High: Saturday in Cochabamba was the big day to celebrate Carnaval, which meant that they shut down a bunch of streets in the center of the city in order to have a day-long parade of bands and dancers. They call it Curso de Cursos. People can rent an area along the street from city hall. They either build stands or put up a tarp cover and plastic chairs, and then charge individuals to have a spot there for the day. Some people get there by 10am and stay till 8pm, but I chose to go for two hours and to stand which meant not paying for a seat. One, I didn’t know how to pay for a seat. Two, it was super crowded by the time I got there around 3pm and I was happy standing just slightly more protected from “cross-street water-fire”.
I got hit a whole lot by water balloons, water guns and foam sprayed out of aerosol cans. That was probably my least favorite because people would spray it right in my ear. Seeing all the traditional dances, along with the costumes and music made it worth all the hassle. Some of those dances are just incredible and it’s obvious people put a lot of time and effort into preparing for it.
Low: Monday was the day I experienced the most culture shock so far. There were several factors but one of them included waiting. I don’t know many people who like waiting, and I’m generally not a big fan either. A friend and I went to an orphanage to start volunteering on Monday at 3pm when we were told to be there, but weren’t even seen by the woman until we’d been sitting waiting for 1 hour and 45 minutes. She told us to come back on Saturday. At the time, I just laughed, hearing all the voices of people telling me I’d be doing a lot of waiting in Latin America. Later I was able to realize that this waiting time, in addition to waiting till 10pm to eat dinner, actually bothered me.
Who knows why it happened – there’s always more to a person and a situation than what we see. We had a good talk on Wednesday about culture shock and at its root, it involves adjusting to change and the anxiety around that. Above all, we’re supposed to withhold judgment and maintain contact with local people. I’m being challenged through adjusting to life here, trying not to judge too quickly, and I hope you will please do the same. This was one day. I’m going back Saturday and will let you know about that next week.
High: Tuesday I went to my first weekly dance class here at the institute. We’re starting with salsa and will move into other dances like merengue and traditional folk dances as well. I loved it and I’m looking forward to learning more in the weeks to come.
Since Bolivia doesn’t have any representatives at the Winter Olympics, I haven’t heard or seen much of it except a little in on-line newspapers. I hope you all are enjoying it!
5 Things I’m thankful for today: hugs; movies with happy endings; the joy of dancing; really really tasty papaya; and conversations with friends I haven’t talked to in a while.
For more pictures, go to http://picasaweb.google.com/nora.pfeiffer
Nora: I continue to enjoy reading about your experience. I know the culture shock will eventually lessen, but as you probably know, you'll have to re-adjust upon your return home, too. In some ways, that re-adjustment seemed like the best/most beneficial part of my experiences in other cultures, as it allowed me, for a short time, to see with an outsider's viewpoint.
ReplyDeleteHi Nora,
ReplyDeleteI have been enjoying your posts and always look forward to hearing your adventure in faith. You write so well that I not only feel like I am almost there, but I get the emotional and spiritual gist as well.
Do you ever have connection with the ministry Food for the Poor? The Lindquist family is there in Cochabamba, Bolivia. They are acquaintances of mine from Pennsylvania. Great family who love the Lord and want to do His will. Blessings to you.