Team Peru

Professional Milestones

July 19, 2012

 In choosing to begin a graduate program in International Development, I felt particularly drawn to the Monterey Institute of International Studies due to the special emphasis placed on language.  For a while now, I’ve sensed this growing desire to use my Spanish professionally and in a way that would satisfy some need for an organization, group of people or individual.

Recently, I met a huge professional milestone with regard to this.  In making our first summer venture to Choquecancha in the highlands of Peru, I had my first ever opportunity to translate professionally while serving as the Women’s Social Enterprise Team’s spokesperson and translator.  Together with one of the community members who translated from Quechua into Spanish, we communicated between a group of indigenous women from the highlands of Peru and a group of graduate students from Monterey, CA.  These two groups – representing two radically different worldviews, perspectives, and skill sets – sat together and talked about the immediate future of the INKAcase project as the new team of graduate students and the group of indigenous women connected around this project.

I felt honored to have been trusted to be at the center of this communication stream and to have facilitated this important meeting.  Since that trip, we have made another trip to Choquecancha and conducted various other meetings in which I have had similar opportunities to facilitate communication.  I cannot express my excitement in having had these opportunities to utilize this skill professionally, especially for such an important project! ~Katie Holmberg

Entry Filed under: BLOG,Community Health Team,Uncategorized. Posted in  BLOG ,Community Health Team ,Uncategorized Tags: Choquecancha, development, milestone, Peru, profesional development, professional, professional growth, professional skill, Quechua, Social Enterprise, Spanish, Team Peru, textiles, translation, translator, weaving, women weavers, women's empowerment.