When houses cease to be just pueblos (formations of mud) and begin to be places where families live-
The Doña with kids in the front yard who imagine that they are owners of a store,
The young mother with three kids jumping on the bed and one on the way...
I can walk out in the morning now and see the effort in the boy's eyes as he tries hard to peddle on his rusty bike to school.
I can see on women's' faces the places where wrinkles form not because they always work in the fields or outside with their children, but because when they laugh from their bellies they smile and squish their noses while gathered together discussing who is considered the "leader" of the household.
I've made a friend. A little girl wearing a purple jacket is reaching for my hand so that I may give her more Pringles. Her mom is telling her to come inside to eat.
So yesterday we took a bus and then a train and arrived in Uyuni last night. I thought Bolivians exaggerate the cold, but after being here, I realize that they weren't overemphasizing the the frigid weather of the Salar. The temperature on the train dropped significantly as were coming upon the town. Luckily, Pepe's mom lent me a huge, insulated, rapper-style jacket.
When we got to the town the four of us plopped our backpacks in our hostel rooms and headed out in search for a bar. The town was deserted. Imagine the movie "Silent Hill." Okay. Good. We walked around until we saw this colored discoball outside of a doorway. We walked in and sat down next to the propane heater. We were the only ones at the bar and shared a Huari together. That night was freezing. Either from my cold or the altitude or the cold, I woke up a few times gasping for air. I decided then that I wasn't going to change my clothes. (I slept in the same outfit for days.) In the morning we found some alpaca legwarmers, gloves, and a sweater. Afterward, we (along with a Brit and 2 Brazilians) squeezed into the Toyota SUV and drove to the salt hotel, the salt flats, artisan stores, until finally making it here.
It's been somewhat a fantasy of mine to be among llamas and wild alpaca...and here I am! This hostel has a stone-fence enclosing a handful of llamas. Not knowing what to do until dinner, we took out our cameras and walked around the hostel. You can see "wild" (or unreleased) animals - donkeys, llamas, and there are also flamingos and small birds. After Ana and I took some shots of randomly placed llama carcasses, I began exploring alone. This "town" (maybe 6 houses? a church?) has these stone-walls all over the place. At first, the walls didn't appear to have a specific layout, but after entering more and more rectangles I realized that I was lost in some planned out property maze. I guess this trip has been my closest experience with actually living in a "third-world" country. The houses here are made out of mud and those that have been abandoned still show the previous tenants' presence: rusty cans, bones, feathers, and remnants of pottery. I couldn't imagine living in this cold like this longer than a few days. Bolivia certainly has many, many contrasts.
Well now that the group has returned back to the hostel, I can give the little girl's mom her pen back and see what's next on the agenda.
el micro (the small bus comes up the hill to pick me up) the chofer of the micro
I am listening to "Junip" while sitting in the kitchen. The family's maid, Vinceta (a 15 year old indigenous girl who lives in the house), is making lunch. Last night I came home early from work because I wasn't feeling that well. I boiled water on the stove (the only way you can drink water) to make tea and watched Animal Planet with her. The episode was about monkeys then it was about tigers. I woke up today with a head-cold and slept in.
Life here seems easier because there isn't much excess. Like everywhere else in the world besides the United States, Bolivians are very conscious of energy use and make sure to turn off and unplug appliances and lights that are not in use. Pepe's family is well-off financially but they aren't replacing household items just to have the newest trends. His mom prefers to still go to the market than to go to the emerging Western style grocery stores (where I bought my black beans for dinner the other night). The refrigerator is the size of the one that I had in my tiny apartment. They don't have snack food. They have fruit and bread on the table always, but they don't have chips, cookies, or random foods for munching. I'm so used to having back-up everything - kitchen gadgets, leftovers, etc.
When I tell my friends in the U.S. about our maid, they are shocked. And I guess when I first studied abroad in Mexico, I was shocked too. It seemed strange that I had studied colonialism and the domination of the indigenous civilizations by the conquistadors as something that was in the past, but it was still very reminiscent in present times. Maybe it's only strange because in Latin America you have your own locals working as maids. I mean, shouldn't it be as strange in the U.S. when families hire Mexican maids/nannies? I talked to Pepe about this and he said that offering Vinceta a position as a maid in his house was giving her a better life than she would have had. Still, she's not going to school...but she does love Animal Planet. A good idea would be to set up a local school for maids to come to at non-maid hours of the day. Also, she listens to her headset a lot - having educational lessons that they can listen to while they work could be something as well. Ah, the International Development student in me. The more I travel, the more I hope to not just accept the way things are. It's an unsettling feeling.
On Thursday I journeyed to Villa Tunari in Chapare for the weekend. It was remarkable to: trek the jungle, repel for my first time (and down a waterfall to boot), enter a bat cave, dodge bats in a bat cave, listen to blind birds squeal, dance at the small town's discoteca, and do the whole group thing in a hostel. It was only a 3-4 hour trip outside of the city, yet the climate and terrain changed drastically. I could just feel the moisture returning to my lips while on the bus getting there.
La transición:
In recent decades, the Chapare province has become a haven for illegal cultivation of the coca plant, which can be used to produce cocaine. This is due to Bolivian drug law, which until recently only permitted the Yungas region to legally grow coca, despite Chapare being a historical area for growth due to its fertility. For this reason, Chapare has been a primary target for coca eradication in recent years, with frequent and heated clashes between the Drug Enforcement Administration and Bolivian cocaleros. The law has since been changed by a deal that was struck between Evo Morales (a former coca activist and current President) and former President Carlos Mesa. -from Wikipedia
Eli: Evo is all into coca cultivation, why doesn't he tell the DEA to F off? Pepe: That's wrong (referring to the Wikipedia page). The DEA is no longer in Bolivia. The American government was using the DEA to have military power in Bolivia. Me: Why would we want a military presence in Bolivia? Afraid of the Socialist movement? Pepe: It's anti-imperialism. He (Evo) doesn't like anything that relates to the U.S. The U.S. just wants to be here. Me: But the U.S. has been neglecting Latin American interests for like fifteen years, why Bolivia? Eli: Yeah, the U.S. doesn't have much strategic interest here. Pepe: That is what everyone says. But after the DEA left, there have been more drug trafficking cases, so right now the drug trafficking has risen like 400% and it's a big problem. Me: So maybe the DEA should be here. Eli: Well I feel that creates conflict here too, I mean you look at Mexico with the U.S. involvement 35 thousand people have still been killed. Pepe: You know what's been happening in Bolivia, they found some Mexican guys here, so you can see everything connecting. But before, you couldn't see Colombians or Mexicans, but now it's more international, more dangerous. Eli: Yeah, like any industry where you can multiply your profits, why stop it? Pepe: In the past few years, they built around 100 buildings and no one can explain the construction because we're in an economic crisis. Everyone is saying it's money laundering.
I should do my research. It seems that no one really knows what's going on. Feel free to chime in.
...and then we ate my American meal with my Bolivian family...black bean burgers and fries!
A man on TV asks an Indigenous man of Aymara descent, "Do you think today's holiday is more political now than it is religious?"
The man responds, "Yes, it is more political today and it has to be..."
Today is the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, and here in Bolivia, it is the winter solstice as well as a national holiday to respect the Aymara New Year.
In Bolivia there is so much pushing and pulling among modernization (increasing energy consumption for development, privatizing/profiting from rare earth elements/fossil fuels) and tradition (keeping harmony with sustainable practices, respecting the indigenous demands). It is something that we don't really think about in the United States (sadly), but is a difficult dilemma in this part of the world.
The protest on Monday was among the chofers (bus drivers) against Evo's new policy that asked that they have licensed vehicles no older than 12 years. It makes sense on one hand because the pollution from the exhaust here is horrible! but on the other hand with the influx of cheaper, older cars in the area, it allows people to get jobs as chofers and make a living. It would be asking a lot for everyone to buy new cars. The protest didn't last long. By 10 a.m. Evo and the chofers had made an agreement to reword the policy. Evo has been known to be fluid in his decisions, ultimately creating moral hazard where policies become inefficient here. The Bolivian government has been fighting for more stringent environmental policies (the reason why recently they did not agree to the mild Copenhagen Accords), but at the same time, the reality of being more sustainable is expensive (hello, modernization theory).
It's fascinating for me to be working with an organization that strives to increase development to those in the countryside, yet in a way that is less harmful for the environment than what is presently available.
I hope to add more to this thought once I begin researching for the Human Rights blog, but now I am going to bike around the city!
Como? Yes dear I have been following your blog but I saw no mention of how your marathon run went?? How was your effort? I was surprised and saddened somewhat to hear that they have showings of up to date movies there as I pictured it as still somewhat remote. Technological progress can leave a lot to be desired as it homogenizes and steals from the uniqueness of individual cultures.Keep warm behind your scarf. Love, Dad
dad,i didn't end up marathoning it up because i went to el campo for a solar stove demonstration. i really loved going out of the city. yes, there are about three cities that are modernized, polluted, and over-advertised then the rest is all countryside. i'm talking adobe houses and desert (reminiscent of being out west when I went to yellowstone) or amazonian jungle (which i have yet to explore).
today is a national holiday so we have the day off. i am thinking about what i should do...i wonder if the bike rental place is open or the yoga studio. i don't think anyone is working today. thursday is also a national holiday! haha. it's going to be a productive week! i may venture to torotoro wednesday night and then have thursday all day to play in caves. i brought way too fancy clothes and may ship them home to have more room in my suitcase for other items. love you! charity
And you say "vos" instead of "tu," which is confusing when I'm trying to be informal. Bolivians say their Spanish is Castellano here, which I thought was only in Spain. I'm in South America! There is much Argentine influence, Chilean influence, Andean influence. A lot of "w" when saying words like "juego." And also random Quechua words.This will make for a quite interesting vocabulary when I leave Bolivia.
Now some pictures of the coca leaf, which I have recently become aware of as a common public favorite. "When chewed, coca acts as a mild stimulant and suppresses hunger, thirst, pain, and fatigue."
When I went to the Madre Tierra conference the other day, it was as expected to pick up these leaves to chew as it was go get a cup of coffee.
On Monday I didn't work because there was a road blockade by the bus drivers. It's pretty common for los choferes (drivers) to protest by blocking roads a few times during the month. So that meant that when Pepe dropped me off at Sustainable Bolivia (the org. who had outsourced me to my job and who holds events with other interns) I had to find something else to do. I talked to this girl from PA and found out that there are many other PA-ers with the organization at this time (actually one guy from my program at GSPIA). After exploring the house of Sustainable Bolivia, my new-found friend and I slapped on our bathing suits and sat in the sun on the balcony. When walking around Cochabamba you can see people wearing thick winter coats and scarves although it will be only 60 outside. It's strange, but I suppose they are layering up. Or maybe not that strange for everyone else but me since I'm hardened to cold weather (thanks Pittsburgh!). In any case, because of the elevation it gets very sunny and you tan quickly.
After tomando el sol, I went back to Pepe's casa and then went out to join the Sustainable Bolivia gang to see X-MEN. It was awesome. I ordered some cheese fries and popcorn before the movie - it's difficult to eat pizza or pretty much anything without having sausage in it (not a fan of red meat). This means Pepe's madre has to get creative in the kitchen. Last night, for example, I had hamburger helper...but with chicken instead.
Yesterday, I went to CEDESOL for my actual first day of work. I took the micro (little bus that you hop on wherever and get off wherever). I talked to David, the man in charge (an American guy without facial hair but a long grey ponytail), about my resume (yes, had to explain Human Security) and my interests, like gender analysis. Sigh, yes I was given some slack. I am working with all males, however I am prepared maintain my energetic, romantic and somewhat disillusioned ideals.
Today, I went in to work an hour late and still was only the second person to have arrived. One of the volunteers is leaving and thus my second day consisted of: preparing the feast, buying beer, merrily feasting, and then sitting around to digest and make bromas (jokes) en espanol. I'm one of three Americans there. There is also a Belgian/Congolese man, English chap, and a few locals who work as translators and engineers.
some of the very serious men I work with and our "rocket stove" in action
I hope to take on the M&E (monitoring and evaluation) project so that the organization can be accredited by the Gold Standard and I’m also hopeful that I can do some gender analysis so that I may jot it down on my resume. I will give you more details about the job once I have a better idea. I'll be going to el campo (the countryside) soon to watch a solar stove demonstration. Woo! I'm actually quite excited. I also hope to get more involved with the human rights scene as I'll be guest blogging for PGH Human Rights Network. I seem to be the only person interested in the social aspect of working here...hmmm.....must not lose focus!
Today I woke up at 10 and went downstairs for breakfast. Breakfast and dinner are the light, whereas lunch is the heartiest meal. I must remember this as I decided to skip lunch yesterday. As I out scooped fruit into my bowl and poured yogurt over it, I talked to Pepe’s dad about what it means to live in a “socialist” state. (You know how yogurt does that to you.) He told me that it’s not really 100% socialist. He’s not happy that the wealthiest pay for everyone and he mentioned Suiza (Switzerland) a lot. Either way, no one is immigrating to Bolivia for its awesome economic breaks and free healthcare. Rather, something I didn’t know – a lot of Bolivians immigrate to the U.S., Spain, or Israel.
This weekend consisted of a lot of firsts: watching a futbol match, eating giant corn, going to a country club, playing golf, drowning my meal in beer, eating a pizza with ketchup instead of marinara, and much more! Staying with Pepe really eases the whole "How do I make friends with natives?/Where are the cool places to hang out?/Should I put that in my mouth?" It's a nice set-up. I'm also going to run this marathon that is 10 km! We went to this park tonight and started running around to practice. It's wintertime here and so the temperature goes up to 80 in the day and 40 in the night. I went strong. And then I went not so strong. And then I walked around and gave this indigenous woman her soccer ball when it fell into a ditch. My first interaction with an Andean indigenous person!
Pepe met me at the airport and we walked outside to his beat-up BMW. We asked some guy take a photo of us together then we headed off around town and to his university so that he could drop off his LAST papers.
me: “How many more apples do we have left?” pepe: “What?” me: “You know, manzanas?” (FYI: manzanas in spanish = apples or blocks in a neighborhood) pepe: (laughs) “Oh one more.”
(And now you know why “The Big Apple” is called so.)
Pepe flashes his engineering thesis...on machines that make little plastic bags.
It's like Pepe and I picked up where we left off from the highscool cafeteria where I would ask him what this word in Spanish means and why it means that...He was my first impression of Latin America and learning a language is ten times as fun with you’re completely ridiculous.
After dropping off my stuff at his family's house we took the teleférico up the mountain to visit Jesus.
Cristo de la Concordia
I must sleep now.
p.s. I will probably only be posting the outtake photos on here as I have flickr and facebook for the more generically delightful memories / (you get to see the real deal!)
Cochabamba airport is the prettiest airport I’ve seen. It’s randomly placed fauna and colored windows separate it from other grimy, boring airports. After traveling for 30 hours and getting about seven hours of sleep total, I’m very pleased to be at a destination where I can walk off of a plane and see colossal mountains behind heavy fog in the morning. There are so many Pepes here! The security guard! My waiter!
This place will surely go on my list of favorite places: Merida, Mexico Semuc Champey, Guatemala Toledo, Espana
Ah! I see a woman in a bowler hat!
I’m won over.
And now a video to provide insight on what I've been expecting. (We totally watched this in my Anthropology class to discuss how enthnocentric it was.)
I start work (unpaid) with CEDESOL on Monday. Hopefully, I’ll come away with many transferable skills. Evaluations fit into many different areas: democracy building, poverty alleviation, gender empowerment, public health, etc.
I want to learn the skills that evaluators learn – surveying, interviewing, observing, typing these things, locating persons on a map, discussing who to target, considering gender/social groups, quantifying and making meaning out of the numbers, etc.
Also I have two side projects in mind that I would like to build on for my resume:
Side Project 1: Identifying CEDESOL’s priorities and expectations regarding gender analysis (since it will pertain to the organization itself it is considered to be "formative") -Have they developed and implemented an action plan to integrate gender? -Have they identified issues and developed solutions regarding gender participation? -If so, what have they proposed as mechanisms to institutionalize gender analysis?
In addition, I'd like to use "summative" examination and incorporate gender (the outcomes of solar stoves). If you're not so sure what the impact of solar stoves would be beyond decreasing dependence on trees for firewood and improving one's lungs, you should consider TIME. Time makes you choose and make trade-offs.
"Comfort goods like washing machines and dishwashers free up valuable time and attention. Think of all the things the wealthy do to spend more time focusing on what’s important. They can pay bills automatically, they can hire babysitters and have food delivered, they can have their homes and clothes cleaned for them. But, in the developing world, cost-effective time savers have come much more slowly to those who most need them. Five-dollar, energy-efficient stoves can cut firewood usage, improving children’s health and halving the amount of time it takes to gather enough firewood to cook. Small solar panels systems, too, as The New York Times recently reported, can play “an epic, transformative role” in homes off the electrical grid, saving families time and money on kerosene. Broadly distributed, such simple innovations would allow the poor to avoid difficult tradeoff decisions about how they spend their time or even their money." - from here
And here is a good TED lecture with Hans Rosling on magic washing machines.
Side Project 2: Improve my media portfolio (and possibly the organization’s) -Interviews -Photographs
I keep a planner. I have since elementary school. You know, the ones they used to provide to help students be more organized. However, just like after graduating from undergrad, my schedule post-graduate school was blank for the rest of my life. Still looking for a job, yes, but still in this limbo state of no purpose. So I did what I had to make existence possible. I jotted in plans to leave.
I am going to Bolivia in a few hours because it seems like the most comfortable place in my mind to go abroad. I’ve studied Bolivia’s landscape in photographs, I’ve invested hours and hours researching the impact of structural adjustment programs on women’s health in the country/the results of privatization of the natural gas industry/the new emergence of quinoa’s popularity on farmers, and I’ve always had planted in the back of my head my goal to visit Pepe in his hometown (the Bolivian exchange student from my high school).
For me, the idea of traveling to a place just to go there without any background knowledge of the country is not desirable. I prefer to travel places where I can seek out the physical reality of what my mind has put together from texts, images, and stories. That is unbelievably satisfying. So off I go to the vast somewhat-known-unknown!
