Tires, Incan Ruins, the Environment, and…more Dancing!

Yes, I am still here, alive, active and living by the seat of my pants as always. The week before last was a week full of me learning and re-learning the lesson that I am not in control and plans are often just really exercises for the brain but futile if intended to help in directing how reality will play out. Because I’m working half-time at two different places and am also involved in this tire-composting project, I never really know exactly how my day will turn out and often I find myself pleasantly surprised. So different from my lifestyle back in Virginia.

As I promised in the last blog that I would explain more about the composting, I will start with that. My friend, Renee is working on her thesis project which involves reducing, reutilizing and classifying waste in a neighborhood of the southern zone of Cochabamba. I, along with a Maryknoll priest “Pablo” (a South Dakotan who went to the same college as my grandpa) are helping her. We collect tires, of which there are thousands along the highway, side roads and neighborhoods just looking trashy, so we salvage them to make a composter.

 

We fill them with our kitchen waste (except meat, bones, fat, dairy) and garden waste, top it with two tire rings tied together with a mesh screen in between to keep out/in the flies. Every couple weeks I flip it upside down by pulling each tire and its contents off the stack one by one, shoveling the material back in that tire which instead of being on top is now on bottom etc. That way, it gets air, which helps in decomposition. Tires are great because they maintain the heat, don’t let out moisture, are durable, free and we’re re-using.

 

In the past couple months, we have given 3 workshops to both little kids and teenagers/young adults, and it’s possible that the Boy and Girl Scouts will take it on as a national project this upcoming year (although that hasn’t been decided yet). I’ve got two here in the garden at the social center where I live and one I’m taking care of in front of the Justice and Peace office, where I work part-time.

I’ve been really surprised by the interest people have in it. Most people I talk to actually like the idea and are very encouraging. The other day I went to an inter-institutional meeting of groups working with the people who search through garbage to find recyclables (they hardly earn any money and are a very poor group) and found out that studies done in Cochabamba show that 50-60% of the average person’s trash here is organic, and 22-25% is recyclable. Trash is a really big issue here and I think possible solutions or strategies are attractive for that reason.

When we went to work with the after-school group in a neighborhood of the southern zone, we took them on a scavenger hunt to find materials and they loved it! They were so enthusiastic about assembling it when we got back as you can see in the pictures. Here we are with some of the kids of the afterschool program.

 

Tires are also great for making planters and when painted, look much better.

 

I keep talking about the "southern zone" which is hard to describe in words without pictures to help, so here are two photos to give more of an idea of the conditions (like lack of water) that the people living there are dealing with.

 

 

Shortly after these pictures were taken, I went to a national gathering of the Franciscan movement of Justice and Peace in a town about 45 min. from here, called Tarata. I somehow got put on a committee of the Franciscan Justice and Peace group of Cochabamba (there are groups in most of the 9 departments of Bolivia). I wasn’t feeling great that week, but I was able to enjoy the beautiful garden at the Franciscan convent we stayed at, very aware of the stark contrast with the southern zone pictured above.

 

I also want to share a giant painting I saw there, with the title “Andean Face of God”. I realize everyone has different viewpoints of God or whether a God even exists, but I really like this painting because it expands the traditional western image of a white old guy. I think there’s no way to ever *fully* define God; that would be too limiting. My experience has shown me that God can be found in every person and in "mother earth" too. Whatever you think, I hope at least you find it thought-provoking.

 

Circumstances turned out that July brought an opportunity to go to Cusco, Peru, where I met up with my sister’s boyfriend, who was doing some civil engineering work with a group of archaeologists from UCLA at Saqsaywaman, a famous Incan ruin. I had an incredible time seeing LOTS of ruins and terraces, beautiful hiking in the Sacred Valley and Cusco Valley, multiple museums, and great food and drink including ceviche…mmmm! Luke and I made good travel buddies because he was patient with my very long teeth-brushing and sun-screening routines and I was patient (well maybe a little cranky at times) with his simple and non-costly diet of bread and peanut butter we had every day. I really enjoyed having a personal guide, or at least one who had books and was willing to go on adventures. (picture below is of Compañía de Jesús, Jesuit church in Plaza de Armas)

 

On Friday, 23rd of July we took a taxi up to Tambomachay (ceremonial stone bath), then walked to Puca Pucara (fort or hunting lodge on a private Incan estate), photo below

 

After Puca Pucara, we continued along the hills to a mystery ruin, Salapunco (temple of the moon with really cool carvings and views), Q’enqo (zigzag large limestone rock with niches and stone altar), Saqsaywaman (“greatest and most superb edifice raised by Incas to demonstrate majesty and power” with three levels of terraces separated by giant stone zigzag walls), three photos below

 

 

I couldn't help myself, all those stone walls were just asking to be tested out

 

After spenging a good while exploring the obvious beauties of Saqsaywaman, we kept going on to the archaeology dig back in the very quiet and beautiful “campo”, and finally after 10 hours of exploring-walking to a restaurant with a delicious meal I scarffed down without barely a breath.

Saturday was museum day and we got stoned-out (as in, rocks, not other substances)—those Incans were INCREDIBLE. I just don’t know how they possibly formed the stones so perfectly and placed them as high as they did nor as perfectly. Very impressive, and my engineer expert felt the same way. We saw some incredible churches too, one with tons of mirrors all over, giving it a magical sparkling effect that was entrancing (Santa Clara).

Sunday we went to the cathedral—wow, that was huge and full of very large stone columns and a painting of the Last Supper, complete with guinea pig and chicha (fermented corn drink). Even though Luke had cold sweats, we still took a day trip out to the Sacred Valley to visit Moray and Salinas. Moray is thought to have been an archaeological experiment with terraces in a funnel shape to a depth of 150 meters.

 

Salinas – So. Much. Salt! We talked with a pre-teen girl working there with her little baby sister on her back. She explained that she walks 2 hours to get to the Salinas and each plot is owned by a family. Families usually have multiple plots. The salt was just so beautiful, like snow, but not cold and not as soft and fluffy. She said there’s a legend that a saint came here and spilled his chicha down the valley, which is why all the salt appeared here.

 

Monday we headed to Pisaq, 32 km from Cusco. 4km from (mostly up) the pueblo are archaeological ruins and more terraces than you can imagine. It was such a great hike with beautiful sights and lots of awe-moments. The trek became especially memorable because poor Luke revealed part-way through that he was actually feeling pretty bad, but was an amazing sport and pushed through—thanks Luke!

 

Immediately after returning, I jumped back into a project I was leading a group of 5 high-school students in, from the San Carlos center Cerro Verde. They researched how global warming is effecting the flora and fauna of Brazil and presented the their findings at a conference where other high school groups presented about other countries and other affects such as health and water. It was a good learning experience, both for me and for them. They’d never used powerpoint before, nor had much experience presenting in front of a large group of peers, so I did lots of encouraging and reassuring!

 

Speaking of the environment and gas emissions that have a greenhouse effect, here is a picture I took from the hill of Cerro Verde, overlooking the city of Cochabamba. Without any rain, the smog just hovers

 

Here are two little friends of mine at Cerro Verde, photo taken courtesy of another kid anxious to practice his photography skills.

 

Sunday August 8th the neighborhood of Cerro Verde ended a week of celebration with a parade, mass and large lunch feast. There were two dances, the Saya, an afro-bolivian dance, and the morenada, another folkloric dance. Here are two photos of the girls dancing the Saya

 

 

These little kids were dancing the morenada...How cute are they? Check out the link below for videos of the dances.

 

I will end by sharing a link to a newspaper article from the NY Times article about the city I live in, Cochabamba, Bolivia “All Advice leads to Cochabamba”. Clearly, a good place to visit, not just because I’m here and promise to be a wonderful host! http://frugaltraveler.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/29/all-advice-leads-to-cochabamba-bolivia/

Next entry will not come so late, and I’ll talk more about all the experiences I’m having with the kids at Cerro Verde, guinea pigs, Franciscans International-Bolivia, and my beloved composters and plants. Also, the festival of “Virgen de Urkupina” was just celebrated and I have stories about that too – complete with dances and another overnight walk. Thanks for being patient with me.

For more pictures and videos, please go to http://picasaweb.google.com/nora.pfeiffer/Aug16Blog#

5 things I’m thankful for today: talking to my cousin; homemade pizza; sharing pictures of my friends, family, and the North Carolina beach with the kids who live here in the center with me; a day of rest; and a hilarious video-card I received from a friend of a very confident and positive little girl, Jessica, singing on her bathroom counter…what great spirit!