Celebrating Thanksgiving in Coch

My organization celebrated Thanksgiving a couple of days early. We got together with the other entities - the religious fathers, brothers, and sisters - so it was quite a gathering. There was a lot of great food, a couple of attempts to re-create what we are used to in the U.S., and a wonderful reflection time where we thought about and expressed what we were thankful for. I am so grateful for all of you, my family and friends!

My contributions to the feast were some green bean casseroles and a huge crunchy green salad. It took me most of the day to make enough for the 35+ people who gathered together, so it was gratifying that everything was gone at the end of the dinner. Enjoy the pictures.



One holiday down, one to go!

Uuuuh, donkey milk?

There are a lot of strange things that happen here. Here is little story about one of them: Every day, on my commute to work, I´ve noticed a corner where there are 3-4 donkeys and their owner just hanging out. My friend Emily told me that this is the famous spot in Cochabamba to buy donkey milk. Huh? Did you read that right? Yes, indeed you have. The woman literally milks the donkey and hands a cup of the steaming milk over to you for just 5 bolivianos (about US $0.70). What is the draw here? During a cab ride, I asked one of my Bolivian coworkers if this was a popular drink. She made a face, but the cab driver jumped right into the conversation, explaining that donkey milk was known to cure all sorts of things, like diabetes and arthritis. It was also great for your skin. I asked him how it tasted, and he exclaimed, "It´s delicious!" Part of me wanted to laugh out loud, but I held it in as I didn´t want to offend this sweet old gentleman. Another part of me was gagging. Is this one of those instances where you say, ¨Don´t knock it until you´ve tried it?" I have to say, I found this fascinating. I even went so far as looking this up online - and sure enough, there are people out there who advocate for donkey´s milk, saying it is more nutritious than cow´s milk. I´m still not about to get in line for a cup!

Over the hump?

It's been awhile since I've updated my blog. . . sorry to my loyal readers. I have been almost completely consumed with work and trying to have a bit of a social life. For about 1.5 months, I was working two jobs, trying to figure out which one I should stick with. One was at a domestic violence transitional living center for women, the other was at a community center/social justice center. I was getting sick a lot more often because I was run down and over-extended. So, after some soul-searching and chatting with a few seasoned missioners, I parted ways with the women's living center and am currently focusing on the community center. I am working in the social promotion program, which basically means I am working with families in the neighborhood. We try to meet the various needs - educational scholarships, making sure kids get meals by signing them up for the food program, helping widows pay their electricity bills, giving workshops on various topics so that people know their rights, and really just listening to people. It has been quite rewarding so far. Some days are really intense - I love going on house visits, but it is hard for me to see how people are forced to live and when they break down and cry, I cry right along with them. Luckily, there are often glimmers of hope in even the darkest of situations.
Halloween isn't too big here, but I was invited to a party filled with other gringos. I dressed up as a bunch of grapes.
It was fun for the initial reactions I received, but I quickly realized that I couldn't move through the room without bumping into lots of people. Happily, I had talked to my sister earlier in the day and she had suggested to not put too many balloons near my bum, and I was able to sit down, although not too comfortably.
All Saints/All Souls is a much bigger deal. On midday of the first of November the gates of heaven are open so that the dead return to earth, where they will remain until midday of the second of November. Families and friends of the deceased usually prepare a table filled with a special bread called "tantawawas", it also has fruits, candies, drinks and the photographs of their dead relatives, so that they are able to come and share for a while these things. All these preparations are made in the home of the families and afterwards they go to the cemetery where their relatives are buried taking with them the different "offerings". In the cemetery you will find children singing and praying for the souls, if you give them some money or some food they will pray or sing for your dead relatives. In some places in the rural areas the bones of dead relatives will be taken out of the ground so that they receive the offerings in a more direct way.
All Saints ratifies the Andean balance between the living and the dead. The dead or rather, the spirits, watch over their living relatives and these must respect and honor the memories of the deceased. The breads, candies and drinks – especially the chicha- are food that can be good for the dead in special dates like this. It is a really cool celebration. I thought it was going to be morbid - it was anything but!
The other social thing I tried to set up is a bowling league. I figured I should take advantage of living in the center of Cochabamba while I can and since there is a bowling alley near my home, it seemed like a good idea. I sent out emails trying to drum up interest and picked a day of the week that the alley was typically slow. I should use the term 'league' loosely. We don't have proper teams, as the people who attend week to week vary. But there are a few loyal players and hopefully with a bit more time, we'll formally get a league going. Wish me luck!
I've been in Bolivia for roughly 11 months now. There have been ups and downs. (more ups, thankfully!) I feel like things are falling into place and hope that I am over the hump in the biggest parts of culture shock. Although, the holidays ARE right around the corner . . . hm!