Word from our Peeps.

One of our teams is starting their book production this week, and our other team is leaving Peru for Thailand. Here is a brief update from the latter. We are so proud of them!

PhotogenX Goes to the Amazon!

Posted on March 28, 2013

 

WE SURVIVED THE AMAZON! One of the hardest weeks of outreach so for was also one of the best and most interesting.

For a week our team went out into the Amazon rain forest and worked on creating the new property for El Arca, an orphanage currently located just outside of Cusco. It’s home to around thirty-five orphans, who now get the chance to live healthy, fun lives in a family environment.

Bud Lenz and his wife Laura founded the orphanage in 2005, and ever since have been taking children into their family and raising them as their own, loving them and caring for them and teaching them how to live life. The Lenz family purchased land in the jungle five years ago and is now in the process of creating an oasis for the orphans of Cusco and Amazon communities.

After doing some research and discovering some really heartbreaking statics about children in Peru, we started to have a heart behind the project. The sad truth is if the children don’t get off the streets and into a loving environment, a lot of them end up involved in prostitution, gangs and drug use. It’s an awful reality.

We had the opportunity to help with the process of creating this new, fresh paradises. Our main job for the week was to weed around the 300 banana trees they have there. The bananas are used as a source of income for the orphanage as well as food. It was extremely hard work. We would go out daily and pull out weeds that in same cases were taller then the banana trees. We used a bucket instead of a toilet, got attacked by bugs, and took jungle showers in the fresh air behind a tarp. We got out of our boxes and worked hard for other people. And honestly, it was fantastic. Even if in the moment I, Cass, felt terrible and felt like my body was going to die, looking back on it now I wouldn’t change a bit. Yes, I had to step out of my comfort zone and get out of my box, but I did it for others in need, and that’s what’s important; that’s what we’re here to do. Currently, our team is working on a promotional video for El Arca. The Lenz family is still in need of long-term and short-term volunteers/staff, as well as financial support. Our video will be out shortly but in the meantime check out their website here.

You can follow their adventures here!

"I" is for "Inspiration"

I love anything that inspires me to create and dream. Usually this inspiration takes the form of something simple, something beautiful. Like a long walk on a gorgeous day {specifically fall or spring} or a good conversation with someone who just "gets it."

One day in Buenos Jonathan and I got caught in the rain while we were out and about, so we ran home and spontaneously jumped in the pool. We swam and swam in the warm afternoon downpour; it is one of my favorite memories out of all our years together.

I went to see "Pitch Perfect" with Catherine in December and left freaking out because I knew I was invincible. Music does that to me. {Side note: Jonathan was reticent to watch PP but finally caved one afternoon out of desperation. He's seen it twice more since and sometimes adds his own pizzaz to the music. Yup, that scene is all that you'd imagine and more.}

Sometimes this feeling of inspiration comes from even something silly like a morning at home cleaning our apartment (Jonathan says I am getting "nestier" the other I get) or blogging {!} or watching something on Youtube or dancing at a magical wedding.

I also love new ideas, unique thoughts. Did you know Bon Jovi recently opened a community restaurant in New Jersey that doesn't have prices on the menu and allows people to work for their food if they can't afford to pay? I love this concept. Love, love, love.

Or...speaking of Bhutan... {which we were of course}. Check the link out to the left or watch this {some of the shots are so beautiful!}

{Alsooooo, as a documentarian myself, I'm a bit jealous these people filmed Bhutan before I could get around to it. Sigh. Guess I'll catch the next one. Good job, Ben and team.}

Now-what inspires you?

p.s. And a quote, just because:

“ The respect of those you respect is worth more than the applause of the multitude.”

— Arnold Glasow

p.p.s. I just realized a fatty percentage of this entire post is parenthetical. Guess I should work on that. Hehe.