¡Que linda!

The past few weeks have been really busy here in Bolivia but very exciting and full of new adventures! With traveling, volunteering, taking classes and soaking in the culture here in La Paz, I am exhausted by the end of each day but I am truly so happy with all that I am doing down here.

Trip to Salar de Uyuni and Southwest Bolivia

Let me start by saying that if I would have known what I was in for ahead of time during this trip, I likely would not have gone...so I am glad I didn´t know because it was an exciting adventure complete with 3 days of ¨ohh´s¨ and ¨aah´s¨ as we soaked in the amazing scenes of natural beauty. The weather was extreme (cold, windy, strong sun, dry) and the accommodations were...basic (no electric, no hot water, nasty bathrooms, etc), but we made the best of it and it turned out to be a wonderfully memorable trip.

Uyuni sits at an elevation of 3669m and is in the coldest part of Bolivia. The town of 20,000 doesn´t have much to offer (besides a train graveyard in the middle of nowhere) but it is the starting and stopping point for most travelers interested in touring the Southwest Circuit of Bolivia. I personally could not wait to get out of the town once back from our adventure...they had turned off all the electricity in the town due to extreme wind and we had so much trouble getting service, let alone food, at any of the packed restaurants. The inhabitants of the town don´t bat an eyelash when the electricity is turned off, they just light candles and serve pizza cooked in a gas oven. At that point I was soooo ready to get back to the comforts of La Paz (prior to this trip I never imagined I would say those words)!.

Anyway, Uyuni is where we (Sharon and I) met up with the rest of our group and set out for the trip. I could not have hand picked a better group of people to share this adventure with. There was Rachel from Wales, Alex from Greece, Matt and Erwin from Switzerland and our driver and cook Fabio and Maribel. We got along from the start which was such a blessing given what we were about to experience together (we even had to sleep together in the same room)! I enjoyed our conversations about learning and knowing various langauges and dialects within various languages... that´s the language scientist in me... it was fascinating. I got to work on my accents as well :)

The trip took us through Salar de Uyuni, a 12,106 sq km salt flat resulting from a dried up lake, I think. The pure white environment is blinding and leads to some crazy visual illusions. If it haden´t been so harshly cold, we could have played with photos a little more taking advantage of the skewed sense of depth perception. In the middle of Salar is an Island of rock and Cacti. I enjoyed climbing to the top of the island, which was a feat due to the wind :) Well worth the trek however!! The sights at the top were breathtaking...although that may have been due to the lack of oxygen at 3660m.

The hostal that we spent the first night in was completely made from salt (no I didn´t lick the walls to make sure)! I was so worried about freezing to death since me and Sharon forgot to rent sleeping bags and all advice we had received implied that we may die without sleeping bags :) We survived the night, obviously, but I had to wear every piece of clothing that I packed. Thankfully the blankets provided were warm and cozy as long as I ignored the fact that they probably don´t get washed often...eew!

We left the hostal in the morning for an exciting day of driving through southwest Bolivia on an unpaved route far far from any sort of civilization. We visited beautiful lagoons and volcano ranges that were sort of like oasis throughout our cold, DRY, bumpy, windy journey. We got out of the jeep at one point to check out some huge boulders that have been formed into interesting shapes (a tree). The wind was so severe (blowing sand and dirt like bullets) that everytime I touched someone I got a horrible electric shock. When I tried to open the jeep door I got shocked so bad that it threw me off and the wind blew me 10 feet back! It was awesome :)

The hostal that we stayed in the second night was like something straight out of a horror movie! Everytime the freezing wind blew, the air filled with dust from outside due to broken windows and cracks in the roof and walls. So freaky. Thankfully we all slept in the same room because I think everyone was a little scared. We even had to go to the bathroom in teams (one flashlight) with caution due to freezing pee and water on the bathroom floor! We were soo happy to leave that freezing place in the early morning.

The third day was my favorite because we had a chance to get into a natural hot spring...glorious in addition to being the first warm thing I touched in several days. Since I haden´t been able to shower in 3 days, I couldn´t resist the urge to dunk my head...sort of a bad idea but lovely at the time. My hair and wet underclothes froze instantly upon exiting the spring! It was so invigorating and, to me, the best part of the trip!

Overall, I appreciate the harsh conditions so much because I realize that if these places were easy to get to, then there would already be paved roads, hotels, and Starbucks all around! The beauty and mystery that I experienced were well worth all the discomfort that I had to endure ;) By the way, no one is EVER allowed to call me High Maintainance Amy ever again!

Beautiful weekend in Lago Titicaca- Copacabana and Isla del Sol

After last weekend´s harsh adventures in Uyuni, me and Sharon decided to strive for comfort for our next trip to Lago Titicaca! Even without sparing expense, living in ¨Bolivan Luxury¨ for the weekend was not too costly. Lago Titicaca is a huge (8400 sq km) lake sitting at 3808m and is the world´s largest high-altitude lake....and it is absolutely sapphire and brilliantly georgous straddling both Bolivia and Peru.

Copacabana is an interesting place to visit...it´s a cute town with a beautiful Church and two mountains with religious shrines on top. I climbed to the top of the Catholic mountain but had no energy left (or time) to trek to the top of the other. I didn´t partake in any of the superstitious rituals that take place both atop the Catholic mountain and surrounding the cathedral in the middle of town (I took pics though). I felt like it was sort of sacreligious, actually a mix of both ancient religious practices (i.e. Aymara) and Catholic. The rituals include purchasing miniature items (cars, luggage, homes, fake money) then praying over it, throwing confetti on it, lighting it on fire and then pouring beer on it!! If the hike up the mountain wasn´t hard enough (altitude) the smoke from all the rituals made it even worse! I was further shocked to see the ritual in front of the Cathedral where people bring their new cars, decorated with ribbons and confetti, and pour beer all over them (including the motor) as a sacrifice for its protection. My car is almost 3 years old and I would freak out if someone poured beer on it...culture shock!

That was Copacabana (very nice for one night of exploring). The best reason to go to Copacabana is to catch a boat ride to Isla del Sol. The beauty of this island is so striking that pre-Incan peoples and the Incas connected it with mystical events, including the the birth of the sun, moon, god ¨Viracocha¨, and Incan civilization itself!! You can´t immagine the beauty of this place!!! I never knew such beauty existed. We were blessed with perfect weather and hot, strong sunshine! Once docked on the Island, we had to hike for about an hour up up up to nearly the top of the island where our ecolodge (La Estancia) was located. Talk about short of breath...I had to stop every 20 steps to slow my heartrate. I gave the man who carried all of our luggage up a huge tip (by Bolivan standards) because I could barely carry my shirt, let alone 150 extra pounts of weight!

The trek was well worth the pain, our accommodations were splendid with excellent food, HOT WATER (solar heated), warm beds, solar heated clean rooms, amazing views and excellent company. I was in paradise..I would only barely hesitiate to call it heaven!
The worst part of this trip was that Sharon ended up getting very sick (likely altitude sickness since the Island is even higher than La Paz). I felt so bad that she couldn´t enjoy a lot of the sights that required tough climbing to more remote areas. I ended up doing a lot of the exploring alone but found the time to be so wonderful and peaceful...just me, the sounds of undisrupted nature and all the spactacular views! ...I guess I could have waited for our guide, but he was hard to understand and a little akward so I left him in my dust :)

I met a lot of interesting people during this trip...from various parts of the world and on various parts of their journys. Some people have been traveling for months and months and others were just beginning their adventures.

Trout was introduced to Lago Titikaka about 80 years ago to improve the protein intake of the locals...I had trout 6 times during this trip :)

I´ve been back in La Paz now for a week and am not planning any trips for this weekend. Sharon and Ariel are leaving this weekend :( So I want to be here to spend time with them. There is also a big celebration in the city this weekend with a parade and a full day of traditional dancing, eating and drinking :) I hope to go to the Amazon next weekend for my last weekend before leaving for Peru. I am in love with the volunteer work that I have been doing during the week...it is exhausting but amazingly rewarding and much needed. I am going to really have a hard time leaving...it makes me sad to think of it just for a second!

Next post will be all about my volunteer work and some exciting changes that I hope to see happening for the kids soon :) Being down here has made me so much more aware of my blessings and I go to sleep every night going over them in my mind...my friends and family back home always come to mind first...love you all and miss you xoxoxoxoxox!

¡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

Todo Bien!

It is shocking to me as I sit here and realize that I have only been in La Paz for 5 days! I have never grown, learned and experienced so much in just 5 days in my life! ...and I´m not even really trying.


Since last I blogged (which seems like a lifetime ago) I have decided where I will focus my energy regarding volunteer work. I met with another woman, Siobhan (from Dublin) who works for ¨Para los Ninos¨ on Tuesday. She suggested that I work at the Erick Boulter center for Deaf children...only difference is she wants me to work with the adults who have various disabilities. The adults who live there have ¨graduated¨from the children´s program but, obviously, cannot just be kicked out onto the street...most would not last an hour independently. It is wonderful that there is a place for them to live and be cared for here. I will be the first volunteer to work with these adults...most volunteers request to only work with the cute little ones. When I walked over to the center and saw all the adults (with various disabilities- most not deaf) just sitting around in the yard with no activity, I resolved that this would be where I spend my time. I would like to help by organizing stimulating activities for them in the afternoons to improve their interaction with each other and quality of life.

Today I went to the center after Spanish lessons just to introduce myself to the other workers and observe and interact with the adults who live there. I wanted to get an idea of their various levels of abilities (i.e. physical, communicative, etc.). I brought a few balls and some various colored balloons to prompt physical movement and communication. It worked pretty well...most of them were thirsty for interaction and very curious about me. I brought paper and pens also to assess writing abilities. I got a lot of information and realized that I have my work cut out for me!

All of the adults are physically imapired in some way...however, physical abilities, as a whole, are their strength. I talked with the social worker (who was skeptical and shy with me initially, as most Bolivians tend to be). Once I was able to communicate my intentions (I had practiced in Spanish lessons earlier this morning) she warmed up quickly and was gracious for my help. I had a lot of fun today playing with the adults and encouraging them to participate. I look forward to this challege!


I must comment about the women I have met while here so far. I feel blessed to be in the company of such motivated and intelligent people who have recognized areas of need and suffering in the world and worked their butts off and sacrificed to make positive changes. For example, Alix Shand, the woman who helped make this all happen for me. She owns the institute where I study and is one of the ¨go-to¨people in La Paz if you wish to volunteer. I am going to try to attach a recent blog that she created after traveling deep into the coutry here to translate for a group of volunteer doctors from Holland. It is very interesting. Another woman, Iris Palacios, started Reach Bolivia http://www.reachbolivia.com/ and works so hard with almost no resources to improve the lives of the children in a local hospital here in la Paz. There are so many others...they are all compassionate women who are brilliant, hard-working and tough as nails (Even I wouldn´t talk back....yet). So inspiring to me.


Iris, who I mentioned above, has been almost begging me to work with her organization as well. She has two children in the hospital (long term hospital- more of a home) who desperately need speech therapy for language development. I am going to volunteer three mornings a week at the hospital and 2-3 afternoons at Erick Boulter. (plus classes 2-3 x per week). Whew! But this is what I´m here for!



Truely, I haven´t even scratched the surface of my observations and experiences (in only 5 days!). My next post will include more about La Paz and Bolivia in general regarding the fascinating culture and geography. I am going to be traveling to Salar de Uyuni for 5 days next week and hope to post again befor that.

Interesting fact...found out the hard way: Because of the altitude, carbonated beverages (i.e. beer) tend to have a frothier head :) It is a local superstition that the frothier your beer, the more money you have. Mine overflowed instantly, so I hope the superstition really means ¨the more money you will get¨!

Estoy aqui!

I wish I could go back in time and do something different with all the time and energy I spent worrying about coming here! But I guess that was all just part of the learning process as I grow into the world traveler that I want to someday be ;) Todo esta bien! Where to begin...

I had no trouble getting through immigration but found it funny that everyone from other countries besides America soared through a different line while all of the American citizens had to wait in various lines to show various documents and pay fees, etc. etc. Obama needs to work on our relationship with Bolivia because apparently something is off?

I was so happy to see the driver waiting for me with a big sign as soon as I emerged from the airport...I bypassed his handshake and gave him a big hug and kiss...he was like ¨who is this crazy woman?¨ To be honest, I thought he was a friend of Alix and otherwise may not have been so forward...but whatever, I was very happy to have someone waiting for me.

I am living with a very kind Bolivian family. We only speak Spanish in the house. There are 3 other women living there all from American and all wonderful. We have various levels of Spanish abilities and sometimes ¨cheat¨ and speak English with each other. One woman, Sharon, is a Spanish professor...she doesn´t let me cheat ;) The living accomodations are much better than I was expecting. No heat (and it gets very coold at night) but the beds are warm and Gloria (my Bolivian Mother) gave me a little space heater. There is hot water in the shower (thank the Lord) but it is tricky to get to and, once in, it is hard to get out and back into the cold air. I really cannot complain though...I love the way I am living here.

I am trying to capture the amazing views that are everywhere you look here in La Paz but, as usual, photos do no justice. The main Ave is along the lowest valley in the city and everything else is on a STEEP incline up to the moutain tops. You really can´t get lost because you can always just go downhill and get to the central ave. Well, I lied, I did get lost yesterday...but don´t tell my Mom! I had just completed a hike from El Alto all the way back down to the center of town with on of Alix´s friend, Dan de Germany. I promised him that I could find my way back home and we parted ways. I was doing ok...going on visual memory alone but soon accepted that I really had no idea where I was. My map was of no use because no streets are labled. After showing my map to two different women, I was able to find my way. The only scary part was the ramdom dogs following me periodically...I survived and am better for it ;)

The worst part about getting lost during the day in La Paz is that it means you will have to climb more than is absolutely necessary. I don´t think I am going to be able to run regularly but I am getting some crazy exercise just hiking up the steep streets that are unavoidable! Some are so steep that they are hard to even walk down without slipping!

Oh yea, as I predicted, I had no problem adjusting to the altitude! Maybe some mild shortness of breath after running up some stairs...but nothing major. I drank some coca tea as soon as I arrived which may have helped me avoid the ¨soroche¨ (altitude sickness). I definitely want to run a 5K as soon as I return to the states to take advantage of all my new red blood cells.

Too much to talk about and not enough time (I am at an internet cafe- 2 Bolivianos per hour= 25 cents). Today I went to the witches market and toured through town. Yesterday I visited one of Alix´s friends in El Alto to see if I can help him communicate verbally. He suffers from Neuro Cystercycosis (sp?) which is a worm that gets into the brain and causes terrible problems. He is a brilliant man and his mind and comprehension are fully intact. Unfortunatlly, he has some major physical disabilities including speech and swallowing. I worked with him for maybe 30 minutes before his sister insisted that he eat. The culture of health care is so different here. I had exercises transcribed into Spanish and reviewed them with his sister for him to do daily...I hope he does. He could do very well if he could have intense therapy daily. It was kind of depressing. I wanted to be able to help more or see him more frequently while here but it is not possible. He lives deep into El Alto and it is not safe for me to travel there alone. He is a very interesting man, went to Cambridge, opened the Speak Easy Institute with Alix, is writing his 4th book, etc. etc. He is not originally from Bolivia but married a Bolivian woman and now calls La Paz home.

Lots of pressure here because I know I can´t do justice to all that I am experiencing. I feel very fortunate to be living with a Bolivian family and have contacts with local people. I feel like I am getting the true picture of life here. I start classes tomorrow morning and am going to visit a place in El Alto that I may spent time volunteering. I houses incarcerated women who need education re: women´s issues. I´ll fill in more later. I am also going to talk to a woman tomorrow about working at a children´s ¨hospital¨ for disabled children. The organization is called ¨Para los Ninos¨. OK...i must get back before it´s too late....more soon. xoxoxoxoxo