April
27 marked the first day of my entrance into Totorani. The day started after a
weekend of shopping for about 30 kilograms of fruit and vegetables, and that’s
not counting the grains! During the weekend I had mixed feelings about the
weeks to come, but I truly felt comfort in knowing that He is watching me, and
He knows what I will do and when I will do it. He knows that I will suffer and
that I will experience joy. I also had and still have doubts of what my purpose
is in Totorani, but I also realize that I can find meaning in every
conversation and every handshake.
I
left for Totorani on Sunday filled with excitement that emptied all the worries
that I had the day before. I knew that many things would seem foreign and
strange, but at least I could count on the drive to always be rough. One
notable event that happened on the way was a fifteen minute delay stuck behind
an abandoned van. The road is very narrow and the owner of the van didn’t
bother to pull over to one side, so we waited fifteen minutes while Edgar used
the horn to summon the owner. Little was said when they arrived, which made for
a smooth transition back onto the pothole laden road. We arrived in Totorani
about 4 hours after we left Cochabamba.
The
following day Jamie and I went to a village that is located an hour drive on
rough roads in a truck. I can pronounce the name, but I have no idea how it
would be spelled. I believe the name is in Quechua (Linkupata). We went there
to check up on some of the projects. One project was the installation of a
trout pond. The trout were growing and the soup I was served was quite
delicious. We also checked on the growth of some maca. The harvest for maca is
at the end of May or beginning of June, depending on several factors included
precipitation, temperature, and date planted.
A small lake situated directly by the road. Very clean water!
We arrived back in Totorani for
lunch and an inspection of the progress of the irrigation system. We then
headed down to the school area to have a meeting with some of the agrarian
union members. Jaime and Edgar left after the meeting ended.
I
participated in another meeting about the commercialization of llama fur
sponsored by the Bolivian Government, European Union, and other organizations
based out of Cochabamba.
The presentation by Pro Bolivia
After the meeting, I shared dinner with the community,
which was prepared by a pampaku. A pampaku is the Quechua word for a Peruvian
hautia, which is potatoes, haba, and some kind of meat all cooked by hot rocks.
All of the food and hot rocks are buried under dirt and left to cook for 30-60
minutes. After waiting more than an hour for the presentation to conclude we
had the pampaku.
Me helping with the preparation of the Pampaku. The left hand was burning after a few seconds of digging.
Covering the food and hot rocks. There is a layer of grass put between the dirt and food.
When
I returned to my room, I felt very sad and lonely. This might be because I was
tired, but is also because I just arrived at a new place. The feeling went away
when I woke up the next morning. The bright skies lifted my spirit and the
energy I received from the night’s sleep rejuvenated my tired mind and body.
A few things have been reorganized since my initial day, but this is the general appearance.
My
first task of the day was to organize my room and have a bite to eat for
breakfast. Neither of these tasks was time consuming, so I packed up my stuff
in my new aguayo and started the short but tiring walk up to the location of
the water system. I met German, Mo, and this other Cholito that I can’t recall
his name. They were all lying down on the side of the road smoking a hand
rolled cigarette and chewing coca. I joined in on the coca, but didn’t feel
like a cigarette would be good for my lungs considering the strain I am already
putting them in.
30
minutes later we began to haul the supplies needed to construct a concrete form
for one of the irrigation tanks. The work was difficult, but we finally
finished after about 6-7 hours of work. The weather during that time was
interesting; at one point the mountain we were working on was enveloped by
cloud cover.
Part of the process of installing the irrigation system.
Our heads were literally in the clouds.
I had several small conversations with German, but I
mostly listened to the others speak in Quechua. This aspect of my work will be
a challenge because I can have a somewhat decent conversation in Spanish, but I
think I need to start learning Quechua also. My Spanish won’t be improving,
which is kind of bummer after a couple of months of study. The group enjoyed
talking and joking with me, which isn’t very funny when you can’t understand
the jokes, but I took the jokes as a grain of salt.
I met some of German’s neighbors and was able to share
dinner with them also. We had potatoes and rice with a little bit of salsa, it
is called yagua. German’s brother asked if I wanted to borrow a satchel that is
used for the storage of coca; it was a situation where I couldn’t say no. I
watched German’s brother work on some motorcycles for a bit, and then I headed
back to my room for some tea and rest.
I
don’t feel the same sinking feeling I did the night before, which is a good
sign. I am also trying to distract myself with other things, so I don’t have
thoughts about the lack of familiarity. I think the darkness has a peculiar
effect on humans that live close to nature. I am happy to have Bob Marley
playing in the background while I write a few thoughts; he gives my mood a
boost with his calm and happy words.
