Journals
Saturday,Aug 19 2006, 07:03:02 PMcasi un año!
I The days are perfect. Windows open at twilight and crickets chirping while the odd rooster crows. I arrived today on the bus from Vallegrande sitting next to six tourists on their way to La Higuera; they were snapping pictures and marveling at the valleys down below. Arriving in Pucará, a Belgian couple decided to walk to La Higuera, leaving their large backpacks in my house until their return; the others took a taxi on their journey west. It was a beautiful day to witness Pucará for the first time!
My work with the Mayor’s office is slow and frustrating. My presence is neither expected nor acknowledged- and without support from them, it has been near impossible to rally the community to form a tourism committee or even discuss the issue seriously. My computer classes have stopped; those who were interested have finished the course and that is that. Despite lack of “traditional” work, I still am in love with Pucará and its people. They are the reason I get up each morning (usually!) and make me feel like a pucareña.
I have formally organized a club de chicas; we have been hiking, baking, and reading books in English and Spanish together for a while now and I love spending time with these 8 girls. They are now helping me unwed and replant the greenhouse with fresh vegetables to sell on the plaza on Sundays. I am working on setting up a recycling project with them as well. My 7th grade class in the school here has begun an exchange with a school in Iowa; we are learning about the Plains Indians and basic English and the 7th graders in the U.S. are learning a bit of the Incas too. I also have been inquiring in Vallegrande to teach new guides about tourism and some English vocabulary… I am basically trying every outlet towards still working on tourism these days!
When I see experiences such as today with the tourists coming through Pucará, I wonder whether the pucareños aren’t right, and that maybe the level of tourism here is nearly sufficient; after all, most travelers to these parts are looking for the adventure, the hiking, and really experiencing the heart of the Bolivian countryside. Winter is almost over, and aside from a light snow and freeze two weeks ago, it has been uncharacteristically mild.
At the end of August I am going south to the Grand Chaco region to visit another PCV, Andrew, in his site outside of Yacuiba where they hold an annual rodeo! Several of us will then venture a couple hours south into Argentina to visit the wineries of Salta. I have been here a year and realize I have chosen the best rollercoaster ride yet of my life!
Friday,Jun 9 2006, 08:18:24 PMDia del Maestro
Día del Maestro- National Teacher Day
Yesterday we left at daybreak, all huddled in a flatbed truck, down the mountain pass that goes past the school and various people’s estancias (ranches). From the valley we had to walk a kilometer up a mountain to our destination; having brought along stereo (and battery to play the stereo), cases of beer, buckets of corn, 10 kilos of meat, a grill, and charcoal; we were each trudging up like ants, going to have a picnic. We arrived at Prof. Nelson’s farm and were welcomed with cups of sweet, sweet coffee and ...
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Monday,May 1 2006, 07:51:34 PMchicha de Serrano
So i was invited to Villa Serrano with all of the primary school teachers last weekend. I was excited to be able to get to know them better as well as having the opportunity to see the two volunteers in that town, and as a bonus, check my email! We left after lunch on Friday, riding a camion (something between a pickup truck and semi trailer) through the mountains, down to the Rio Grande, across the Santa Rosa bridge and through the towns of El Oro, Achiras and Nuevo Mundo. The ride was bumpy at times, scary at times, and interminable at times, but I ...
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Tuesday,Mar 28 2006, 10:01:23 PMMarch in Pucara
March in Pucará is lovely. The sun shines brightly with a gentle wind, the days still remain rather long, and best of all the rain tapers off into afternoon showers instead of day-long monsoons! Fields are green, and I was able to go blackberry, peach, and apple picking, mmm! The flies are fewer and I can leave the windows open throughout the night.
March in Pucará also had its moments of frustration. I experienced my first moments of “ohnoihave20moremonthsofthis”, work came to a standstill, my bathroom leaks into my neighbors house, and I lost my ...
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Friday,Feb 24 2006, 10:43:02 PMtravels in bolivia... by taxi, bus, train, plane
With Emily it was as if time stood still.We laughed, we discussed, but most of all, I was able to show her life in Bolivia. And I realized that as normal as her visit seemed, so is life here in Bolivia. Sure, we ran into a predicament with the Police in La Paz, our 6 hour bus ride turned into an 11.5 hours of riding in a bus which undoubtedly came straight from the junkyard, we were left stranded in La Higuera and had to walk home at dusk, and had to listen incessantly to the Entel woman yell “TARJETAS” outside our hotel in Sucre… but all those ...
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