Happy Planet Index

This is a very interesting look at the world. For those of you who find this sort of stuff, or the world in general, interesting:

http://www.happyplanetindex.org/data/

From Cows, to Horns

I lifted the axe, and with one swift swoop, came down upon the awaiting target: a fresh, still fuzzy, filet mignon, and all its savoring glory.

That, my amigos... is a blatant lie.

But, let's be honest, you may not have listened to this story if not stated otherwise. And, it is important you hear this.

Sometimes, we buy shit. Most of the time we buy shit, we don't have any gosh-darn clue how in dios's name it came to be that way. 

But I am here to tell you something. This stuff we make at By Happiness Org is for real. See this picture of Mirna below? She is a dear friend of mine. She called me last night. Mirna is upset. Her husband left her a few years ago because life was not working for them in El Salvador. They have two, beautiful and respectful children, also good friends of mine (Carlos & Evelin) who did not have a future in sight. Mirna's husband wanted more for them. Unfortunately, that meant that he thought the solution was hopping a few bus's and trains and making his was to los US. Mirna joined our jewelry group to make an income while she waited to hear from her husband and his safe arrival in the US. Many weeks she goes without hearing anything. She calls me wondering if she should stay with him. If she should wait for him. If the sporadic transfer of funds is worth his unpredictable behavior. If they have a future. If he has a new family. If she should return. Unfortunately, her situation often gets the best of her. She does not routinely come to group meetings...mostly, because she is sick... she often does not use her face mask when working with cow horn.... (keep reading)....

You see, our jewelry has a story behind it. Ok, so does the shirt you are wearing. Your jeans, your hair ties, your socks and your under armor.

We want you to know our story. We want you to know it, live it, embrace it, and share it.

Making our jewelry, is not easy.

This is the story about cow-horn-

If you read the last blog, you learned how By Happiness Org came about. So you know that we learned to work with cow horns to make jewelry...but do you know what that means...

Let me tell you, because I was quite surprise myself.

It starts simple and kinda sweet. A few ppl donated some cow horns they had lying around their mud huts. Then, we realized our supply was WAY too low. So our sponsor group, Fomilenio, suggested we get all dressed up and go speak to the local mayor. The idea was that we mention to him that we know that cows are slaughtered weekly in nearby community to sell meat. Why not pay a local farmer $5-10 to bag the leftover horns for us? Sounds easy enough, right?

I still remember the day like it was yesterday. I put on my nicest skirt, put on make-up and brushed my hair back all formal. Fomilenio, picked me up. That's right, no buses people.

I took deep breaths and thought calm. This was like a HUGE job interview people. We were going to cut a deal with the mayor. I had even tucked a few quarters in my back pocket just in case bribes were needed........jk.......

You would think I would have caught on when we started pulling onto a dirt road. But I didn't. I didn't quite catch on until the Fomilenio driver handed me a sack and told me to grab as much as I can. No mask, no gloves and oh my sweet lord how I would have killed for either.

That's right, for the next 20 minutes, in my nicest clothes, I went around and picked up cow horns that lie beside rib cages and rotting cow carcasses. No way to sugar coat it my friends. 

That, in itself, should be enough to value your earrings.

After that, we have to boil the horns for 8+ hours to loosen the bone that is attached inside. Then we bang the daylights out of them until the bone falls out. Then, they dry the for 24 hours in the sun, we saw, cut, sandpaper, get pulmonary infections, etc, etc, etc.

Until, you finally get a nicely shaped and shiny pair of earrings. 

Unfortunately, the failure to wear our masks results in many pulmonary infections. The dust that shaving cow horn gives off is infectious. We strive our best to make sure our workers take their  preventative health seriously.

Also, sandpapering cow horn, well, it can be just plain boring. Even rocking in a hammock doesn't do the trick for Karen.

I often tried to bring music & activities to our group meetings to keep entertained. We played a lot of games, back in the day, like trivia, questionnaires & surveys. They loved when I tested their knowledge of english, US States & El Salvadoran trade marks.

Poor Leidy (featured above). It took me a good year and a half before I could recognize the difference between her and her sister Keiry. They look soooo much alike! Reminded me of me and my sisters...

This is where we worked mostly.... wherever space permitted! Usually, we united at Lili & Karyme's house. "Their" mom lives there and is the group leader. I say "their" because Karyme's mom is Lorena, aka "Nena". Nena also raised her niece, Lili, when she was abandoned by her parents. Nena is AWESOME and quickly became my best friend. Probably my best Peace Corps experience was when I won her as my Secret Santa and gave her the spanish version of "The Alchemist" and SHE LOVED IT. (Also, my favorite book). Remind me to send her another Paulo Coelho novel...

This is Corina hard at work shaving some recently cut cow horn. I met her a little later in her service, and am bummed I didn't meet her sooner. She lived quite a walk away from my house, so that is why it took so long for us to meet. She is so funny, cute and hard working... and originally met because she made me a hammock...

fyi... we also sell hammocks. The hammocks are made by hand. I will put up more photos and info of this asap...

Above is the jewelry group with some of their work exhibited. From left to right, Doris, Nena (Doris's daughter), Jose Felipe, Corina, Santana (Jose Felipe's Mom) and Leo. Leo is our group teacher and artist. He is THE BEST. He is my age, an unrivaled artist and activist. He donated his time and often resources, he inspires, he leads and he just plain rules.

But well love everyone of By Happiness Org equally... except, maybe the kids. We love them just a little bit more. Because, let's face it, they are the future... and they are a pretty damn good reason to live it.

And when I see their smiling faces, I forget about the rest of the BS. And, I kinda love that. Because they remind me to live it.

And to live it, by happiness.

Do it, by happiness...

www.byhappiness.org

Eyelashes: The Key to Development Projects

It has come to my attention that many of you do not know or understand how our little jewelry group, now formally “By Happiness Org” came about. Or maybe you saw little Lili and Karyme’s photos and you are concerned about child labor laws...they are NOT the ones working...

Here’s the quick background info:

The first project I created as a Peace Corps Volunteer in El Salvador was an Artisan Youth Group. It was the perfect setup: Myself, a self-pronounced artist, meets a talented, dedicated and kind-hearted young man, who makes jewelry. We hold a town meeting and do a community needs assessment. The lack of job opportunities, especially for youth, is one of the top priorities in Morazan, El Salvador.

We call another meeting: for youth. We ask them what some of their interests are. Many are interested in art.

Peace Corps projects aim to be sustainable. Talented, dedicated, kind-hearted artist (Leo) is willing to teach art...to a group of interested youth...do you see where I’m going with this? I just had to put the puzzle pieces together.

Fortunately, I did A LOT of puzzles in elementary school. (okay, I did that “Last Supper” one in college, Kristen & Katie, but let’s brush that under the table).

Anyway, the project was laid in my lap and I just had to pick it up and make it work. The beauty was that Leo was a community member, so that meant sustainability right there. All I needed to do was connect the right people, organize the meetings, create some project plans...and make them show up. Anyone working in community organization, especially in Latin America, knows how much fun that part is.

Luckily, when push came to shove, I shoved (figuratively) and I managed to keep the group motivated.

When Leo’s lent supplies were running low, I applied for a grant from the US Embassy. It was the first grant I have ever written and I couldn’t write it like I write these darling blogs, but something went right and I won. We purchased some basic materials, strings, tools, wire, pliers, storage bins and beads...and got to work.

After 6 months of hard work, some Embassy representatives took the 5 hour journey from the capital of ES to our farmland to see us in action. We even made the Embassy page. Later, they invited me to sell our stuff at the National Fairgrounds and US Embassy building. Then, all my Peace Corps friends and office bought the rest.

We started small. We were using string to weave bracelets. Then Leo taught us how to make earrings with wire. We kept growing.

In 2011, I heard about Fomilenio, a group run by the Millennium Challenge Corporation, funded by the US Government. They were providing small workshops to under-privileged communities in ES. One of them involved artisans. I called. I wrote. I applied. Finally, I heard they would be visiting a nearby town. I got on the bus and I showed up to that meeting. They were teaching a group of women how to sew and knit. At the end of the meeting I approached these collared-shirt wearing men and said “listen guys, Ima need you to come to my village asap” more or less.

And they did.

My collared-Peace Corps shirt apparently worked its magic, along with my batting long eye-lashes, but hey, when push comes to shove...

They agreed to teach our young artisan group how to make jewelry from cow horn and seeds. (Not to toot our own horns or anything, but we already were using seeds). No biggie. But in all honestly, I fully accredit Leo and the fine work he had done melding our group into delicate artists, to Fomilenio’s decision to work with us. They saw we had talent, potential & responsibility. And don’t forget about my eye lashes.

So, anyway, Fomilenio provided our group a free 6 month course in how to make jewelry and then how to market it. They also provided us with a fresh set of tables, tools, and equipment to work with. Recalling all of this now, almost a year later, I am smiling. And kinda amazed with the group and how far we have come. Ok, and with myself, to be honest. Now that I reflect on it all...

Back to the point. I know you think you are just shopping. Maybe you feel good about helping a few people. But this sh*t is real. This is a HUGE deal. 

During one of my last meetings with our group before I left ES, I asked for the members feedback. And one lady told me “I am grateful to be a member, because it gives me something to do. The two hours I come here every Saturday, I don’t have to cook. I don’t have to wash clothes, or sweep, or walk the kids to school. I can make jewelry. And talk to my friends.”

You see, we take for granted, our freedom in the US sometimes. This is not a sob story. This is the truth that I saw with my own eyes for 2 years. And its just what it is.

Most people in rural ES, especially women, don’t have opportunity. They don’t even see it. There are no options. They are house-wives, mothers, care-takers, cooks and cleaners. Don’t get me wrong, they are proud, and they have every right to be. But sometimes they don’t realize, they are something more.

They are artists. They are athletes. The are smart and funny and are allowed to laugh! But they often do not see that.

By Happiness gives them that. 

You shopping, means they will keep making more stuff. Which not only means that they have an escape from the routine, but an opportunity. To be someone else. To find out more about who they are. To laugh, to share, to grow. 

I know, knowing and living with these women, that THAT in itself is enough. My deepest hopes and desires is that this will be even bigger than that. That the business will grow, they will learn about saving and investing (they have started), and soon they will have their own shop to run. And then, Lili & Karyme and all of their little kiddies will go to college.

That is why we have By Happiness Org today.

I Cried Today

I met a really amazing person at the end of 2010 while I was living in El Salvador. He picked me up while I was standing on the side of the road in the rain one day while hitching a ride to town.

He is Salvadoran, but speaks spanglish. He is young, but much more wise than many folk. He is extremely religious, but does not make you feel you need to be. He has a tough and complicated life, but you would never know that just by looking at him. He is my inspiration.

Sometimes, I wonder what would have happened if he hadn't been driving back from his construction site at that exact moment that I was out in the muddy roads being pelted by rain. Sometimes, I remember exactly how I felt that day I got into his pickup. I remember being slightly apprehensive as we bumped along. But my gut told me not to worry. His tattered jeans and painted hands told me, "I make an honest living". His aura told me he was a good person.

We became really good friends after the 10 minute conversation we had, as he gave me a lift to the internet cafe.

He is one of those people that you just pick right up with where you left off. Where we have our separate, very different lives, but the moment we speak again its like nothing has changed. Those people are the best. Those relationships are awesome.

He is true to himself. It is what makes him so amazing. He knows who he is and what he wants in life, and he constantly is working for that. And nothing else. He makes mistakes. He gets frustrated. He gets sad. Because he is human. But he never loses sight of what is important in life. I have a very deep admiration for him. And I hope I have conveyed that enough to him. Sometimes, we forget to tell the people who have helped us, thank you.

I had a bad day today. I cried. In public.

Then I sat outside on my lawn. The sky was so blue and the leaves were so green. And I just thought to myself, "Shit, the world is beautiful. I have been given a beautiful life. I have created a beautiful life. I preach about a beautiful life. And here I am sitting here sulking about it. Shit."

Do you ever have days like that? Where everything just seems to go wrong? Or you feel like if the littlest thing goes wrong you freak?...

Like my pencil tip today wasn't sharpened and I just broke down and said "Whyyyy God, whyyyy?!"

Well, as I sat on my sunny lawn today, thinking what a mess I was. Thinking "what would my 'by happiness' supporters think if they caught me, unhappy?" And then, I felt an immediate liberation.

Its okay to have bad days.

I thought back to my dear Salvadoran friend, as I  was crying and saying "this sucks". He used to say to me when Id complain about my poor little Salvadoran community, "ya know, life sucks sometimes. But it can also be really beautiful." Then we'd laugh.

I know what my dreams in life are. That is what is important right now. That I have learned and recognized what I want. It is really overwhelming to start from 0 again. But accepting where I am is the first step.

I do make conscious efforts to make decisions in life based on whether it will bring me ultimate happiness. But sometimes, we all need a shoulder to cry on. Sometimes life sucks.

But surely, you will see its beauty again. You can't hide from the blue skies, the pink flowers and chirping birds. You can't not smile when you see a skipping child.

The first time I cried in front of my Salvadoran family was when my first dog was dying. From that day forward, everytime I cried in front of Karyme, she thought it had something to do with my dog. And she had no shame telling people/strangers, that "Jaime cried for her perro." (FYI- perros are not man's best friend in ES...very far from it).

I promise you, I would not have survived El Salvador if it wasn't for Lili and Karyme. I wonder how far our Jewelry Group can go? I wonder how far these little girls can go? I really have no idea. But I know it would be amazing if it were very far.

I have no career. I have no money. I have some personal/family issues, like the rest of you out there. And I don't know which community is mine anymore.

What I do have, is good health and good people in my life. I have friends like Lili & Karyme, like my Salvadoran carpenter, friends in Pleasantville, in NY, in Virgina/England, in Australia/Germany, in Florida, etc... And for now, that support is enough. And I am appreciative.

Every time I get an email that someone has "Shopped for Smiles"... I get excited. It gives me an extra boost during this transition period in my life. It reminds me of the bigger picture. It reminds me of my place in a bigger world. And maybe it could do the same for you... ?

Spread the word:

Shop for Jewelry, Create Income for Families in Need

I love all my readers. Would you buy my book if I wrote it?

Did You Know I Dance Salsa?

Maybe you have already seen me in action. For those of you who have not, here it is- everything I learned about dance during the 2+ years living in Latin America.


For those of you not impressed, use this opportunity to get to know Lili and Karyme. Most of my close friends already know a good deal about these cuties, since I hardly stop talking about them. If you don't already know, this video gives you a good idea.


Karyme is the cute pudgy one in front of the camera. She often steals the crowd's attention and there is never a dull day with her around. Lili is the behind the camera girl... you can hear her adoring giggle throughout the recording. She is the quiet, intelligent, sweet one. If you can get her to bear her toothless smile, you will be set for the day.


If seeing me dance, meeting Karyme or helping out a good cause just aint your thang, maybe I can persuade you to watch for other reasons. You can see what a home in El Salvador looks like...although, I lived "middle class". Most houses are made of mud or sticks. My hand-washed clothes are featured here, hanging to dry from my shutters. And all the wallpapers and decorations are handmade and picked by yours truly.

In all seriousness, these kids are the inspiration for our jewelry business. We want to see them go to college. If all else fails, I figure I can be a dance instructor. Checkout our website where we sell handmade jewelry. Everything shown on our site is original artwork from Morazan, El Salvador. It was a project I started in 2010 to create income for young women in my community. They have come so far, and I want to see them keep going!


Shop for Smiles