Farewell to Bolivia

I took off my aguayo tinted glasses a couple months ago because I began to realize that my time in Bolivia was coming to an end. It was a slightly painful realization to know that more than a year and half had gone by, and the preparation to move back the USA had to begin if I wanted the transition to go smoothy. 

While I start the transition, I am attempting to be present in Bolivia for the last week and half of my time here. I recently had my goodbye party with my partner organization. My favorite highlight of the party was the arrival of my Bolivian "dad", German Perez. I lived with German part time for the first 16 months or so I was working in Bolivia. We had spent many hours together working, talking, joking, all while using both of ours second language. I had so many words of appreciation for him during the goodbye party that they all got muddled up in to just a few words. 

I would like to say thank you for all those that have been supporting me from far away and from close by! I also hope that you guys have learned a little bit about the reality of Bolivia and the life of a volunteer worker. Below are a few pictures of the last couple months of time in Bolivia. 

German and I after the goodbye party. The community of Totorani gave me a "Chuspa"; the knitted bag around my neck. Most people use the bag to store coca or money. A very cherished memory! 

A final picture with twins that attend the after school program I volunteered at the last few months. 

Cesar, my coworker at the after school program for kids that have a parent/guardian in the prison system. 

The kids I helped at the after school program. I mainly helped them with English homework.

Edgar and I. He was my coworker/friend in the agriculture project I worked the first year and half in Bolivia. We spent a lot of time together. I will truly miss him. 

Tigre Delta, Argentina with my lovely girlfriend, Hady!

Cordillera Tunari and Adobe Kitchen Stoves

The last trip I took out to Cocapata was almost a failure, i.e.,  we almost had to turn around because a snow drift blocked the way.

Fortunately there are two ways to reach Cocapata, so we turned around and drove towards the route that passes by a the construction of a dam. The road by the dam is a little more dangerous than the other route because of the potato trucks and increased amount of moisture that causes potholes and ruts. Part of the dam route is only wide enough for one vehicle, and there are few areas wide enough to allow vehicles to pass.

We had to backtrack a couple miles to reach the split in the road in order to take the dam route. We are around 14,000ft above sea level in this photo. 

Construction of the Misicuni dam has been going on for the past 30 years or so; corruption and failure by contracters has resulted in the delay. The road we were on provides a great view of the front and back of the dam. Unfortunately, I won't see the end of the construction. 

We arrived in Totorani in the afternoon for a quick meeting with the agriculture association about the construction of effecient adobe stoves, and then we began the first part of the construction process. The efficient adobe stoves will reduce the amount of wood used to cook the food (wood is already a limited resource in the high Andes while cutting down more trees promotes soil erosion). The main wood burning adobe stove that the residents in rural communities utilize don't have chimneys and expose an excessive amount of flames. Breathing  an excessive amount of smoke during food preperation is common and disproportionately effects the female population. Many children are vulnerable to fire related injuries due to the  proximity the original adobe stove is to the floor.

The first part in the process is building the base on which the stove will sit, the original inefficient adobe still will need to be removed if the family wishes to build in the same spot. The base prevents the need to bend over to stir, reach, handle, etc. the food.

The base of the stove can be built many different ways, German decided to build his using a left over piece of metal. Storage space for firewood is available below. 

The smoke damage is very noticable on the walls of this kitchen. 

Another kitchen stove base. 

This is a hole from the inside of the house to the outside that will serve has a passageway for the smoke. The chimney will be made out of adobe bricks with a circular hole in the middle.

The rebar is used to support the adobe that will be placed on top. The mud around the rear and the base is a mixture of clay, cow or donkey manure, cactus juice, and sifted soil. 

The cactus needed to be peeled and chopped then soaked in water for a minimum of 24 hours. The liquid excreted from the cactus will be used to strengthen the mud mixture, making it stickier and resistent to heat.

German is putting the finishing touches on the stovetop. The gold colored metal square will be used as a small oven. 

The finished product. The size of the firewood entrance hole will be reduced with more adobe. The holes for the pots were constructed with their own pots in order to have the best combustion. 

Another cookstove made from a different color of clay. The chimney is located in the exterior of the building.

The adobe cookstoves will help promote the organizations commitment to sustainable development. The reduced amount of firewood needed to cook food with decrease the amount of time needed to collect firewood, which will lead to more time dedicated to another task! This project has been very rewarding and for me, the project is comparable with the irrigation system I helped put in upon my arrival. 

A vicuña running through the snow. 

A herd of vicuñas. This is the normal size of a herd. Vicuñas stay in a certain area throughout their lives. They are only used for their coat and cannot be legally domesticated in Bolivia. The coat of the vicuña is considered the finest amoung cameloids. 

A snowy view of Huaripucara. 

Cordillera Tunari!

Keeping Calm

I am sitting in the work space at a local Cochabamba cafe trying to think about the next steps I will take in life. The thoughts come slowly, but processing them in a methodical manner is off the table. There seems to be no way to compartmentalize what will happen in the next few months, things are up in the air...again (wait, isn't that always the case, trying to find rhythm in chaos). One thing that stabilizes mode is my relationship to my girlfriend of almost two months; something lovely, wonderful is going on here, ya know that hard to describe love stuff, eso esta pasando.

Work problems seem to be a theme that I have used in my past blogs; being part of a new program in a new country tends to feed this perceived mess, combined with uncharted territory into feelings that I have yet experienced.

After the move from living in the country in the community of Totorani to a more permanent living situation in Cochabamba, I began to form a community in Cochabamba. I was very happy for the opportunity to have more time to explore the city and be closer to a population that is more similar to my population back home. I enjoyed the peaceful, simple life that living in the country offered, but I found it difficult to assimilate to the lack of social life, my perception of the lack of social life. Like I said before, I initially left Totorani due to political strife the family I was living with received due to my residence in their house, not an easy situation to resolve. So I left, but I also made several return trips to help my co-worker with trainings. I was able to manage my schedule of being in the city three weeks and then spends two weeks in the country.  Little by little this way of working was breaking down my flexibility and my ability to perform the work that I came to Bolivia to "accomplish". I eventually came to a fork in the road, continue to promote the project in the country while taking shots at my mental stability or start the search for a stable life in the city for the remaining 3 months I have left in Bolivia.

I decided to start the process in transitioning from my work in the country to work in the city. I have yet to see what that will look like, so I am still going through a stressful time of transition. Luckily I have friends to help me through the situation along with the Dude up the sky and maybe a little rap music.

Continually trying to be in the moment while my end date approaches has me repeating a mantra, "This. Here. Now.", and always reminding myself that keeping calm in the midst of change is a must. I sign off.

Thoughts on the (Un)Islamic State

I have finally decided to voice my opinion about the atrocious acts of Islamic State (IS), and contemplate on the question that everybody is trying to answer, “How to respond?” Unfortunately some have already responded to the question with violence. My perceived radical Christian views tell me that responding to an already violent conflict is in contradiction with The Way that Jesus gave us about 2,000 years ago. The previous point can be argued extensively, if the followers of Jesus should use any type of violence. I will continue with my post on the assumption that the followers of Jesus should refrain from using any types of violent force. I also believe that a non-violent resolution is philosophically approachable by atheists and other religious communities, not just Christians.

                The answer that most governments, like the United States, have reached, is to use violence to eradicate the perceived enemy. The perceived enemy might even be considered by some as a created enemy, or an enemy that could have been prevented if certain past violent actions or economic sanctions were not taken. Did the US and other Western countries create the enemy we see today? I don’t know the answer to the question, but I do believe we should consider the origin of IS in order to accurately assess the path that should be taken in order to eliminate the current violence.  

                We obviously can’t let the violence continue. The recent massacre of yet to be confirmed Ethiopian Christians in Libya as showed on a recently released video is inexcusable, but it seems that the recent rise in martyrs hasn’t stopped even though some territories have been taken back from the opposition. Creating a conservation with IS seems to be an appropriate first step. The dilemma that we confront is the lack of negotiation that IS leaders have. I am far removed from the situation, so coming up with real solutions without being on the ground is next to impossible. I only hope that confessed Christians would find a different way to “fight” the violence that both the supposed good and bad are producing. In the end, I think, the choice between someone dying and living should be in the hands of God, not in the hands of drone pilot sitting in a comfortable chair a thousand miles away, or the wielder of a very sharp sword.

                Back to starting the conversation with the “enemy”. IS appears to want a supposed Islamic Caliphate, but most of the over 1.5 billion Muslims would agree that ISIS is creating an “Un-Islamic State”, which I would agree with. I am not a Qur’an scholar, so I couldn’t say if the Qur’an actually supports the view of IS, but after reading the five pillars of Islam, I could say that none of the five pillars support the violence that is being used by IS. An outsider view of the Bible would also display the same image, that killing is not allowed, hints the 5^th commandment given to Moses. There seems to be just as many “Christians” who support killings as there are “Muslims”, and maybe even more “Christians” supporters considering Christianity has almost one billion more followers.

                Rather than trying to talk to the leaders of IS, we should talk to the folks behind the scenes. The people giving money to the cause, the people trying to live within IS’s territory. Starting a grassroots movement against IS supported by former members of IS is one idea. The amount of lives lost has not reached the toll left behind the Third Reich, and within the Third Reich there was opposition. Some lost their lives to supporting the truth, like Sophie Scholl of the White Rose non-violent resistance group. The resistance groups trying to undermine the Nazis were small and probably a bit unorganized, but they sought a kind of peace that can’t be achieved through the use of violent force. The end of the Third Reich was brought down by violent force, but have we really seen the end of groups like the Third Reich?

                The answer to the problem of IS won’t be found in my blog post, but it also won’t be found in bombs and bullets. The answer might be found in government budgets. The amount in the military defense budget of the US far exceeds the amount of foreign economic aid that the government gives. Does this mean that US tax dollars are killing people more than they are helping people; this might be true. I wonder how the world would look like if the spending was flipped.

                My view of the subject might seem unrealistic and naïve, but I think the naïve view is the one that most governments support. Obviously it is not working! We can’t stand by and watch our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ parish (meaning all humans). I call for all Christians to become supporters of proactive nonviolence that Jesus teaches us, and may we never concede to support a war or any war that could never be just under the eyes of God.

I offer up a simple prayer-

Dear Lord,

I ask that you might strengthen our faith in the words and actions that your son Jesus Christ gave us many years ago. I also ask that you be with the families that are suffering from violence and persecution. May you also guide those that have vast amounts of control over the lives of your people, ALL humans. I pray that you will guide those individuals and ourselves to always choose non-violence when faced with evil. May you always be with us, Lord! Amen

On Yerba Mate

I would like to explain a recent drink discovery. My new choice beverage mainly has its origins in Argentina, but can also be found in other South American countries. It is known as Yerba Mate, and is normally drank out of gourd or wooden matero with a metal straw or bombilla. I started drinking after a friend from the US visited Argentina, and decided to buy one herself. My matero is made from a dense wood from the Bolivian Amazon region, hopefully it wasn’t logged illegally.

My matero. The crack in the side has formed over time. I eventually hope to buy a gourd matero or maybe even a metal one, and I also wish it was bigger. 

                There are certain customs surrounding the ritual of drinking Yerba Mate. The drink is usually shared between several individuals, creating a connection between each person as the matero is passed around the circle. I associate some of the sharing qualities that Yerba Mate displays with chewing coca leaves, although the customs are quite different. Chewing coca within a group is not as rule heavy, but both have origins in the indigenous cultures of South America. Yerba Mate having its origin within the Guarani people, and coca having its roots within the western part of South America, mainly the Andean region.

About a quarter to a third of the matero is filled with Yerba Mate, then very hot water is added after. 

                A few rules pertaining to the sharing of Yerba Mate include the person who brought the YM takes the first drink; this is to make sure the ratio of YM to scalding out water is proportionally correct, of course this depends on the person. Never say “thank you” if you want to drink more; saying “thank you” implies that you don’t want anymore. This can be a problem for overly grateful persons. The person who owns the matero always refills the matero. Within some groups, the amount of time taken to drink the matero dry is limited, but I tend to be tranquilo to this aspect. If one of the members in the group doesn’t completely drink the matero dry, the owner of the matero must finish it before refilling it for the next person. Never move the bombilla, if you do, the YM has to be prepared again (sediment will enter the drink mix, making the drink unappealing). I feel that some of these rules are subjective; I believe a trip to Argentina is in order to learn the etiquette surrounding YM.

                I have nearly forgotten the allure of chewing coca after having started to drink YM, which I consider a blessing. The adverse effects of coca are much stronger than those of YM. Chewing coca can lead to the receding of gums and enamel decay, so the allure of drinking YM in place of chewing coca is obviously more alluring, of course you couldn’t say that to an avid coca chewer. Ha!

                

All for Him

“Before reaching the final line, however, he had already understood that he would never leave that room, for it was foreseen that the city of mirrors (or mirages) would be wiped out by the wind and exiled from the memory of men at the precise moment 
when Aureliano Babilonia would finish deciphering the parchments, and that everything written on them was unrepeatable since time immemorial and forever more, because races condemned to one hundred years of solitude did not have a second opportunity on earth.” 

-          Garcia Gabriel Marquez, One Hundred Years of Solitude

I continually have to remind myself of the reasons why I am living in Bolivia. There are several reason on the surface that I could you share, but the final, internal reason is that I am here because I believe I am answering a call from God. This might seem trivial and literally unbelievable by folks outside of the belief in God, or even outside of rationality. I think even reasoning has its limits. If I reason that I could have finished my degree and be making money to buy a new house, have a family etc. Would these things bring me joy? Anyway, there is not that much to contemplate on the subject because I have already made the decision to spend two years in Bolivia.

I haven’t felt right about writing the last three months, and I apologize to all of you who have followed my petty words. I believe I fell into a low part in my service, a small bout of depression; this was probably self-induced and perpetuated by bad habits. I am writing now because I believe I have passed that part in my term here. After seeing and feeling the consequences of escaping my life; I have made a vuelta back to a truly rewarding and enriching life. I have come to embrace the absurdity of life, which to some makes life worth living.

I am still trying to find the source of my lapse in living a good life; maybe it was due to the lack of philosophizing about how to live a good life—como vivir bien? I also think about the work I am doing here, or maybe the lack of work I am doing here. I have always had a job or a purpose that kept me busy, but currently my work has been a bit boring. I have found that embracing the boringness of my job by finding new things to learn has helped me seek a way out of an impasse.

I recently finished One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez; the book is filled with beautiful prose depicting magical moments in the history of a village tucked away in a tropical rainforest that might as well be the history of every Latin American country, as a friend recently described the book. The book continually brings up the cyclical nature of time, that way time repeats itself. I thought about the cyclical nature of time and events in relation to Latin America. Is the colonization of Latin America repeating itself again? I think it is rather a continuation of a problem that has never been completely solved. The exploitive relationships that Latin America has with Western countries continues to affect the daily lives of the people that live here. I can’t point out examples of exploitation that can be felt within an individual, I can only guess. My guesses would be mixed up with the misuse of taxes and corruption of government officials and other issues that don’t have a direct connection with outside exploitation.

The peach season has finally come to end, and the mandarin season is about to begin. I only wish that the peaches were as delicious as the peaches found in the hot summers outside the backdoor of my parent’s house. I am happier for the mandarin season because I believe the mandarins taste better here than in the US. Cochabamba is the perfect place to have fresh fruits and vegetables all year round. The sub-tropical environment of the city of Cochabamba is perfect for growing peaches, strawberries, onions, carrots, limes, lemons, peppers, avocadoes, etc.  I don’t know if there is a fruit or vegetable that can’t be grown in the department of Cochabamba. The department of Cochabamba has three main climate zones: Andean region, sub-tropical/valley, and tropical. These three regions make access to a variety of food sources that keep eating a variety of dishes cheap. I will write a more thorough examination of the food/diet of Cochabamba in the future.

 The construction of a Maca factory is underway in Totorani, and should be finished by the end of May. 

We are in the process of saying goodbye to these chickens, and also the people of Mizque and Aiquile. Our projects in these two regions will come to end, and we will begin the new three project only located in the high mountainous region of Ayopaya. 

A field of potatoes along the road leading to Cocapata. 

I escaped Cochabamba one weekend to visit the beautiful beaches of Iquique, Chile.

A friend invited me to eat Lambreado de Conejo Cuy. The dish includes a fried rabbit, potatoes, chuno, and vegatables. 

A couple of friends and I made a trip to Uyuni to see the famous Salar de Uyuni (Salar de Tunapa). 

The salt flat covers and area of 4,086 sq mil of land, making it the biggest salt flat in the world. 

There are several small "islands" located within the salar. This island has a lot of big cactuses. This island was named Incahuasi (House of Inca in Quechua). 

My sister made me a heart from Perler beads before I left, so I decided to take a picture of it on the Salar. The Salar is a great place to take relative size photos. 

There are some amazing mountains and volcanoes that are in the same region as the Salar de Tunapa.

Amazing rock formations!

Train brakes along the Bolivian-Chilean border. 

Christmas and The New Year

This week I have been debating on writing about my recent excursion during Christmas break, partly because it felt weird to have a vacation that didn't involve my relatives. I almost decided to not go on vacation because I travel so much for my job, but I had to do something or I would regret it later.

I am not going to write very much about each location I went to; I will try to let the pictures explain the places. I spent Christmas with the family I live with, but before Christmas I had a little bit of time to travel. I decided to take a two day trip to explore the city of Sucre.

Sucre - The White City of Bolivia

Most of the streets in Sucre are narrow, and there are laws against painting your house a color other than white (especially in the city center). 

La Recoleta in Sucre

I spoke to a young man selling bracelets about the Recoleta, and he informed me that the government paints this area about five times a year. They always want it looking super white for the tourists! 

Lock of love that will forever be at the Recoleta.

The Franciscan monastery in at the other side of the Recoleta. 

 Inside the Catholic church Santa Ana. These chairs are made of cedar wood. The area around Sucre was once filled with cedar trees, but they have mostly been cut down.

Very Ornate!

Tiahuanco/Tiwanaku - a Pre-Incan civilization and now an extensive anthropological dig site, very cool!

A map of the main site. The map shows what the area looked like more than 1000 years ago. 

"Monolito Franz" with myself. The monolito is named after the guy who discovered it, Franz Tamayo. 

The famous "Puerta del Sol". The door was used to calculate the position of the sun, it has since been moved. It was moved by Spanish colonizers to stop the religious practices of the people of Tiahuanco. 

This is a thousand year old megaphone. The hole is said to have been ornately with gold, and this would have improved it's capacity to be megaphone. 

The entrance to the "Sun Temple". The shaman or priest figure was supposedly the only person who used this entrance. 

This was the entrance to the "Sun Temple" used by spectators, and also the entrance we used, ha!

 One part of the "La Cruz Andina" or the Chakana (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chakana ) that was used to gaze at the stars when filled with water. The majority of the cross has been destroyed.  Take a look at the first photo to orient yourself to the former design of the temple.

At one of the entrances to the "Sky Temple" that was used for star gazing. The site is currently going through lots of conservation and reconstruction. They cover the dig site with a thick layer of mud to prevent the erosion of the dig site during the rainy season. 

The Chakana, but it has an extra step. The cross has exactly 28 parts. It supposedly tracked the cycle of the moon, and also helped track the menstrual cycle, preventing unwanted pregnancy. The people of Tiwanaku didn't have lots of children like the current people of this area. The guide said that he has 10 brothers and sisters. 

The Temple Kalasasaya, the subterranean temple with more than 150 faces embedded in the walls. This is a reconstruction, but the heads are all original. The reconstruction is said to be less precise than the original. The people of  Tiwanaku were incredible builders, which leads to theories that extraterrestrials helped them. 

Among the faces is this one, which could be the face of an alien. Do you want to believe? 

The biggest stone in the picture is over 120 tons, and was moved over 5K to its current position. Again, do you want to believe? Haha!

I was able to spend a couple days in Copacabana and a night on the Island of Sun. 

At the Straight of Tiquina. You have to cross on a ferry to get to Copacabana. 

A view of Copacabana.

Lake Titicaca is the largest and highest navigable lake in the world. The surface of the lake rests at 12,507 ft.

There are several small islands on the the lake, and the Island of the Sun is the largest.

I had the opportunity to camp on the Island of the Sun. The weather is rainy the entire time I was there, so I didn't get much sun. Ha!

Horca del Inca, an ancient Incan observatory located above Copacabana on the hill Kesanani.

A view from the trail that runs across the Island of the Sun. There are about 2500 residents on the island.

The last part of my vacation was spent on a trail the Incas made for trading, El Choro. The trail starts high up in the Andes and then ends in a tropical mountainous area of Bolivia called the Yungas. 

The start of the trail was cloudy and a bit chilly.

The fog continued for most of the path, but pasture started to appear. Parts of the trail are flagstoned. At one time, the whole trail was flagstoned, but large parts of it have been eroded away.

Then trees started to appear. 

After another hour or two, everything around me was very wet jungle. I saw several different species of butterflies, but I couldn't capture many photos because I only have a small digital camera. Supposedly there are exotic birds, but it was difficult to see very much due to the density of the forest combined with the steep slopes of the mountains.

Los Yungas at their best! 

The days it takes to dry clothes in the Yungas, the amount I don't know. The one night I stayed in the Yungas, I slept hard on hard ground. I did try llama for the first time, which is quite unusual considering the location.

The trail would be impassable if it wasn't for this bridge and several others like it.

Flowers of the Yungas. 

There was a Japanese hermit that inhabited a small camping site in Sandillani along the Choro trail. His name was Tamiji Hanamura, and he fled Japan to escape serving in the army. He lived there for the majority of his life, and he never left his little area in the Yungas. I was hoping to meet him, but he died a couple years before I arrived. The Lonely Planet guide I borrowed from the library said otherwise, but it is the 2011 edition. Ha!

The best banana I have ever eaten. 

I swear there were waterfalls at every turn, but this one seemed to be the most impressive.

An iridescent beetle. 

 After the most painful three hours of downhill hiking I arrived at the end of  the trail. The first day of walking in the rain, and the second day of walking in wet boots turned my feet into two giant blisters. 

After a week and half of travel I was glad to return to the heart of Bolivia, Cochabamba. I look forward to my work in the new year, and the opportunities to learn and grow. Thank you to all who read my blog!