Things that bite

My orientation of the Andean region is in full swing. The first stop was in Puno, Peru. It is located on the altiplano (high plains - around 13,500 ft) of the Andes, on the shores of Lake Titicaca. I was only there a week, but I really fell in love with the area and the people. It is a smaller city (around 150,000 people vs. Cochabamba's 800,000+) and has a small-town feel to it. For example, the movie theatre was showing Titanic (c. 1997). I am not sure if it was a re-run at the theater or not, but wow! Everything closes down relatively early, except for the tourist area (of course!). In order to get a feel for the broader area, I took a short trip out to three islands (one made of reeds, two on rock) on Lake Titicaca. I even got roped into trying on the local costumes. The local guide called me "Uros Barbie". Uros are a pre-Incan people that live on forty-two self-fashioned floating man-made islets in Lake Titicaca.
I've included a picture of the demonstration we had of how exactly the reeds manage to stay afloat. There are interesting things to eat in Peru. For example, guinea pig is common. It's called cuy (pronounced coo-ee). Another popular treat is alpaca. I was not so adventurous as to try either one of these as I am still practicing semi-vegetarianism. However, I heard that they are both tasty to those who enjoy things like greasy chicken and/or grilled venison. I was quite worried that during my overnight stay with the local people on island #2 (foundation of rock, not reeds) I would be forced to eat/pick at whatever they put in front of me, but I was quite happily surprised (relieved!) because we ate strictly vegetarian. Quinoa, potatoes, fava beans, and oca (kind of like a yam, but not). It was delicious! There's a tea in that area called muña, and it helps with your digestion after meals. It is an herb that grows naturally on the islands, I think. Another popular drink here (well, all of Peru, really) is called Pisco Sour. Those are quite good, and although I've tried them in the U.S., there is something about drinking them in Peru. I am told it has to do with the limes.


I had another run-in with my botched up Spanish. When we arrived at the second island and were shown to our host family's house, we got settled in, then ate lunch. Afterwards, our hostess explained that she would take us to the Plaza. And I asked her "What's going to happen at the plaza?" She responded, "Don't worry. Nothing will happen to you, I will be with you." Hm. That wasn't what I meant. . . so, not being a quick learner on these things, I asked again, "Oh, I know you'll be with us, but what will happen at the plaza?" To which she again replied, even slower than before, "Nothing. I . . . will . . . be . . .with . . . you." Now, you may be laughing, but this is quite a humbling experience. Finally, everything clicked for me and I asked her what types of activities were taking place at the plaza. And then I found out that one of the only things to do before nightfall was climbing one of the mountains: Pacha Tata or Pacha Mama. It took us a good 15 minutes of sitting in the plaza with our hostess before we realized we were supposed to be doing something other than watching her knit. (Insert another conversation about me asking what we were supposed to be doing - I'm sure you get the picture!)
After going the longer, alternative way up the mountain (I'm pretty sure it was used more for the locals than the tourists based on the rough, hewn-out path we discovered and the fact that nobody else was around EXCEPT for the one or two odd locals who gave us strange looks) we arrived at the peak of Pacha Tata in time for the sunset. I have to say, it was glorious. No picture really gives it justice, but I've included a shot of it anyway. As the sun quickly sank below the horizon, we realized we would be in complete darkness. Although there is a lot of tourism, there is not a lot of electricity, so we hurried down the mountainside (this time on the appointed tourist path) to meet our hostess. She led us back to her house and we ate our dinner in near-darkness as her kitchen/dining area did not have candles and had only a weak lightbulb which thankfully gave us enough light to distinguish what we were being served. (Yay! No mystery meat!)
All in all, Puno was great. I am sad that I will not have the opportunity in the near future to make it my home, as I have already agreed to stay in Cochabamba. That is one thing that bites.

The second part of my orientation took place in El Alto/La Paz in Bolivia. I was able to get a brief sense of the projects my fellow missioners had done in this area in the years past. I was getting a tour of the projects (a library, medical clinic, etc.) in Senkata (a neighborhood in El Alto) when I noticed two little boys and a dog approaching us. I didn't think anything of it until we had passed them and I felt the dog's mouth close down on my calf. The little bugger didn't even warn me with a growl - just decided to cowardly gnaw at me from behind. He/She made a puncture wound on one side of my calf and broke skin and made a huge bruise on the other side. I cleaned myself up as best I could in the street (with the help of my companions) and then started looking for the dog to find out if it had owners and the necessary shots. The little boys had actually been throwing rocks at said dog, and wanted nothing to do with him/her. After inquiring after the dog from several local people, it appeared to be owner-less, so I limped off to the local clinic where the wound was scrubbed out with a brush (ouch!) and I was referred to a bigger clinic so that I could start my rabies vaccination. Sigh. I was hoping the dog could just be watched for a week and if it died, THEN I would start the rabies treatment. But, no, the rules are if there is no owner and there are rabies cases in the area, you are obligated to undergo the treatment. Street dogs be damned. I finished off my 7 days of shots without too much bother and only have 3 more to go. Lesson learned: Carry a big stick or rock to fend yourself off with in case there are dogs in the barrio.

The Falls

To celebrate the end of language school, I took a short trip to Iguazu Falls with my fellow missioner, Michelle. These are waterfalls located on the borders of Paraguay, Brazil, and Argentina. It was breathtaking to be there, especially when the sun was out. It is located in a sub-tropical area, so it was warmer than Cochabamba in the winter. Michelle and I had one 'adventure day' where we zip-lined (canopyed) above the tree line and rapelled down a rock face. It was really cool and surprisingly safe. :) Sadly, I did not practice my castellano as much as I would have hoped. The Spanish I heard in Argentina has such a strong accent (with a mix of Portuguese) that I gave up and just started saying "si" to almost everything. The Spanish spoken in Paraguay was much clearer, but with a mix of an indigenous language, Guarani.

While visiting the area, I also took in a jewel mine (mostly amethyst) and one of the modern marvels of the world, the Itaipu hydroelectric dam. It was a nice trip, but I was really happy to get back to Bolivia where everything is much, much cheaper.

Going native?

Here are a couple of pictures of me in my native afro-boliviano outfit, and dancing the Saya. It was fun. I don't think you could look any less afro boliviano than me, but the people loved it. Enjoy! (These dresses make you look big, so no, Dad, I am not super fat. Ha, ha!)

Language school officially over!

Yippee! Language school is over. I officially graduated yesterday and then celebrated with my classmates in fine style with a talent show followed by a banquet and dance. Gotta love Bolivia - almost any celebration includes dancing. :)

I leave for Paraguay on Wednesday, June 17th, to visit the Waterfalls of Iguazu for a short vacation but first I get to visit the Paraguayan consulate in Bolivia where they have assured me that it takes just a day to get a vistor's visa. Hm. I've scheduled 3 days just in case! Wish me luck.

In other news, I celebrated a birthday recently and thought I should document what I look like at this age and since I only had a webcam, this is it. Thanks to everyone who remembered the day and/or sent me something in the mail. Maybe someday that mail will actually make it to me.
My bolivian host mom cooked all of my favorite dishes and made a fabulously huge rum cake. It was delicious - seems that Bolivians show love through food!

I'll post some vacation pix the next time I write. In July I start my orientation and will start working. I can't wait!

Coch it is!!

Well, it´s final. I will be living in Cochabamba full-time. I will NOT be moving to El Alto after language school is finished. After a long and soul-searching series of meetings, the members of my region (and I) decided that it would be best for me and the other new missioner, Michelle, to stay put in Cochabamba. At first I had a really hard time with the idea of staying here. It didn´t feel right and I had put all of my hopes and dreams into a city/location that was in the altiplano. I was looking forward to the cold, to seeing my breath in the morning, to living in a place that was almost 100% indigenous. BUT, things have changed and I am now happy that I will be able to stay in Cochabamba, known as the land of eternal spring. (Eternal Spring? Hm. We´ll see about that.)

I did have the opportunity recently to visit La Paz/El Alto and both cities are wonderful and I will definitely be back there when I can fit in a visit. The feel is completely different from Cochabamba. Definitely more cosmopolitan in La Paz and more ´campo´-like in El Alto. El Alto is located outside of La Paz and it is starkly beautiful in my opinion. There are mountains surrounding both cities and the air is very thin. You really have to work at just walking around. (13,500 ft. above sea level)

The next questions will be: Where will I live in Cochabamba? Where will I work? What will my life look like? Exciting and a bit scary at the same time. I´ve been really spoiled here so far. As I´ve been in a language program, I have been living with a host family who makes all of my meals, does my laundry, etc. I am actually looking forward to having more control over what I will eat but I will miss my host family and the area of the city in which I have been living. Wherever I do live will be in a poorer area and I think both Michelle and I aspire to live outside of the city of Cochabamba in a rural area. Yikes. . . my only requirement so far has been that there is running water. Yeah, I´ll get back to you guys on that. hahaha

Let me know if you have any questions. I´m winding down my time in language school. 2.5 weeks to go! Woohoo! Immediately afterwards I am trying to take a ´cheap´vacation. Wish me luck.