What do dogs, the middle of the bread, germs and eucalyptus have in common?

CULTURE in Bolivia! Each day that goes by, I’m able to recognize more and more things in the culture here in Cochabamba that I didn’t recognize before, so I’m going to share just some of them with you. Please though, don’t take any of this as overall truth—simply my own observations of my tiny glimpse of Bolivia thus far.

Let’s start with the perros. Every day I see dogs roaming around. The interesting thing is that people have dogs as pets and yet there are also so many stray dogs. I haven’t had to do this yet, but I’ve been told that if one is approaching me in a menacing manner, all I need to do is bend down like I’m going to pick up a rock and they’ll go away. Apparently they often have rocks thrown at them, which I don’t fully support but in a moment of possible danger, I definitely won’t hesitate to “pick up a rock”.

Another thing I see every day is people outside washing their cars. Every day. All times of the day. My dad would fit right in here.

He might not however take part in this next daily ritual. At the language institute, we have a coffee break every day about 9:45am. There’s coffee, black tea, sugar, cream, bread and an empty basket laid out on the table. It took me a while to get up the nerve to ask someone but I finally asked why I saw chunks of the middle of the bread rolls in this basket each day? The answer: people either don’t like it or are trying to watch their weight…not sure which one is more primary. It cracked me up that this would be so accepted and expected that the women would specifically put out a basket to collect the poor, unwanted, neglected middle parts of the bread! Yesterday I asked what happens to these good-for-nothing rejects and I was told that they give them to the guard dogs or just throw them outside for creatures to eat. Oh good, I thought, at least someone appreciates them!

There’s a mix of people I see each day wearing modern clothing and traditional Andean dress. I haven’t been here long enough to distinguish the different types, but one thing I have noticed is that many women use these large pieces of colorful cloth to do so many things: carry children either in front or behind, carry large loads of who knows what, as blankets, or as covers. I was on the bus and a woman lobbed this big load of gas tanks wrapped up in a colorful cloth that was tied in all sorts of knots onto the bus. Really resourceful—I want to learn how to do that!

I think the US Department of Health would have a cow if they came here. I don’t know whether it’s rooted in some corporation’s product or what, but we Americans are pretty sensitive towards germs. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve always loved washing my hands and am still a fan…but I’ll just leave it that the general concern here for sanitation is not quite at the level I’ve been raised to adhere to. And guess what? We’re getting along just fine, and the only health setbacks I’ve had thus far are altitude sickness and a cold, which is now all over. I think everyone’s body is different of course, but thankfully mine is handling the food and drinks marvelously…so far that is!

Speaking of drinks, I went hiking with my host-family on Saturday up this ravine in the mountains and drank the water right out of the stream! It was so cold, fresh, crisp and clean. Mmmm. Never done that in the States before. I also learned about a bunch of different herbs, how to identify them and what they’re good for. For example, there were lots and lots of eucalyptus trees and as we driving up this bumpy “trail” my 12-year-old host-cousin reached out the window and grabbed some leaves. I was told to put some in between my hands, rub my palms together and then inhale—wow, does that clean out your sinuses or what? It was amazing and smelled really good. My hands continued to smell like eucalyptus for two days. You can see pictures in my picasa web album.

Each morning, my host mother wakes up and cooks breakfast and lunch. Now, when I was working back home, I’d scramble each morning to throw together leftovers from the previous night’s dinner or make a sandwich to take with me for lunch. Not so here. Lunch is the big meal of the day and I think that’s why it’s given more attention. I really appreciate it, especially knowing how hard it is to wake up early for work as it is. Each day it’s something different – what a gift!

I’ll conclude with another cultural difference having to do with dogs, to bring this full circle: they walk in and out of the church while mass is going on and it’s no big deal. I’ve been told this happens from different friends in Peru, and I guess it happens here too!

Church was a little different in another way too: the collection on Sunday in all churches in Bolivia went towards Haiti. While suffering, loss and destruction are not desirable by any means, it never ceases to amaze me how it often opens us up for solidarity and reaching outside ourselves in acts of unity. I mean, one of the poorest countries in South America is not any less a part of the human family than a rich country and they recognize that when one part is hurting, it only makes sense to help them out. It’s a beautiful reminder to me in the midst of all this war and bickering in politics, that there’s an incredible amount of virtue out there, in each of us, if only we allow it to come to the surface and guide us.

5 Things I’m thankful for today: finding DVD’s of the only TV show I watch—really cheered me up when I was feeling gloomy; fresh tomatoes from the garden; light and electricity; skype; patient teachers.

For more pictures, go to: http://picasaweb.google.com/nora.pfeiffer

Tour of Cochabamba on Sat. 1.16.10

Paseo de Cochabamba: On Saturday I went on a tour of Cochabamba with others at the language institute here and it was good to get a little more orientation. The pictures start with our first stop at a plaza. Keep in mind we saw some really nice parts of the city – there’s a LOT of poverty here but visiting some of those places will come in a couple weeks.


 
 
 
 

After we went to a couple plazas including one where the cathedral is, we went up to the Cristo de la Concordia, the big statue of Christ. It is on top of a mountain and overlooks the valley. It was beautiful but my body just doesn’t like being so high. One day maybe.

Afterwards we went to this beautiful place to eat lunch and relax for the afternoon. The restaurant/place of refuge is called Tolavi and is in Tiquipaya, just 20 min. east of where I’m living. Can you believe the gardens and the beautiful buildings??? The guy who started it used to work at the institute.





Afterwards, we came back to the language institute and I took some pictures around the campus, also very beautiful. I feel like I’m somewhere else when I’m here because they take such good care of the grounds and make it a very comfortable peaceful place. For more pictures, go to http://picasaweb.google.com/nora.pfeiffer

A couple other thoughts to share: for my host family, Saturday afternoons are the big extended family lunch gatherings after they get back from church (they’re Adventists). It’s a wonderful meal and this upcoming Sunday we’re going out to Anita’s brother’s place.

So, tell me, when was the last time you went out on a Friday night and only spent $7? A group of us went to the movie theater and out to eat afterwards plus 2 taxi rides and it all cost me $7. I of course will not be doing this every day, but not too shabby when the occasion does arise. I learned how to play “chaco” – a common game played in Bolivia, generally while consuming beverages but not always the case, very much like yahtzee. When we crossed over the “river” to go to dinner, there were lots and lots of soap suds in at the points where it dropped maybe a foot or so…don’t see that every day either.

Our friend here, Iggy a Franciscan priest, told us on Sunday that he got to do something pretty exciting that morning. After months of planning he went out to the country to bless the plots of 32 families who will build their homes in a coordinated project of Habitat for Humanity, San Anthony OFM Missionary Province of Bolivia and Saint Vincent De Paul Foundation. They are all families with no land or house. They will build their houses into homes together over the next months. It has taken them over two years to get the whole project in order to begin. The way Iggy described the absolute joy in these families to see where they’d have a place of their own that wouldn’t be taken away because someone else claims to own the land or they can’t come up with enough money for rent…he said it was incredible.

The value of reciprocity and A grandmother’s secret

I love Spanish! Today is Monday and the 4th day of official language class for me. The first two days last week were orientation - overview of the institute, method, tour of the campus, health and safety in Cochabamba, living with a Bolivian family, volunteer service opportunities, and presentations from different groups here (Service for mission and leadership in Latin America for example is one group). This is a picture of me (yes, I really am THAT pale and likewise feeling awful because of the altitude on top of the mountain) overlooking the city of Cochabamba on Saturday. More pictures will come next post.

There are 4 classes every day and I will either start at 8am, 8:50am or 11:30am. The time slot changes every 2 weeks and this week it’s 8am for me, so I’m done by 11:30am. We stay in one room and the 4 teachers switch and come to us. We each have one class-mate and mine was a priest from Tongo but is now a sister from Cleveland, OH who will be going to El Salvador. Classes are going well and I’m so grateful to be living with a family because that’s where I get so much practice and learn a lot of vocabulary and culture (a key ingredient in learning a language).

Speaking of my host family, they’re great! I couldn’t have asked for a better fit. One of my fears in coming here was that I’d mostly be offered meat, potatoes and rice. Being a vegetarian who loves fresh produce, this would be an area of real growth for me. As it turns out, the family is very health-conscious and eats lots of fruits and vegetables. The sisters spent a few months in Chile last year with their church. They were talking about how Chileans only eat potatoes, meat and rice and fruits maybe once a month…funny that’s what I thought about parts of Bolivia. I’m so fortunate to be in this fertile valley of “eternal spring” and with a family that likes to eat lots of tofu and eggs, mmmm mmmm good!

Food is important and last night I learned how to make a well-loved typical Bolivian dish, “umpistes” (like Mexican tamales) with “choclo” (corn, but different than US corn –has bigger kernals). I was in my room getting ready to do some homework and my host mother asked me if I was busy. I said no and she invited me, I thought, to learn where the laundry was and how to do it….ha, no. Instead, I spent the next 2 ½ hours learning how to make this dish, which was WAY more fun and interesting than laundry.

Making umpistes involved carefully peeling off the layers of husks (because they will be used later on); cutting off the kernels; putting them into a “mushing” device that mushes the kernels by turning a handle; mixing melted vegetable oil, salt, sugar, and anise with the mush; spooning about 1 c. of the mush onto 2 corn husks partly layered and then wrapped up and tied with a thin husk. These can either be cooked in the oven or steamed in a pot with the de-kerneled cobs on the bottom along with water and anise and then piled to the top with these “mush pouches”, covered and left to cook for about an hour. I had one for dinner at about 9pm when it was FINALLY all said and done and then another for breakfast this morning.

I loved being included in the making of it because it was a real family event – my host mother, her sister-in-law, brother and mother were all there taking part. It’s very sweet to observe the way they treat each other—joking, chatting, and casually rubbing the grandmother’s head, working hard but also enjoying the process and together-ness, not rushing. I couldn’t help but think of how I would be brainstorming with my sisters how to get the task done most efficiently…but that just didn’t matter to them and made the hours much more enjoyable (sorry sisters! I’m learning).

Some other signs that I’m learning new things every day:
1. For the first several days, it was so hard for me to remember NOT to put toilet paper in the toilet…I’ve done it more times than I’d like to remember. I rejoiced the first day I made it all the way through putting it in the trash can 
2. Apparently we don’t get water between 1am-6am. There’s a tank on top of the house and I think we get a tank a day…but I didn’t really understand a lot of that conversation, so I’ll have to get back to you on that
3. We went to the supermercado (supermarket) and my host mom had to put her purse in a locker and took her wallet with her. I guess you can’t carry anything that would allow you to steal? I saw a man in the store speaking English on his cell phone and wearing a Maryknoll hat. He’s a lay missioner here with his family.
4. You always kiss cheek to cheek whenever you meet someone or they enter the room or you enter a room – basically whenever you greet anyone informally. I like that, because it feels like “I think enough of you that I’m going to give you a kiss out of respect”.
5. I’ve been sick with a bad cold, but I’m being so well taken care of! For the past three nights, I’ve been give a cup of hot water with one garlic clove chopped up, honey & lemon to drink right before getting into bed. I was told this is a grandmother’s secret, passed down through the generations and one that I can now pass down to my own children. I felt honored to be in on the secret  Guess what? I’m so much better.

Last weekend, I heard the church bells ring at 8:45 and then again at 9:00. As my host mom and I ate breakfast, we could hear the music very clearly playing over loud speakers. Anita (host mom) told me it was Christmas music and that her past students had told her that music so loud in the morning was not allowed in parts of the US. I agreed that people wouldn’t like being disturbed. She responded that the sisters have helped the neighborhood out a lot – something about getting a water system put in…something very good so people don’t complain.

My host mom walked me just around the corner to the chapel, a smaller church associate with the larger Catholic church about 10 min. away. Afterwards she met me outside with her brother. She explained that there was a neighborhood meeting about to start, and I agreed to stay. They brought the pews/benches from the church out under some trees and just like with mass, people trickled in over the course of the meeting. The meeting began with one man and two women standing up in front of us. We all had a piece of paper with an agenda and things to vote on i.e. to pave certain alleys, to complete a park etc. I don’t’ know what brought this on, but people started standing up and asking to have a word, a “palabra”. They would talk for a while then others would start talking about them to each other or would shout out in argument. Someone would quiet everyone down and then it’d start all over again except with a different person speaking to the group.

At one point an elderly man stood up and when he spoke, people appeared to respect him and clapped for him afterwards. He spoke about us needing to be united as a neighborhood etc. The arguing and interrupting went on for a long time, until finally Anita and her brother got up and left and I followed. I think it went on for at least another hour. Anita says that meetings are not normally like this.

Later on Sunday Anita invited me to the “Mercado”. We drove to this place that is like an open-air warehouse in size and height, but had fewer walls. At the Mercado, we got lots and lots of produce. There were things I’d never seen before and couldn’t tell you what they were. The thing that impressed me the most was this giant gourd/pumpkin – it was probably 2 feet in diameter and you’d only buy and take home a piece of it. There were probably a hundred vendors or so, most selling food but many selling house-hold items too.

I don’t think I feel comfortable enough yet to maneuver something like the mercado with so much human interaction. There are so many social rules and expectations I don’t know yet. I did observe that it’s ok to touch the food but it seemed like some people interrupted or helped themselves while others were standing there…yet no one seemed upset. I don’t understand the order of conduct. Again, so glad I have a host family to mitigate that stress, at least for now. Amazing how something so simple as buying food can be so intimidating here and yet totally mundane and comfortable in the US.

In our orientation, we learned that Reciprocity is a very key value in Bolivian culture. There’s an undertone of sharing, giving and receiving in the way people live and interact. For example, instead of always splitting a check at restaurant individually if with friends, one person may cover it, knowing someone else will get it another time. I’m beginning to sense this more and more – a sense caring for one another and also of belonging to one another. One American, who I think also understood this value greatly and is one of my favorite people, is especially remembered today and has a memorial in San Francisco with the following quote:

“Through our scientific genius, we have made this world a neighborhood; now through our moral and spiritual development, we must make of it a brotherhood. In a real sense, we must learn to live together as brothers, or we will perish together as fools.” –Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

I’ve been feeling very sad about the situation in Haiti. I think the wise words above are good to reflect on especially now in this context, at least for me.
5 things I’m grateful for today: the ability to hear, MLK Jr., a bed, beautiful gardens, sharing meals with friends

What comes up, must come down…right?

Dogs barking. Birds tweeting. Diesel engines running probably a few blocks away. It is 100% sunny with not a cloud in the blue sky at 5:52pm (one hour ahead of EST) on Wednesday, January 6, 2010. I sit at a desk in my own room with my own bathroom attached, looking out the window at the one-car driveway with the main house to my left and the locked gate to get in, to my right. It is warm, maybe 80 degrees Fahrenheit and a cool breeze blows the white lace window hangings (they don’t deserve to be called shades for absolutely no light is blocked out by them) every now and then. Makes me wonder how early the sun rises and how much sleep I’m going to be able to get.

Wow has it been a day. If you know me, you know how much I love breakfast followed up by dinner and lunch close behind. Today however, I have only eaten two meager bites of toast and later I had one strawberry and one plum (both incredibly tasty). It’s almost 6pm and I’m not at all hungry. That’s because I now know what it means to have altitude sickness and the only good I can see in it is just that – now I know.

I left Miami at about 11pm and arrived in La Paz, Bolivia (the capital city) at about 7am (which felt like 6am to me). Fortunately I slept the best I’ve ever slept on a plane. As we land, I finally wake up and go out to get in the customs line, fill out paperwork very groggily, and get my two suitcases. The four of us (Clare, Lynn and Joel) went to check our bags yet again for our final flight.

Back to my altitude sickness – just had to set up the scene. As we’re standing in line, I feel like one of Voldemort’s apparitions (don’t know if that’s the right word) slowly dying as his spirit and energy are sucked out of him and he sort of dissipates into nothing. I’m doing everything I can to stand up and that is very difficult. I feel like I’m going to pass out. I’m getting hotter and hotter as all my energy is sucked down into the floor and dragging my body with it. I have to go to the bathroom but don’t want to leave because this is important. Finally, the airline lady says I don’t have to be there and my comrades can check me in, so I walk as fast as I can to the bathroom. Lesson – bring toilet paper with you to bathrooms, don’t leave it in your backpack. I still feel awful as I leave and catch a glance of my extremely pale face in the mirror.

Next thing you know I’m back with the group and Lynn is holding me as I up-chucked my dinner. Clare went to get some Bolivianos (the money) and we went to a café where they ordered breakfast and I got a water bottle and two coca teas, which helped my upset stomach. For those unfamiliar with coca tea, absolutely no worries. It is different than cocaine by a long shot. I proceeded to lie down across three or four chairs lined up next to each other and took 2 naps, and I HATE naps! I didn’t feel good but I sure did feel better afterwards.

The flight from La Paz – Cochabamba took ½ hour and my host mom (Ana Maria works as a secretary at the language institute) and host sister (Daniela) were there to greet me. I’m glad I know an itsy bit of Spanish and I’m sure it will get better each day as I’m trying to refrain from using any English. Once we got to their street, Ana Maria got out and unlocked the gate so we could drive in to the little driveway and then they showed me to this little guest house that is all to me – a bedroom and bathroom – I know, WOW! I would say it’s like a two-car garage converted into a guest house. Guess what else??? There’s hot water in the shower!!! I’m living it up.

I then met my 2nd host sister, Cecelia and all three of them are very nice so far. They’ve been hosting students for a long time I think. She, just like my sister Leah, loves to cook and started preparing food for dinner later tonight. They’ve got tons of fruit and vegetables here in the valley of Cochabamba, which thrills me. At the house, they’ve got mango, papaya, bananas, plantains, apples, prunes, strawberries and probably more I just haven’t seen yet.

I have no idea what will come next, but I’m not too worried. Probably it’s because of all the support, love and good vibes you’re sending my way and I know that one much greater than me has the upper hand. Besides, I cried enough on Wednesday to last me a good long while. Thank you all for being here. I’m so so so glad and thankful you are! In addition to YOU, 5 Things I’m thankful for today: clean water, good health, sleep, kindness, my family