As I type this, I’m letting my laundry soak and listening to the clinking and sawing of the construction workers across the street, loud motorcycles speedily driving by, and the echoes of kids in the passageway. It was already three weeks ago that I finished language school and shortly thereafter moved out of my host family’s house into an apartment with another from the FMS group, Clare. Our apartment is in an old beautiful convent that was donated by a group of Franciscan sisters about 3 years ago to be used by the Franciscan family to help those more in need of space.
It’s called the Franciscan Social Center and it’s located right in the center of town. There’s a dentist; psychologist; social worker; ear, nose and throat doctor; physical therapists; AA, NA and Al-Anon groups; weekly meal offered to people on the street; and a non-profit for kids who are recovering from very severe burns and live here in the center. Needless to say, we’re never alone and there’s always kids asking us to play or go wherever we’re going. It’s a beautiful apartment and we did what any logical person with lots of space and little furniture would do – we had a party! It was grand, complete with cueca, tinku, morenada, chacarera, salsa, merengue and Michael Jackson.
Backing up a couple weeks to the last day of the 5 month language course, we had quite a day to celebrate the transition. First there was a ceremony/liturgy in which we were all presented with t-shirts and certificates and “sent” out. Everyone (17 students) gave a “despedida” farewell speech, in Spanish of course. Afterwards the real fun began—the talent show! For lack of anyone else volunteering, I ended up being the MC of the talent show and figured all that would involve would be introducing each act, but I was wrong. One of my teachers told me that the MC always has to bide time by doing something, so I researched in the Spanish version of Reader’s Digest for jokes and told many a corny joke in Spanish, which was just about as funny as it is in English. Luckily, the audience was kind. (This is a picture of me introducing the next act, wearing my tinku outfit)
My favorite parts of the talent show were the dances. I participated in a chacarera and a tinku, of which I have videos on-line. We also did a skit making fun of ourselves and all the mistakes we’ve made over the course of the 5 months. After the talent show there was a big bbq lunch and after that a live band and more professional dancing by a group of high-school students. Because they were so good, I took pictures and videos of them as well. Once the professionals finished, the dance floor opened up to everyone and we had a grand ol’ time. I’ve noticed that Bolivians like to dance in circles holding hands or in two lines facing each other, and that is what we did.
A week after moving out of my host family’s house and into the apartment, I went with a group of people to hike Inkarakay, a mountain in Sipe Sipe, for the Winter Solstice, which marks the New Year for the Amayra people. We took a bus to Sipe Sipe on Sunday night June 20th. At about 11pm we started walking up the mountain. Along the way we stopped to listen and dance to a group of men playing music on the side of the road. About half way up the mountain, we stopped to build a fire from brush we could find around the area. The stars were incredible and once the moon set after 2am or so, we could REALLY see the Milky Way in all its glory. It got very cold so the fire was much appreciated, although everyone had the same idea so the air was sadly quite polluted.
We made it up to the top around 5:30am to join thousands of other people waiting for the sunrise. Many had brought tents and camped out but we took the no-sleeping route of hiking during the night, which I enjoyed a lot. It’s amazing what great conversations come about when hiking, as well as seeing the world through the different lens of darkness, separated from accustomed electricity. To help keep up our stamina and to participate with the tradition, we chewed coca leaves, which helped a lot. In order to receive coca, one should put out both hands as a sign of respect. Also, I’ve noticed that if you have coca and someone else does, you both exchange some leaves when you greet the other person—it’s that reciprocity value coming up again.
Right before the sun came out, everyone woke up and we stood together, cold and waiting, but together. As soon as that first ray appeared over the mountain across the Cochabamba valley, we all put our hands up to greet the sun.
Because the 21st of June is the shortest day of the year here in the southern hemisphere, the Amayrans view it as the return of the sun because the days are now getting longer. It also dictates a new agricultural season. Three llamas were sacrificed at sunrise as a sign of thanks for both the sun and the earth. People got some of the blood to put on their cheeks as well as little bits of wool. I really love sunrises and it was a good experience to share it with so many, who were also so thankful for the gift of the sun and all that it gives to us.
The next morning, on Tuesday the 22nd of June, I participated in a march that the mayor’s office was sponsoring to bring more awareness about the pollution that inevitably comes every year with the Feast of San Juan (June 24th) but celebrated by the majority on Wednesday night the 23rd with fires outside, hot dogs, hot drinks, and fireworks. It was really incredible to see how much fire and smoke there was all throughout the city and into the country areas surrounding the city. While normally I can see the northern mountains of the valley out my window, I could not see them AT ALL the next days. People told me it was better than in the past, but still pretty bad. Some people also set fires in a park nearby and lots of trees were burned, which made me sad. I like that having a “campfire” brings people together and the warmth is very comforting, but the negative effects of almost everyone doing it is discouraging…I feel conflicted.
Another area I’ve been feeling unsure about over the past several months is what I’m going to be doing and where exactly I’ll be after language school. I have more interests than time or energy would allow me to invest myself in, but I have managed to narrow down to two areas, which I will try for three months and then reevaluate if they are in fact good fits. One is working with an NGO, Franciscans International, which has general status at the UN and centers its efforts around matters of justice, peace, the care of creation and the promotion of human rights, which is what St. Francis and St. Clare worked towards in their lifetimes as well. I’ll be helping out with FI-Bolivia, concentrating on issues around ecology. There’s a lot going on here, but few people speak English, which makes it difficult to communicate at the international table, so I hope to help with that. Also, I will be helping to spur more interest within the Franciscan family here around caring for creation, which includes education at schools, churches etc.
The second ministry I’ll be involved in is working with a church called San Carlos, which is located in a part of the cancha (the huge market area of town) and has 5 separate centers throughout the southern zone in poor neighborhoods. At these centers there is after-school help, lunches, classes for kids and adults, sports etc. I’m meeting with the people in charge on Wednesday July 7th, so I’ll be able to write more about that next time. Oh, and forgot to mention that I’m also helping out a Bolivian university student, who is doing her thesis project in a poor neighborhood in the southern zone around minimizing and sorting trash, recycling, and composting. A Maryknoll priest and I are helping her to build composters out of tires in order to make lovely rich dirt in the middle of this dry dessert climate, so that people can grow wonderful food and plants, while cutting down on their trash by about 50%. I’m having a lot of fun with it, and I’ll be sure to share my pictures and more details about it next time.
5 Things I’m thankful for today: tea kettle we just bought that doesn’t produce gray flakes on the bottom like the other one did; enough money to be able to buy food and things like a dustpan, tea kettle and pressure cooker; my new plant passed on to me by a friend who is leaving; playing wiffle ball on July 4th; my stomach feels better today than it did yesterday and I am so happy for that!
For more pictures and the videos from the graduation (clausura)please go to :
http://picasaweb.google.com/nora.pfeiffer/ClausuraBlog# For more pictures of my hike to Ikarakay and the apartment, please go to:
http://picasaweb.google.com/nora.pfeiffer/InkarakayHike#
