Saying goodbye

The last few days have been marked by several tearful farewells - at the orphanage, and with the women's and girls' groups with which our students have been working. Yesterday was our last day in Loma Pampa, which was also the anniversary of the barrio. We participated in the celebrations and activities of the day - our students participated in several relay races and events, and took home the prize in the egg toss and dance competitions. They also served cake to the entire community, and received certificates of recognition from the local leadership. The appreciation that everyone expressed for the work we have done in the community was very strong and moving.

Today, students begin the process of packing up and returning home. The program is officially over, with just a few loose ends to tie up. Everyone will be taking home incredible, lasting memories of what they have experienced here; no one, it is safe to say, will ever be the same as when they left home six weeks ago.

This will be my last blog entry of the season. Below are some photos of the last few days. See you again in June, 2010!

First despedida

The process of leaving Bolivia is marked by despedidas – goodbye parties. For us, these began yesterday, as the group that has been working with the women of Loma Pampa said goodbye to their friends in the barrio. The students had spent the morning preparing a meal of charque - dried llama meat - which they brought to Loma Pampa in the afternoon and served to the women assembled. The food was great, and the women so appreciative - our students and the leaders of the women's group all spoke movingly of their time together, and the women expressed their hope that the students would return some day. Our students should be extremely proud of themselves - they helped to found this women's group (and the girls' group, which has its despedida on Saturday), a space for women to get together, share their thoughts and feelings with one another, and learn to do crafts and other activities.

In the evening, another group of students attended a community meeting in Alto Cochabamba, another barrio where they have similarly been working with a group of women, helping them to learn how to bake bread and pastries. At this meeting, the students and our colleagues in Pro Justicia donated an oven to the community, which will be used by the women in their future activities. This was received by the women there with much joy and appreciation, as indicated by the confetti which they rubbed in everyone's hair. This group has its despedida tomorrow.

Learning to Cueca

Sunday in Loma Pampa was busy, as usual. This week we were accompanied by two British students, whom our group met up with during their trip to Torotoro, and whom they invited along to share the fun. They did their share, digging in the dirt to help level the ground for the metal awning (which hopefully will be installed this week), and hacking through dense rock to make the post holes to support the structure. I wondered why two people, backpacking through South America, would want to give up a perfectly good Sunday to sweat in the dirt of Loma Pampa. Aida thinks it's because we have such an amazing program, which offers opportunities unlike any other. People - young people, especially - from all over the world have the desire to help out, to do good for others, even for people they have never met before and will never meet again. Surprisingly, perhaps, the chance to do meaningful work of this kind can be hard to come by. Our program offers this opportunity, in a way that students feel the immediate impact of their contributions.

After classes with the children, don Miguel's daughter-in-law Escarlet invited our students to learn to dance the cueca, Cochabamba's traditional dance, and somehow convinced them to perform it at the anniversary celebration in Loma Pampa next Sunday. I shot some video of their rehearsal.

Time

Today is the last day of July, which means we have been in Bolivia for a month now. It always amazes me how time passes here. It feels like we've been gone forever, but at the same time, like we just left yesterday. Each day goes by so quickly, but the overall passage of weeks seems to drag. In any event, we head for home in less than two weeks, which seems very strange. Many of the students are already sad about leaving, wondering why the program can't go for eight weeks, or a semester.

The group comes back from Torotoro tomorrow evening, and Sunday morning we're back in Loma Pampa, finishing up the work we've been doing on the community center - painting the woodwork inside, and helping to level the field out back for the giant metal awning we hope to see installed before we leave.

What's wrong with the Red Sox?

I know this is irrelevant to you Bolivia watchers, but the students are on their way to Torotoro (where they will spend three days hiking, caving, and splashing beneath waterfalls), and I am following the Red Sox via MLB radio on my computer. The Sox have dropped 7 of the last 10 games and now trail the Yankees by 2.5 games in the AL East, after leading by 3 at the All Star break. And after blowing a seven run lead last night against the A's (one of the worst teams in the AL), they trail 5-0 after one inning in Boston. What is the deal?

Being far away and unable to watch the games, I feel disconnected from my team, and somehow partly responsible for this train wreck. I've got to get home so I can start watching again, and things can return to normal. Yes, I am that powerful.

Public speaking

Recently a former student (hi Alana!) posted a comment to this blog, asking incred-

ulously if the building in which we are holding classes in Loma Pampa is in fact the same building that students helped to construct last summer. Indeed it is. Not only classes, but many other functions are held there as well, including the regular end-of-the-month meeting, which we attended yesterday.

Our purpose at the meeting was to speak to the community about our various activities there. Several of our students had a chance to practice their public speaking skills. We were warmly received, with much applause and expressions of gratitude from barrio leaders and residents. We also made several donations, including a soccer ball, a bag of used clothing, and some gifts in support of the barrio anniversary on August 9. That will be the last day of our program, a good day for a despedida.

Palmitos

Another visit we made during our trip to the Chapare was to a local factory where they pack palmitos: hearts of palm. These are grown in fields out back (which we also toured), and then brought into the factory where they are processed and canned for export, mostly to other Latin American nations. This is one of the few successful cases of alternative development in the Chapare - local farmers were convinced to give up growing coca about 8 years ago, and in return got a stake in this enterprise, which has since flourished (though the global economic crisis is impacting its income at present). I suppose it is a sign of the deindustrialization of the North that this was my first-ever visit to a factory. It was the cleanest, nicest-smelling place in Bolivia that I had ever visited.

Before entering the facility, we were all made to dress up in protective gear, though whether to protect us or the palmitos was unclear (probably the latter, given that everyone in Bolivia seems to think that gringos are invariably carrying swine flu). So we all dressed up like doctors and headed in for our tour.

Fun fact: The name "Chapare" comes from "ancha para," or mucha lluvia (lots of rain) in Quechua.