I started working with this AADS a year ago and I’ve had the opportunity to travel to the Sacred Valley twice. This is my second summer working as an interpreter and translator for AASD. As an interpreter, I’ve had the chance to shadow my fellow team members. I’ve attended a variety of meetings between the team members and local government and community leaders. These meetings have also included NGOs ranging from health to textiles, and topics regarding greenhouse maintenance and health and wellness, to name a few. Other then improving my translation and interpretation skills, and seeing the interesting dynamics that exist between three languages (Quechua, Spanish and English,) I’ve had the fortune to see how the organization has evolved from its beginnings at MIIS to now becoming a registered NGO. I’ve also seen the projects through the different perspectives of the team members and how some of them have become great leaders. I’ve witnessed first hand the rise of opportunities and change and the impact that we as an organization are having across the communities in the Sacred Valley. In all honesty, I feel that as an interpreter I reap the benefits of the hard labor of my teammates. Even though I operate as a language conduit and a cultural liaison, I’m a “silent partner” of their work and this is what makes my job worth doing. ~Hilda