Life lessons from a Mexican and a Man in a wheel chair

 

Recently I have been taught or re-reminded of what the important things in life are, and by two very different people. I don’t know if any of you have ever read articles by a newspaper journalist in Mexico by the name of Catón or Armando Fuentes Aguirre, but a coworker passed along to me an article of his in response to an edition of Fortune magazine in which the world´s richest people are listed. The original article is in Spanish, but I have translated it roughly into English, not claiming to be exact, but close enough that you get the idea. Here it is…

"I intend to sue the magazine "Fortune", because I was the victim of an inexplicable omission. The magazine published a list of the world's richest people, and in this list they did not show me. They listed people such as the Sultan deBrunei, and even the heirs of Sam Walton and Takichiro Mori. They also include personalities like Queen Elizabeth of England, Stavros Niarkos, and the Mexican Carlos Slim and Emilio Azcarraga.

But I am not mentioned in the magazine.

And I'm a rich man, immensely rich. And if not, then look: I have life, which I received and do not know why, and health, which I maintain but I do not know how.
I have a family; an adorable wife who in giving her life to me, she became the best part of mine; wonderful children who have given me nothing but happiness; grandchildren with whom I practice a new and joyful form of parenting.

I have brothers who are like my friends, and friends who are like my brothers.
I have people who sincerely love me despite my faults, and people I honestly love despite my own shortcomings.

I have four editors each day to thank because they read what I write poorly and make it into something good.

I have a house, and in it many books (my wife would say I have many books, and among them a house).

I have a bit of the world in the form of a garden that every year gives me apples that would have further shortened the presence of Adam and Eve in Paradise.

I have a dog that will not sleep until I come home and who treats me as if I were the owner of the heavens and the earth.

I have eyes that see and ears that can hear; feet for walking and hands that can touch; a brain that thinks of things that have already occurred to others, but for me they are brand new.

I own the common inheritance of men: happiness for sharing and enjoying, and sorrows that unite me with others who are also suffering.

And I have faith in God who loves me infinitely.

Can there be greater riches than mine?

Why, then did the magazine "Fortune" not put my name in the list of the richest men on the planet? "
And you, how do you consider yourself? Rich or poor?
There are poor people, so poor that the only thing they have is...MONEY"

For those of you Spanish speakers,I am listing the original article at the end of this entry, which is of course written better. I really appreciated the way Catón challenged the concept of richness in a creative, amusing and relatable way. It is true, that no matter who we are, how dirty our feet are, what job we have or don’t have, there is a common experience in all our lives of joys and sorrows; we all have them.

 

It took a Bolivian man to demonstrate to me an example of what I think is the most beautiful part of this ¨common inheritance¨ of joys and sorrows, and that is SHARING them. For the past two months or so, there have been a group of other-abled people camped outside the office of the Franciscan Movement of Justice and Peace.

The group ranges from people of the third generation to teenagers and little kids, all of whom have some sort of disability or are a close family member of someone who does. They are there in support of another group marching to La Paz, asking that the government follow through on providing social services or support for people with disabilities, in the form of money. The government says they are using the money in other ways to support them and they do not have enough to give financial support to everyone.

So each day that I go to Justice and Peace to work, I pass by and greet the people camped out in vigil there. Just the other day I was leaving and a man in a wheel chair called out to me. I turned around and went back to where he was sitting with a bucket in his lap. He put his hand in and pulled out a heaping portion of grapes and as he handed them to me said, “Of all the things I’ve learned in my life, I know that whatever we have, however small, we must share with others”.

 

I smiled at him and thanked him very much. I am not sure which provokes which: the joy that one has motivates them to share it with others, or the act of sharing brings both people joy? Either way, I was touched by his random act of kindness and I agree that sharing is one of the greatest most uniting acts, whether we share our sorrows or our joys, our abundance or our scarcity.

Artículo de Armando Fuentes Aguirre (Catón)
Me propongo demandar a la revista "Fortune", pues me hizo víctima de una omisión inexplicable. Resulta que publicó la lista de los hombres más ricos del planeta, y en esta lista no aparezco yo. Aparecen, sí, el sultán deBrunei, aparecen también los herederos de Sam Walton y Takichiro Mori.

Figuran ahí también personalidades como la Reina Isabel de Inglaterra, Stavros Niarkos, y los mexicanos Carlos Slim y Emilio Azcárraga.
Sin embargo a mí no me menciona la revista.
Y yo soy un hombre rico, inmensamente rico. Y si no, vean ustedes: tengo vida, que recibí no sé por qué, y salud, que conservo no sé cómo.
Tengo una familia, esposa adorable que al entregarme su vida me dio lo mejor de la mía; hijos maravillosos de quienes no he recibido sino felicidad; nietos con los cuales ejerzo una nueva y gozosa paternidad.

Tengo hermanos que son como mis amigos, y amigos que son como mis hermanos.
Tengo gente que me ama con sinceridad a pesar de mis defectos, y a la que yo amo con sinceridad a pesar de mis defectos.

Tengo cuatro lectores a los que cada día les doy gracias porque leen bien lo que yo escribo mal.

Tengo una casa, y en ella muchos libros (mi esposa diría que tengo muchos libros, y entre ellos una casa).

Poseo un pedacito del mundo en la forma de un huerto que cada año me da manzanas que habrían acortado aun más la presencia de Adán y Eva en el Paraíso.

Tengo un perro que no se va a dormir hasta que llego, y que me recibe como si fuera yo el dueño de los cielos y la tierra.

Tengo ojos que ven y oídos que oyen; pies que caminan y manos que acarician; cerebro que piensa cosas que a otros se les habían ocurrido ya, pero que a mí no se me habían ocurrido nunca.

Soy dueño de la común herencia de los hombres: alegrías para disfrutarlas y penas para hermanarme a los que sufren.

Y tengo fe en Dios que guarda para mí infinito amor.

¿Puede haber mayores riquezas que las mías?

¿Por qué, entonces, no me puso la revista "Fortune" en la lista de los hombres más ricos del planeta?"
¿Y tú, cómo te consideras? ¿Rico o pobre?
HAY GENTE POBRE, PERO TAN POBRE, QUE LO ÚNICO QUE TIENE ES... DINERO.

5 Things I am grateful for today: opportunity to share lunch with a friend; recovery of a Franciscan friend; fresh smelling clean clothes; pictures of my cousins´kids that make me happy whenever I look at them; getting running water back.

December, the month of gatherings

December has been a great month, full of gatherings for celebration and for mourning. The month started out with several deaths both here in Cochabamba and at home in Virginia, so there was a lot of sadness but also a whole lot of comforting and accompanying. One thing I admire about the rituals around death here in Bolivia is the immediate care and tending-to that friends and family provide. In addition to the wake taking place normally the same day as the death and the burial the day after, there is a mass 9 days after the death (for people who are Catholic) to again come together and honor the person’s life and comfort their loved ones.

While I was not present with my family for the death of my grandpa, I was there in spirit and was amazed at how much people came together to comfort my extended family—thank you to those of you who were there! The unity and caring for one another that comes out of experiences of loss shows me the beauty of the human spirit, and that is something we cannot forget. Not ever.

There were also many birthdays in December and here in Bolivia, a girl’s 15th birthday is particularly special because it marks the transition into a new phase of life. Not everyone likes to have a big party (fiesta de quince años) but some girls choose to celebrate with lots of people and beautiful dresses etc. One of the girls who has been staying at the Social Center recovering from bad burns, asked me to be the “madrina de torta” for her 15th birthday party. What does that mean? I would provide the cake for her party. I’ve made a cake before with some of the kids from the center and since we’ve known each other for quite a while now and have a good relationship, I agreed, thinking it would be for maybe 15 or 20 people. I was mistaken…later I found out that up to 70 people were expected, and being stubborn in wanting to make the cake instead of buying it, I had quite an experience of being madrina!

 

 

Three of the kids helped me out a lot with the cake and in the end it all worked out, but what a labor of love it was. I was so happy though to see her all dressed up in her fancy dresses, surrounded by people who clearly admired her courage for continuing to live her life and overcome adversities daily. The reason she is here is that she got electrocuted one day herding sheep. The electric company had not properly protected the cables and she stuck her stick into the grass and struck the cable which knocked her out completely and made her lose her arm and parts of her toes, among other complications. She continues to play basketball whenever I take them to the court and is definitely enjoying being a teenager. She teaches me that when the unexpected takes something away from you, that doesn’t mean that life ends there, rather you adjust and continue on.

 

Since it is the end of the year we went out with the group of volunteers of the radio program sponsored by Franciscans International-Bolivia, “Onda Verde” as a thank-you for their service. It was nice to be able to celebrate the 41 programs we put on in this year 2011. Here is a picture of almost all of us from Onda Verde.

 

Three months ago we started a second radio program in conjunction with Maryknoll, in which we talk about social and environmental issues. The show is called “Pulso” and is in a different radio station, Pio XII. Here is a picture of us in the studio.

 

Being December, we also had many Christmas celebrations, one taking place at the final soup kitchen Saturday lunch of the year. There were over 200 visitors for lunch, and beforehand there was an enactment of the Nativity story by the guests and we also had a carol singing competition between the boys, girls, women and men. It was fun to watch how some people got really into it, and even I got to learn the songs and dance around in a circle with the girls.

 

 

 

Here is a picture of “Mary” and “Baby Jesus”.

 

One of the Christmas traditions in Bolivia is dancing before the baby Jesus in the Nativity set, which I had been hearing about since last year but never actually seen. This year I got the opportunity to watch both kids and adults gather from the neighborhood and while some were drinking hot chocolate and eating buñuelos, others were playfully dancing and bringing each other before the baby Jesus.

 

 

It was so different than anything I had seen before, because the kids were not surrounded by toys as I usually see on Christmas morning, rather playing together and dancing with the focus being Jesus. A Christmas tradition I find a lot of value in and am grateful to have been a part of.

5 Things I’m thankful for today: health; safety of my loved ones; dancing; the new babies in-formation that will join my extended family this year; the hospitality of friends.

The Dump, Re-visited

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.

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.

The March Reaches its destination TODAY

Today marks day 65 of the Indigenous March from the Amazon to La Paz, where the Bolivian government resides (although the capital is actually Sucre) and very worn, tired, affected by the high altitude, but perseverant the march continues to its end today. A lot has happened since I last wrote and part of my hesitation to write updates is that the information changes and I’m afraid to misrepresent what is going on.

As a recap a group of now 2,000 people from an Amazon region of Bolivia are protesting against the government, via a 65 day march, that a highway be built right through the middle of their region which has been designated a national park and protected indigenous territory (TIPNIS), and it is indicated by the grey area on the map below, which is a map of Bolivia.

 

This map is more of a close-up with the proposed route of the highway

 

I received some very interesting feedback from some of you, which I appreciate! One friend compared what is going on to the movie Avatar, in which economic interests to exploit natural resources face a challenge in the community who inhabit the region defending it as having more value than any money it could produce. As a side note I really enjoyed the movie and particularly appreciated the part where the character points out that the life we have is a gift and is energy borrowed that we give back when we die, implying our interdependence and the cycle that is life. I also love the Lion King for similar reasons, but back to the topic…

Another friend noted the similarity in what is going on in TIPNIS with the situation in Alaska regarding the salmon fishery. He says an international mining company wants to grab the minerals in the water shed of Bristol Bay for so called economic stimulus of jobs, and of course creating jobs sounds good in the current state of the US, but as my friend said, we need to be careful not to be overly “self serving and short sighted”.

While the indigenous march and the debate over whether or not building the highway through the territory will bring more positive progress than harmful consequences have been a part daily life here in Cochabamba, the atmosphere changed on September 25. The marchers were approaching an area where a group of colonizers (people who moved to the TIPNIS region generally to plant coca and other crops , and live there currently, but are not originally from there) who are supportive of the President and the highway, were waiting to block the marchers from passing.

There are various reports on what happened but I understand that they were marching and some had stopped to eat, when the police, whose role is to keep the peace (understood as meant to keep the two groups from getting violent with each other), started detaining the marchers with force, using teargas, hitting, kicking etc. (this I saw in video footage). The marchers started running off to escape in the hillsides, but many were detained and put on a bus with tape on their mouths and some handcuffed. The idea was to put them on a plane and take them back to TIPNIS, but in the end other people came to block the runway and somehow they escaped.

 

There was major uproar in the country and internationally over the incident. Several ministers of the government stepped down because of it. Even after this the President Evo Morales still did not want to talk directly with the marchers and has held that position since the beginning, but TODAY he has agreed that he will talk with them! I will let you all know what happens.

In addition to following the TIPNIS situation, I’ve been involved in the radio programs with Franciscans International and I use the plural form because now we’ve started a second radio program. In a joint effort with the Maryknoll Mission Center of Latin America, we have a new program of 30 minutes talking about both social and environmental topics. This past Saturday we talked about decolonization since the 12th of October marks the day Columbus came upon the Americas. We played the following song by Calle 13 on the show and I really like it a lot, expressing Latin American identity in a really artistic and beautiful way. Here are some of the lyrics

Tú no puedes comprar al viento, (You cannot buy the wind)
Tú no puedes comprar al sol (You cannot buy the sun)
Tú no puedes comprar la lluvia, (You cannot buy the rain)
Tú no puedes comprar al calor. (You cannot buy the heat)
Tú no puedes comprar las nubes, (You cannot buy the clouds)
Tú no puedes comprar mi alegría, (You cannot buy my happiness)
Tú no puedes comprar mis dolores. (You cannot buy my pain)

For those of you who are Spanish speakers, I hope you appreciate the song too
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ii4YlzvoOZI&feature=related

Monday was October 17th, which is the International Day of the Eradication of Poverty. We talked about this on the radio as well, because the divide between those who have enough and those who don’t is increasing. A study shows that 58% of children in Bolivia are living in poverty and 22% of those in extreme poverty. Talking about Bolivians of all ages, one report says 77% and another 60% of the population is living in poverty, which is measured based on access to basic services, education, health and quality of life. Either way, too many here and in the world.

5 Things I am thankful for today: rest; water; considerate friends; my plants that survive despite my forgetfulness; and a fleece Redskins blanket left behind by past missioners.

Joy of Kids, Ecology in Tarija and Being a mis-fit

As I’ve mentioned before, what I “do” as mission doesn’t always have clear definitions and I think my living situation is one of those grey areas, but one I’m so grateful for. At the Franciscan social center where I have an apartment, there also live anywhere between 7 to 18 kids recovering from burns. They are not orphans, but their needs are greater than their parents can provide for, so they get help for whatever time necessary while staying at the social center, near physical therapy and doctors all the time.

I try to keep clear boundaries with them, which allows for private time but also hanging out fun time together. One night a friend and I put on a movie night in my apartment, which is often what a Spaniard who also lives in the center does for the kids, but he was out of town so I stepped in. I made popcorn on the stove and we had juice and cookies too. The kids loved it and are anxiously awaiting the next one, but in the mean time we play cards or games or dance to music.

 

I’m someone who loves hugs and also being around kids, so I really appreciate their presence and am grateful to have them as neighbors (well, most of the time…haha).

 

Through my involvement with Franciscans International, I was invited to give my second eco-theological retreat, this time in Tarija at the beginning of June.

 

The idea is to talk about what is the reality of the world we’re living in, in respect to the environment, ecosystems, plants, animals, water, people etc. and how our interdependence all being part of creation calls us to pay attention to how our actions or in-actions are contributing to or lessening the goodness of all. We talked about the science and reality of the environmental situation on an international level and also in Bolivia and locally in Tarija. Christianity is in the good company of many other major faith traditions that recognize divinity or God’s presence all around us and this recognition then calls us to act accordingly, with respect and care.

 

I was surprised to find that the majority of the group were high-school students, but a lot of them really impressed me in their interest and conviction to take action in their lives and not let what they learned stay only in words. It was quite touching to hear their reflections and appreciation for our time together. I was very humbled.

 

At their own request we had a competition to see which group could pick up the most trash in an allotted time in the plaza of the small town we were staying in. I really enjoyed both the young people on the retreat and the adults who helped organize it, they were so hospitable and went out of their way to make me feel comfortable and taste the local foods and drink I wanted to try before leaving the area. It was a great experience, and I have a suspicion that more invitations to give the retreat are coming, as other members of national group of Justice and Peace seemed interested at the last meeting we had.

 

 

On the note of traveling, recently I got the opportunity to return home to Virginia, where a lot of my family and many friends are. I didn’t think I would get to go back during these 3 years so it was a much appreciated visit. I got to spend time with some of my favorite people and while it helped energize me, I also felt a wave of sadness upon leaving them again. It’s such a funny place to be, because I want to be here in Bolivia, finally having built meaningful relationships and having become involved in such great initiatives and groups. Yet, at the same time my heart is divided because I want to be with people whose lives are in the United States as well.

I’m reminded of something a Society of African Missions priest told us in our FMS training, that people in mission are forever mis-fits, never really feeling totally whole or at-place anywhere. I even felt some of that after spending 6 months in Germany while I was in college, and now it’s stronger. While saying good-bye to my immediate family in the airport (all 5 of them were there, you all are the best!) they reminded me that I’m going back to people whom I know and love, not to the complete unknown, which is how it was when I left 1 ½ years ago. So true. To combat my sadness, I thought of the dear friends I’ve made, the people I work with, and the kids recovering from burns who live with me at the Franciscan social center. I couldn’t wait to run into their open arms, waiting to hug me and then ask where was the chocolate I said I'd bring them.

 

To see more pictures, please go to: https://picasaweb.google.com/nora.pfeiffer/July24Blog?authkey=Gv1sRgCL7EztXE8Lal6wE#

5 Things I’m thankful for today: seeing dear friends I love very much and haven’t seen in a while; laughing really hard because of funny things my cousins’ kids say and do that I got to be present for!; spontaneous dance parties with my sisters; spending a week at the beach with lots of wonderful cousins, aunts, uncles, my immediate family and my grandpa; the people I’ve met in Bolivia who have let me in to their hearts.

Holy Week and Time in the Country

One of the things I enjoy about being in another country or culture for a holiday is that I get new insights into the culture and also a new perspective on the holiday itself. While a bit delayed in recounting my second Holy Week experience in Bolivia, I would still like to share some highlights. Last year I promised a Bolivian friend of mine that in exchange for not going last year, this year I would get up for the 5am pilgrimage walk up to the Christ statue on Good Friday, and I DID! In the Catholic church, it’s customary to pray the Stations of the Cross during Lent, but especially on Good Friday as a way of remembering what Jesus went through during his suffering, death and resurrection. For those unfamiliar, there are 14 “scenes” or parts of the story that one remembers and meditates on, and we did that walking up through the hills for 2 ½ hours on Friday morning before Easter.

 

“Is it really time to go?” I mumbled groggily over the phone when my friend called to advise me he was at my door and I was still in bed…oops. I scurried out the door and we arrived at the starting point just in time, joining with a couple hundred people bundled up and ready to make the meditative walk. It was really beautiful and I’m so glad I kept my promise. To be trotting along with all these other normal everyday people from Cochabamba, even accompanied by police officers, through the street and then up the stone road with the sun slowly creeping its way over the ridges, I felt a wash of joy rush over me. “What a gift!” I said to my friend who looked at me confused. It’s difficult to describe but I felt a strong sense of gratitude for being able to be a part of this small simple tradition in Cochabamba. It was so unique and not something most foreigners get to experience, and that I was allowed to be there felt like an honor. At the top, people played and sang music and there was a small dramatization. Cochabamba has never looked so pretty to me in the morning than that day.

 

Later that morning I was invited to spend this very family-centered day with my friend Renee’s family. While in the US, Good Friday is a day of fasting and abstinence, in Bolivia we were lightly encouraged to fast until lunch and not eat too much, but in actuality it is a feast day. There are traditionally 12 courses served, but all without meat. It’s popular to serve things like arroz con leche (a warm rice and milk dish that is sweet and yummy), or fish among many options. At my friend’s house they made a makeshift grill and grilled 2 kinds of very yummy fish, which accompanied a whole plate full of vegetables. I tried my very best to eat it all and left VERY full.

 

Now while I’ve lived here now long enough to experience two Holy Weeks, I still had not been to a professional soccer game, so I finally made it to one a week after Easter. This is a view from my seat – it looks pretty doesn’t it?

 

It was a lot of fun and I hope to go back again. There are two teams in Cochabamba and people are very hard-core fans! I have often seen the herds walking down the street after the games, decked out in their jerseys and hats, so I felt like I was again getting a chance to get an insider-experience of a very important part of the culture here in Cochabamba. Just like attending a baseball, football or basketball game in the US, there was a LOT of yelling, cheering and energy.

Living in the city is convenient for events like a soccer game that I can walk to, but I sometimes wonder what my life would be like to live out in the campo (country). I got an opportunity to spend 2 separate days out in a very very small community in the country, to help out with 2 environment workshops with middle school/high school kids. I know this Peruvian sister, who has got a lot of spunk and energy, both for poor people in rural areas and for the environment so our common interests connected us and she asked me to help her out with this workshop she’d planned.

 

One day we talked about paper, deforestation, littering and recycling because it’s very common, even there in the country, to rip out pieces of notebook paper and throw them on the ground, and then in the river. I was struck by how shy the girls were, much more so than the girls I know through the afterschool programs in the southern zone of the city of Cochabamba. The boys were usually the ones who volunteered to answer questions or just would by default because even when prompted and encouraged, many girls just refused to talk. I tried my best to encourage them, making it not a big deal, and trying to make a fool of myself so they wouldn’t feel so shy, but I think the social upbringing is quite powerful in this respect. It made me so grateful to have grown up in Girl Scouts where I was taught self-empowerment and encouraged to take risks.

The second time I went, two girls had prepared me lunch at their house and brought it to me on a plate (these kids get lunch made for them normally by the school which is funded by a foreign evangelical church in the Netherlands) – so the fact that they MADE me food when their families don’t exactly have much, was such a gesture of kindness and hospitality, I was really touched! They befriended me of their own initiative and were so curious to hear about the United States and asked if I could take them with me. I tried to tell them good things and not-so-good things about my country and reassured them there is no place like home, but they still expressed a desire to at least move to the city of Cochabamba where there are more opportunities for work and activities in general. I’m grateful for them and their openness to welcome me and share part of their story with me.

 

To see more pictures, please go to: https://picasaweb.google.com/nora.pfeiffer/July1Blog?authkey=Gv1sRgCLe2qM6em9Kk7gE#

5 Things I’m thankful for today: being invited regularly to my friend’s family’s house; having friends whom I can count on; having had the opportunity to be a Girl Scout for 13 years; the good fortune of a friend being reunited with his wife after many months of waiting for a visa; singing.