Anna´s Bolivian Journal

2008-10-22T08:46:00.000-07:00

2008-10-22T08:08:00.003-07:00

2008-10-22T08:08:00.002-07:00

2008-10-22T08:08:00.001-07:00

Evacuation- a long, sad story

2008-10-22T08:08:00.000-07:00

Just in case you haven’t heard - Peace Corps Bolivia is indefinitely suspended… My service is over. I am currently back in New York, safe and sound, but truly confused and sad to the core. It is like I have been in a time warp for the past month because I feel like I just left Bolivia yesterday; in reality it has been more than an entire month. I apologize for not writing an update sooner.

What happened?

Well as you probably know Bolivia has always been a pretty unstable country, especially throughout my service. As you may have read in the news or in some of my previous blogs, in the past couple years the countries first indigenous president Evo Morales and his supporters have been in increasing conflicts and clashes with the wealthier Eastern side of the country. Although throughout my service we were constantly on alert status with 8 Emergency Action Plans and 2 consolidations in 2008 alone, most of us lived on a day-to-day basis as if this was normal. I have recently discovered that most Returned Peace Corps Volunteers do not even know what an Emergency Action Plan is. Many volunteers in Bolivia talked frequently about the possibility of us getting kicked out, but I never seriously thought it would happen and was never nervous about it until late July/early September 2008.

Throughout the (Bolivian) “winter” I began to notice tensions rising in Bolivia to a level that I hadn’t seen before. I was getting text messages about roadblocks and strikes in different areas of the country from our security advisor every morning, followed by updated emails in the afternoons. This was starting to seem like a bit much. Watching the news with my host family in the first week of September I was surprised to see uprisings in places that had been calm in the past. The day I got really nervous was when I saw images of people throwing tear gas in the plaza of Santa Cruz (my regional city). Next gangs of young crucenos were taking over all the colla (indigenous Evo supporters) businesses and offices. The building takeovers were violent, with young men breaking down doors and windows with wooden and metal planks, the workers were evicted by force, often with violent attacks and yelling. Don’t get me wrong; I had seen this on the news before, but not in Santa Cruz, my tranquillo region of the country.

Things just didn’t seem right. That week our train and all other transportation was shut down. We started to run out of fruit and vegetables and we did run out of gas (for cooking) I talked to the people in my community, where things were calm except for the more or less peaceful takeover of a couple of colla organizations and a multitude of noise makers that sounded like guns. Most of the San José community seemed worried, but not as much as they had been in previous uprisings. I was more concerned than ever.

September 11, 2008
This is the day I knew things were really bad. I was out for my morning run, when I ran into my site mate Jenny and our dog Pelusa. I stopped for a minute to chat. Jenny asked if I had seen the text message from the morning. I had not, she pulled out her phone and we read it together “FYI The US Ambassador has been declared a “persona non grata” and is being kicked out of the country”. This was the message from our country director, Kathleen. My heart began to beat faster and anxiety settled in. I think I knew this was the beginning of the end.

I went home to watch the news with my family, who agreed this wasn’t looking good, but seeing as they were much calmer than I expected, I too was temporarily calmed. I learned that the embassy was not kicked out, just the ambassador Phillip Goldberg. President Evo had declared Goldberg a persona non grata, saying that against the president’s wishes he had been meeting with the opposing parties to the government. Evo argued that Goldberg was helping the opposition gain strength in their fight for Autonomy. Evo declared that he did not like Goldberg as a person, but was not kicking out the US embassy so if we could send another ambassador that would be fine. Well it turned out that was not fine with the US government, who by later that night had in turn kicked out the Bolivian ambassador, thus breaking ties with the Bolivian governing party. That same day, Hugo Chavez, the Venezuelan president and Evo ally had followed suit and also asked their US ambassador to leave, the US proceeded to kick out the Venezuelan ambassador out as well.

Ugh… I went on and had a more or less normal day. That evening around 7 at night I got yet another text (out of office hours) that we were moving to Consolidation phase. We were to pack up our things are prepare to leave our communities. Nervously I went to meet up with Jenny, we went to Dona Rosita’s to hang out and try not to think too much about the possibilities of the next couple days. Eating pizza, drinking wine, and talking with good friends we were able to push the thoughts out of our head until we heard further information.

September 12, 2008- my last day in my community- and I didn’t know it.

Looking back I realize that I had a wonderful last day in my community. It was Patty (Deisy’s daughter) birthday and we had a celebratory family breakfast- something out of the ordinary- but so much fun. Afterward I quickly headed to one of my schools for the results of an overnight plastics competition. I was happy, taking pictures and talking to the kids about plastics and their great work. I then headed to the Alcaldia, where I met with a few of my key partners and let them know I would be leaving for an uncertain amount of time. During the course of the day there was much confusing about the consolidation- how and where we had to go and for how long? I realize that at this point Peace Corps Bolivia probably knew that we were leaving but in order to get us out of our sites they de-dramatized the situation, saying that we just all needed to be together to see how things played out. I spent the rest of the day talking to my family and friends, playing with Brooklyn and trying to get my things ready for consolidation. I think I knew that we were leaving, but because things were uncertain, I decided to try and be positive and convinced myself that I would most likely be back in a week or two. I have to note that at this point the mental stress of the situation was really setting in and making me wonder if it was best for Peace Corps to be in Bolivia or not…

We had a nice night at Sabor y Arte with friends and family, together again for Patty’s birthday. At the end of the night I gave everyone big hugs and said “see you soon”.

September 13, 2008.

7:30 I woke up and had a nice breakfast with Deisy and Negro. Although we were unsure of the outcome of the consolidation we were all trying to be positive. I took only a small bag with clothes for about a week and left my room with my most important belongings set aside and my Peace Corps property in a box. I left wondering if I would ever be back. Deisy gave me a red rose wrapped in tin foil and Anita gave me the first 2 mangoes of the season. I gave Anita and Prof. Negro big hugs- repeating as I had been the previous days- I’ll see you soon. I gave Brooklyn a kiss on the head and quickly got into Deisy’s car to not think about leaving him. Driving to the airport I got a call from Patty and Tomas saying they had seen the airplane land and wishing me luck. Hermano Melchor called Jenny and I about 5 times that day to check on us at every stage of our trip.

The Departure

10:00 We took off in a tiny plane and flew to Santa Cruz. The plane ride cost $800- pretty expensive for a organization in such debt. Flying away from San José I was anxious and nervous, thinking both about the unexpected course things can take and also the fragility of life itself. Once we got to Santa Cruz our driver Jorge was waiting for us and quickly ushered us through the small airport and drove us to the bigger one, where we boarded another plane and flew to Cochabamba. Arriving in Santa Cruz another staff member was waiting for us and quickly drove us to the hotel where half of the volunteers were waiting together. It was great to see other people and we all tried to distract each other.

3:00 We had a meeting with the country director in which she told us that we would be waiting to see what happened in the next days. She warned us of possible retaliations that might make it necessary for us to change locations. We were told that this probably wouldn’t happen until Monday, and that we had to be ready the next morning to move our stuff into a bigger hotel with all of the rest of the volunteers.

The night of September 13th was the worst in the history of my life. None of the already sleep deprived volunteers were sleeping in Cochabamba. And then I got a call that my boyfriend’s family had just experienced the most terrible tragedy. I spent the whole night crying and praying in bed with my good friend Jamel and woke the next morning to find the world had changed even more than we thought.

September 14, 2008

7:00 We woke up and loaded our bags into the front of the hotel and headed to the morning meeting with the director. I noticed as she came into the room that she would not start until everyone was present, and the medical officer came in with a huge box. With a quivering voice Kathleen told us that in fact we were not going to be moving to another hotel but we were headed for the airport right away. We would be traveling to Lima, Peru immediately. Tears welled up in eyes all around me, including Kathleen’s. She warned us that our security was in danger and that we were not to tell anyone, including our families or even the other Peace Corps Volunteers where we were headed. I went outside and broke down in tears…tears of sadness, relief and uncertainty. This was it, I knew it. I also knew that I needed to be home with Chris and for some reason I was being taken out of the country, at a time when I would not have been able to get out of Bolivia on my own.

8:00am Because of all of the uprisings around the country, there had not been any international flights for about a week , so on our way to the airport we wondered what we would meet. The airport felt deserted, there were few others there besides us. People were trying to take pictures, but most of us couldn’t stop crying. I exchanged the thousands of Bolivianos that I had with me for a couple hundred dollars, knowing that I might need that in order to get home. I talked persistently with all of the staff, urging them that I needed to get home. I felt bad because their hands were full with the whole situation, but I needed to leave South America.

10:00am We boarded a huge military plane and strapped ourselves in. I was so happy to see my good friend Josh and sat next to him and Jamel the whole long bumpy ride. The flight was full of long, sad faces and not much talking. When we arrived in Lima the US embassy staff there greeted us compassionately. They kissed us all on the cheek and shook our hands. They really made us feel welcome and as if maybe everything was going to be okay. After hearing my situation, one of the embassy officials offered to help me arrange how to get home and even took me back to his house for dinner before my flight. I was amazed by their warmth and care for all of us.

1:00pm I said my distracted goodbyes to the volunteers around amidst the confusion and I headed off for the officials house, meanwhile the rest of the volunteers boarded onto 2 buses heading for a hotel in Lima.

11:50pm I boarded a plane headed for New York JFK

September 15

8:00 am I was back in NY with Chris.

So that’s the story… it’s long and sad. I have been trying to make some sense of the strange and sudden changes in my life, but I really cannot. I am happy that I do feel a sense of accomplishment from my service. I am so happy that things came together with my plastics project in the end, and that I was able to make so many amazing relationships in my community. It is the people that I think of and miss the most… the simple things, a shared cafesito and cunape, lunch with my family, chatting with Anita in the tienda, teaching English in the high school, my Spanish lessons with Hermano Melchor, my runs in the jungle/desert, visiting my neighborhood friends. The past year and a half of my life has changed me in such a good way. I have learned so much and am so incredibly grateful for my experience. They always say in Peace Corps you never know what a day can bring… and that sure is the truth. This was “the hardest job I’ll ever love” and a life that I will carry with me always.

My kids

2008-09-26T12:30:00.000-07:00

Teaching high school English to the segundo medios (equivalent to our sophmores) changed my service. Below are the pictures of the kids who brightened my days, made me laugh and taught me how to be a good teacher. I went into teaching at the Marista school primarily to help out my Spanish tutor and friend Hermano Melchor, but I found that I loved teaching and learned so much from the experience.

Not having prior teaching experience everything I did in class was somewhat of an experiment, but overall things went very well. Most of my teaching style came from my own experience at a charter elementary school. I found myself remembering exercises and ways that my elementary teachers engaged us to make learning fun. I started every class with a listening exercise, in which I talked about something while the kids looked at me with wide, open eyes like I was an alien. I asked them to try and write down words that they recognized when I spoke. The short speech was usually followed by laughter and confusion... but as the classes went on the kids always increased the number of words understood. We played games with vocab such as charades, bingo and word races. Another favorite activity was also from ANLC, a "morning message"- a mixed up message with mispelled words for them to correct. Truthfully I don't know who learned more from my English classes, my kids or myself... but I know that we all benefited from the experience and had fun while doing it.

Take a look at my kids... you may find that you have a namesake!

2008-09-26T12:16:00.000-07:00

THE INVITATION

2008-09-05T08:42:00.000-07:00

To all of you my friends and family reading this, this is your official invitation to come visit. I have realized that although I have gotten used to most things being here for so long and I don’t miss things too much anymore, missing all of you has never gotten better or easier. I guess some days are harder than others, but all in all I hate being so far away from those I love most, and would love to see some of you before my time here is done. In the words of a great speechwriter, “Now is the time”. I have now been in Bolivia for 17 months, and have approximately 10 months to go. That means sometime next July I will be done and heading home. So now is the time for you to come visit me and explore this beautiful and crazy country for yourself, now is the time to see what it is like to be in Peace Corps. Come live the life, come help me teach English, and stomp on plastics… it’s really fun. I promise to provide a great bed, delicious breakfasts, lunch and dinner and teatime is included in the no fee rate. My town offers the only stone Jesuit mission church in Bolivia, great broasted chicken, 2+ hour siestas, wonderful sunsets, endless Spanish lessons, siestas, friendly people who are sure to tell you they love you (their English is a little limited), mountain hikes and bike rides. Seriously, I would love some visitors; you are all invited, think about it… The tickets are a little expensive, but after that you can pretty much live for free… Plus once you are here, you could check out some of the rest of South America, it’s not so bad either. I’m telling you, it’s the chance of a lifetime, take it!

More Pics!

2008-09-05T08:26:00.000-07:00

Cusco

The poor cuy! Check out his little top teeth and big bottom one, plus claws.. yuck!

More Machuuu

2008-09-05T07:36:00.000-07:00

a llamita

ceviche... a traditional food in lima- yumm!

Miraflores

The All Volunteer Conference

2008-09-04T14:36:00.000-07:00

So I left you on the edge of your seat right? Were you waiting to see how the plastics project went after the first couple of weeks? And then nothing… I left you again… Well not only did I have to leave you waiting and wondering about all of the plastics not being burned in San José, but I also had to leave waiting and wondering about what was going on in San José to go to an “All Volunteer Conference”. I was not looking forward to the more than weeklong meeting; it wasn’t great timing with my big project just starting. But this was not an optional meeting, so off I went to Santa Cruz. We were put up in a resort outside of the city and held there for about a week. I have to admit the meeting went way better than anticipated. I got to see all my B45 friends (minus Hannah and Brandon, and Jamel who happened to be vacationing), got to meet our new Country Director who comes to us from her last post in Georgia (the country) and before that the International Banking Sector, we got to play with trash in typical basic san fashion, I went on morning runs with the “cross country team” and even got to fit in some nice swims and lots of good friend time. It was a good break from normal life, and a unique experience to be together as a whole country.

During our meeting we reflected on Peace Corps Bolivia. We are now missing 2 groups, thus down about 60 volunteers. When the last 2 groups were set to come in, there happened to be some political craziness going on, forcing the groups to be canceled. And as it goes in Peace Corps, ever few months a group leaves… so we have had the groups going out, but not coming in. This has greatly affected the projects, the placement of volunteers and the financial stability of Peace Corps Bolivia. Not to mention, that it is getting a little lonely feeling. In my area of the Chiquitania those of us that take the death train out of Santa Cruz are quickly diminishing. For the last year we had a pretty sturdy group of Abe and Mathias in Robore, Josh in Santiago, then joined by Chris, and then later his girlfriend Kate, and then there is me and Jenny is San José. Well now, Abe and Josh are done and gone… Abe backpacking up towards the United States with his awesome Bolivian wife Carla, thankfully Josh didn’t make it as far and is going to be a volunteer leader in another region in Bolivia for the next year. Chris, Kate and Jenny are done this month… leaving me and Mathias… and that’s it.

Another big thing to mention is how much Peace Corps has been affected by the “economic crisis”. As volunteers in foreign countries our salaries are paid in local currency, the fall of the dollar has caused a deficit. As I read in my Newsweeks- which now have been canceled also due to the same problem, that alongside the “Economic crisis”, we have the “Food Crisis” and the “Gas Crisis” all these crisis’s add up to a humongous shortfall in our poor little Peace Corps Bolivia budget. It has been sad to see the changes that have to be made our programs, the letting go of staff, and the closing of our training center… Thankfully our director is a former banker and definitely knows how to take care of this kind of thing in the best way possible. We even got a little raise, to account for the rise in cost of evvvverything.

As much as the political situation in Bolivia continues to be unstable, both with relations within the country and also their not so affable relationship with the US, Peace Corps Bolivia continues to be optimistic about our status here. Just to give a little update on the situation:

The area where I live- Santa Cruz, continues to be extremely anti-Evo, who is their President, who happens to be the first Indigienous President here. Santa Cruz along with other areas of what is called the Media Luna have continued fighting for more independence from the government, they want to be Autonomous from the central government mostly in economic terms. They argue that although the majority of the money is made in Santa Cruz, a large percentage of it is unequally distributed across the country, where people do not have as much money. Santa Cruz and the other regions want their autonomia to distribute their gains on a more equal basis and promise to still spread the wealth across the nation, just in what they consider a more just manner. The people in this region “the Cambas” are also typically very prejudice against people from the more northern regions “the Collas”. Typically the Cambas are whiter looking, and the Collas more indigenous looking… It is truly heartbreaking to hear such blatant racism day in and day out. Recently, during our All Volunteer meeting there was an important vote throughout the country to decide whether Evo would continue as president. He won the election, and things went surprisingly smoothly considering the division in the country. As there are calls for reforms in the Constitution and for New Constitutions the future is uncertain. In terms of relations with the United States, things again, as always are not so clear. USAID has been kicked out of several areas of the country, there have been questions about what Peace Corps really does, and our Ambassador has been called a liar among other adversities. Overall, there continues as always to be unrest, road blockades and strikes but this is the norm and I wouldn’t expect any less from Bolivia.

Peru

2008-09-04T02:39:00.000-07:00

After the All Volunteer meeting, I headed right for Peru; it was time for a little vacation from Bolivia. I met up with Chris for one of the best trips ever. We had an amazing time exploring the beautiful country together. We probably would have been happy anywhere… but Peru was truly wonderful. With flights that landed just about an hour apart we met up in the airport in Lima. It was a wonderful reunion and as being away from Chris is the hardest thing for me, some tears of joy were shed. The next day we took off for Cuzco, the ancient capital of the Incan Empire. Cuzco is a beautiful city, nestled in a valley of the Andes. It has a good mix of tourism and tranquility, just what we were looking for. The combination of the high altitude and the dry climate left us feeling a little weird… out of breath, weird stomachs, shriveled fingers, a little dizziness. Thankfully we soon got used to it and probably would have stopped huffing and puffing if we didn’t chose a hostel at the top of the mountain… but it had the best view at the best price so we had no choice, we loved it. We spent a week in Cuzco exploring the nearby ruins, enjoying the city, trying new food and relaxing together (Chris was a big fan of the guinea pig and alpaca- he even got an “big pac” burger). We made sure that we weren’t running around the whole time and got in lots of card playing and siestas. A great vacation! We then traveled to Machu Pichu. The most visited tourist site in South America… and yes there were tourists, but it was so truly amazing that we weren’t bothered. To get to Machu Pichu you have to take a 4.5-hour train from Cuzco to Aguas Calientes (which is the town below Machu Pichu). Aguas Calientes is a weird town that hasn’t quite found itself but still serves its purpose. We spent a rather short night in Aguas Calientes (due to construction that went on till 12pm and overly excited tourists breakfasting at 4am) and headed up to Machu Pichu early the next morning. Taking the easy way up (the bus) we were still amazed by the difference in climate and landscape from Cuzco. The Machu Pichu area is much more tropical and humid, the actual site of Machu Pichu is located in a cloud forest, making the view even more magical.
At first glace Machu Pichu is simply breathtaking, it is so beautiful and mysterious that you have to question if it is real. We had an interesting tour of the site, in which we learned a lot and really became even more enthralled with the Incan history. I was surprised to learn that they were very knowledgeable about earthquakes and their patterns, and had built earthquake proof structures. They studied the constellations and the changing of the seasons through the stars. They had a great water system at the top of this mountain- that still worked! Their postal service to Cuzco took the Incans 5 hours by foot with a handoff delivery system! Amazing amazing, and now it takes weeks for mail to reach me from Santa Cruz! Also very interesting, the Incan leaders that lived in Machu Pichu fled when they heard that the Spanish army was headed their way. They left the site, taking all of their treasures (only one golden bracelet has been found at Machu Pichu). The next settling of the leaders and their treasure is thought to be the lost city, still to be found… For me, the best part was after the tour Chris and I explored by ourselves and had the most beautiful picnic looking at the peaks of the Andes and the ruins of this remarkable civilization.

After Machu Pichu we had a couple of days to enjoy Cuzco and then headed back to Lima. We thought we might try to head to a beach town about an hour outside of the city so Chris could get in some surfing, but it ended in a deserted summer-only type place, a cab driver urging us not to stay there and us jumping on the microbus back to the city after about 10 minutes… at least we got to see a little more of the country. Haha. We ended up staying in a nice hostel in a beautiful old house in the Miraflores region of Lima. Miraflores seemed to me like the Brooklyn of the city. There were tons of new restaurants, shopping, surfing and beautiful cliff top parks. (I guess we don’t really have the cliff top parks in Brooklyn and the east river offers little for surfers… but you know what I mean) Little did we know when we arrived, we were staying in the perfect location \ a block away from a walk down to the beach in one of the best spots in Lima “las rocitas”- Chris got to surf, and I enjoyed watching. We had a great last few days sipping Pisco sours (egg whites, lemon and a grape alcohol), eating ceviche and arroz con mariscos, enjoying the Pacific and each other’s company, and trying not to be sad that the trip was coming to an end. Leaving Chris was horrible, as always… more than ever actually, but I continue to tell myself as I am back in San José sweating in the heat, that it is only sad because it was so good. So goodbye Peru, goodbye Chris… I love you both, hasta pronto.

We are excited about plastics!!

2008-08-04T14:37:00.000-07:00

Some of the kids at German Bush

The smallest school- El Suto. This is a one room school house with one teacher and one book for each grade... The kids are amazing. Every time I visit hey run out of the school jumping on me with huge hugs and smiles.

3 of 9 schools and their plastics!

2008-08-04T14:20:00.000-07:00

German Bush continues to be the frontrunner!

Oscar Unsaga de la Vega

Little Portoncito... one of my favorites!

Look what is happening in the first week of the plastics program!

2008-07-18T07:37:00.001-07:00

My plastics campaign in the schools is having incredible success in its first week! Little kids are walking down the streets with huge bags filled with bottles, bags, and other plastics. People have told me that this is the first time in their lives that they have seen kids picking up trash from the ground, instead of tossing it on the ground. I am not sure if it is just me, but the city seems a little cleaner already, the air a little fresher...

Here are pictures from 2 of the 10 schools. These 2 called me after 3 days requesting another "BigBag" (ps... the bags are really called bigbags- once again imagine the English word with a very Bolivian accent!)

German Busche

Marista Basico

The start of something...

2008-07-15T06:28:00.001-07:00

Special big bag delivery

They really are big!

This week I worked hard distributing my big bags for the recycling project. I visited every school and animated the teachers, students, doormen and principals. All of the schools received the bags excitedly and are now working on accumulating their plastics. Luckily with the gringa discount I got on the bags, we were able to buy 10 soccer balls and 10 basket balls- just enough for one of each for each school. Most schools are now animating the students with a competition with the balls as a surprise prize for the class that brings in the most. It was a long, tiring week, but in a great way. I am happy to finally be busy with work and to have so many different people to work with. I also have been in campaigning through the different forms of communication- this means local television interviews, and educational propaganda as well as talking on the local radio stations. I am working my hardest to get our message out to the community:

My main goals with the project:

1. To help eliminate the quantity of trash in our pueblo.
2. To stop the burning of plastic trash- which releases chemicals toxic to our health.
3. To help the schools create an on-going ecological fundraiser for their needs.

“Las Misses”

2008-07-15T06:13:00.000-07:00

We had a very exciting weekend in San José- “Las Misses” came to visit. “Las Misses” – English word pronounced with a camba accent are all of the contestants vying for Miss. Bolivia. The town rallied like never before to prepare for the event. The streets were cleaned, (well at least the dirt was plowed and trash covered up), there were 5 women sweeping the plaza for 3 days nonstop before the arrival, every group was preparing some kind of presentation or another. We even had an hourly countdown on tv! The night before, our awesome local anchorman announced “ Only 30 hours until Las Misses arrive… Dona Esta is painting her house- pan to a house being painted- why don’t we all paint our houses? If you don’t have paint now- wake up early and do it tomorrow!” It was pretty ridiculous- but also let me know how much people appreciate physical beauty in this culture. When the women actually got here, it was a 4 day parade around the city- the tall, skinny women with long hair and white smiles, in high heels and mini dresses, followed by our political figures, teachers, students and local film crews. We had almost 24 hour television coverage of the weekend. The reason for their arrival was the crowning of “Miss Talento Bolivia”. Saturday night, the plaza was filled with more people than ever before. Although not many people came out for the musical talents from around the world during the Baroque music festival, put on some regaaeton and bring out women in short dresses and the whole town is there- and early- that is pop culture for you, even way our here in our pueblo. Not expecting such a huge turn out or things to start on time, my friends and I were only able to see by climbing up wooden planks we set against the shaky wooden bleachers. It was an enjoyable night of a mixture of talents ranging from traditional dances, to a girl doing a clown routine. The winner- a top notch lip-syncer. Definitely an unforgettable weekend for the Josesanos.

Miss Talento night!

Strutting through our dirt calles

Fancy canapes I helped Dona Rosita prepare for the event

Los Segundo Medios

2008-07-15T06:10:00.000-07:00

This week I also started teaching all of the sophomores in the Marist high school. I have 4 classes of 35 students each. All of them have names so similar that it was super hard for me to keep them straight, so I decided to have them choose “American” names. I wrote a list of the names of all of my favorite people- my friends and family, so now most of you that are reading this probably have a namesake or two in San Jose! I’ll take a picture soon. So far they have been pretty good, but of course they are high-schoolers. It makes me laugh and think back to my Gabriel Richard days, when I see the different characters in the class. Today, someone put a giant green grasshopper down the shirt of another, the kid was running around screaming, trying to take off his shirt and everyone else laughing hilariously- I am trying my best to be professional- but how could I not laugh at that? These kids are definitely the most entertaining part of my life at the moment… and I promise to keep the stories coming.

La Palabra... (a word from my mother!)

2008-07-02T13:23:00.000-07:00

Here is a reflection written my Mama on their trip to visit me in May... enjoy!!!!!!!
PS- Since I was so slow at updating the blog in the last 2 months, I recommend you scroll down to the last part you read and read up- i promise it will make more sense that way.

PPS- There are photos and more to come from my parents soon.

Peter and I spent 2 amazing weeks in Bolivia at the end of April. Anna lives in the Chiquitania region, a remote tropical region with cattle farms accessed mainly by rutted dirt roads. This region is home to beautiful churches built during the brief Jesuit period before the priests were expelled in 1767. We timed our trip for the biennial Chiquitania Baroque Music Festival. So, we traveled to many of the mission churches and heard sacred and divine music played by amateurs and professionals from the region and from around the world. We were thrilled by the local school orchestra as we were by Israeli, Swiss and British musicians. Some of the music performed was composed in the Chiquitania during the 18th century.

While the Music Festival was the backdrop, the main purpose of the trip was to be with Anna and to learn more about her life as a Peace Corp volunteer in this distant and impoverished part of the world. We arrived at a moment when Anna was frustrated with the lack of progress on her plastic recycling project and considering moving to another site. Nonetheless to us, our daughter looked happy and strong. We particularly enjoyed meeting her many, many friends and acquaintances. During the first 2 days in Santa Cruz, a city a 7-hour train ride from Anna’s home, we were amazed by how many people Anna knew. We were delighted by an invitation to have tea with the extended family of Anna’s landlady. And, we had dinner with Tom and Anna Sullivan, Peace Corps friends who live and work in a town called Okinawa. Yes, it was settled by Japanese after World War II. Anna was a great tour guide and she speaks Spanish! You should have seen her negotiate the price with the driver who took us through the back roads of Chiquitania for our Baroque Music Festival Tour. She looks sweet but she drives a mean bargain.

The countryside in the southeastern lowlands is very pretty. We were there at the end of the rainy season and it was lush. Bolivia has more butterflies than anyplace that I have ever been in my life. During our first weekend in the city, we went to a butterfly conservatory and saw some beautiful specimens. But you don’t need to go to a conservatory to see butterflies. They are everywhere!

In San Jose de Chiquitos, we stayed in Anna’s rooms. She gave up her bed for us and so we slept under a DEET-impregnated bed-tent for the first time in our lives. The area is not high-risk for malaria, but Peace Corps supplies the bed tents and they do keep other critters out of the bed. Anna’s house is very pretty. She painted her rooms in blues and greens and decorated with lots of pictures of friends from home. The central courtyard is full of flowers and at the time of our visit there were 2 parrots in cages and a dog with a new litter of puppies. While it is very comfortable, it’s still not quite like back home. Anna filters all of her water; her shower was not working (blocked with leaves and dirt); one of her electrical outlets caught on fire while we were cooking breakfast one morning; and there is no heating or air conditioning. Actually, what I have appreciated most about the US since coming home is tap water. Tap water in the US is delicious, healthy, free and available almost anywhere. Let’s bring back those water fountains!

We were so busy in San Jose de Chiquitos. In addition to the baroque concerts, there was the annual San Jose festival complete with traditional dancing and parades. We enjoyed meeting some of the people Anna works with and went to the dedication of the new hospital. We had a delightful time helping Anna teach basic hygiene to kindergartners at a local school. A highlight of the trip was touring the church in San Jose de Chiquitos with a Bolivian art historian supervising the reconstruction of the church as a UNESCO site. Anna knows him from the Environmental Committee that she serves on.

So many experiences in Bolivia were unexpected. Try to imagine being awakened at 4 in the morning by the sound of a military band playing below the hotel window. This took place in Santiago, a remote and pretty village 2 hours from Anna’s town. A musical group from Columbia had made the long journey to play ancient music in the church. They were warmly welcomed on a cold night by soldiers lining the streets and the town square holding torches to light their way and a military brass and percussion band that played on and on. Above their doorway, the hotel hung a huge welcome sign made from cardboard boxes and tissue paper with candles for illumination.

On the last day of our trip, there was a referendum on “autonomia” in the Santa Cruz department. There was great excitement about the possibility of becoming more autonomous from the national government with more ability to keep resources in the region. On the day of the vote, we stayed at our hotel because nothing was open except the polls. All stores, restaurants, and businesses were closed. The buses and taxis were not running. The region voted overwhelmingly in favor of “autonomia”. That evening at 6 pm everything opened and people were out and about in a celebratory mood. We attended one last Baroque music festival before heading for home.

We only saw a small corner of Bolivia, but were impressed by the beauty of the country and the warmth of the people. We saw how hard life is for the majority, and are less likely to take our comforts for granted. For me, Bolivia is the land of surprises and I can’t wait to return.

NOVEDADES!!! NEWS!

2008-06-30T13:34:00.000-07:00

Good News! After 8 months of lack of work, things are popping up all over the place. Last Wednesday, on my way to Santa Cruz someone from the Alcaldia met me at the train station. My recycling project was finally approved. The guy stuffed 2,000 Boliviano's in 100 b notes into my duffel bag, and I was off to purchase the long awaited bags. The bags that I bought are large, durable bags that are necessary for the storage and transportation of the plastic bottles, bags and other items that we will be collecting. Each school and barrio (neighborhood) will receive their own bag and once they have collected enough we will send the plastics to Santa Cruz, where a recycling company will pay us for the materials. We have worked out an agreement with the train for free transportation for the project. So basically, the only real need we had was these bags, and after 8 months we finally have them! Yayyyyyyyy! The purchase was interesting; I once again had the name and shaky directions to what seemed to be an underground company. When a pirate-y man with one leg answered the door I was very happy that our helpful Peace Corps driver Hermel had accompanied me on the mission. I was pleased to find that the pirate was only the doorman, and let us in to a nice office, where we had a meeting with the friendly owner. The owner seemed to like me and the project so much he gave me 600 bs off the original price! I am hoping to be able to use this money for another project. A half an hour and less the wad of cash later we drove away with the Land rover full of my bags. Finally! This week I start distributing the bags to interested people and educating about the project. Also I am starting to teach the Segundo Medicos- Sophomore English classes at the Marista School. I will be the English teacher for the Second Semester, which starts this Monday and continues until before Christmas… Profe Ani!

B45 gets smaller.

2008-06-30T13:31:00.000-07:00

So we heard it since we got here, statistically every group loses about 5 people. Since day one I thought B45 was different- I thought we would all make it. We just hit number 5. Every person that leaves is greatly missed, and leaves a void in our group that cannot be filled.
In training we lost Meera, not too long after we started… then after Christmas Hannah, then Gilbert and Barbara, and now this past week Brandon….. B45 misses you all! Below I have posted the Swear- In Speech written and delivered by our friend Brandon. It was something I meant to post when we swore in… but here it is now. It really shows how much our fellow group members and other volunteers mean to us. It is interesting to read now, and think of how much we have changed and learned during the past year.

I am a donut.

I am a jelly donut.

This is what John F. Kennedy, the founder of Peace Corps, said to the German people when he visited them in June of 1963. Ich bin ein Berliner. Later linguists and historians de-bunked the rumor as simply myth. But the fact remains that what he said could be misinterpreted as something silly, outlandish, and downright ridiculous.

Yo quiero TWO sin chorizo.

I actually said that to a waitress in a restaurant in Quillacollo. Her reaction was of course one of surprise and disgust. She gave me one of those looks that said, “ummm…what?” or in Spanish, “ayyyy…Que?” She followed that up with a quick about face and a flip of the hair that reassured me that I had committed some sort of massive, egregious error. When I turned to my friends who were accompanying me during this particular meal of food I saw that they were all laughing. Good, strong, gut laughing. They informed me of my mistake and I joined in the laugh fest as well. Of course, what I meant to say was:

Yo Quiero DOS sin chorizo.

I had transposed the words for the number two and changed completely the meaning of what I was trying to say. I wanted two orders of papas fritas without sausage, but what I actually said was, “I want YOU without sausage.”

I want YOU without sausage. That had to have been the weirdest pick-up line that poor waitress had ever heard.

How crystal clear these examples are of communication breakdowns. Big, bold communication errors harmlessly and accidentally made that completely change the meaning of a particular phrase or message.

I rest assured, however, that I am not the first nor will I be the last volunteer in Bolivia or Peace Corps Worldwide for that matter to make such an error. It’s hard enough to maintain open channels of communication and understand each other in English let alone try to communicate with someone of a completely different cultural upbringing and background.

We’re going to encounter all kinds of communication errors and faux pas during our travels, our work, and in our lives in general over the next two years. Even you advanced language peeps sometimes forget how to correctly conjugate the past participle pluperfect future preterite of haber or the Spanish word for “sheep.”

It’s obeja, by the way. And there’s no conjugation for the past participle pluperfect future preterite of haber. That was a trick question.

But we’re trying. And this is our charge. This is our task. Communicate. Listen. Learn. Change people’s fundamental ideas and ways of doing things that they may have potentially been doing for centuries upon centuries before.

US!!

Who are we? What gives us the right or the authority? Nobody except the people of Bolivia can grant us the authority to enter their sovereign land and live her for two years. And they’ve done so more or less.

But there’s a cost for us- an obvious one that we’re all aware of. A sacrifice we have knowingly accepted. But, as with all things there’s an upside to this too. Being here definitely makes me appreciate the things that we have in the United States that I usually take for granted. I think of the U.S. as my little brother when I’m here. No one but me can talk smack about him. But being here also makes me yearn for the simpler way of doing things. The things and places and people I’ve seen already in just my first three months have amazed me beyond words. I’m constantly questioning our presence here. These people seem more at peace than 90% of the people in the United States. Things sometimes don’t really seem that depressed or tragic. There’s not an overabundance of cellphones and Escalades. Not an oversaturation of beer ads with five girls and one guy all of whom spend nearly ever waking hour in a gym, not actually drinking the product their advertising. There’s not a lot of advertising here in general. Television isn’t omnipresent with a message of buy, buy, buy. The people in the campo, I think, have more to teach us about living than we have to teach them.

But there are things we can teach them. There are simple things that we can show them that will improve their quality of life and the quality of life for their children and their children’s children. I’m not asking them to dress like me or listen to the music I listen to. I don’t want to Americanize them. I don’t want to corrupt them. I just want to tweak them. I just want to help. I think we all just want to help.

The stark differences between the people in the campo and the people in the cities is a harsh reality, but one that fascinates me. I love being a spectator here in this country. And that’s exactly what we’ve been for the first three months of our service. Spectators. We’ve been molly coddled and led by the hand; introduced to the necessary contacts and shown which buses and trufis to take.

But now we’re about to take on a completely different role. A role of action. A role of change. A metamorphosis. We’re about to emerge from our cocoon like shells. We’re no longer slothy, gluttonous caterpillars. We’re now attack butterflies. Lean, mean butterflies with fangs dripping with developmental venom. Butterflies with unlimited knowledge ammunition. And most importantly we’re butterflies that are strapped to the hilt with patience and understanding.

I couldn’t think of 27 more capable people to take this challenge head-on. Sometimes, in fact, I feel completely overwhelmed and intimidated by the experience and talent gathered here in this room. We’ve got doctors and engineers. Teachers and laborers and E.M.T.’s. We’ve got people that have never flunked a test until they met Javier. We’ve got people born in other countries, people who have seen the benefits that brave immigrant parents have received and want to give back to the world. We’ve got people that have lived abroad for large portions of their life. We’ve got brothers and sisters, fathers and mothers and everything between. We’ve got Amber. We’ve been trained and have had the privilege to work shoulder to shoulder with people that have dedicated their entire lives to development work. We’ve got people that have memorized entire sections of movies, a guy that can sing melodies acapella that make angels swoon and puts Michael Bubble to shame. I know, it’s Buble. We’ve got a man that when he had only 7 years to his name wondered what it would have been like to live in Communist Russia. We’ve got two Sarahs, two Annas and Hannah. An Erin, an Aaron and a dude that’s technically only 6 years old. Tristan looks great in a speedo. We’ve got west coast peeps that are all, “And he was all, and she was all.” We’ve got meteorological experts, yoga specialists, hug specialists, Queen Amidallah impersonators, graduates of The Ohio State University and a Nubian princess whose smile can shift my inner mountains and alter my current outlook from rainy, damp and dreary, to bright, revamped and seriously cheery. What an inspiration! What a revelation! What?

And then there’s little old me. Lodged in between all of these giant personalities- pillars of strength and fortitude, overwhelmed and humbled. I couldn’t be happier. I couldn’t be more content. I couldn’t be more elated to count myself as your friend and work partner.

Sometimes, a metaphorical anvil of realization drops on my head and I’m awash with warm fuzzies and soft suds of sentiment that feels like my whole body is a giant mouth chewing spearmint.

It’s fresh and crisp and I know this is my place deep in my capillaries. I see it every time I look at you. I see it reflected in your faces. I see it when you laugh. I feel it. I hear it. You are the most intelligent, inspirational, insanely weird in a good way people I have encountered in my life…ever. I know you intimately after only 90 days, but I want to know more. I want to be around all of you all the time. Your combined charisma and extrovertedness make Barak Obama look like Howard Hughes in his later years.

What a privilege we have here, guys. We get to hear ancient languages and dialects and interact with direct descendants of the Incan empire. We get to change people’s lives. That’s your job, no mas. And in the process we’re going to learn so much about ourselves and the world. All you have to do is understand that right now we’re like empty hard drives waiting to be filled with data and information. Be open. Listen. Watch. Observe. Be a “Quiet American.” Don’t be like Graham Greene’s quiet American though.

Maintain your composure. Find ways to always have a smile on your face. Go to your happy place. In the past my method was to completely close off everything to everyone literally and figuratively. I close my eyes. I would close my mouth and breathe through my nose. I put my iPod buds in my ears and go away for a moment. But then I come back refreshed and rejuvenated.

Now I don’t even need that. I’ve got a variety of options at my disposal to flip the switch on the sitch that I can’t pull my mind out of. I can simply have a conversation with one of you guys or recite a line from a Chris Farley movie and I’m right back in touch. Any one of you can flip my mood 180 degrees. I’ve never been in an environment like this before. It’s like I’m riding a constant crowd surfing wave, fully confident that I’m not going to be dropped. It’s like floating on a cloud made of hands. I’ve lost weight because I’m laughing so hard all the time. My abs are constantly sore. It’s a good sore though.

And I am going to miss that so much. So much. I’ll miss all of your bright shiny faces and individual, unique laughters. I’ll miss your thoughts and opinions. I’ll miss your minds and intellects. But I’ve got each and everyone of you stored away in my mind so that I can access you at anytime and relive moments that we’ve shared. For now, we have to depart. We have to shed the Stars and Stripes and don the Rojo, Amarillo, y Verde. We have to say goodbye to each other, to our new family, and say hello to a community that needs us.

We have to fan out across this vast nation like individual robotic lions. We can’t be Voltron right now. But if Voltron is ever needed you know that you can make the call and the team will assemble without hesitation, without question, without thought. We’ll unite with fangs of truth bared, swords of justice ready, and souls centered and steady. I’m here for you. I know you all are there for me and for each other. And that’s a beautiful thing.

Let’s put a smile on the statue of liberty’s face. She’s been frowning for far too long.

Stay classy B-45.

Let’s do this.

DUM DE DUM DUMMMM... back to BOLIVIA

2008-06-30T13:22:00.001-07:00

I arrived back in Bolivia and felt the culture shock run through my body. I couldn’t stay in Santa Cruz, and left immediately for San José. It was dreary weather and I was super homesick… it was definitely a hard transition back- I kept thinking, if I just went home… where am I now. It felt so weird that I knew so many people here and that I had spent so much time here. Thank goodness for Brooklyn and my friends from Argentina- Santiago and Clara, the three of them really pulled my out of the slump and back into reality. Reality is that being here is hard, super hard, but good for me. I am learning things, and helping people. I have passed the one-year point, so it is really starting to be more like a countdown than counting the months… I need to use this time wisely and take advantage of it in many ways. Okay… one day at a time.

A couple of things that help pass the hard days... funny dances, kids, my friends clara and santiago, cooking/hanging with my sitemate jenny!

HOME SWEET HOME

2008-06-30T13:00:00.001-07:00

Thank goodness that soon after my parents left Bolivia, I too was headed off on my first real vacation in a year. After saving up my 2 days a month, I was on my way to the United States of America. After being away from the states for a year, I was ooooh so exited to get back. I had tears in my eyes landing in New York. I spent 2 wonderful weeks enjoying the luxuries that I used to consider daily life. The beauty of the cities, the suburbs, the woods and the beach amazed me. Instead of being impressed by the gringos that the people here imagine filling up the USA, I was overwhelmed by the diversity, people of all races, ethnicities and backgrounds… what beauty. I truly saw our (first) world through new eyes and appreciated everything in a new way. The best part was simply spending time with the people I love and miss most, my family, boyfriend and friends… time flew by and I didn’t get to see half the people I wanted to- but that just means that it will be all the most exciting when I come home again. One of the reasons I went home was to see Connor (my bro) graduate from NYU. It was a great event, and moreover spending time with my family was unbeatable. We celebrated throughout the first week- lunch at Roberto’s (my favorite restaurant in the Bronx), again at Aunt Laney’s house, and later in the city as well. It was perfect timing because I got to see- Granny, Grandpa, Aunt Laney,Uncle Jimmy, Read,Connor, Lindsay and my parents! Aside from seeing my family I got to spend a lot of time with Chris and his family in Long Island. It was wonderful to see them, as always and it was so nice of them to let me move in for the vacation. Coming back to New York felt like coming home. I was so incredibly happy to be with Chris, close to my family and friends. The life is good in the United States, and I think that I have taken it for granted up until now. I am so thankful for this experience in the Peace Corps, because my eyes are now forever opened to see life in a new way. I cannot explain how much I appreciated everything and how wonderful it was to spend time with those I love most. Needless to say it was very hard to leave again. Saying goodbye to Chris in the airport I was having flashbacks of leaving a year ago… which sometimes feels like forever ago, and other times like yesterday.

Does it look like I miss these people a little??????????

Mis Padres!!!

2008-06-30T12:50:00.000-07:00

It was great to have my parents in country with me for 2 weeks… We had some great adventures and saw so many amazing things. I am so happy that they came and now they both know more about Bolivia and my Peace Corps life here.

We spent the first weekend catching up and exploring Santa Cruz City. They got to experience the strange mix of intense poverty and little patches of glittering new money establishments around the city. The days were random, moving from gritty, dirty markets where people tried to sell us dogs out of bags, areas full of fruit, then bread, then meat, then chicken legs, pigs feet… to later the same day we found ourselves enjoying a fancy café with all of the traditional “camba” accompaniments- canapés, sonsos, pan de arroz (basically all different forms of yucca- cheese bread.

After the city we headed out on “the death train”. 7 bumpy hours later we arrived. I was happy that we all survived the trip. We were greeted by the kids selling tea, meat on a stick and empanadas- a foreign sight for them, but a familiar one for me. Having my parents in San José was great because they got to see how many people I know and we got to really enjoy the natural beauty outside the city. It was also on little hard for me to have them in San José because it was a struggle for myself to be there because of my frustrations and bitterness. Getting back to San José I once again felt the negative feeling of wanting to work but not being supported or used as a resource by the community. These negative feelings were really weighing down on me, and I hope that they did not carry out too much on our trip.

The moment we left to do a “Jesuit Mission Circuit” trip I felt more relaxed and was really able to enjoy my parents company. I really realized how lucky I was to have with them. We hit the road with our driver, to conocer (get to know) the pueblos of San Miguel, San Rafael, San Ignacio, Concepcion and Santa Ana. San Miguel and San Rafael were quaint towns with unique mission churches. I found them to be cute compared to San José, and cleaner as well. The stop in Conce was great because we saw a lot of Peace Corps friends and got to stay in a little condo on a lake. San Ignacio was the best of all, we stayed in a fancy hotel, and really enjoyed walking around the clean streets. Our trip along the “mission Circuit” coincided with “The Baroque Music Festival”, an international festival that occurs every 2 years, bringing musicians from around the globe. We were lucky enough to see quite a few amazing concerts both of local and international artists. When Spain conquered parts of the Chiqitania they brought with them their music traditions, for this reason there is a great history of Baroque and chamber music in this area. Driving around the Chiquitania in our big white pickup was an experience I will never forget.

At the end of the trip we had a little more time in San José. We got to visit some of the local schools that I work with. One great day was doing a hand-washing project with a kindergarten class. The kids were so excited to meet my parents and sang us each a song- saying nice to meet you! I did the hand washing presentation, and then the kids practiced using a “Tippy Top” we had given to them. Afterwards they had to have their hands checked by Mama and Papa to make sure they were clean enough- too cute! Another great thing about our time in San José was that we all had bikes- and did some great bike rides. I had found 2 pretty nice but out of use bikes in a storage room in my house, I got them fixed up by my favorite bike guy- who also became Papa’s friend! One day Papa and I rode to the top of The Mirador- our mesa/mountain. This was something that I had always wanted to do, but didn’t think I could. We broke physical and mental barriers that day.

One of the best things about having my parents here was seeing how much the people that I know in San José and even in other places we visited went out of the their way to make their trip special. People were really honored that they had come all the way to visit their country. I was so proud and happy to have my parents meet my Bolivian friends.

Frusterations

2008-06-30T12:41:00.000-07:00

I have to apologize for the lack of postings lately… I have been a bit distracted. After Semana Santa I hit sort of a slump. I had begin to realize that the excited talking that people, especially in the government office had been doing for the past 8 months was just that, talk. I began to feel useless, unwanted and unappreciated. Not what you expect of a Peace Corps volunteer right? It definitely wasn’t in the vision that I had in my head for my service, I expected to be embraced into the community and my ideas and projects accepted with thanks. Day by day I was growing more and more frustrated. I continued to go to the Alcaldia to find that usually 90% of the people that I needed to talk to were not there. I began to notice more things that I would classify as corruption. I noticed that I was becoming very bitter. The worst was when my boss came for his 2nd visit (of 3 total visits) I found that my work partners had left without canceling our confirmed meeting. I broke down in tears and told everyone that I was ready to move to a community that wanted a volunteer and wanted to work. I was fed up… Thankfully my boss is a very supportive figure and was able to help me see the good things that I have going in San José.

A couple good things: I along with others have started an Environmental Committee, a group of interested people from different areas of the pueblo. We meet about every week and talk about environmental concerns, especially in relation to trash problems in San José. This is a group of motivated, educated people willing to work together to do something good for the pueblo. I have connections all over the pueblo. If I have accomplished nothing else in the last 10 months in San José I have established relationships in all sectors, barrios and of people of all ages. These 2 things mean that I have opportunities… Thankfully in the midst of my frustration, my parents came for a much needed visit.

Semana Santa

2008-03-30T14:45:00.000-07:00

My holy, holy week

2008-03-29T08:15:00.000-07:00

Semana Santa (Holy Week) in Bolivia is very holy. I enjoyed learning and experiencing the Bolivian traditions. The relationship between the indigenous leaders and the elected leaders as well as the towns indigenous traditions and catholic traditions were all very visible during the holy week.

Palm Sunday:
The town proecessions started. A large loop (a few blocks larger than the plaza) was done each night. At each of the four corners of the loop there were altars set up with candles, pictures of Jesus, and flowers. On Palm Sunday the town processed around with their large, beauiful palm fronds that were adorned with gorgeous tropical flowers. Palm Sunday in the states is my favorite because it is such a nice visual mass, but this was like that times 100! Bella!!!!

Mass for me started back again on Holy Wednesday. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday all consisted of processions around the town. Each night I was grabbed ahold of by my friend of the week- an older woman named Lola. Lola never married or had any kids, so she really appreciated having someone to spend holy week with. She is a fiesty woman, who had her favorite spot in the procession right behind the Virgin Mary. There was nothing that could keep Lola and I from getting the best spot in the procession, she grabbed ahold of my hand tightly and dragged me through the thousands of people in the procession and the military marching band! Each night mass started around 7:30, the processions ended around 10 and then there was a traditional flag waving dance done by a different indigenous leader. The flag waving dance was extremly different and beautiful. It was almost like a combination on martial arts and dance. The leader would take a specific number of steps forward holding a large flag on a long pole and the wave it in a figure eight type movement. Every move was calculated and intentional.

Holy Wednesday:
The indigenous leaders in the town had been preparing for weeks for Semana Santa. Every year they make thousands of candles from pigs fat! I was lucky enough to be given one of the precious candles in Holy Wednesday mass. It was obvious that this was something special from the looks on anticipation and then excitment on the older women's faces when they recieved their candles. It was like they had waited all year to recieve this candle. Just seeing their excitment at recieving this simple thing brought tears to my eyes. During the processions, I occasionally got whiffs of bacon- kinda good, but also occasionally really bad whiffs of burning fat- yuck... my hands were also covered in greasy wax- gross!

Holy Friday:
Holy Friday is the day that Catholics and Christians recognize as the day that Jesus died on the cross. In the mass on this day, I got to witness a real dramatic version of taking Jesus down from cross. The lifesized Jesus, was very lifelike with joints that moved as he was taken down. Immediately everyone in the church lined up to physically kiss the statue. After this, he was then placed in a glass tomb in the front. I had noticed that many people had brought little bags into church, and now they were opening them... it turned out that everyone brought their own perfume/ colone or water to "perfume" Jesus, as was done in the Biblical story... after being sprayed by hundereds of perfumes, Jesus and the church was quite smelly, and we started out on the procession.

Holy Saturday:
This was the real celebration of Jesus's resurrection. Before mass there was a blessing of fire and water, the natural elements of the earth. There was a huuuuge bonfire outside of the chruch and we all lit our pigs fat candles from the fire. People brought old soda and oil bottles filled with water to be blessed as well. Mass did not start this night until 10:30. It was a long mass and many of the old women I was sitting next to were falling asleep. n The head bobbing in church always makes me laugh uncontrollably, but I tried to hold it in. I usually go to bed reaaaallly early too, so it was a little bit of a struggle for me as well. The mass consisted of many readings and some beautiful music accompanied by my new Argenitine friends who are working with the local orquestra and choir. I was exhausted especially after being at mass so much in the past week and I was thinking of trying to skip out on the procession, being that it was already past midnight. But once again, I was grabbed excitedly by Lola, and I couldn't turn her down, so off we went.

It turned out that this procession was totally different- it was a celebration! The women all went one way, following the Virgin Mary altar, and the men went the other way, following the Jesus altar- a race to the other side! The women, were excited, and walked fast, we sang happily and reached the other side before the men, who were not singing (I think it was the singing that really sped us along). The women won!!!!!! After this, I was invited to Lolas house for cake and coffee- it was already 2:30 am. When I finally got home at around 3 am I excitedly opened my easter basket/box from Granny and Grandpa. They had surprsed me with candy and treats from the states! yummmm! What a great easter celebration!

25 in Bolivia

2008-03-29T07:17:00.001-07:00

I was a little worried about spending my birthday in my site... but it turned out to be a wonderful day. I woke up to a radio that my host family had placed outside of my window at about 6:30 am, the announcer was wishing me a happy birthday on his "Good Morning San Jose Show". " Happy birthday to our gringa Annita... " I was invited to breakfast, lunch and dinner with different neighbors, family and friends! Dona Rosita made me a beautiful breakfsat with egg salad sandwiches and fig crepes. Lunch was with Deisy, Negro,(the family I live with) Patty, Pierre (Deisy's daughter and son in law) and Jenny (my sitemate), later Jenny and I, along with 2 new Argentine friends went to Patty's resturant for a light dinner and a banana split! yummm!!!!! I was so happy to be able to talk to so many friends and family from home, along with feeling very appreciated by the people in my town. I was even given a couple little gifts; a towel, an Ayureo Indian necklace, a mug! so nice!

The San Jose Girls; Patty, Clara, Ani, Deisy, Jenny

Later some celebrations with some Peace Corps friends
Typical Bolivian Kareoke- a camba favorite

Abe, Mathias, Josh

Is this an alien???

2008-03-29T06:37:00.000-07:00

I found this strange bug in the shared kitchen I use...... what in the heck is it?????

Too cute

2008-03-03T07:32:00.000-08:00

Posing for his centerfold? Check out that milk belly!

A new friend... Baby Brooklyn !

2008-02-14T13:16:00.000-08:00

named for the friends and fun forever associated with the bk

Carnaval

2008-02-06T12:47:00.000-08:00

the band

los viejos

!viva carnaval! !viva san jose! !viva la gringa!

at my san jose happiest

the thing that always keeps me wanting more....

2008-02-06T12:37:00.000-08:00

I am somewhat addicted to writing in lists because it lets me get more of what has happened down in a faster manner. My life here is so unexpected and random- here is an example of some of the ups and downs in my past WEEK;

Bad
1. I had to say goodbye to Chris… I was then immediately left missing him more than ever. I then had to readjust to being alone again after being with the best companion for an entire month.
2. I was ready to leave on the train the day Chris left and get back to my work and life in San Jose- but instead was stuck in Santa Cruz for the next week because of horrible flooding- a river (which usually could only qualify as a stream) overflowed covering the highway and train tracks.
4. My good friend Hannah Kim signed her early termination papers and headed back to the USA.
5. When I finally got back to San José I found that there was not a single piece of fruit or a vegetable to be found- we are talking not even potatoes, onions or beets!!!!
6. The water went out.
7. Was really thirsty- drank a jugo and I got a fever and stomachache.
8. It was carnaval- for 4 days water balloons and squirt guns are filled with ink and sprayed at whomever walks by… not having many clothes and not being too into the San José party scene- I basically hid out!

Good
1. While I was stuck in Santa Cruz, there was a ceremony signifying the “online relationship” between the US and Bolivia. It seemed to be a pretty big deal. I got to represent Basic San at the event and met Ambassador Goldberg again, along with Rubin Costas (the head politician in Santa Cruz) and many other important people!
2. Since the train was out- I got to fly to Robore in a private Jet (well private Cessna). Then double bonus, an hour later got a ride to San José, from a distant family member!
3. Jenny (my site mate) and I got asked to be judges of the Carnaval parade, in which everyone joins up with their comparsa – crew of friends- and does a little song or dance routine for the judges, sometimes even bribing us with drinks. Being the official judges we were also given all the food and drinks we wanted- not a bad deal!
4. On the last day of Carnaval the “abuelos” (people carrying out their Chiquitano origin traditions- dancing, drinking for the whole of carnaval) came over to our house, where I happened to be hiding out. Dancing, holding hands in a circle to their traditional music, made me realize this is when I am the happiest in Bolivia- when I truly feel like I am a part of something very different than what I would experience in the states.

As you can see my from my list, sometimes in Peace Corps the good outweighs the bad in quantity… but the thing is that the good things are so great that it makes it all worth it.

memories of a great month......

2008-02-06T12:25:00.000-08:00

The past month flew by… I didn’t even think about checking my email, or writing a blog. It was without a doubt one of the best months of my life. The day after Christmas, my boyfriend Chris flew from New York’s JFK airport, to the Miami airport and then finally in to the Viru Viru airport in Santa Cruz Bolivia, where I was waiting for him. After more than 8 months I felt my stomach flipping as I watched for his silhouette through the shaded glass doors. Within the first minute that he walked into the waiting room I knew that it was going to be an amazing month- and it was.

We first spent a few days in a fancy hotel in Santa Cruz with a big pool, air conditioning (to ease Chris into the Santa Cruz heat) and a bathroom with a hairdryer and a sink that hot, warm and cold water comes from (this is now mind blowing to me). We were incredibly happy to be together again, and even the simplest things were wonderful.

From this nice hotel we set out to begin our real Bolivian adventures. We traveled to a small town in the valleys of the Andes Mountains called Samaipata. It is about 2 hours away from Santa Cruz up a long, windy, narrow road by shared taxi. Here Chris got his first experience of Bolivian driving. He also got to see me in action arguing with the taxi driver about leaving our luggage on top of the roof when it started raining. (I have become pretty forceful about getting what I want-in a good way, especially in Spanish) When we arrived in Samaipata we were stunned by the beautiful mountains surrounding us, and interested in the quaint pueblo, which reminded me of an old western ski town. We stayed at a wonderful hostel that served breakfasts of fresh fruit, real French bread and homemade blackberry jam. Overall, the eating in Samaipata was very good. Groups of foreigners have moved in (mostly Dutch, German and French) supposedly because of the good energy that surrounds the nearby Incan ruins. We were very happy about this because we ate some of our best meals in Bolivia here. Besides eating we spent our time relaxing, reading and hiking. Andres, the owner of the hostel took us on an amazing hike with a couple of other people. In this hike (seen in the pictures) we hiked up a small mountain outside of town. From here we had the most gorgeous view of the foothills of the Andes on all sides of us. Then we continued along a mountain ridge and descended on the other side, finding beautiful waterfalls, and Bolivian beach volleyball- an amazing hike! The only bad part of this trip was that Chris got a sickness, which seemed like a shortened version of Dengue to me. After a few days of rest, he was feeling better and we went on to San José.

It was so great to have Chris in San José. Here he got to see and understand my daily life. He met most of my neighborhood and family friends. He got to see what a typical day is like for me, how frustrated I can get waiting at the local government for meetings, which often end up being nothing to do with me or my projects. He got to see that sometimes no matter how hard I want to do work and progress on projects, I will have no support, or be told that it is a bad time. He got to experience the daily weird, unexpected things that I have now come to accept. For example one day we went for a walk down the dirt road, which I run on every day. All of a sudden we started smelling a really bad smell, and I mean a really bad smell. We noticed something that looked like an organ on the ground in front of us. A few steps later we noticed another, and then another. We decided that something had definitely been dragged down the road. The smell continued to get worse and worse, until we saw the culprit, the remains of a pig’s body which had been stripped and picked apart. Gross! Later we encountered an even bigger surprise, a 6 + foot snake slithered out on the road in front of us. He continued on his way pretty fast, but we saw enough of him to be freaked out! After a couple of relaxing weeks of cooking, hiking and just plain living in San José we traveled up to visit a couple of Peace Corps friend’s sites in the region.

We spent a day in Robore drinking cafesitos provided by my friend Abe and took a dip in the local swimming hole before heading up to Santiago. I may have mentioned my love for Santiago before, and with Chris it was even better. Strangely enough Santiago has a 5 star hotel even though it is a pueblo of 1000 people. We stayed in the most beautiful hotel room ever at the price of 25 US dollars a night. (Pretty steep for here!!)In Santiago we did some more great hiking and spent some time with my Peace Corps/Fordham friend Josh Lincoln. The climate in Santiago is a little cooler than in San José, making for some wonderful day hikes and cozy nights. Before we knew it was time to head back to San José and then back to Santa Cruz!

Some of the most memorable moments during Chris’s visit:
1. The tension waiting for him to come
2. His crazy jungle fever in Samaipata- practically carrying him home from New Years dinner
3. The Huuuuuge snake
4. A crazy cholita (the traditionally native dressed woman) dwarf unprovoked attack on Chris’s leg in Santa Cruz
5. Our homemade pizza competition, which was done mostly by the light of my headlamp and candles because of a power outtage- we declared a tie- but Chris’s sesame crust, chicken and pepper pizza may have beat out my more traditional garden veggie delight,
6. Can- Can Jumps at Los Pozos
7. Arriving in San José expecting to find Chris’s Christmas Hammock mostly finished by the artisan, but instead seeing that it was only about 3 inches long… and the multiple trips to speed along the work that followed
8. Chicken dinners at Pollo Monica- especially trying to make friends with the wooden stake-throwing boy
9. The luxurious life that comes with American money- fancy dinners, fancy hotels, large pools and saunas!
10. Enjoying the vida tranquila- siestas, yoga, waking up everyday to decide what we wanted to do….

some of the ups!

2008-02-06T10:19:00.000-08:00

Judges for the Carnaval parade

Being bribed... that is an unidentified alcoholic drink in a shell, and my friend Petagoras!

Leaving on a jet plane...

Proudly representing basic san!

a note from Chris.......

2008-02-01T12:33:00.000-08:00

It’s been a little less than a week since my return from visiting my girlfriend Anna in Bolivia. When asked about my trip it’s hard to describe everything in one neat package. Bolivia was never a place I saw myself wanting to travel to let alone stay an entire month. It’s the second poorest nation in the western hemisphere and worst of all landlocked!!!!! (I couldn’t get used to the idea of there being no coastline). However, being able to see and spend much needed quality time with my girlfriend has been a priority since she left eight months earlier.

After settling back to life at home in New York, my experiences from this trip have begun to make me realize how special it was. While there are a few crazy mishaps and occurrences (i.e. seeing a 6ft plus black snake slither in front of our path while on a walk , being sick for New Years Eve with a horrible fever and getting chased by a Bolivian woman dwarf in the city) that happened to us along the way , my experience in Bolivia was an amazing one. Hiking beautiful trails and mountains in Samaipata, learning more about Bolivian culture and visiting other PCV’s sites were just a few parts of my trip that made it unique and special.

At the same time there are many problems and serious issues faced by people who live down there. Poverty is widespread and there is civil unrest in which the country is divided. This was noticeable the entire length of my visit. The challenges faced by PCV’s can be overwhelming for almost anyone. Slow service, delayed schedules and long periods of travel on sketchy passageways are just a few obstacles to mention about life in Bolivia. Although there are stark differences between Bolivian and American cultures, most Bolivians were friendly and interested in my thoughts of their country. Over time, I became used to the “tranquilo” (laidback, easygoing) way of life down there. Afternoon naps (siesta) and slow pace living were a refreshing experience.

The weeks went by so fast its hard to explain my emotions when it came time to go home. It was great to see everything Anna has been a part for the past nine months but it was sad to leave her. My month spent with Anna in Bolivia opened my eyes to a different part of the world and I can’t wait to head back down to South America.

Chris G.

2008-01-28T04:34:00.000-08:00

Hiking in the Valleys of the Andes- Samaipata

Welcome to Bolivia Chris!

At our favorite chicken restaurant in San Jose- this little boy's job is to throw his spear at dogs begging for food. Look at his face- they picked him for a reason- we were honestly scared to ask him for this picture!

Canonball! Los Posos, Santiago de Chiquitos

Finally.... together again....

January in Bolivia was great!!

2008-01-28T04:09:00.000-08:00

More Samaipata

We came from way up there!

A Bolivian Christmas tree?!?

Jungle Life

A new hammock!

2008-01-28T03:17:00.000-08:00

This is the woman who made it, and her house

Struggling to finish it in the rain, on Chris's last night in San Jose!

A San Jose home

A few Christmas pics....

2008-01-27T06:41:00.000-08:00

Cooking in the campo

That is not ice cream!!!

Santa Cruz Plaza

Merry Christmas from Bolivia

2007-12-26T16:30:00.001-08:00

Just wanted to send out a message saying that I cannot describe how much I have been missing all of my wonderful family and friends during this holiday season. I have been sweating in the hot Christmas sun down here- and learning about new traditions- some that i would repeat in the future- getting to spend the day with a very latino 90 person family reunion in the campo, and others i would not- being food poisoned on christmas eve...

for now I am healthy again, political things are calm, and i am waiting for my boyfriends plane to get in! things are looking up!

Once again- Happy Holidays to Everyone.. Ill write more soon! chau

PS: notice the new address. i was informed by the post lady that i was one of the very few that gets mail in san jose- she knows me and where i live... so no need for the actual address- makes it easier on all of us!

Bolivian update- no i have not been in hiding- everything is okay!

2007-12-26T16:28:00.000-08:00

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

I arrived back in my site San José de Chiquitos last Wednesday night, despite the long, hot ride on the crowded train I was happy to be back. Bolivia continues to be in a very uneasy political state. The morning I left Santa Cruz my friend was warned twice, by different cab drivers to get out of town- that something was going to happen, and soon. We heard rumors that the President, Evo Morales had sent 300 militarized troops to the Santa Cruz city region.

Here is a short breakdown of last week’s key events:

Saturday December 8: The Constitutional Assembly secretly moves their location to Oruro City- in the Altiplano region- where Evo is highly supported by the Indigenous campesinos

Sunday December 9: In the middle of the night a portion of the Constitutional Assembly pass the new constitution, which gives more power to Evo (the right to run for 2 consecutive terms of 5 years each) , more state control of the economy, more nationalization of services and products, as well as more power for the indigenous populations. Some of these things could be in principal good, but it seems that what Evo truly wants is more of a dictatorship.

Monday- Wednesday: I was in Santa Cruz and things were surprisingly calm. In a country that reacts to everything from the price of bread with civil blockades and strikes, we were forced to question, what was going on? A large hunger strike in the central plaza of Santa Cruz City continues throughout the week.

Thursday December 13: “Ya tenemos Autonomia” (“ We already are Autonomous) Propaganda starts running on the TV and radio stations in Santa Cruz Region.

Saturday December 14: Official announcement of Autonomy in Santa Cruz, Tarija. Beni and Pando Regions. The headlines of the news “Un Pais; Dos Fiestas” (One Country; Two Parties”. And it was true, party they did. I could barely fall asleep because of the happy, drunken screams of my neighbors “Autonomiaaa”

To me there continues to be somewhat of an eerie type feeling, the country is deeply divided- but for the time being all sides are in denial and ignoring the other sides. It is a division between the truly indigenous people, whose ancestors lived here as long as 10,000 years and the people who have mixed European Bolivian heritage. It is a division between political parties. It is a division between those with money and those without. It is a division between regions of a single small country that over time has lost over half of its territory to its neighbors; Chile, Peru, Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay. Peace Corps has told us that things should continue to be calm into the New Year. I can’t help but wonder what will 2008 bring for Bolivia?

Situation in Bolivia

2007-12-05T10:35:00.001-08:00

"The situation in Bolivia continues to be tense...” These are the headings of the emails I have been receiving almost daily from Peace Corps. The Bolivian president Evo Morales, the countries first indigenous president, has declared that "Dead or alive, I will have a new constitution by December 14th". The new Constitution will give him increasingly more power, which is exactly what the Media Luna (Santa Cruz and other allied regions) do not want. There is a sharp divide between the country, which is most simply broken down to a fight between the indigenous people (the majority of which live in the La Paz, Cochabamba regions) and the other European decent Bolivians who live in the more southern regions, such as Santa Cruz. The extreme racism between the Camba (Santa Cruz) and the Collas ( La Paz) is seen in all aspects of life.

Politically, things are pretty confusing in Bolivia. It is hard to tell which demonstrations, civil strikes (paros), road blockades are serious and which are not... they simply happen all the time, for reasons ranging from petty arguments, to others which could turn in to country wide fighting.

I have been in Cochabamaba since last Sunday (11/25). I am here along with the rest of my B-45 group for In-service training, and a project design workshop. My counterpart, Dona Deisy bailed out of coming with me for fear of the political situation at the last moment. At the time, I wasn't sure if she decided not to come just because she didn’t want to, or was seriously nervous. As the week has gone on, we have had some disruptions. Last week there were riots in Sucre, where the Constitutional Assembly have been meeting. 4 people were killed in the midst of the protests and political unrest. I have heard from other volunteers that were there, that they watched the city go up in flames, while listening to reports that the prisoners from the jail had been released and were armed on the streets. Peace Corps put us all on an emergency action plan, in which all volunteers had to check in and confirm their safety and whereabouts.

In Cochabamba, we also had a Paro (civil strike) one day last week. There was no transportation, and all stores were closed. It was not a dangerous day, and we were able to have our meetings in a nice hotel in downtown Coch. It was actually really peaceful walking through the streets with no cars. The roads were all blocked off by random branches, tires and trashcans, making us wonder if these people kept spare paro blockading equipment in their houses or garages. It was truly an amazing site seeing business people and Chollitas all walking over the bridges in the silent Cochabamba streets.

This week has been normal so far. We have been warned of marches by Cocaleros- coca leaf farmers tomorrow. Peace Corps, of course is very on top of monitoring the situation... but we truly do not know what could happen in the next few weeks. For now, we are hoping for the best, meaning that the situation passes and we are able to stay in country working as normal...

Giving Thanks

2007-12-05T06:36:00.000-08:00

So it was my first Thanksgiving away from home, which was really hard but I made the best of it. I woke up thinking about all of the things that I would normally be doing. I love thanksgiving... I normally wake up early to watch parades from all over the country and eat delicious poppy seed cake made by Papa. That is usually followed by an afternoon and evening filled with family, turkey, vegetables, pies and love. It was hard not to be sad and think about all the people that I would rather be with, and places that I might rather be than in San Jose de Chiquitos. But there I was. I decided to make my Thanksgiving a day in which I really thought about the meaning of the holiday.

I made pumpkin pies to share one of our American traditions with some of my friends in my community. To do this I went to one of my local tiendas, and bought a chunk of zapallo- a gigantic pumpkin-like squash. You just tell them how much you want and they whack off a chunk. I went home with 2 kilos of zapallo and got started. The pie making went well. Everyone in my house thought that I was crazy for making a desert from a squash, let alone not understanding what a pie was. They pretty much thought that it was going to be horrible, whatever it was. Since pie does not exist in Bolivia, I ended up using an old frying pan with out a handle and a cake pan for my pie plates. They turned out beautifully!! I shared the pies with my host family, Dona Deisy and Prof. Negro, the 2 women who work in our house Hilda and Anita, and my best exercise students and Dona Rosita. Everyone loved the pie, asked for seconds and was truly amazed that is was zapallo! A success.

I also had a very special lunch with Dona Rosita and my 2 best students. Dona Rosita and I worked all morning making corn tortilla shredded chicken enchiladas from scratch (one of her specialties from when she lived in Mexico!) We shared the delicious meal, toasted and gave thanks for each other’s friendship. It turned about to be a day in which I celebrated friends, food, and most of all thought about what I am most grateful for - my friends and family all over the world.

RAIN!

2007-11-12T13:15:00.000-08:00

the view from my room... its raining and san jose is changing from desert to jungle!

the bottle (preferably a glass beer bottle) is placed on its top in the middle of the patio, this supposedly stops the rain...... suprisingly the rain did stop, but i guess it always does at some point right?

Dia de los muertos

2007-11-12T12:46:00.000-08:00

the fan

2007-11-03T07:43:00.000-07:00

October 27, 2007

Its Saturday morning and I’ve woken up late because of a rather sleepless night due to a run in with a mean fan (as in cooling fan, not one of my personal fans). I had a calm (but later than normal) Saturday night, spending time with a family while they held a vigil for their patron saint. Basically, I spent my night praying the rosary in Spanish and wound up practically slicing the end of my finger off. I am not really sure how it happened but I do know that I thought I was simply moving my fan over, and the next thing I knew I felt a sharp sting in my finger and heard a zzzing… I was freaking out because

1) There was blood everywhere
2) I was all alone, in the middle of the night
3)I didn’t want to lose my finger
4) I was in Bolivia
5)I was in Bolivia

Thank goodness for modernity, I was able to call Mama, my lifelong medical savior. She reassured me that I would not lose my finger after all but that I should call Peace Corps, and/or go to the local hospital. I began calling taxi’s with the help of Patty (Senora Deisy’s daughter) but every single one had turned off their phones, yes we do have ever single one’s phone number. Obviously noone wants to work at midnight on Saturday night. Eventually I was picked up by a friend of Patty’s and taken to Hospital #1. There we found a nurse, who wanted to stitch me up, but didn’t seem quite so sure she knew how…The doctor was on-call… but had also turned off both of his phone lines…I was starting to be very happy that it was only my finger at stake. We drove off to find hospital #2. Once again, no doctor, no number to call, nothing… I settled for some antibiotic ointment and a small finger cast. Hopefully my finger will heal itself.

This morning I woke up hot and wondering what had become of my old friend the fan… It turns out that they are re-working the town’s electricity, and we wont have power all day. So for now, I am here dreaming of the same thing that was giving me nightmares last night.

Also just wanted to clarify that since my last post talked about how I now consider this my home, it is my temporary home. Although I am learning a lot from being here, I will most likely be gone the day my service is over.

Take away lessons:
Don’t pray the rosary too late at night (?)
Try to keep sickness and injuries to the normal business hours… wait what are those again?

home?

2007-10-27T13:54:00.000-07:00

I just returned from my October visit to “the big city” (Santa Cruz). I had a wonderful time seeing friends from my B-45 group. I especially enjoyed spending time with my favorite Peace Corps couple Anna and Tom. We found new hostel, which changed our whole idea of the city. We spent most of our days hanging out by a beautiful little pool and garden… a nice retreat from the busy city streets filled with loud micros and people peddling everything from Euros, to phone cards, to shaved ice. We had a couple of lovely lunches and dinners at our favorite spots, La Casona (a German restaurant) and Tomate (a pizzeria). I left feeling healthy (thanks to a couple of medical visits) and up-to-date (thanks to internet at Alexander’s café). I also returned with a new haircut, groceries unavailable to me in San Jose, Newsweek, and a few newly downloaded Itunes.

The last couple days in the city I began to feel a little on edge, even though I was having a good time. I couldn’t exactly put my finger on it until I pulled into the crazy train station in San Jose. This time, I began to smile when I saw the small wood fired grills with chicken and meat on sticks, and smiled even more so when I heard the whiney voices of women and children calling “limonaadaaaaaa” or “te manzanilaaaaaaaaa”. I felt a strange sense of relief and realized that I was home.

Other trips, when I pulled back into the station it was more of a feeling of being back in my site versus another place in Bolivia. This is the first time I felt like this is really where I live. I left the train station; breathing the air that now smells less of smoke and more of rain… it is the beginning of a new season. I am here and ready to work… lets see how things go.

Dia de Tradicion

2007-10-22T05:30:00.000-07:00

Friends... new and old

2007-10-22T05:19:00.000-07:00

Milking a cow

Tim, Josh, Anna, Abe, Chris

Representing Fordham and Jesuit traditions in Santiago, with friend from college Josh Lincoln

Words from a guest journalist- Mama!

2007-10-21T06:57:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago, I was lucky enough to have my mama come for a visit. I asked to write about her time here, because being here for almost 6 months, I have begun to get used to all things Bolivia (which in itself is a little scary!) Here is her Bolivian Journal:

Impressions From Five Days in Bolivia with Anna

A year ago, I couldn’t have imagined that I would be spending 5 days in Bolivia with Anna. She was interviewing for the Peace Corp with no idea of whether she would be accepted and if so whether she would accept the challenge. Well, things change and I found myself on a plane from Santiago, Chile to La Paz, Bolivia. I was in Santiago for a week, where I am fortunate to have a project working with colleagues at the Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology at the University of Chile. Since I was already in the southern hemisphere, it only made sense to go the rest of the distance to be with my daughter.

Traveling to San Jose de Chiquitos is an adventure in itself. I flew from Santiago to La Paz, intending to connect immediately on to Bolivia’s largest airport, Viru Viru International in Santa Cruz. I found that in Bolivia, plans should be considered only as rough outlines of what will happen next. Instead, I spent 7 hours at 13,313 feet elevation in the La Paz airport. My first inclination was to take a taxi into the city and explore the colonial Plaza San Francisco and the Witch’s Market, until I realized that my lips were cyanotic (blue) at rest and even walking slowly up several stairs caused respiratory distress. Going from sea level to the highest airport in the world is a challenge. So instead of sight-seeing, I found a reclining chair in a VIP lounge, answered email, read and rested, and drank maté hoping that I would not succumb to “sorocho”, altitude sickness. After all, I was already wasting 7 hours of my precious time with Anna and I didn’t want to be sick for even one day. Luckily, I escaped with only a mild headache and some difficulty eating that evening.

Meanwhile, Anna was waiting for me in Santa Cruz, after taking the overnight train from San Jose de Chiquitos. My first impression of Santa Cruz from the plane was a dramatic view of brush fires and smoke filled air. It did not improve as I sped down Bolivia’s version of Eight-Mile Road in a broken down taxi. From this vantage point, the city looked disorganized and dangerous. Anna and I met at our $35 hotel and walked to a restaurant that had fabulous food (I couldn’t eat) and VERY slow service. Nonetheless, the atmosphere of the pleasant courtyard filled with people having fun, was a great backdrop for the mother-daughter reunion. In the morning, we went to Alexander’s, a Peace Corps volunteer (PCV) hangout with good food and free Wi-Fi where Anna is sure to meet up with a fellow PCV if she stays there long enough; all the more surprising because the Santa Cruz region is large and volunteers can live as far as 15 hours away. Santa Cruz, with 1.5 million inhabitants, is bustling and modern in many ways. I heard many times during my short stay that “You can find anything in Santa Cruz”. And, in fact, Anna and I were very successful shopping for food, cooking supplies and a mountain bike.

One hour before our 11 am train to San Jose de Chiquitos, we joined a diverse array of Bolivianos in the crowded and noisy train station. We were amused by a very determined cleaning lady who kept us moving while she mopped the floor repeatedly in the places where we chose to sit. Just as we thought it was time to board the train, Anna received a text message from another PCV who reported that she had heard our train was leaving several hours late. A teacher from the Marist Brother’s School in San Jose de Chiquitos had called to say he would be home later than planned. Communication – it’s changing the world! Anyway, this meant that Anna and I could return to our hotel and relax by the pool for several hours before taking another frenetic taxi ride back to the train station.

The train left at 3:30 and traveled through countryside that made me think of pictures I’ve seen of African savannahs. I would not have been surprised to see a giraffe striding across the plains. Our arrival by night at the train station at San Jose de Chiquitos was dramatic. We were met by the smell and site of the fires from many small grills, grilling meat for sale on the platform. The exotic look and dress of a diverse array of people was even more impressive in the dark. As we got of the train, Anna and I saw Melchor, the Marist Brother, who beckoned us to share his taxi. Through the broken windshield of the taxi, I took in the small adobe houses and the unpaved streets of my daughter’s new home. We were warmly greeted by Daisy and Negro, the proprietors of the home where Anna has 2 rooms which open on to a spacious garden courtyard across from their living room. I drifted off to sleep dreaming about Anna’s life in this exotic place so different from what we call “home”.

In the morning the family had gone to their cattle ranch for the day and Anna and I had the home to ourselves. We took our time over a breakfast of poached eggs and then headed out to hike up the canyon just outside of town. All along the way, people greeted Anna: “Hola Ani” “Y Josi?”, “Hi Anna” – “Where’s Josi?” I appreciated the familiarity of the greeting which positioned Anna as a colleague of Josi, another PCV.

At the outskirts of town we passed the well-maintained campus of an orphanage, which cares for children from infancy to adolescence. I have since learned that 9,200 Bolivian children live in homes for abandoned, orphaned and disabled children and an additional 3,700 live on the streets in the cities of La Paz, El Alto, Santa Cruz, Cochabamba, Tarija and Sucre. Of Bolivian’s 8.3 million inhabitants, half are children and 2.5 million children live in poverty. Bolivia is the poorest country in our hemisphere with the exception of Haiti.

The hike passes the original town-site of Santa Cruz which was established there in 1561 before moving to its current location in 1592. Our goal was to reach the top of a canyon with an amazing view of the valley. After turning back because of the heat the first morning, the next day I was rewarded by a view that brought back memories of Arizona vistas. I imagine things will look different after a few months of rain.

The town of San Jose de Chiquitos is reminiscent of the American west, several hundred years ago. As I walked the dusty streets of the colonial square I imagined myself in Taos, long before New Mexico joined the United States. True there are some cars and “motos” in San Jose, but most people are on foot or in donkey carts. There is a treasure of a church completed in 1698 by the Jesuits at the end of their short tenure in the region. It is built of wood and stone and is decorated with frescoes combining baroque and indigenous art. Gold adorns the altar and carved wood pillars support the massive structure. The reconstruction of the church continues but is quite far along. There is a tranquil garden which was full of spring blossoms. The remainder of the square includes several carry-out chicken restaurants and the town-hall, where Anna spends some of her work days.

I felt like a visiting dignitary during my stay. Doña Daisy took me on a tour of the hospital and city government including a meeting with the mayor and a discussion of Anna’s project. We were invited to Doña Daisy’s daughter’s home for coffee. I enjoyed meeting Patti and her French husband, Pierre and their 3-year-old son, Tomas, and learning about their life in small town Bolivia. Pierre has lived in Europe, Africa, the US (Bay City and Saginaw) and Patti has lived in Africa and the Dominican Republic. We discussed the challenge of starting a restaurant in a small town with the promise of tourism, working in international business and raising a son in a remote place in the developing world. One thing, that we all agreed on is that the world is small (“Le monde est petit.”) I look forward to meeting Pierre’s sister who lives in Fenton, Michigan.

I also was able to spend two pleasurable evenings at Doña Rosita’s pizzeria, a cozy place which comes with Rosita’s friendship. Doña Rosita reminded me of Strega Nona, a character from the Tomie dePaola story who has an enchanted pot that produces pasta. I think that Rosita must have been the inspiration for Strega Nona. Our evenings at the pizzeria were spent talking to Rosita, Josie (the other PCV), several teachers and a man who runs one of the local TV stations. I look forward to my next visit for the food and the friendship. I hope that Anna is able to spend many evenings with Doña Rosita.

Leaving Bolivia proved as difficult as getting there. Anna and I left San Jose de Chiquitos on the train at 1 am, to arrive in Santa Cruz in the morning. I was amused by the somewhat Fellini-esque scene at the station including Mennonites, men in overalls and women in gingham dresses; native Bolivian women carrying large babies in blankets on their backs; a colorful array of wedding cake skirts and shawls; and of course the ever-present adolescent Bolivian soldiers in camouflage attire with black boots and guns. The train left on schedule and lulled by the rhythmic noise and movement, we slept.

The morning of my departure, I arrived at the airport, checked in for my flight and bought a beautiful book about the Chiquitos. I was somewhat suspicious because there was no plane at the gate and even more so when I saw the crew leaving with smiles on their faces. I was surprised and secretly happy when my flight was cancelled and headed back into town to spend 4 more precious hours with Anna before her train left. We relaxed together by the pool of our hotel and began thinking about a future visit. I left Bolivia with a profound sense of admiration for my daughter who is brave and adventurous. I appreciate how difficult life is in Bolivia and how challenging her work will be. I also understand that she truly wants to help people and make a difference in the world. That is not always as easy as it sounds. It is impossible to express the magnitude of support Anna has from her family including Peter, Connor and I and her grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins.

Post script: Anna, Bolivia is fortunate to have you for 27 months. And, we look forward to what you will bring home to us from your experience.

¨Nitty Gritty¨

2007-10-04T13:15:00.000-07:00

plastic filled streets

notice the ¨trash man¨ (cart servicio de limpieza) and my local whole foods

gray water fills the streets

Last week, I had a wonderful visit with Mama, who was working in Chile, and decided to come by Bolivia for a quick trip on her way home to the states. It was so nice to see her, and I had such a great time showing her around San Jose and introducing her to the new people and places of my San Jose life. On her visit, she told me that I have been a little optimistic in my blog writing, and need to write an entry about the “nitty gritty”. I acknowledge the fact that I am an optimistic person, and maybe I have portrayed more of the good aspects of my new community than the bad, but I also do not want all of you to think that I am vacationing in Bolivia on a Peace Corps salary for the fun on it… because for the most part it is not that fun. It is incredibly hard to be away from all my friends, family and boyfriend, not even mentioning all of the modern conveniences and things that we take for granted in the first world. Some of the things that I miss the most are strange; those great bean veggie burgers, my fun gym Crunch and all of the crazy classes I used to take (hot yoga, chisel, rock bottom…), kashi cereal, tea at my favorite café (South 4th!), dancing and coloring with my little best friend Charlotte, eating brunch in Williamsburg with my girlfriends, spending time on the beach with Chris, being able to call people from my cell phone,

Here is some of the nitty gritty:

Basic Sanitation:

There is no such thing as citywide trash pick up. People either burn their trash, or throw it a place that seems inconspicuous to them. There are fields filled with thousands of plastic bags. They get attached to the plants, trees, rocks and fences, and stay there accumulating, no one tries to clean them up, more likely they throw more bags there when they see that they are already building up in one area.

Many people do not have any plumbing. Many have no form of bathroom whatsoever, not even latrine. They simply use a place in their backyard, usually with a makeshift plastic tent surrounding the area. Riding the train to San Jose, we pass swamps of black water, sewage in front of people’s homes, where their children play. In San Jose, the wastewater from the kitchens, bathrooms and wash areas is fed into ugly canals on the sides of the streets. Sewage is not supposed to go into these areas, but I have yet to find someone to tell me where it does go.

San Jose has a problem with lack of water. It seems that when you need it the most, (right after a long, sweaty run) you will find that nothing comes out of the faucet. The past couple weeks it has been better than usual, there has been constant water until 10 at night, when it has been shutting off.

Health:

People’s staple food is white bread made with lard. This is the typical breakfast and dinner in Bolivia, along with a large filling lunch that usually consists of rice, potatoes, and maybe a little meat or chicken. As a result, the people are very malnourished. Many suffer and/or die from gastro-intestinal illnesses, and diarrhea caused by poor hygiene and bad water. I have jumped into this campaign for plastics recycling because people now are burning all of their plastic products. Most do not realize that this is toxic, and very dangerous to their health; I’m hoping to make a small difference with this fact. There is a mix of traditional and modern medicine. The community does not have very good opinions of the couple of doctors that are stationed here. That, in combination with the lack of knowledge about general health and nutrition makes me nervous about the community’s health practices. People think that you can get sick from the strangest things, such as fans, cold drinks and showering too soon/too long after exercising. I have had people ask me if water can make you gain weight, and if fruits and vegetables are good or bad for them.

All in all, it’s a different world out here, and it’s hard to even know where to begin to try and explain. I am doing my best to learn all I can from the good and bad from this experience.

the president came to town! EVO!

2007-10-04T01:35:00.000-07:00

Mama!

2007-10-04T01:30:00.000-07:00

me-no-no´s as they are called by the josesanos

2007-10-04T01:25:00.000-07:00

the menonites around town....

New Friends and Anna’s fun and fabulous Yoga for beginners.

2007-09-12T13:56:00.000-07:00

Time is passing in San Jose, and I am trying to make some new friends. I have been spending time with a cute older lady by the name of Dona Rosita. Rosita runs an Italian restaurant from her house, and is famous throughout Peace Corps Bolivia for her pizza. Rosita is from San Jose, but her father was Italian, so she learned about food and cooking, in an international way that most Bolivians have not had the chance to experience. She is a wonderful host and makes all of her food by hand. I started spending more time with Rosita while my site mates were gone, and have really enjoyed getting to know this amazing lady. She is a world traveler and picked up gourmet traits from all parts of the globe. She lives alone, simply and enjoys sharing her cooking with all who pass through San Jose. It is amazing that in a town that only knows campo cheese and white carbs, she manages to get her hands on mozzarella and whole wheat flour. Most people here would not even know what those things are! I spent a good deal of time with Rosita this weekend, helping her prune an overgrown bougainvillea on her patio. My work was definitely worth the delicious, food: homemade yogurt, wheat bread, fruit juice, deserts and pizza that she made for me. Moreover though, it is really nice to have someone to talk to in the community that is really interested in learning about me, and where I came from. She was overjoyed to see pictures of my family, friends and boyfriend… She also was excited about my possible projects and more than willing to help.

During one of our many conversations over the weekend, she mentioned that she did yoga when she lived in Mexico. I was very impressed, because that would have been quite a long time ago, before yoga is as popular as it is today. I told her that I too enjoyed doing a little yoga. Before I knew it, the next day I was invited to a tea party of one of her cousins, and there were 10 older women ready to start yoga classes with me. I was a little overwhelmed by their requests, that we start the next day and have class every night, especially because I am not what I would call a yoga expert, myself. But, as I began to think about it, and saw how truly excited and almost desperate these women were to being something they saw as an option to a new and healthy part of their life, I couldn’t turn them down. I did however, compromise on the timing, Anna’s Yoga Inspired Exercises/Healthy Practices for Beginners will start in 2 weeks and will be held once a week. My future students are so eager with anticipation that one claimed “I can’t wait.. I am counting the days” and others asked what they should do to prepare? Drink water? So yes, my students are drinking lots of water, and eating more fruit and vegetables than ever in these 2 weeks in preparation! Wish me luck.

The most exciting news of the week is that Mama will be here this Friday, for a whirlwind tour of San Jose! I guess my yoga student is not the only one counting the days in anticipation!

parrots, monkeys and cows! oh my!

2007-08-25T13:03:00.000-07:00

What is this? anchient artifacts? the work of bugs? a sand castle?
Add ideas in comments!!

10 interesting things about my new home in San Jose de Chiquitos (good and bad)

1. Along with their religion and church the Jesuits brought the violin to San Jose, and even now the kids are taught to play. I often hear beautiful music coming from the least expected building.
2. The countryside is full of parrots, monkeys, anteaters…
3. The siesta : that’s right 12:30- 3, you cannot do anything but eat and sleep.
4. Moto-taxis are one of the main forms of transportation. You can get anywhere in town for about 20 cents. (Peace Corps worldwide used to give out motos, but then realized they were the most dangerous part of volunteer life, so no moto use for me)
5. There are strong negative attitudes/ racism towards the Collas (people from Coch, La Paz, Altiplano…)
6. The number of meetings a small town can have.
7. Getting chicken to go means: chicken in a bag, rice in a bag, french fries in a bag, ketchup in a bag, mustard in a bag… all in a bag!
8. The general lack of teeth
9. There is a 10 year old boy who works in my house (10, is the legal age.)

I have now been in San Jose for more than 3 weeks. Overall things are going well, and I am adjusting to my new life here. I am constantly surprised by the differences and also the similarities between life in Bolivia and the United States. These past few weeks have been part of my integration process. Peace Corps is very different than many other “aid” organizations because we do not come with money. I am here as a human resource, and do not have set funding for a set project. I am here with ideas, motivation, time and skills to help the community. This however means that my project will be very different from others who can come in and build a new building, or start a new school in a couple of weeks. Peace Corps projects take time. This is often confusing for everyone. People in the community are used to having other volunteers come in with money. This past week, due to a rumor, my sitemate Jenny and I had people coming from all over the city, waiting on our porches for hours, just to ask us about a bathroom project in which we give them money to build bathrooms. As much as I would love to do this, the project does not exist! It’s also confusing for me at times, because I have the training and would be able to do so many wonderful things, starting right now, if only I had money. But, that is not the point of grassroots development, and not the point of Peace Corps.

For now, I am in the integration phase, I am doing my community diagnostic and meeting the people. I am becoming comfortable with my surroundings and the people that live her. Everyday more and more people recognize me and greet me with a “buen dia Ani!” on my morning run. My community diagnostic is my personal study of the town, through which I will be able to determine where I can really help, what the town needs, and how I can create a project that will be sustainable in the town even after I leave.

Besides missing all of you at home, I have been enjoying getting to know San Jose. I was lent a bike by one of the Marist brother, and have been exploring new areas everyday. I have a fun sitemate Jenny and it is really nice to have someone in a similar situation to hang out with! We have been spending time hiking and biking in the beautiful countryside, playing with the kids at the Aldea orphanage, exploring all of the different food tiendas, and of course going to meetings. Things that would be random at home, are the norm here, and I’ve noticed that I have started to get more used to it. For example, a couple of weeks ago I found a cows head and legs/feet in my backyard (in place of the cute puppies I was looking for). Later, Anita, the tienda lady thought it was funny to try and bring the head- tongue hanging out and all into my room! And I thought, wow, that would never happen in Brooklyn!

At the end of every month I will travel to Santa Cruz to do errands, take out money for the month, and see my friends from training and other groups. My first month is almost up, so I will be heading in next week. It feels good to have completed my first stage here!

2007-08-16T23:53:00.000-07:00

Welcome to San Jose

2007-08-16T12:57:00.000-07:00

My new Alcaldia friends

2007-08-16T12:49:00.001-07:00

2007-08-16T12:36:00.000-07:00

2007-08-09T12:29:00.001-07:00

August 8, 2007

I have now been in my new home, San Jose de Chiquitos for one week. What a huge transition! I am now officially on my own. I spent the week getting to know my new pueblo. San Jose has a population of about 12,000 residents, plus more in the outlying rural areas. I live a block away from the main plaza of the town where there is a historic Jesuit church, which is currently under renovation. The plaza is the place for the town’s official business; the Alcaldia and Prefectura (local government) are located in different corners of the Plaza. Also a TV/ radio station, police station and several fried chicken restaurants.

Beyond the plaza, the streets are red dirt and if I walk for five minutes I find myself in a beautiful countryside, which reminds me of a mix between the Arizona desert and the Costa Rican plains.

I have started running in the afternoons and have been happy to find that some people already know my name (which has been changed to “Ani”) this may be because of my surprise interview on TV during my site visit, or simply from the talk of the town. I have spent the most time in the Alcaldia, with the help of my counterparts. On first impression San Jose seems like a town with efficient and educated leaders. They definitely like to have meetings, as I have already learned there are on average 4 meetings a day, all of which the same people attend. These meetings are also all televised on the local TV station, so you can re-watch the meeting once you have returned home.
It’s definitely a challenge starting over in a new place on my own, and for now I’m just taking it day by day… Please keep in touch! I hope to send more news soon

August 6 and 7th, 2007

Bolivian Independence Day

Right now, it’s all about integration, and yesterday I spent the whole day integrating with the Alcaldia and enjoying Bolivian Independence Day. I was lucky enough to be invited to attend the official presentation of the local Military base to the local government, officials and leaders. I, along with my counterparts Senora Daisy and Senora Shirley traveled to a nearby town in which we were seated in a VIP box with the rest of the local leaders. From here we watched as the soldiers presented their musical, physical and fighting talents to us. I really enjoyed their presentations and felt special sitting in a seat of honor. Afterwards there was a cocktail party for all of the members of the Alcaldia and local governments. I thought that this was going to be our lunch, and ate quite a few of their appetizers. Then, was surprised to find that we had 3 more lunches to attend! Needless to say by the end of the day I was very full, and did not want to see anymore barbequed meat, but overall it was an extraordinary experience.

We visited 3 different parts of the military base and were treated with great honor at each one. At the first base they came around with a tray of a soup and main course and we all tried had to try a bite of the meal from the same plate and spoon. I am not really sure what the purpose of that was because soon they brought us our own plates of the same thing that we had just sampled. This party was interesting because we were seated with the young soldiers and I got to talk to them about their experiences. Around age 17 all Bolivian males have to serve in the military for one year. They stay away from their families and follow a strict regimen. For the most part they seemed to be happy there, but it was obvious that it wasn’t something that they had a choice about. They all seemed very happy to have guests visiting them in their quarters. The second party consisted of a band, a bit of an alcoholic drink served from a bucket and coconut shell and another plate of meat including meundo, which I have since found out is cow stomach/intestines. Mmmm. By the 4th party I was totally full and declined a piece of the whole pig that was roasting on the bbq. All in all it was a very interesting day, and also important because I got to spend some time with the local leaders outside of the town meetings.

August 3, 2006

I arrived in San Jose last Wednesday after a long ride on “the death train”. The move in went well and I managed to schlep a huuuge suitcase, 2 boxes, a backpack, shoulder bag, and other miscellaneous items all the way to my new home. Since I have been here I have already seen a lot more of the community than I did on my site visit. I have discovered that there is life outside the main plaza and am now certain that there will be plenty of opportunities to do whatever kind of work I get involved in.

I moved into a temporary room in Dona Daisy’s house. From what I understand they are building a new bathroom for me attached to my room, but I should be able to move in sometime next week. The living situation seems to be very good. The main house is very nice and there are quite a few rented rooms in the backyard/patio area. My new room is in one of the corners of the patio. I am planning to paint the room before I move in next week, so if anyone has any decorating/painting ideas for my little casa in the Chiquitania let me know!

The past few days have been the best because of a current San Jose volunteer Ashley. She also lives with Dona Daisy and it has been incredibly nice to spend time with her. She has explained sooo much to me about the town, the people, the work and Peace Corps in general. I have really enjoyed these past couple days and feel much more at ease about the whole situation. She is taking off to help with training of a new group in Coch, but another volunteer Jenny will be around San Jose with me for the majority of my time here!

Yesterday I went to my first official meeting about Basic Sanitation. It was pretty nerve racking for me because the rest of the people at the meeting were much older than me, professionals, community leaders, not to mention native Spanish speakers. I did end up introducing myself and giving my opinion on the topic of the local water situation. I learned from the meeting that the town has a lack of water. There is running water, but not 24 hours a day, and on occasion the town is without water for longer periods of time. The debate is about where they should get more water, who should plan the system and how it should be paid for. It is a huge issue, which I believe a specialist should be called in from a larger city. But for the time being the town could do several smaller scale projects to help, and demonstrate their motivation.

Swear In!

2007-07-31T09:32:00.000-07:00

Offical Peace Corps Volunteer!

Basic San Girls with Tim!

Basic San Boys with Lex!

Adios Coch

2007-07-22T12:14:00.000-07:00

Host Family Party

1st Place ¨Cueca¨ Champions

¨Chollita Anna¨and Don Felipe!

Sometimes Peace Corps gets messy. Me, covered in dulce de leche, toothpaste and shaving cream after skit for families

2007-07-22T11:57:00.000-07:00

SAN JOSE DE CHIQUITOS

the plaza

my new street and house!
Site Announcement BBQ... Yes we are wearing clown noses!

2007-07-03T15:04:00.000-07:00

SITE INFO:

Drumroll please-----

I am going to SAN JOSE DE CHIQUITOS!
Region: Santa Cruz... close to Brazil
Area: Chiquitania
Work: Many, many possibilities including Gray Water Gardens, Community Development, Public health and hygiene, Ecological Banos, Rainwater Catchment Tanks... and the beat goes on....

Ill be visiting my site next week, so I´ll know a lot more soon!

A couple photos from Tech week

2007-07-01T15:21:00.000-07:00

The Anna´s at an ancient Incan bridge outside of Mizque Beautiful Valleys near Mizque

Well drilling into the evening in Huari

Mizque!

2007-07-01T14:54:00.000-07:00

We started our technical trip about 4 hours away, in the Cochabamba valley, in the city of Mizque. There are 2 Peace Corps volunteers in Mizque and we had a great time getting to know them and working in their community. In Mizque we stayed at a nice hostel and started each morning there cooking breakfast. It was a really big treat, and a lot of fun to be able to eat things like banana pancakes and breakfast burritos. After breakfast we would load into our 4 Landcruizers and drive through the beautiful mountains and valleys of Mizque. Our work site was a boarding school outside of a small town called Tin Tin. Most of the kids from the boarding school were home for vacation but the few that were there helped us with our projects. In this area the primary language spoken is Quechua, and we felt privileged to hear this ancient language. Although Quechua is the preferred language, most also spoke Spanish, so we were able to communicate. We worked at the boarding school for 4 days and built a Ferro cement rainwater catchment tank and a gray water garden system. All of our work was done by hand, without using any kind of machinery, this meant a lot of cement mixing, sand sifting, rebar tying, digging… The rainwater tank was made from cement and molded using chicken wire and wood. The water is caught from the roof of a nearby building and then flows into the closed tank. Without any light, the bacterium in the water dies, and then is ready for use for things such as showering, cooking, etc.

I really enjoyed working on the gray water system. We made a simple plumbing system from the leftover, used water in the kitchen (from cooking, cleaning…) and piped this water underground and outside to an area that we had cleared for a garden. We made holes in the pipes in the garden area and surrounded them with a filtration system of gravel and rocks. The kids at the boarding school were going to follow-up the project by planting vegetables and flowers in the garden.

10,000 L Rainwater Tank A bus that runs on train tracks!
Mizque Women
Mizque Man

San Juan

2007-07-01T14:07:00.000-07:00

San Juan is the festival of the shortest day of the year, and was the best night of our technical trip. We had our fiesta at the house of the Mizque volunteer, Katie! Armando, one of our technical trainers made an awesome bbq dinner for us, and we enjoyed celebrating the holiday in the typical Bolivian fashion with a huge bonfire and fireworks. The whole town of Mizque was bright and warm from all of the bonfires and there were fireworks everywhere. A funny tradition in the Mizque area was painting their livestock pink!

Medidores

2007-07-01T14:00:00.000-07:00

Who would have guessed I would be giving a presentation on water meters?

Lago Poopo

2007-07-01T12:52:00.000-07:00

Made it back from the technical trip-- more info soooooon!! This is me on the salty remains of what used to be a much bigger Lago Poopo. I am holding a lucky flamingo feather!! Tomorrow I find out where I will be living for the next 2 years... wish me luck! Hasta Manana!

The Altiplano

2007-07-01T12:13:00.000-07:00

Driving to the Altiplano we got to see the extreme differences in the Bolivian landscapes… The Altiplano was barren but beautiful and the people were very inviting and gracious. We spent 5 days in Huari, about 5 hours outside of Cochabamba. Here we stayed in a very simple hostel with rooms so tiny we could barely fit our suitcases inside. The doors were also very miniature and we all had to duck to get inside. The hostel had about 15 small rooms, with one pour flush toilet. Needless to say it wasn’t my cleanest week. The mornings and nights in the Altiplano were cold and my new warm sleeping bag was much appreciated. The landscape of the Altiplano was pretty amazing. The big skies reminded me of being out west. The land was flat, with mountains in the distance. There were only 2 types of vegetation, sparse grasses. The main crop there is quinoa, but it was not in season. We saw llamas, vicuñas (wild llamas) and flamingos (in the salt flats!)

Our work site was at a small adobe house in the middle of nowhere. We couldn't’t be seen or heard by anyone in the surrounding area. There were 2 women and 2 younger boys that lived there. They did not have any water, or any type of bathroom or latrine. We worked on drilling a well for them, which was such an amazing experience. Our well drilling rig took about a 1/2 an hour to set up and was a very basic pulley system. The well drilling itself was hard, repetitive work, but we did a lot of switching off. We ended up hitting water at 9 meters, and capped the water with a pipe and pump. Most well drilling must be done in one day because if you take a break the walls tend to cave in, however with the cold nights of the Altiplano and the hard soil we were able to do the job in 2 days. Because of our lack of time we had picnic lunches at the site, which usually included soup, salads and solar oven cooked bananas. One day the Dona of the house made us lamb in an adobe oven and quinua soup! We also started an adobe dry latrine for the family, which will be finished by the Huari volunteer Dan. It was truly a wonderful thing to see how we improved the lives of this family that previously did not have access to clean water. They were so grateful for us and our work, and we left with a feeling of accomplishment.

The rig
Water!

2007-06-19T14:25:00.001-07:00

We are off tomorrow to Mizque (just south of Coch) and Huari (in the Altiplano, the high, cold, harsh area of Bolivia) for our technical trip. Ill be drilling wells, building banos, and working with water committees for the next week and a half. The anticipation is growing because... we will find out where our sites will be right after the trip!!!! ciao ciao

Pulga, our dog (spanish for flea)

2007-06-19T13:40:00.000-07:00

Community Development Activity: Success!

2007-06-19T13:39:00.000-07:00

As part of our training we had to do a community development activity, which involved exploring the good things about the community along with the problems. We did this through talking to people in the area (we found that tienda ladies are very helpful and willing to talk as long as you like) as well through more structured projects like having people in our families draw a community map. Through our analysis we found that the local elementary school had horrible bathrooms, and on top of that no water for the kids to wash their hands with afterwards. In basic san, we learned about a project called “tippytops” which are low water using, hand washing devices made from old 2 liter bottles. I along with my team of Brandon, Evan and Amanda made 4 of these for the school and took them there to demonstrate. We talked to 3 classes of 1st and 2nd graders about the importance of washing theirs hands after using the bathroom and before eating. After our hand washing speech, we had a relay race in which the kids ran to us, washed their hands, and then got cookies! The kids were adorable, loved the game, and were overjoyed to play with the gringos. They also were impressed by the ¨tippytops¨and even wanted to learn how to make them for their own homes. We left the school feeling like we had made a small, but important impact on the school.

2007-06-19T13:24:00.000-07:00

BOLIVIA BASICS

Peace Corps: Our group is the 45th Peace Corps group in Bolivia (B45!). My project is Basic Sanitation ( Public health, Bathrooms, Water, Trash…) The other half of the group is training for Integrated Education (Health, Education, Gardens…) There are 28 of us; 3 married couples, average age 26, 2/3 females, 1/3 males.

TRAINING:
3 months in total in the Cochabamba region, before going to our sites. We have now completed 5 weeks of training. Training consists of language classes in the mornings. I am with 2 other girls, Anna S. and Sarah N. We switch off having classes at each others houses. Then we have technical training in the afternoons, where we practice things like building banos, water pumps, filtration systems, and learn how to communicate with local water committees...

CLIMATE:
The Cochabamba valley has a nice climate. It is winter now, and the nights and mornings are cold (even freezing some nights), but the days are hot (getting up past 26 C).

TRANSPORTATION:
Micros, are small colorful buses.
Trufis, are white minivans.
Taxis, are taxis.

COST OF LIVING: 8 Bolivianos= 1 US Dollar. In comparison to the US things are CHEAP here, but not when you are making US $2 a day. When we actually enter service, we will make more money, at least enough to pay rent, buy food, basic needs and a little extra. Given the amount we are making right now, a Boliano and dollar are pretty equivalent in my mind, somethings though are surprisingly different.

.5Bs= Small Chocolate milk or Yogurt in a bag
1B=6 mandarinas
1B=1 soda
1B=1 cheese empanada
1B= 6 fresh rolls
2Bs= 2 rolls TP
3Bs= 25 bananas
6Bs= M &Ms or Toblerone
10 Bs= Huari Cerveza
20 Bs= Dinner out
15-30Bs= Box of Cereal

2007-06-12T14:10:00.001-07:00

Amanda and I Is it possible this is
Peace Corps Bolivia?

(Our Corpus Cristi BBQ)

Guess who are the
Basic San Girls!
(from Top; Anna,
Sarah, Anna, Amber,
Erin, Hannah)

Walk to spanish class
(A walking bush, typical sight!)

Dona Marcelina

preparing the Corpus

Cristi lunch
Nayra!!

Don Felipe in the

background (I think he may be

chasing our dog out of

the house with the stick)
Bolivian couple plowing

and planting together.

The man maneuvers

the plow while the woman

throws the seeds from her

skirt

Bano worksite,

Basic Sanners

laying the foundation¨Vendame¨

a typical tienda

The canopy bed I´ve been

waiting for my whole life! My room
A group of PC gringos on a walk!

Hannah, Erin, Ryan, Anna

Meera, Sarah, Tom

Mes numero uno!

2007-06-10T13:16:00.001-07:00

I have now been in Bolivia for a month and feel that I have learned a lot and am getting more used to being here. I am enjoying living with my Bolivian family. My Bolivian sister Nayra is a wonderful support outlet here. She has helped me learn how to wash my clothes, has taught me traditional Bolivian dances and helps me with Spanish. She is a really good friend, and sister. Spanish is coming along well. I continue to have class at one of 3 houses every morning. Technical training is also going well. In our community we are working on building a “bano ecologico” (sounds better than a dry latrine, but is the same thing). The family that we are building the bano for have 5 children, all under the age of 13. They have never had a bathroom of any sort. We have built the foundation, and are working on the chambers for the tanks. There will be two tanks, which you switch from every 6 months. After 6 months the waste will be dry and can be used as fertilizer. It will have a toilet seat, which is a large improvement over a pit latrine. The family is responsible for getting some of the materials for the project, as well as finishing the surrounding walls. They have been very enthusiastic about the project.

This weekend we had a trash pick up day in another community in coordination with JICA (Japanese Peace Corps), and returned Bolivian Volunteers from 40 years ago. It was a very interesting experience working with both groups. It was pretty amazing to be speaking Spanish to girls from Japan in Bolivia. The enthusiasm of the returned volunteers was also very inspiring. It seems that no matter what kind of project they were here for, they learned so much from the experience that they were able to take with them in their lives.

It often seems like we have been here a lot longer than a month, maybe because we have so much training. We are definitely getting to know each other better. All of the volunteers are unique individuals and I enjoy everyone in their own ways. This past week we had a day off for Corpus Christi and we had a bbq and pool party. I never imagined that there would be a beautiful pool in the middle of our farming community… You never quite know what to expect in Bolivia. It was a great break from our normal busy, busy days.

I’m thinking of and missing everyone in the states. This week has been especially hard with the tragic death of a very influential person in my life, my high school cross country coach, Richard Chenault. My thoughts are with him, his family and all of the people who are mourning the great loss of his life. He will live on through us in our memories, friendships and good works. Richard’s life will continue to be an example of inspiration for me, and everyone who was touched by his passionate spirit.

Things I am still surprised by:
1. Pink toilet paper, and not being able to throw it in the toilet
2. The amount of rice, potatoes and pasta that is eaten within a single meal
3. Having to yell “vendame” (“sell to me”) when I go to a store/tienda to get service
4. People actually talk to eachother in the street
5. The horrible smell of chicken and turkey feathers for fertilizer
6. Having to hold bread or rocks for protection from the dogs (along with the amount of dogs)
7. The mistreatment of animals
8. Domestic violence on the streets
9. Raw meat left in the open air until it is sold or cooked
10. How much stuff Chollitas can fit in their blankets and carry on their backs.
11. The number of times Nayra makes me rinse my clothes after I wash them, and how long it takes.

Things I have pretty much gotten used to:
1. A luke warm electric shower above our toilet
2. Sleeping in a bed tent
3. The freezing mornings and nights, the hot days
4. Going to bed eaaaarly and getting up eaaaaarly
5. Getting shots every week
6. My Bolivian family and their worries about me.
7. The long days of classes
8. Crowded trufi rides
9. Running on the worst kind of cobblestone streets imaginable