did it! The participants were very involved in the discussion and excited for the next class. We will be giving these classes twice a week.

After leaving the office especially late in the evening (because a 5 o'clock charla means a 6 o'clock charla on South American time), we take our 40 minute commute back to Puno to catch a bus for Cuzco! We decided to take a much deserved weekend trip to Machu Picchu and the famous Inti Raymi festival. Being the frugal student travelers we are, we of course hop onto the cheapest overnight bus towards our destination. What should have been a 6 hour sleepy journey turned in to a 9 hour hectic ride. After some logistical nightmares and close-to-tears moments, WE MADE IT TO MACHU PICCHU!



It is a unique experience to see a place so many times in a photo and then witness it in person. We are all feeling more in touch with the culture in Peru and are starting to understand a little bit more of where that unparalleled peruvian pride comes from.

Chelsea