It was early on a Sunday morning with the Cochabamba sun shining brightly, and as we bumped along in a VW bug up and around and up some more I was anxious to arrive at our destination. With my composting and gardening partners we offered to meet with a group of neighbors who live right next to the dump of Cochabamba, in order to share with them the idea and how-to of composting and gardening with reused tires. I already appreciated where they live because of the long route to get there, but I would come to be truly surprised the more I listened to them talk about their neighborhood.
Unusual for us, we arrived a half hour earlier than planned but there were already 20 people or so waiting, as we were taking advantage of a time when they planned to meet to sign up for bug exterminations of their homes. While waiting for our agreed-upon time to roll around, I started chatting with a gentleman who was there with one of his grandkids. He asked if we were people who worked with environmental issues and I explained what we were there to do. To which he responded that simply living right next to the dump has exposed them to many environmental problems on a daily basis.
Apparently in the afternoon when the sun is very hot and the wind blows, the smell is so bad “it causes you to almost pass out”. He pointed out an elementary school to me and asked how can we expect the kids to learn well and become productive adults if they are inhaling such awful air every day? According to this gentleman the subterranean water is very contaminated and is used by people there in addition to watering crops down below. I do not know specific facts from any lab tests but he said it is ugly and smells bad, which are not good signs of healthy water. Would you want your family living in a neighborhood with that type of water?
Just that morning, while walking to the meeting, he noticed a For Sale sign on his neighbor’s home and asked why they were moving and they told him that they just cannot stand it anymore and have to get away from the dump. This got him thinking and now he is wondering whether he should move his family as well. When I asked if the dump was there when they arrived he told me it was, so in a way I can see how one would say, “but you knew the dump was there”. However, the gentleman explained to me that there used to be a different company in charge of caring for the dump and there weren’t bad smells and things were in order, but now that there is a different company in command, the problems have developed and grown worse with time.
As Thanksgiving has just passed, I would like to say how thankful I am to have running water where I live, and that I only have to boil it to drink it. There are many Bolivians who do not have running water in their homes or whose water is delivered in trucks and costs 10 times more than people who live in a different part of town have to pay to get their water. It makes me sad that something such as water, which is a human right, is not treated with the respect it deserves nor distributed fairly. Thank you God for water!!!
5 Things I’m thankful for today: catching up with a good friend over lunch; leftover Thanksgiving food; hearing my grandpa say he loves me; my dear cousin whose birthday is today; dancing with my friend’s grandpa who is one of the most joyful dancers I’ve ever come across.
Monday, November 28, 2011
Monday, November 21, 2011
Solidarity
Only recently have I come to see the depth of what this word attempts to convey here in Bolivia. I will explain with two stories. Just in the past month the cousin of a friend got sick with horrible stomach pains and vomiting and was hospitalized for quite a while because they could not figure out what she has. One day they told the family she had HIV and then the next said it was a false positive. They tested her for everything and gave her all types of drugs, which as many know who’ve been through aggressive treatment is very tough on the poor sick body, but also on the family. She’s been temporarily blind, she’s had paralysis, she’s not been able to talk, and the day that was the toughest was when they put her into an induced coma. I give this background to give you a picture of the rollercoaster ride their family has been going through. As it turns out, she has been diagnosed with chronic porphyria, http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001208.htm , and it is the only known case in South America. This week she goes to Buenos Aires, Argentina, where they hope she can get better care.
Because really good medical care is awfully expensive, they decided on a Friday night to put together an event the next day to raise money. I arrived around 3pm and the street on which the family lives was already filled with TONS of people, umbrellas and shades to protect them from the hot sun while they sat at plastic tables eating, drinking and talking. Later on in the afternoon a musical group came to perform and then someone acted as a dj and played music on loud speakers for dancing. It was packed, and yet the many extended family members made their way to talk with everyone they knew and welcomed me in with open arms. I wish I could find words to describe what it was like watching everyone. They came together on short notice but they were THERE because they love and support the cousin/niece/friend. The reason for coming together was tragic but there was such a feeling of support and joy and love in the way they shared and passed the day. People stayed almost all day until night had come, and they kept sharing and sharing.
Several people said to me that solidarity is very important, and even though Bolivia may be a poor country, people come together when the occasion arises. “Do you have events like this in the United States? Probably not quite like this, or do you?” someone asked me. I said that I had never been to a get-together of solidarity in this manner before, but that I come from a family and a community of friends that is very giving and looks out for one another. However, I had to admit that it is different, there’s a different manner of expressing one’s “solidarity”. This particular event was very communal and accepting, which I think is what made it so special for me to witness and be a part of.
The day before yesterday was the climax of the yearly national tele-marathon which is going to benefit 5 institutions who serve kids who are other-abled and lack economic resources to assist them. A good friend of mine works at one of these institutions so I’ve been hearing a lot about and it really is remarkable the money that people give. Yet, I don’t perceive that giving money specifically defines solidarity, rather the point is giving of yourself, giving of what you have that is not of your excess simply because someone else is in need at this moment.
I am beginning to see how solidarity is an important thread in the weaving of what I like to think of as Bolivian culture and identity. Personally, any time I feel like I can identify one of the many threads in this weaving, I feel a sense of gratefulness and I am honored. The culture of a people is complex, deeply rooted in many different stories and lives, and to get to know even parts of that culture is a gift.
5 Things I’m thankful for today: good smelling clean clothes; ability to run around the lake; being accepted and welcomed by the family of my friend; witnessing the collaboration and support people give each other in times of need; the long-desired rains we’re starting to get.
Because really good medical care is awfully expensive, they decided on a Friday night to put together an event the next day to raise money. I arrived around 3pm and the street on which the family lives was already filled with TONS of people, umbrellas and shades to protect them from the hot sun while they sat at plastic tables eating, drinking and talking. Later on in the afternoon a musical group came to perform and then someone acted as a dj and played music on loud speakers for dancing. It was packed, and yet the many extended family members made their way to talk with everyone they knew and welcomed me in with open arms. I wish I could find words to describe what it was like watching everyone. They came together on short notice but they were THERE because they love and support the cousin/niece/friend. The reason for coming together was tragic but there was such a feeling of support and joy and love in the way they shared and passed the day. People stayed almost all day until night had come, and they kept sharing and sharing.
Several people said to me that solidarity is very important, and even though Bolivia may be a poor country, people come together when the occasion arises. “Do you have events like this in the United States? Probably not quite like this, or do you?” someone asked me. I said that I had never been to a get-together of solidarity in this manner before, but that I come from a family and a community of friends that is very giving and looks out for one another. However, I had to admit that it is different, there’s a different manner of expressing one’s “solidarity”. This particular event was very communal and accepting, which I think is what made it so special for me to witness and be a part of.
The day before yesterday was the climax of the yearly national tele-marathon which is going to benefit 5 institutions who serve kids who are other-abled and lack economic resources to assist them. A good friend of mine works at one of these institutions so I’ve been hearing a lot about and it really is remarkable the money that people give. Yet, I don’t perceive that giving money specifically defines solidarity, rather the point is giving of yourself, giving of what you have that is not of your excess simply because someone else is in need at this moment.
I am beginning to see how solidarity is an important thread in the weaving of what I like to think of as Bolivian culture and identity. Personally, any time I feel like I can identify one of the many threads in this weaving, I feel a sense of gratefulness and I am honored. The culture of a people is complex, deeply rooted in many different stories and lives, and to get to know even parts of that culture is a gift.
5 Things I’m thankful for today: good smelling clean clothes; ability to run around the lake; being accepted and welcomed by the family of my friend; witnessing the collaboration and support people give each other in times of need; the long-desired rains we’re starting to get.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)