Bolivian Trails

Running to the Finish

2007-12-11T12:27:00.001-05:00

As I´m currently locked INSIDE my office during lunch hour, I figure I´d try to do something productive, like take this opportunity to set aside my list of to do´s and reflect for a minute. After all, I haven´t had a chance to slow down over the last 10 days or so, as I´m trying to wrap up all the loose ends during my last days here in Cocha. This week, I have to print the final draft of my (20 pages in Spanish!) sistematization report, finish translating and turn in a proposal to the UN for my organization, do my tree planting, help with a museum field trip with the youth, cook a nice thank you lunch for family, attend a graduation, oh, and dancing on Friday night, of course;) It´s a whirlwind, yes, but everything has gone better than I ever could have imagined. I came down with tons of anxiety and uncertainties, and although I still have tons of questions about what this all has meant, I´m heading home a more well-rounded, confident, and capable Molly which is a priceless gain in just short of 4 months. I have to admit, I´m quite sad to leave this place - the meaningful work, generous friends and family, the Spanish conversation, and all the unexpected surprises that constantly arise everywhere I turn - but I´m trying to trust that the unknown holds something very special for me. I´m forever grateful for the support I´ve received from family and friends both here and up North. I´ll hope to see and or talk to you very, very soon.

OK, someone just opened the door downstairs. I´m gonna take this chance to escape and get something to eat!

The Greening of Maria Auxiliadora

2007-12-11T12:16:00.000-05:00

After lots of prep, bumps in the road, and even tears on my part, we will be planting 17 beautiful, flowering Qucarda trees along the main road of the community where I´ve had the honor of doing most of my work, the cooperativa Maria Auxiliadora!!! And by we, I mean more than 12 youth from our youth group as well as the promotoras of family gardens in the community (bringing together the two groups I´ve been working with most intensely over the past few months). It was a dream of mine and several others to add some plants to this community plagued by dust and erosion to beautify and add shade where there isn´t much. Now, the holes are dug and the doubters have pretty much been convinced that trees are a good thing. I tell you, it´s an uphill battle when the culture of caring for the environment and volunteering hardly exists in any of the generations... But I´m thrilled that it´s gonna come through on my second last day of work thanks to the cooperation of so many. I only wish I had several more months to dedicate myself to building environmental consciousness here, but I´ll have to just carry that mission with me wherever I go and keep holding out hope... I´ll be sure to post photos after the event!

In Search of Snow

2007-12-06T08:54:00.000-05:00

So, I was supposed to be burying myself in drafting my systematization report yesterday morning since I only have a week left of work to provide a finished copy, but instead I decided to leap at the offer to head to into the mountains with my family. I´m weak for anything that involves mountains and leaving computer work behind… After all, word had it that some of the peaks were snow-covered and my little host sister and her friend wanted to get to snow for the first time! How could I pass this up! You only live once, right?! All I know is that there´s nothing like a spontaneous Wednesday morning jaunt! Since I´m the only one in the fam that has a job or school at this point, Wednesday morning´s just as good an option at Saturday or Sunday anyway. Both Bubi and Susi told me separately that we´d be back NO LATER THAN 1PM, which perfectly fit with my need to get to the office in the afternoon to plan this weekend´s tree planting with my co-worker, so off we went!

I should have known better than to think that things would go as planned since they rarely ever seem to here. The first sign that something was up should have been the road littered with BIG rocks from a landslide just on the outskirts of the city. 6 of the 7 of us climbed out to move the boulders to the side so we could pass and keep climbing up the muddy trail of a road. Ends up that was just the first of many times we´d have to get out of the car whether it be to push or just to lighten the load so that poor car could get up the next hill. There were beautiful waterfalls flowing over the road at different points (from all of the melted snow) and llamas grazing all over the place.

Only 20 miles or so outside of Cocha...

LLAMAS! LLAMAS! LLAMAS!

For all that effort, other than the craggy peaks who had there fair share of unreachable snow, we only came across two or three patches of the white stuff each smaller than your mattress or bedroom window. Although the girls were disappointed at first, I´m proud to say that we used ALL the snow we could scrape off the ground for quite the Midwestern style snowball fight. There was a lot of giggling and cold hands. Bubi topped it off by busting out his parachute which we did more of a photo shoot with rather than actual flying (which was alright by me).

Us and our snow!

After finding some snow at last, we got lost a few times on entirely unmarked roads in the middle of nowhere before coasting without any gas for the last 45 minutes – it was a damn good thing we had a mountain to descend! After we were lucky enough to find a (natural) gas station for a fill up at the bottom of the mountain, we got home just short of 6PM. Surviving 8 hours in a tiny car on bread, bananas, and coffee sure made us ready for some dinner when we got home. I love unexpected adventures!

All I know is that I´ll be really glad I went as long as we can still plant trees this weekend, as long as finish my report on time, and as long as my co-worker forgives me for being a no-call, no-show, not so dependable staff member… Good thing I don´t have a paycheck riding on the line:)

A Tense Week

2007-11-29T16:13:00.000-05:00

Here´s my journal entry from yesterday that I´d like to share. If it´s confusing and you want to learn more, there´s a link below to an article that explains the facts and reality better than any other that I´ve come across.

“The dogs can even feel the tension in Bolívia today. They´re barking like crazy. I´m up here on the terrace of our building and there are loud sounds coming out of various corners of the city – flares, firecrackers, gunshots – who knows?! The news isn´t even on to inform us from whatever point of view they feel like sharing. I feel unsettled inside, but more out of empathy than for fear of my own safety. I just looked up and there is a big cloud of dark smoke billowing from the southern zone around Laguna Alalay...

Things have heated up in the country over the last 5 days or so. What has been brewing and stewing beneath is starting to bubble to the surface. It´s so confusing to figure out exactly what´s going on when you´re listening in your second language and you don`t have the history of it all down. Basically, my understanding is that it has to do with the increasing disconnection and disagreement between 5 states and the national government over the content of the new constitution that is in process as well as increasing repression of free speech and other factors. I do know that Manfred (the Cocha state governor) is speaking out against Evo (the president) with plenty of threats, there were dogs hung as a threat for what is to come, people killed, prisoners escaping, a police-less city in Sucre, and the roads are blocked here in Cocha today to stand in solidarity with what happend in Sucre/Chicisaqua over the weekend. My co-workers told me that it would be best to stay in my house today just in case, but some lives seem to be moving along as normal. Our office at the Foundación is closed today.

Maybe this is just a tiny bit what it might feel like to live in Palestine or Sri Lanka, or... My host mom wants to stock up on flour, sugar, and water just in case, but she doesn´t have the cash flow to buy in quantity. Maybe the Christmas season will hold us back from a civil war, but any kind of dialogue seems unlikely when people are used to solving conflicts with rocks, tear gas, and direct physical confrontation. If Evo doesn´t stop demonizing the Press and if the Constitutional Assembly doesnt agree to return to session after what happened last weekend in Sucre, who knows what all the frustration and emotion here that you can almost taste will come to?

There´s a tension in my gut in worrying about my Bolivian friends and family, for whom this is their daily reality. They can´t just escape to the US like I´ll be doing in the next couple of weeks, counting this as one of many experiences rather than my day-to-day life. It takes courage, though, to live in such uncertain times whether you´re used to it or not."

Pray for peace. Give thanks. And remember what daily life means for so many around our world.

Three Dead in Capital Conflict – Andean Information Network
http://ain-bolivia.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=107&Itemid=32

PS: As of today, things went over quietly and peacefully in the strike yesterday. Life has returned to normal here in Cochabamba. Solutions were hardly brought to the table, though, and the division here continues….

The Coca Conflict

2007-11-28T08:29:00.000-05:00

It was neat to spend time in the Chapare region, the very area I studied just over a year ago when I was starting my MSW. My reading, writing, and presenting about the situation facing Bolivian coca growers and the injustice and misdirection of the US War on Drugs at U of M is what keyed me in to Bolivia in the first place. The FSD mid-term trip allowed me the chance to learn about the reality of coca production and its´ impacts and implications in this moment in time from coca growers and agronimists themselves living in this reality every day.

Just to make sure we´re all on the same page, coca (the leaf of the plant pictured above) is one of the ingredients used to make cocaine and also a very important indigenous herb used for everything from textiles to teas in the Andean region. It´s an ancient crop that has proven to help with arthritis, altitude sickness, hunger, and stomach ailments for centuries. Whereas the US has invested millions of dollars over the past 1o years in trying to reduce coca leaf production through forced eradication and alternative development programs, coca continues to be produced at the same levels because the demand (for cocaine) is stronger than ever.

Whereas coca used to be very much a licit product for domestic use within Bolivia, cocaine production and even consumption is now a growing problem as the leaf has been criminalized and the demand for the drug has risen. Coca still pays a grower more than $8,000 per hectare than the next most lucrative crop. I can hardly blame a grower who is desperate to feed his or her family and provide them with opportunities such as education from planting to most lucrative crop he or she can. Plus it´s easy as heck to grow and harvest! Afterall, tons of farmers in the US are planting fields and fields of corn because it pays to do so as well! So, why does our government, then, continue to pour money into forced eradication rather than refocus the efforts towards those that are actually manufacturing the drug and those who are consuming the drug???? If you kill the demand, you don`t have to keep killing the livelihoods of campesinos. Not only is the current strategy not working, but it´s causing a lot of harm in terms of livelihoods and civil unrest here in Bolivia. As the President of Bolivia, Evo Morales, a former cocalero himself has been quoted, "Yes to Coca, No to Cocaine". It´s a fine line that I hope this country can successfully tread in order to maintain it´s culture and economy while also not supporting the international drug trade. The last thing the poorest country in S. America needs to continue to be a part of is the illicit drug market...

Would love to hear of any thoughts, questions, or feedback you have on this.

Giving Thanks

2007-11-23T09:52:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was just a normal, old workday in Bolivia. I spent the morning here in the office trying to distract myself from thinking too much about what I was missing at home - the annual Turkey Trot, lots of food and good conversation, our circle of thanks, and the always present food coma. I never knew how hard it would be to be away from family and friends for what is the most meaningful holiday of the year for me. I miss you all very much and am very grateful for your friendship and love.

I was able to give my host family small little tokens of thanks at lunch yesterday, so that felt good and I think they liked them. Considering Katie immediately had glitter glue all over her fingers, Bubi was pinching us with his new multitool, and Susi immediately replaced her old cooking mit by hanging her new one in its´ place, I´d consider the gifts that I chose for them before meeting them a resounding success. I spent the remainder of my afternoon inventing a recipe for stuffing since I didn´t have a few of the key ingredients and shopping for just the right kind of potato to try to make mashed potatoes that come close to matching my mom´s. In the end, I bought potatoes meant for french fries (so my host mom informed me as I began boiling them), but after taste testing the finished product this morning with Katie, she approved, so I think I´m set for tonight. Tonight´s the first annual FSD Thanksgiving complete with Turkey and all the dressings! I here we´re expecting 23 guest! We´re aiming to offer it as a thanks to our families which should be neat. Unfortunately, my family can´t make it as the oldest daughter is defending her thesis this afternoon and there is a special dinner at my house for her this very same night. Bummer... but I hope to drag along some co-workers with me:)

We´ll see if the coworkers are up for it, though... It´s just that I´m especially giving thanks after all that happened to us and many others in this very rainy city last night. Basically the streets in the southern zone (poorer, crowded, migrant communities) turned to rivers last night. The sewer system couldn´t handle the rains that fell and neither could many of the hillsides. We drove down many a street that seemed fine until the water became knee or at times almost waste deep. Hundreds of cars like ours were desperately in search of somewhat passable roads. There is no disaster plan in place and few police or firepeople that spring into action in these situations, especially for citizens of the southern zone. People were emptying their houses with buckets as we passed. Small children dressed in plastic bags were playing in the sewage-filled runoff at 11PM at night. Everyone was soaking wet and it was cold. In a way it reminded me of Cincinnati during a heavy snowstorm except most of us have dependable assistance like police and snowplows, weather and road reports, clothes for the weather, home insurance, etc... There´s nothing like that here.

After 2 hours in the car of what should have been a 20 minute trip, we arrived at my dry 4th floor apartment safe and sound. The roads in the northern zone were as normal as any other night. I awoke to the news this morning that two children drowned last night. The environmental racism that I witnessed first hand last night, the desperation of people trying to save their homes, was so shocking I almost feel numb. I didn´t feel scared for my own life, but my heart aches for those who are not as fortunate as me. I will most definitely bring this experience to our circle of thanks this evening in a beautiful home in the northern zone. It is a Thanksgiving that I will certainly never forget.

A Taste of the Bolivian Jungle

2007-11-21T15:12:00.000-05:00

The mid term trip to El Chapáre with the other volunteers was this weekend and it was an awesome mix of relaxation and learning. We had great weather and a pool to jump in when it was too hot and humid. We were able to visit some agriculture-related projects (which I loved, of course) as well as do some hiking, swimming, and lots of eating fresh fish.

One of the best parts of the experience for me (other than holding a monkey!) was learning about the situation involving coca production in the region. I will do a separate entry on coca in the near future just because it definitely deserves the spotlight on it´s own. The controversy is multi-faceted and very heated.

It was refreshing as always to get out of the city for a bit especially to reflect as I enter my last month here. It´s hard to believe that my time is already winding down... I want to take this opportunity to wish you a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving. I know I am thankful for you and your support. More very soon!

Bush or Tree???

2007-11-21T14:49:00.000-05:00

OK, this is a quiz cause I´m a dork and I was really excited to learn (and share) this...

¿¿¿¿So, does a pinapple grow on a tree or a bush?????

Check it out for yourself below!

Bueno, so now you know if you didn´t already. It´s definitely a bush. I wish I could give you a taste of the piñas down in the these parts cause they are absolutely incredible right off the bush. This picture was taken along side a piña packing factory we visited this weekend while in the Chapáre.

Monkey in my lap! AHHH!

2007-11-21T14:32:00.000-05:00

I was pretty much beside myself to have this capuchin monkey hop on to my lap to cuddle... Too bad we didn´t get pictures when she was looking under my shirt and trying to take stuff out of my pockets or when another monkey decided that my head looked like a good place to sit;) We were at Parque Machia, a refuge and rehabilitation center for wild animals who were caught in the black market or kept as pets. We were able to spend time with the monkies, parrots, tortoises, capybaras, and even the rare Andean bears. We hear that there are also puma´s but we didn´t catch a glimpse as it was the middle of the afternoon. What I liked best about the park was the fact that it is set in the jungle without fences or walls, so the animals are free to roam and only have to stay if they want to. The sad thing is that most do stay because they are so accustomed to being fed by humans that they´ve lost their ability to survive in the wild.

A Dancing and Party Weekend with Pretty Feet

2007-11-14T08:28:00.000-05:00

Some of the guys getting ready to perform, Tinku, my favorite. Partly because of the awesome costumes...

There´s always a party in this town, whether it´s at my house or in the streets, these people know how to have fun. Saturday was La Entrada (or parade) for the main public university here in Cochabamba, Universidad San Simon. That meant an eight our long parade and all the food and beverages you could hope for being sold and consumed right on the street. I was able to go with one of my co-workers, Verónica, which was awesome. I love the folkloric dancing here, so many different types and amazing costumes. I only wish I had some time to learn some of the dances myself...

After La Entrada, Veró and I met up with some other co-workers for what would become a very exciting night. As far as I knew, we were just going to a club to dance for a bit, which is a favorite pasttime here. Little did I know that one of the most famous folkloric bands in Bolivia, Negro Palma, would be performing and that WE would be backstage with them enjoying dinner, beverages, and dancing!!! I had know idea that one of my co-workers wives is the agent for ALL of the big folkloric music groups in the country, so people from the Fundación always get to hang out with the groups. Before I knew it, we were up on the stage dancing and I was dancing like a mad woman. It was SUCH a fun night! And the group´s coming back to town on the 22nd, so I´ll be sure to be there again. Nothing like a completely free and fun night with a bunch of nice and famous dudes:)

And then Sunday was Katie´s First Communion for which we had a party and lunch in the morning after the mass and another gathering for dinner that night. Cochambambinos like their food and they like to chat. After all was said and done, it was a great weekend for my Spanish and to realize how many Bolivian friends I´m lucky enough to have.

Me, Susi, Ale, Katie, Y Pame (my host fam minus Bubi) at the party celebrating Katie´s First Communion

Oh, and I have pretty feet now after my first pedicure!!!! Here´s a peak in case you´re interested;) If you´re one of those funny people who don´t like feet, I´d stop now if I were you...

The craziest week yet!

2007-11-10T08:25:00.000-05:00

ProHabitat is a happenin´ place and by that I mean that there is never a dearth of things going on in the wild little office of ours! And it ends up that this was my week to go crazy with activities. We all have our turn, I guess, and my turn doesn´t come nearly as often as the others, so I consider myself lucky. The staff was also incredibly supportive of me this week, which was absolutely both necessary and wonderful.

Just for a little background since I realized recently that I never really provided an brief picture of what the organization does. Small details like that would help... So basically, La Fundación ProHabitat is a non profit with a focus on assisting and accompanying people in the department of Cochabamba with securing a right to dignified home. Many people in this region, and all throughout Bolivia for that matter, continue to live in huts and adobe homes without basic services like water, electricity, and plumbing. The Foundation enters communities only when asked, both rural and peri-urban (like the Southern Zone of Cocha), to provide assistance in a variety of ways depending on what´s requested - that could be credit for building or improving the home, plumbing workshops, capacitation workshops for the community leaders, practical workshops on health and hygiene, assistance in advocating for the right to basic services, or facilitating youth groups! It´s a team of 10 at FPH and they do a TON of good around these parts!

The part I´m mainly working in, with youth groups, began for two reasons. First of all, FPH was struggling to find, encourage, and train competent and reliable leaders for many communities while they also noticed youth just peaking in the windows of community meetings, without a space to participate. In order to capacitate the next generation of community leaders and provide a positive outlet for the youth, FPH solicited funds from OXFAM-GB and here we are! So, my main project is to conduct a participatory evaluation at the end of year one and this week held the majority of my info gathering workshops, which were a bit chaotic, but successful overall (I sure hope!). Here´s hoping that we gathered the information needed to move forward proving impacts and assessing needed improvements. The hit was definitely the oatmeal chocolate chip cookies I whipped up as a thank you:) The kids are convinced that I could open a very successful line of cookies and some even offerred to work for me!

My other project with some of the grant funds I have is to increase food security in one particular community through the planting of fruit trees. This is what I´m really passionate about since this community is a good way from fresh fruits and vegetables and many families also have few resources to afford such foods on a regular basis. After some complications, we´ll finally be buying and planting the first round of plum, peach, pomegranate, and grapes this coming Thursday! I´ll be sure to post photos of this. Depending on funding and the agreement we come to with the promatores (promoters) of family gardens in this community, there may also be a partnership between the youth group and the promotores to plant the main road in the community with fruit trees. We all agree it would be beautiful, but we have to figure out how to make it sustainable... We just have to agree on who is going to water and care for them to ensure they are protected and that the community uses the fruit. My hope is that a core group of youth from our group will be interested in taking this on...! Updates to come on this for sure.

Alright, well this kid is off for the first pedicure of her life after a stressful week! I hope you are well and I look forward to hearing stories from your life soon! Be well!

Dia de Los Muertos

2007-11-03T10:01:00.000-04:00

Julianne, Meredith, and I headed out the same bumpy road on Thursday night to a town called Anzaldo to experience the rural version of Dia de los Muertos since our families were not commemorating the occasion. Anzaldo is the town where our FSD director´s family is from and where one former volunteer is still living and working. So we crashed with Rob (to his surprise). When there´s only one phone for the whole town, it´s pretty hard to warn him ahead of time. Luckily he was at the house when we got there and after sharing egg sandwiches for dinner, we set out to find a band of ´roving prayers´ to tag along with. We first found a group of 8-10 year old boys who allowed these crazy gringos to join in complete with teaching us the prayers. But then we found some of Rob´s friends in the town who were also visiting houses to pray for the recently deceased so we opted for a group more our own age. At each house, the equivalent of a rosary was shared in front of an alter of sorts built for all those who had passed away in the past year. The table was covered in food that the deceased person enjoyed as well as flowers and photos. After praying, each family offerred mountains of food and alcohol in thanks for the visit. So, needless to say, we had our fair share of alcohol (chicha - the local corn fermented drink poured out of a bucket and into carved out coconut shells). The mayor, who was part of our group, insisted on still driving his truck full of 20 mostly drunk men on windy roads, but me and a few other smart folks opted for walking in this tiny town. At the end of the night, in front of the church in the main plaza, Rob´s Bolivian friends from the town offerred prayers and songs to Rob´s grandmother who´d passed away a week before. It was a nice gesture. If only the mayor wouldn´t have ranted for about 30 minutes after that about how beautiful and sweet the 3 gringas were in front of 20 other young men... Needless to say, I walked away in the middle of his ¨speech¨ because I didn´t want to think that it was cool to talk like that to women, drunk or not. Overall, I´m glad I went to drink the local drink, offer respects to the deceased, and to better understand the celebration. I could always do with out machismo, though...

Dinosaur Footprints, Caves, Canyons, and Felix

2007-11-03T09:48:00.000-04:00

Yes, those are dinosaur footprints and yes, Julianne and Felix are pretending to be dinosaurs:)

A short rest in one of the many dry and geologically fascinating river channels

Caving was a beautiful 4 hour challenge complete with blind fish, forests of stalagtites, and lots of ups and downs

It was a wonderful adventure to Parque Nacional Toro Toro last weekend. A break from the bustling city is always welcome... Every day in the park tested my strength and my fear of heights that just won´t quit. We hiked 25-30K over the 2 1/2 days in a desert like climate amongst spiny plants, goats, plenty of sun, and of course, lots of DINOSAUR FOOTPRINTS! I was enchanted by the place in all of it´s geological and archeological wonder as well as our delightful guide, Felix. He´s a native of Toro Toro and just a genuine lover of life. He shared his stomping grounds with us with such joy and energy that it was contagious. At 20 years of age, he´s the president of the guide association, the local electrician, environmental organizer for the town, and much more. All of this and he was raised by his 8 year old brother after his parents passed away when he was 3 years old... With his guidance we found a tropical waterfall in the base of a steep canyon, cave drawings dating back to the year 1000, four-colored parrots, and even a petrified nail of a velociraptor! The visit was topped off with a visit to a women´s weaving cooperative where I was finally able to find a fair trade product made with natural dies by the woman who sold me the product. All is all it was incredible weekend in a well kept secret of a park 5 hours down a VERY bumpy road.

Inside the Bowels of the Rich Mountain

2007-10-24T15:40:00.000-04:00

Preparing for the entry. I had no idea what I was in for at this point....

I´m working with migrants from Potosí, so I felt it important to visit their reality along with a few other crazy tourists. A visit to the still active mines of Cerro Rico is not considered to be your everyday tourist activity, but rather a lesson in the local reality and history of this region. This still working cooperative mine offered me a perspective into what some people have to do in order to survive. For by the grace of God go I... Although the miners we met would likely share a different persective, life in the tunnels and slides of a mountain sometimes up to 24 hours per day without food or drink (only coca leaves) is no way to live, but it´s the only way to live and survive in this region. They are proud and determined people and boy do they ever work hard, in dangerous conditions. It´s too arid and cold to grow anything, mining is it. And all this so I can have a nice little silver ring around my finger. As I look at my rings dancing across the keyboard at this moment, I am able to reflect on a whole new level and I invite you to do the same. One intense four hour visit for me, and a lifetime (of about 45 years) for these brave men.

A brake at the bottom of a very steep slide of dust. I was trying to take deep breaths, but the combo of elevation and immense amounts of dust, made it challenging.

They even let me lift a shovel! All I know now is that shoveling rocks is a hell of a lot heavier than the soil in my garden. I only lasted a few rounds before I was way too tired...

The Highest City in the World!

2007-10-23T12:02:00.000-04:00

One of the many colonial church steep with Cerro Rico ("rich mountain") in the background

Elias and I made a journey to Bolivia´s highest city this past weekend and what they claim to be the highest city in all the world (about 15,000 ft). After 10 hours in an overnight bus that made switchbacks all night, we arrived to crisp, cool air and beautiful sunshine. Potosí is the mining capital of this country rich in natural resources. Unfortunately, Bolivia hasn´t yet learned how to capitalize on these resources, but has rather been raped of them (tin, gold, silver, natural gas) for the last four hundred years by colonial powers and a series of transnational corportations. In it´s heyday (mid-1600s) , Potosí was the richest city in the world (with London ranking second)! Since they´ve been mining Cerro Rico for the last 400 years, there isn´t a whole lot left, so the city has seen a decline in mining profits. Many of it´s residents have migrated to larger cities like Cochabamba in search of work (the reason for my visit - to understand the history of some of the families I´m working with). What remains is some beautiful Spanish colonial architecture from the times when Spain ruled the area (and all the minerals mined were considered their property...). It is a sleepy city, with thin air, and very friendly people.

A beautiful Baroque church door and our guide offering coca leaves and a cigarette to please el tio

The highlight of the visit was definitely our visit to a mining cooperative. It was intense,

scary at times, but a very enlightening experience. We met "el tio" (the devil), who is the guardian of the mine and the underworld, as well as some miners who will be lucky to live to reach 40 years. There are teenagers and even children who work in the mines in order to support their families. I´ll post more photos later when I have more time...

On the trail of the Incas

2007-10-23T11:36:00.000-04:00

Becky and I had an adventure last weekend in search of the Incan ruins closest to Cochabamba called Incarakay. No one I had talked to the week before had even heard of them, but we had our Lonely Planet guide like every good tourist does complete with directions like "follow the water pipe past the ditch until you get to the second false peak...". We set out in search of the water pipe from the main square in Sipe Sipe and below you can see what we found. It was a beautiful hike, an amazing workout, and a very much needed break from the city (although we could see the city the entire time...). It was certainly no Macchu Picchu, but we loved every minute of it!

My two crews combined!

2007-10-13T16:01:00.000-04:00

Work is great. This is a fun shot of a mixture of the FSD volunteers and directors with my co-workers at ProHabitat (every non-gringo except for the guy in yellow) when we visited eachothers´agencies during orientation week. I´m not hard to spot in my Robertshaw shirt;)

Just as I thought it was becoming clear about what my role at ProHabitat is when I turned in my Work Plan yesterday, things got more complicated and exciting at the same time. The project I´m SURE that I´m doing involves a participatory evaluation of the youth program at the close of year one of a four year project. This involves getting to know the youth in our various communities, which I´ve already begun to do, evaluating the process so far from their point of view, and producing a report at the conclusion to share both with the communities and OXFAM (our funder). It´s a substantive project that I´m excited to do and I feel is very appropriate for a volunteer like myself.

Then.... I went to Maria Auxiliadora, one of our communities, where we have started a family garden initiative and I had an exciting conversation with the president of the community. There are kids interested in gardening, they want to start a fruit orchard, a income-earning flower nursery, the library is desperately in need of books and a computers, and many people are intersted in learning about worm composting. So, the confusion begins again. All of these new options excite me very much, but the organization NEEDS this evaluation done. I´m searching for a balance and will let you know when I find it. Thank goodness I have supportive and welcoming co-workers and Maria Auxiliadora is a wonderful place to give my time to. The community deserves an entry of it´s own that I´m sure will come soon.

Maybe as soon as next week if I don´t end up heading south to Argentina with my host family for a parachuting competition... Life is never short on surprises here;) Until next time, take care and I hope to hear from you soon! Jump into a pile of fall leaves and think of me, will ya?

¡We say potatoes, they say papas!

2007-10-11T18:23:00.000-04:00

This entry goes out to all my garden club friends at O.W. HOLMES Elementary in Detroit! How´s the garden looking?

So, I hear you´re learning about potatoes today?! And you know, that´s perfect, because I happen to be surrounded by them much of the time whether it be at the market, my dinner table, or just walking down the street. Potatoes are a huge part of the culture here in Bolivia and we eat A LOT of them! Bolivia is the country in red and I´m living right now in a city called Cochabamba right in the middle of the country.

Did you know that there are more than thirty different kinds of potatoes grown here in Bolivia? They come in all different shapes and sizes as you can see below. We eat potatoes in soup, bread, as french fries, mashed, potatoes stuffed with meat and eggs, and the list goes on! There are even drinks here made out of potatoes! Potatoes are especially important to the native people of Bolivia - the Quechua and Aymara people. Just last week, we offered potatoes and other great things to the Panchamama, the spirit of the Earth for the Quechua people, in a ceremony called K´wa. K´wa is a monthly ceremony to give thanks for all the earth has offered this month.

In order to get some cool potato photos for you, I headed on a 20 minute walk to the Cancha - the largest market in all of South America! You can literally buy anything you can think of in the Cancha, so of course I stumbled across some potatoes for sale. They call them papas here! Here are some of the coolest potatoes and coolest papa saleswomen that I found. Do the papas look different to you than the ones that you´re growing in the Romanowski garden?

Here is a women selling her varieties including this awesome one with purple on the inside!

This family of potato salepeople in the Cancha told me that all the papas that they sell grow on the sides of the mountains of Cochambamba! Do you know where the ones you eat are from?

Alright, I better home now to eat some dinner and I promise you they´ll be some potatoes in the mix:) I hope you are enjoying the harvest in the garden for me. If you have any questions or comments for me, feel free to reply. I would love to hear from you! I miss you guys and hope you´re doing well. How are your potatoes coming along????

Happy 40th, Che!

2007-10-06T18:26:00.000-04:00

Monday is the 40th anniversary of the death of Che Guevarra. He was killed here in a remote village in Southcentral Bolivia. There are thousands of people from all over the world making the long trek to Valle Grande to commemorate his life and vision. I have been told by many that it is a spectacle to attend and a once in a lifetime opportunity. I have to admit that I thought about making the journey this weekend, but I decided that the purpose of curiousity was not enough. I passed up the once in a lifetime opportunity because although I support a lot of what Che stood for, I can´t back the violent means he turned to in an attempt to reach his goals in the later years. There is more truth to his story than the iconic and overused symbol that he has become since his death. Although I´m not in Valle Grande this weekend, I plan to continue to look into the life of this Latin American revolutionary, whose vision still pulses very strongly through the people here. There is a deep and emotional truth to his vision for justice that I am only beginning to understand.

There´s one for the Pachamama

2007-10-06T17:54:00.000-04:00

It´s been a rollercoaster of a week, but the lows weren´t as low as the highs were high and I wasn´t really even thrown for any loops if you know what I mean;) The first week of work is always a challenge as you search for your niche in a place that was functioning well before you showed up on the scene, but considering I haven´t shed a tear in frustration yet, things are pretty darn good.

The highlight of the week was last night. The first Friday of every month is special here in Bolivia (and throughout the Andean region, I imagine) because it´s the night where everyone (of indigenous decent) offers Q´wa. Q´wa is a ritual offered to the Pachamama (Mother Earth) each month in thanks for good health, success, safety, love, and all the riches she has provided for our sustenance and in hopes that such good luck will continue. Since the majority of the staff at my work are of Quechua decent as are our clients, we offered Q´wa last night on the door step of Fundacion ProHabitat. In Q´wa, symbolic herbs, symbols, and sweets are burned over a small fire and everyone present offers wine and alcohol to the four corners (much like Native Americans) before taking part ourselves. It was an informal, fascinating, tasty, and fun cap to my first week of work. As the embers still smoldered and the smoke rose to the sky, we headed off to a restaurant to the sounds of fireworks and traditional music filling the streets. The combo of new traditions meeting old is fascinating to observe.

Really briefly, other highlights of the week included my discovery of a veggie and hummus wrap at a nearby restaurant, 40 twenty year olds dancing to some very loud music in the living room until 2 AM on Thursday in celebration of my host sister´s b-day, and the amazing pasty, strawberry, whip cream, yummy cake that is still taking over half of our fridge. Life is tough with such tasty food at my fingertips...

Quiet streets, smoky hills

2007-10-03T16:33:00.000-04:00

I woke up this morning (Happy Birthday, Mom!) to news that there was a transportation strike. All public transportation was suspended to call attention to the unequal amount of road construction funds allocated to the department of Cochabamba in comparison with the other departments. The strike means that a city dependent on public transport doesn´t have any for the day and many of the roads and bridges in and out of the central city are blocked with logs, large rocks, and at times, buses, as was the case today.

Remember that feeling when you were a kid when you looked out your window to a blanket of white snow or to an early morning phone call in the middle of winter? I got excited like a used to on a snow day, but this day was more like a no taxi, trufi, or bus day, no snow to be found. I thought it meant I didn´t have to work (I like my work and all, but an unexpected free day is always welcome, right?) Lucky for me, though, I´m the only intern in my program that can walk to work, so when I didn´t recieve a call from my office or program, I tested out the streets on foot early this morning to see if I could get to work without meeting a blockade. According to the news, this blockade was peaceful, so my host family was cool with me heading out, as was I.

I have to say that my walks today have been kind of surreal and reflective. At first, I enjoyed the peaceful streets. It´s nice not to have to risk my life crossing each intersection;) or atleast not to have to be as vigilent as normal. After I got over the peacefulness, though, and didn´t run into any unexpected delays, I starting reflecting on who these blockades really effect. First of all, the kids. My sisters and every other kid in Cochabamba today was home from school cause all the schools were closed. There aren´t any school buses here; the kids ride public transport. And to think their education is interrupted by things like blockades when they only get 4.5 hrs. of school per day anyway! How can Bolivian kids expect to compete in a globalizad world when they´re only getting about half the class time as kids in the Global North…? And then my thoughts turned to the working poor and disabled. I saw quite a few bikes, motorcycles, and personal vehicles on the roads today, but you don´t have those unless you have atleast some money. The people that need income the most, the people that make their living selling on the street or with an hourly wage job, likely couldn´t make it to work unless they got up at 5AM to start walking (that is if they´re physically able to walk). So, basically, blockades like we had today cost kids and the working poor more than anyone else. But hey, atleast the roads might get repaired, right? The inequality of such a system is more than frustrating… I worked all day because I could.

So that´s a peak into my reflections for the day. I guess such thoughts have a chance to arise when one gets to walk 80 minutes each day (4 times a day up and down the same street)…

So instead of being blanketed in pollution, the mountains surrounding Cochabamba are blanketed in smoke this evening… In the outskirts of the city, the yearling burning is going on to clear new fields for planting as the rainy season is on its´ way.

Until next time…

ProHabitat it is!

2007-10-01T16:08:00.000-04:00

So, I tried out my first option for work, Fundacion ProHabitat, last Friday and after a two hour conversation with the director and weighing my options complete with a scored pro con list, I´ve decided to stay here in Cochabamba rather than head out to the mountains. After all, ProHabitat offers me the best chance to learn Spanish, practice community organizing, live with my host family full-time, and take advantage of the numerous cultural opportunities available here in the city. I´m relieved to have made my decision finally.

I´ll be working as a part of the education team, especially with the teenagers in the Southern Zone of the city. My independent project will involve evaluating the impact of our programs and needed improvements resulting in a report that can lead to internal changes and can be shared with the public and funding sources. I also hope to be involved in some way with the family vegetable gardens sprouting up in some of the communities. I don´t know much more than this yet, but I´m excited for the challenges that lay ahead and all that I have to learn and give. Today, on my first full day, we had an informational fair in the main plaza because it´s the International Right to a Home Day. I had the chance to hand out some flyers for our program and talk to many folks who are in need of loans from us in order to build a home on their lot. And tonight, I´ll be with the education team meeting with one of our youth groups for a discussion on sexuality. Should be a good topic to break the ice and see what the teens are like!

Please let me know what´s new with you- would love to hear from you!

I look like a pyramid...

2007-10-01T16:02:00.000-04:00

My dream of having braids during my time here ended yesterday when I got impatient with my not quite long enough yet hair. So, next time you come to Bolivia, don´t venture to a hair salon by the name of Roxana, pay just short of $2 for a haircut and expect to get what you were looking for. No woman in her right mind wants her hair to be the shape of a pyramid when she repeated over and over ´I´d like it rounded please´. Atleast I think that´s what I was saying.... Oh well, at least it´ll only be about $2 to fix it up nice and round:)

This time it worked

2007-09-29T11:16:00.000-04:00

Me at the Christ statue looking over the northern part of Cochabamba

A view of the Southern Zone where I´ll be working. You probably can´t tell, but the country club is in the foreground and the hills in the distance are covered with homes many of which that don´t have access to basic services like electricity and potable water

My awesome host family - Susana, Katerine, Bubi, Pamela, and Firulay the dog

Por fin, algunas fotos!

2007-09-28T19:00:00.000-04:00

So, it´s taking forever to load them and it´s not telling me whether they´re even loading successfully, but here´s hoping a couple of these get thru to you. Let me know what you think or if you don´t see anything at all. I´ll add descriptions later. I gotta head to dinner. Details about my work to come tomorrow. Be well!

It´s off to work - but where?

2007-09-27T18:09:00.000-04:00

Today brought to a close our weeklong orientation with the Foundation for Sustainable Development. They´re the ones coordinating this experience for me and 5 others, or atleast trying to. Everyone is now with their host families and I´ve returned to mine. It´s good to be ¨home¨, although staying in a palace of a hostel and eating amazing food all week sure was a good time... Work starts with a half day tomorrow and then full-time starting next week. More on that in a minute

The other group members are cool folks. We´re all very different, but we get along well. We range in age from 18 (the only dude) to 27, so I´m well within the range, which feels good, and we´re from all over the US and one woman is from Japan. I think they will be good companions for this journey. We´ll meet weekly to learn about different topics concerning Bolivia and development, so I look forward to learning with and from each of them.

So, about work... I´m still struggling to finalize things on the job front. The only certainty is that I´m going to one of my two options tomorrow morning to check it out and will decide for sure tomorrow afternoon. The thing is that I was assigned one project in July, which changed a few days before I left, and I´m still in love with the first project. They are both distinctly different and each have their pros and cons and it ends up that both are still options. The first one I was assigned would involve living in a rural area two hours outside of the city Monday thru Friday, learning some Quechua, and working in a very well known malnutrition reduction project. This would put me in a beautiful place with unique challenges. The second project here in the city is still quite unclear what my roll would be. Chances are, the job would involve working with residents of the Southern Zone on food security issues. This would present plenty of chances to develop my Spanish fully and be in contact with all that the city, my host family, and FSD workshops have to offer. The problem is that the community food security project is dependent on me as the volunteer and is not led by an organization staff member. So, tomorrow morning will bring some difficult conversations with the staff of ProHabitat all in Spanish about some complicated concerns that I have with the current project I´m assigned here in the city. If they are will to be flexible with me and allow me to participate in other projects that the agency specializes in, then I think I will stay with them... I´m certainly anxious to have it settled and to know with whom and what I ´ll be doing over the coming months. I feel lucky, though, to have two strong options at my finger tips and to have the decision entirely in my court. If I decide to head to the campo, the FSD director said he could work it out to have me there by Monday. In short, I´ll be sure to let y´all know what comes of this over the weekend.

I do realize that this blog is getting pretty boring without a chance to see anything that I´m talking about, but I plan to change that tomorrow when Internet access and my photos on the FSD laptop meet up... Until tomorrow!

Parrots and cows

2007-09-27T17:52:00.000-04:00

It took me just about 3 weeks to bust out of this wild city to the nearest national park and was it ever a glorious few hours. For our orientation, we spent one night outside the city at this awesome house on the side of a mountain. The fresh air on open space was very welcome. Becky and I hiked in with an enormous dog named Apollo and headed straight for Mt. Tunari, the highest mountain in the Cochabamba area. No, we didn´t climb it, just touching the base was enough of a hike. The late afternoon sun on the peak was breathtaking. It was especially neat to see some awesome green parrots at such an elevation flitting around. The only other wildlife to look out for were some cows that were grazing with some very large horns. It was everything I could do to keep Apollo and his drool from getting into it with the cows. He didn´t get charged, but he certainly did playfully charge two young girls who were hiking up later in the afternoon to retrieve their herd. No one was hurt thankfully as this horse of a dog is just a puppy and doesn´t quite understand how big and scary he is. The peace and quiet of the park was rejuvenating for me as was the great conversation that Becky and I had, even though it was in English...

On the up and up

2007-09-21T16:25:00.000-04:00

I feel like I´m about a three year old in Spanish atleast that´s what I thought until I tried talking with a three year old yesterday in my kitchen. Let´s just say that she didn´t make any sense and I´m gonna go ahead and put the blame for that on her. Yeah. That atleast makes me feel better. Considering I finished classes today. Here´s to three months of absorbing everything I´ve been presented with over the last two weeks!

In other news, I´ve stopped consuming overwhelming amounts of meat since my intestines mounted a revolt against me earlier this week. We´ve made our peace with one another with a veggie diet and I´m gonna slowly start fazing chicken back in and hope the stomach doesn´t notice. That way my host mom will have something to feed me.

Alright, I´m gonna go memorize some verbs... Happy Bolivian Day of Love, Day of Doctors, and Day of the Student! I haven´t decided whether I´ll check out a party at the school, restaurant, or hospital yet. Yes, there are parties at the hospital tonight. But that´ll have to wait until after the verb fun... ;)

A Complicated Place

2007-09-17T17:35:00.000-04:00

I´ve been talking a lot with my host mother lately. She is a wonderful, strong, gentle woman who works her butt off day in and day out to do what´s best for her family. She rises before the rest of us have even thought about opening our eyes to go buy bread for the day and prepare the tea. She spends her mornings cooking for neighbors that buy lunch from our house and she taught me to wash my clothes by hand yesterday. She also sells beauty products and knits tablecloths for sale in order to bring in a little extra to send her daughters to college. My host family´s not poor by Bolivian standards, far from it in fact, but that doesn´t mean that they aren´t trying to achieve the same comfort and things that they see are possible through the media. For them, atleast, access to such knowledge and achievement is possible.

It´s hard to see her so tired so many days especially when a lot of her fatigue comes not just from the work, but out of worry. For, she and her husband are trying to raise three young responsible, professional, and independant women in a society with countless pressures and mixed messages. To find the balance between allowing freedom and protecting their daughters from harm is excruciatingly hard. I see it in her eyes and I´ve come to understand this strain through our conversations. I realize that Susana´s story is one of millions of women in the world, one that mirrors in many ways what my mom did and does for my family. I don´t mean to discredit men, I´ve just done a lot of thinking and reflecting lately about the role of women because of what I´ve seen, because of what I´ve heard. I respect and want to recognize the load women are carrying without a great deal of power granted to them in response. I´m certain this reflection will continue as my experience hear in Bolivia takes shape.

These are just some initial responses after a long day of studying. I have four more days of studying, then FSD orientation, before my official work here begins. More soon... Thanks for listening and I look forward to remaining in touch and hearing your response.

Make it a great day.

Address - I love exchanging letters!

2007-09-17T17:28:00.000-04:00

If you´re inclined to send letters, I would love to communicate with you that way! All mail can be directed to:

Molly Robertshaw
c/o FSD
Torres Sofer Fase IV
La Casilla 6293
Cochabamba
BOLIVIA

I look forward to snail mailing with those of you who are up to the challenge!

Lots of meat and cable tv

2007-09-12T16:18:00.000-04:00

In short, I´m enjoying time with my host family, trying to learn as much as possible with 5 hours of Spanish classes per day, and spending quite a bit of time getting lost in this city with very few street signs...

It´s funny, too, you know, because I´m pretty much catching up on a lot that I´ve missed out on over the past couple of years. Some pretty ´cool´ 9 and 19 year old host sisters, cable tv in my bedroom, a huge statue of Jesus on the mountain outside my window, plenty of time to sleep and read, and plates of mystery meat will do that, I guess... It´s good I decided to forgo the vegetarian thing before heading south cause I sure don´t see many veggies or fruit in my house. It´s kind of like living in the Midwest, but not really. Meat, potatoes, bread, and tea, you know, all the basic food groups. I love the food so far, really. I have to tell you, though, there´s something to the idea here of eating a little bit in the morning, a lot in the middle of the day, and a little bit at night. It just makes sense. And whereas I´m always starving and ready for a meal in the States, I´ve hardly felt hungry here. Anyway, enough about my eating habits...

The family´s been fun so far and quite hospitable. We live in a fourth floor apartment which is lovely and their dog, Firu, doesn´t bark at me nearly as much as he did when I first arrived. So far, I´ve avoided getting bitten by the pet parrot. It´s interesting because the family spends quite a bit of time watching TV and by quite a bit, I mean the TVs (yes, plural) are on all the time. Everyone has their own in their room, so that they don´t have to fight over what channel to watch, so I´m following suit cause that seems to be what we do. Right now, I´m justifying all the time laying on my bed watching Discovery and Nat Geo channels, as study time. We´ll have to see how helpful it really is. I´m bound to get sick of laying around watching TV quite soon... There are dance classes and running with my host sister on the horizon as soon as we think I´ve adjusted ok to life at 9,000 ft.

In other news, I think I´ve tried most of the typical foods so far from cinnamon juice to pork rinds (mmm...) and my Spanish is getting better slowly but surely. I´m finding my voice, which means I´m not listening all the time, so I´m happy that my courage is building in that way. I´m travelling thirty minutes each way each day to the west side of the city where there is an awesome little language school called Escuela Runawasi. It´s in a great little neighborhood of former mining families and I´m enjoying meeting the other students and profs at the school.

After an outing to an ´Ecological Park´last weeked to watch my host dad do a parasailing demonstration, I get to go to the farm where their oldest daughter works this weekend in the tropical (coca growing) region with my host mom. I couldn´t be more excited. Although Cochabamba is a nice city, I can´t wait to see the more tropical, quieter areas to the east.

I hope to be able to post atleast a couple of photos next time as well as my mailing address. I´m in the process of figuring both out. I hope you are well. Hasta más tarde and please keep in touch!

Safe and Sound

2007-09-06T21:30:00.000-04:00

I was hoping to post a fun overview picture of La Paz, but flying in in the pitch dark with a seat smack dab over the wing, didn´t allow for such things, so that´ll have to wait. But nonetheless, I´m here safely at 14,000ft and feeling great. The safe part was a big worry for me these past few weeks, but I´ve met some wonderful people like a guy that reminded me a lot of my dad that I was able to share a taxi into the city with and a lovely old man who greeted me at the door of my hostel calling me by my first name. Things are just working out and the people are beautiful. Traffic´s crazy here and the pollution is reminiscent of Nepal, so I like it, of course! Tomorrow brings 7 hours by bus to what´ll be my home city of Cochabamba and my first night with the KolbeArces, myhost family, so I´m really looking forward to that! I´ll be sure to post some photos this weekend. Thanks so much for all your kind words, thoughts, and prayers, and please do stay in touch! Have a great night!

Almost on my way

2007-09-04T21:28:00.000-04:00

After a wonderful party in French Park with family and friends yesterday, I feel so supported and grateful for the amazing people in my life. Feeling such support makes it both easier and harder to go. Nonetheless, I'm starting to load the pack and will make my last trip to the store tomorrow - this time the mission will be gifts for the host family whom I'm sure I'll be writing about lots in the coming months. I hope you enjoy my first effort at blogging. The next installment will surely be my first impressions of high altitude living:)

Vacation in Cincy

2007-08-28T13:07:00.000-04:00

I'm home for about ten days before heading off again. It's so great to see my family and catch up with friends. I'll admit it's a bit strange not to have a long list of "to dos" or a paper deadline hanging over my head, but this time to relax and rest is much needed. My next adventure begins in about 10 days, so I'm going to enjoy the peace and quiet while it lasts. It's about time I make myself study some Spanish...