This last week has been full of really productive strides towards the new Just Apparel website and grant writing process. I created the Just Apparel shop so that consumers can purchase our items in the online marketplace, and uploaded all the photos and pricing. Right now we're just working through the kinks of how to make payments, last minute editing, and making sure that everything flows and is consistent in design throughout the website. I'm really happy with how it has come out so far, and really excited to show everyone the final product!
New website coming soon....!!
I've also been working on grant proposals this week, and have narrowed down the list to four grants that I think are worth applying. Finally, we did a second round of home visits this past week to pass out the last remaining pieces of fabric for the headband project. When we made the placemats and handbags, we actually had several long pieces of fabric leftover. At first, I wasn't sure what to do with the extra fabric. However, kind of like when you spend an hour looking for your glasses only to realize that they have been on your head the whole time, I soon realized that the fabric was the perfect size for the headbands that I use so frequently to hold back my hair while traveling! Part of the challenge this week was describing the concept to the women-- the headbands that I wear are obviously a Westernized fashion, so Dolores and I had a good deal of fun explaining how to even wear a headband or why one would be useful or desirable. We had several laughs when the women were trying the pieces of fabric on their heads! I am looking forward to see how they turn out!
This past weekend I decided to explore the last few towns around the lake that I hadn't spent any time in yet. I spent Saturday in Santa Cruz, which is another tiny but lovely town on the Eastern side of the lake. The village itself is quite a hike up the mountain, which took a good 30 minutes to climb up but offered exceptional views. I also had a great lunch at Isla Verde, an ecolodge and spa with all organic "slow food" and a very tempting massage package.
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| Lunch at Isla Verde |
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| View of the lake, looking down from Santa Cruz |
I spent the night at La Iguana Perdida, a local hostel with communal BBQs and costume parties on Saturday nights that make for a very fun and friendly backpackers experience! I actually ran into Julia, the girl who I climbed the San Pedro volcano with a few weeks ago, and got to know some of her friends as well. Their wifi-free policy encouraged interaction and we really had a great night!
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| Poster explaining why WiFi isn't allowed at Iguana Perdida |
On Sunday I hiked over to Jaibailito, which is about a 45 minute hike along the ridge overlooking the lake. It was a gorgeous hike, and when I got to town I decided to check out a restaurant called Club Ven Aca which offers an infinity pool and great pasta dishes! Super relaxing afternoon.
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| Relaxing at the infinity pool in Jaibalito |
Only two weeks left in Santiago and one month of my trip left. Some days it feels like I have been gone for much longer than five weeks and four more weeks seems like an eternity, and some days I feel like I can't believe that this experience is already over half complete. I sure am grateful for technology to be able to keep in touch with my loved ones while I am away. However, it has also been kind of nice to log off the internet and fully log in to my surroundings, and by valuing "giggles over Google" I have met so many new wonderful friends along the way as well!
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