¡Cuidado!

¨La cocaina es una droga, la coca no¨

Hola from La Paz!! I´m still very happy to be here and am doing exactly what I planned...learning, traveling, helping, growing... Todo esta bien aqui!

After being here for 11 days, I have begun to notice some common dangers that newbies to the city have to look out for...most I have personal experience with and others, my roommates have graciously found out, the hard way, for me.

Traffic!


Whether a driver or pedestrian, the method of navigating the streets here is unorthodox, at best. Where to begin, pedestrians cross the streets whenever and wherever...no matter if a car is coming. ¨Look both ways before you cross the street¨is not a concept that is recognized in these parts. In an effort to teach pedestrians safer methods of crossing, the city started a program many years ago that uses young adults, dressed as Zebras, to direct walkers of all ages on where and when it is safe to cross...seriously!

Interestingly, I have not witnessed or heard about any accidents involving cars-on-car or car-on-person. Given the way people drive around here, I would expect to see beat up cars with dents and missing bumpers but that is not the case. Some speculate that, since people do not have car insurance here, they are very skilled at avoiding collisions. These people are used to driving in this ¨crazy¨ way and have learned from the start how to navigate in La Paz. If I attempted to drive on these streets, I would not last a block without causing major problems.

Crime schemes aimed at tourists!

This is one of the dangers that Sharon, the Spanish teacher, found out for us the hard way!

I am so thankful that I bought the Lonely Planet travel guide last minute before coming. It warned of these schemes and how to avoid being a victim. Unfortunatly, Sharon did not read this information and, self admittedly, is too trusting of people. We were all planning to visit the Witches Market together and Sharon decided to meet us there. She was going to take an autobus while we walked. While waiting for a bus, a ¨nice woman visiting La Paz from Brazil¨approached Sharon and suggested they split a taxi. Sharon agreed and the woman proceeded to deny several passing taxies until a specific one came along (WARNING WARNING). Of course, the taxi did not take the route Sharon would have expected and, what do you know, an undercover cop stopped the taxi and got in the front seat demanding to search the tourists´ bags for illegal substances. The woman stayed in character the whole time, shaking and crying. Once he had gone through all of her bags, they dumped Sharon out on the street and drove off. It was then that she realized what had actually happened and that her credit card and phone were gone. She was lost and really upset. Thankfully she was not hurt physically and is considering this a lesson learned for all of us.

Fake police have become a huge problem in La Paz. So much so that a law has been made that common clothed officers are not allowed to approach tourists and ask for identifying information or perform searches.

Breathing!

Due to the pollution from cars, dust from the dry dry environment, and severe altitude, breathing could be considered dangerous. The last I posted, I hadn´t had any problems associated with breathing and altitude. Since then, my competitive nature got the best of me..and my lungs. Since I am not running regularly, I refuse to take a bus up the steep, long streets that we have to trek everyday. The other night I decided it would be good exercise for me to run up one of the longest, steepest streets and attempt to beat the autobus that the rest of the family was taking!! I beat the bus but thought I was going to have to go to the hospital! My trachea and lungs were burning sooooo bad and I smelled blood on my breath!!! I might not try anything like that again...but I did beat the bus!! :)

Random Holes
Not only do you have to be on the constant lookout for cars, but, oddly enough, gaping holes in the ground as well. I´m not sure what this is all about, but it is definitely a phenomenon worth mentioning. I have started a new collection of photos depicting what could happen if you are not paying attention while walking around here.

















Random stray dogs, everywhere!

And not the cute, cuddly kind. These are maingy trashpickers that bark all night long and keep me awake. They are kind of like the squirrles of La Paz. I suppose they do their part to dispose of garbage left on the street but overall they are kind of scairy to pass while walking alone. I haven´t heard of any of them approaching a person but I still feel uncomfortable passing them on the streets. The dogs are better at crossing the chaotic streets then I am....




Gastrointestinal problems


This is another danger that one of my roommates learned for all of us. Although I have been warned that I am bound to get sick due to exposure to all these new germs. The way foods are prepared and presented here is...hmm...very different than traditional food storage and preparation methods that I have been exposed to up until now. Food is sold all over the place and along every street. Some of it smells good but I have been told that I should avoid eating this traditional Bolivian style food on the streets until I have been here for 3 years and can build immunity to various germs. I an not that tempted anyway. The food (i.e. raw meats) sits outside in the sun all day. I do drink the fresh squeezed fruit juice on the street everyday...so far haven¨t been sick. I still get to eat traditional Bolivian cuisine, however, because my Bolivian family has a maid who prepares delicious dishes and soups every day for lunch :) This is a picture of Ariel trying to combat some stomach problems with coca tea...she is a vegetarian and having a hard time figuring out how to eat here. The main ingredients for most dishes are meat, potatoes and rice. There are a lot of fresh vegetables and fruits available everywhere but, if included in a traditional dish, are mostly cooked until they have no more nutritional value... I will have to do an entire blog just to cover the food and eating in La Paz.


Heartbreak

This has, by far, been the hardest danger to deal with since being here. I visited the hospital
that at which I will be volunteering this past Monday. It is called a hospital but is really an orphanage for infants, children and young adults with severe physical and mental limitations (autism, cerebral palsey, etc). The conditions are like nothing I have ever imagined and it was very hard to take in the reality. Most of the residents spend all of their time inside mulling around with no activities or significant stimulation. This is especially bad for children with autism or problems with sensory integration. I saw a lot of children rocking and even one boy tied to a bench because he self-harms due to lack of proper stimulation. He stays tied to the bench all day. When I walked into the room with the young adults, many of them grabbed onto me begging for attention. They are older and strong so it was hard for me to get out of their grip; Truely a horrible sight. I went to visit the room with the infants (infant-6ish) at what happened to be potty time. Potty time consists of the children being strapped to toilet seats in one room until they go number 2...sometimes it takes more than an hour. I saw one boy eating his diaper and no one seemed to think this was an issue...the response was, oh he has autism so he does that. I was truely crushed while traveling home from the hospital. I am not sure how seeing this is going to affect me in the long run but the shock made me very depressed. It is hard to see people living with such excess when there are poor little children everywhere who are not even getting their basic needs met. I cannot blame anyone specifically for what I am seeing here...it is all due to lack of resources and staff. The women who take care of the children do not have any training on special populations and seem to see their focus on keeping the rooms neat and clean.


Since Monday, I have cut back on buying gifts and souvenirs for myself, family and friends at home. I want my money to go towards improving conditions for these kids. A little money can go so far down here and the kids (and adults) could be entertained with the most simple thing for hours (i.e ball, colored pencils, puzzles).


There is a positive light on the sad reality in this hospital. Para los Niños and Reach Bolivia have been getting more volunteers than ever. There is a little more consistency with therapy for the children. There was an occupational therapist who was here before me and she created wonderful profiles on the kids that I am working with. She included recommendations and insights that help me to get started more quickly without having to spend time figuring out strengths, weaknesses, etc. I am going to be playing speech therapist, occupational therapist and physcial therapist for the next 5 weeks. I will create reports regarding communication with hopes that another volunteer can come in after me and continue to guide progress. Also, Para los Niños received a great amount of money recently and they are going to be able to create a sensory integration room...pretty state of the art!


I realized that I am not going to fix the world and make these kids college-bound in one month...thinking like that is so overwhelming. I have accepted that I can contribute to small improvements and hope that more and more people realize how easy it is to make these small differences.


Another sad sight are the ¨shoe shine boys¨ who can be found everywhere you look. Almost all of them cover their faces with a stocking because they are embarrassed that their friends will recognize them. Most don´t have families or have to support themselves. They approach everyone asking to shine their shoes in exchange for money. I learned that, on a good day, they may make 10 Bolivianos (about $1.50) a day. That is just about enough to have a small meal. The people here work their butts off just to get by day to day.






I am off to Salar de Uyuni tonight (12 hours on a bus) until Sunday. It should be quite a beautiful sight! Volcanos, hot springs and a huge desert of salt....pics to come I am sure. Missing everyone! xoxox