These are a few of my favorite things...

Location: Sucre, Bolivia

I´d like to take a few minutes and reflect on my time here thus far. I´d like to share with you some of the idiocyncrasies about South America that I love so much, some of the things I have learned, and some of the situations I have not been so fond of. Here goes...

Things I love:

1. Augustina.

Her story: I was lucky enough to meet Augustina two nights ago after trekking in the mountains outside of Sucre. I decided with two friends, Leila, and my new friend Fabian, to take some time out of the city and explore the beautiful countryside, so we headed out on Wednesday and stayed through Friday, hoping we´d find somewhere to sleep although there were no definite hostals where we were going. Though we tried to get on a bus, none were available to go to the tiny town of Chantiquilla, where we were to begin hiking...

2. Crazy trucks full of fascinating people

...so we decided to board the truck. This truck had no seats, and people would seat wherever they could make room, despite sitting on top of people´s feet or pushing others out of the way. Although it looks like we have plenty of room, my friend and I are smushed, each with a tiny Quechua woman sitting on our feet. I had so much fun looking down and watching their small sandled feet move about between the colorful bags of rice of corn, trying to adjust a bit. It is amazing how comfortable the people seemed to be- just sitting on top of each other and squeezing in. There were little boys fast asleep and tiny 4 year old girls in pink sweaters just holding on to the rails. No one swatted away flies, changed layers of clothes to adjust to the heat or complained...they just stayed they way they were and looked completely satisfied. I find that I make tiny adjustments every few seconds- sunglasses on, off, take off sweatshirt, take a drink, open window, blow nose, etc...but I have never noticed this with the Peruvian and Bolivian people. They seem very adaptable and don´t seem to complain or need to alter their state of being based on what is going on around them. It´s amazing. So Lesson Number One to Ali: ADAPT. Be FLEXIBLE. I regress...the story continues...

3. Tiny Old Traditional dressed woman who come out of the blue in the mountains chasing their goats

...Anyway, so we spent about 1 1-2 hours on this bouncey truck, which finally arrived at our location. We deboarded and began our seven hour hike, hoping to have no problems following the trail. On the way, we climbed up a mountain and ran into these wild looking black dogs who were herding the sheep on their own. After a few more minutes, we ran into this woman, who didn´t speak a word of Spanish, but ran like the wind to chase after her goats. I offered her some Oreos for her hardwork, which she took, thanked me, and proceeded to take herself and her goats over the mountain...

4. Baby goats :)

5. Lazy boy rocks

6. Crazy 20000 year old paintings in the middle of Bolivian wilderness

...as we continued to walk, the landscape changed, and we went from seeing multicolored mountainsides to jagged rocks that looked like lazy boy chairs. We finally scouted out some old ancient paintings on a rock shelf that had supposedly been there for 20,000 years. They were cool.

7. Augustina´s home

...as we walked and it got later, we realized that we might not make it to our destination, which was a place called Maragua, a tiny town inside of a crater. After 7 hours, the sky started to thunder and we knew we were headed for a big storm. I had heard that there was a woman in town who let people crash somewhere on her property, so as the skies started to open up, we searched for this elusive Augustina. We found her and she soon led us to a small building behind her home and gave us straw mattresses to sleep on. We chatted with Augustina about all her pets- ducks, dogs, pigs, rabbits, guinea pigs, etc...and then fell asleep in the little room, listening to the rain.

The next day we got up and walked 3 more hours into the crater, where I went into the school. This is Avelina, and she and I chatted about school and traded string bracelets. Sadly, many of the kids there approached us and demanded money as soon as we got to the school. Although the town rarely has visitors, the kids know to ask foreigners for money, and they quite rudely demanded that this was all they wanted from us.

The school in Maragua, Bolivia.

We headed back to Chaunaco, where Augustina lived, and got there in another 3 hours. The air was so dry that you were thirsty the whole time. (Ethan and Toby, remember when we used to stick our heads out the window when we were little to dry out our tongues??? Well, this was just like that except it happened in about 3 minutes...) Finally, after about 25 miles in 2 days, we got to town and caught a ride in a truck bed back to Sucre. It was a great trip. And that´s how I met Augustina.

Also, Happy Birthday to Mom (Oct 25th) and Johnny (oct 28th). Much love!

Sleeping nuns, flat tires and shining cities

Location: Sucre, Bolivia
October 29, 2009

Lots to report...from La Paz

Below is one of the schools I went into outside of La Paz. Oscar is the man in the picture, and I ended up meeting him through my hostal. He helps to teach English at the school and I got to go and have a classroom on my own! The first class was tiny, only 3 students (see picture below)...basically, Oscar just left me there with the girls, and we chatted in English and Spanish, all about their experiences in Bolivia and mine in the US. It was fascinating. This is one of the English-teaching schools in Bolivia, and is located on a military base. It was a bit overwhelming entering the school- you had to salute the guard and then I got ushered into the captain´s quarters...I got to chat with the teachers and then meet with the first class of girls. Next, I moved on to the classroom nextdoor, where there were more than 30 students, just sitting and looking to the front of the room. A friend of mine had been answering questions for them so they could pratice their English, and so I came along and we both got ïnterviewed¨.

Afterwards, I got to go with some of the students to the local market, where we chatted and ate local foods. It was fun to be with them inside and outside of the classroom.

A natural landmark outside of La Paz called Valle de la Luna, reminiscent of Bryce Canyon in Utah. It´s amazing to travel from a crazy bustling city to these natural beauties sitting just beyond the city line.

From La Paz, I traveled by train to the tiny city of Tupiza, where Butch Cassidy and the Sundance kid were theoretically caught and killed after robbing a Bolivian bank. The city feels a bit like the wild west, and is super dusty. Here, I paired up with a few other gringos and engaged i the town´s ¨triatholon¨ aka Jeep tour, horse tour, and then biking tour...it was crazy!

First part of tour- part by Jeep and part on foot. We almost got hit by a bus as we were passing through the tunnel...

Enjoying the prettiness!!!

Second part of the triatholon- horseback riding- so beautiful- the canyons we rode around looked like being in the Red Rocks...
The last part of the triatholon...as many of you know, I broke my elbow when I fell off my bike this summer...yet, I decided to take this mountain bike (brakes didn´t work so well) and bike down 3000ft of a mountain. Scariest thing I´ve done in a long time. I´m smiling because I am at the top of the mountain!

After Tupiza, I headed north into Sucre, Bolivia on a 8 hour bus. To get to Sucre, you must pass through the mining town of Potosi, where mine conditions are terrible- no ventilation, runaway trains, really dangerous conditions overall. I wanted to do a mine tour, but since the bus arrived late from Tupiza, I decided to head to Sucre right from Potosi. At night, there are no more buses to Sucre so you can take a taxi with other people headed the same direction. I ended up in a taxi with 3 other passengers and the driver, and I was in the middle of the back seat. On the way to Sucre, the woman next to me ended up falling asleep and snuggling into my shoulder. She happened to be the cutest little nun, and she was sleeping soundly. At one point, the driver hit a patch of rough ground too quickly which shook the taxi and made it bounce a lot. The nun grabbed my hand saying, Ädios Mio!¨and woke up...turned out we got a flat that we had to change right away. I tried to calm the poor scared nun, we changed the flat and we headed into the bright white city of Sucre!

A little map for your reference...

http://geology.com/world/bolivia-map.gif

Tupiza is north of Villazon.

The Hardest Part...

October 21, 2009

Location: La Paz, Bolivia

...is saying goodbye to the incredible people I have met along the way. I think that this is one of my challenges of the journey. I feel so lucky to have encountered such amazing friends, but it sure is tough to say goodbye for an indefinite amount of time.

Anyway, lots to update...

1. Last week I spent time in what they call an ¨Escuela Especial,¨which is basically a school that serves kids that cannot attend public schools. These students have severe disabilities, and the students I worked were in one of three classes: deaf, severely mentally retarded, or Down´s Sydrome. Upon entering the school, I was impressed with the facilities, but with each minute I spent in the school, I grew to realize that these kids did not get the same services that children of similar disabilities receive in the US. The hardest partof being in the school is trying not to judge- I did my best to perceive what I could about the school and the students, and am trying to write about the school in an objective manner...For the first hour, there was no teacher. I was in the classroom with 12 children who were deaf-hard of hearing- and there was no teacher. I tried to speak to them, but found it difficult to communicate. The kids were running in and out of the room, locking themselves in the bathroom,and using the wheelchairs and crutches next door to play. Though I tried my best,I didn´t know what to do. Finally, the teacher came and took over. During my time at the school, I saw no academic work-no writing, math, reading, nothing, except the practice that the children did for their daily Friday afternoon performance. Later in the day, the students had recess and a volunteer and myself took the children out to play- allof the children in the school were with us- 40 kids more or less- and after 30 minutes of play, thekids had had enough and were ready for their lunch. They were started to fight and cry, but no teacher picked them up,and so for the next 30 minutes, I took charge of taking responsibility for these kids until I eventually went to get the teachers and tell them the kids needed to be back in the classroom- apparently, the teachers thought that an extra 30 minutes of recess would be fine...that was a tough day.

I am learning more and more that experiencing education must not only involve visiting schools, but also talking to families, children, and mostly, understanding and taking part in the culture. To see a school is to see a tiny part of what helps formulate an individual, and to neglect the culture is to ignore the majority of the experiences of the child...more on that later.

2. Since last week, I have traveled from Cusco to Puno by overnight bus, and then on to Bolivia, crossing the border at Copacabana. I went to Lake Titicaca and stayed two nights on La Isla del Sol, when I met some Irish and English friends. The Lake is half in Bolivia and halfway in Peru, and is an astonishing sight. You can sit outside of the hostal ($3 a night!!!), eat your dinner and watch the sunset over the lake, and listen to the burros he-haw. Incredible.

Sunset on the lake

The path that crosses the island north to south

Sacrifical table!

More ruins on La Isla Del Sol

Hostal in Lago Titicaca, Bolivia

Our driver concentrating (see the floating bus behind!!!)

3. On the way from Copacabana to La Paz, our ¨direct¨bus took an unexpectedc shortcut. The driver told us to get out and pay a small tax before reboarding. After we got off the bus, the bus pulled forward and drove onto a rickety wooden barge which preceeded to waddle its way across the lake. As the bus was making its way across the lake, we were escorted into a tiny broken boat and shuttled across the river as well....just another delightful Bolivian treat! I enjoyed the event very much and was surprised and fascinated that the bus got across in one piece.

Llama fetuses in the Witches Market, La Paz, Bolivia

Trash in La Paz

4. La Paz- amazing city, staying right near the ¨Witches market,¨full of llama fetuses and crazy vials that bring good luck. Very entertaining-tomorrow I go into an English-Spanish school.

I wanted to conclude with afterthoughts and reflections of Peru, but my patience in pressing this spacebar twice for every space is wearing me thin, so reflections to come.

One month into my travels, I feel great. So lucky to be on this journey-I treasure everyday, and though I am far away, I am missing and thinking of those at home. Traveling is such a great experience for living in the present.

Madrina???

Dayana and I

October 14, 2009

Location: Cusco, Peru

A little update: Two days ago, I went to go visit some friends I had made a few weeks ago: Dayana, Rodrigo, and their mother, Julia. I tend to see them a few times a week and I will chat with Julia and play with the kids. So on Sunday, I stopped by to say hello and as I was holding Dayana, Julia looked at me and asked, ¨Will you be her Godmother?¨This question took me totally by surprise, and luckily, my friend Alonso had been there to translate for me or else I am sure I would have politely nodded my head and ignored the question, since I did now know what Madrina meant. Anyway, I was totally shocked and didn´t know what to say or what the duty involved, so I spent the rest of the day pondering the question. I felt it was quite an odd thing to ask of a stranger from another country who was only going to be staying in town for a few more days. Although I still don´t understand it, I spoke with Julia this morning and turned down the position, which was a difficult thing to do.

Another strange occurence: Puppies and Breakfast!

So I ordered Eggs and Coffee, but what I got this morning was much more delicious...a puppy at the table! Dogs are common here, but usually, they don´t frequent restaurants, but this little one not only came to visit, but tried to partake of our meal as well. It´s these little idiosyncrasies that really make Peru Peru and I treasure them.

Quickly wanted to mention an amazing museum I went to today. It´s called IrqÍ Yachay Museo de Arte de Niños Andinos. http://www.aylluyupaychay.org/museo/index.htm

Basically, it is a collection of children´s artwork who have never engaged in art before. These youth are from 31 indigenous Quechua communities outside of Cusco who do not have access to any means of art. The NGO took 49 one-week long trips to these communities to incorporate art not only as a means of self-expression but also to demonstrate numerical, scientific, and other academic concepts. The children get to do all sorts of activities with the artwork, and unlike in the States, none of their artwork is influenced by outside forces like television or media because it does not exist to these communities. In fact, the kids were asked to illustrate ¨Apu¨which is the concept of what is beyond their sight. Some kids drew condors, some drew mountains, and some drew big faces, like spirits. These students had to draw their Apu, or what they thought was out in the world, and all of their concepts were different. The project also engages kids to draw maps as a means to explore geography and use mirrors to express concepts of symmetry. All sorts of cool projects are introduced to these communities because the NGO firmly believes that ¨self-expression is a fundamental right of childhood.¨ So cool- and many of the projects incorporate their Quechua culture as well.

A little children´s parade I stumbled into this morning....

Templo de los monos y baby in a fruit stand

...hahaha....


October 12, 2009
Location: Cusco, Peru

This weekend I explored the temples outside of Cusco, just a breathless, mile or so walk outside of the city. There are three temples perched on top on the hills: The Temple of the Monkeys, the Temple of the Moon and the Temple of the Sun. Each temple served a different function, and to me the most interesting one was the Temple of the Moon, which was sort of like a cave. When you walk into the cave, you see a flat rock bed, which served as a sacrifical table. It was a bit creepy inside fof the temple, because you could also hear the screech of a dying llama...

Outside of the temple of the moon.

View from the top of Cusco

On Sunday, we headed into the town of Ollantaytambo, which required a 2 hour bus ride and a 30 minute cramped collectivo ride. But before we could get on the bus, we stumbled across one of Peru´s famous parades- here, they have parades for every occassion. This one appeared to be sad- since Peru is in the process of renaming this holiday, I am not sure what it is presently called. The parade was resonant of a funeral procession, and the people wearing purple held a giant casket-looking structure. Everyone was crying and praying, and it did not seem like a happy day.

Fruit stands are abundant in Peru- this was is my favorite, as of late, I guess this woman sells fruits as well as her baby :)

The following pictures were taken in Ollantaytambo, a midway point between Cusco and the famous Machu Picchu. For some reason, the town I remembered as being alive and happy was dusty and devoid of humans, so we went for a hike across the river instead of spending time in town.

These are some kids playing in the street. What was interesting about these kids and the man in the previous picture who is carrying the Eucalyuptus plants was the contrast between their actions and those of the world around them. When I was following the man with the leaves, I was admiring his strength, certain that he had been bearing the weight of these trees for many miles as he trekked his way into town. Strangely, as these thoughts were entering my mind, a giant tourist bus came up behind him, paralleling the work he was doing with the invasion of modern society. He didn´t look up and just kept walking...Next, I saw these kids playing with sticks,

and just walking in the middle of the road, and then technology came creeping in....the kids continued to play but the bus came in the middle of them, tourists staring out of their windows at the kids, who just went frolicking along. Such a funny juxtaposition- along the town is saturated with tourists and giant cars and buses, the intimate details of the day seem to remain untouched somehow.