Well we've been back in Montero for about 5 days now, and tonight we leave for Argentina. Our visas expire tomorrow so apparently we have two choices: leave the country which resets the visa or apply for temporary residency. A guy we met in Cochabamba from the US was going through the process of applying for temporary residency, and he told us that along with a fair amount of money and lots of paper work, you are also required to have a blood test done; needless to say we decided to take a vacation. I think this must be Bolivia´s way of helping the economies of their neighbors, though I don´t know if neighboring countries are returning the favor. Argentina at least is not, as we don´t need any type of visa to go there (one of the reasons we choose it).
The slight complication to this awesome plan is that Katie Arancio (a friend of mine from Wake) arrives today (we thought) for a visit, but this was easily solved by purchasing a ticket for her and having her accompany us to Argentina. After busing an hour to the airport and waiting several hours for her this morning, however, Daniel and I finally realized her flight doesn´t get in until tomorrow morning. (Tricky itineraries, leaving on the 20th, getting in on the 21st, muy confusing). Since Maya, Mansfield and I need to be out of the country tomorrow (and Argentina isn´t that close) we´ll be leaving on tonight's bus, and Daniel and Arancio will follow tomorrow. Despite the complications, everything now appears to be figured out and we are looking forward to visiting some vineyards in Argentina and lots of outdoor activities (hiking, swimming, horseback riding, etc). We are not, however, looking forward to our 20 hour bus ride tonight.
We´ve hardly spent anytime in Montero, but one of these days we are going to start doing some work. We actually did get a chance to work on Friday; Friday morning we went with a nurse and a doctor to the local jail where they were doing examinations, and Friday afternoon we helped a nurse vaccinate animals (dogs, cats, and monkeys, yep monkeys) for rabies. The jail seemed pretty laid back with most of the prisoners hanging out in the courtyard with the guards. As we were leaving visiting time had begun, and there were women selling food and a man selling bracelets just like we see on the street everyday.
On Saturday we had a meeting at the clinic and set up our schedule for October after we get back from Argentina. Saturday afternoon we went into Santa Cruz, attended another soccer game and went to the large fair that Santa Cruz is currently hosting. The soccer game was fun, but not as intense as the first one as both teams were from a lower division. Our home team of Montero was playing though, so it was fun to get to cheer them on and watch them win! The fair was great; it had booths from over 18 countries set up, and everyone was really dressed up (including girls in prom dresses that were the models for the booths).
Until next time, Chau!
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
los ultimos dias en cochabamba
Last monday:
We´ve met another gringa here from the states named Jessica. She works at a pre-school in the city and is taking quechua classes at our school as well. Her pre-school held a party, but they ended up buying too much food and beer so she invited us to come on monday night and hang out and buy said party favors at a discounted price so the school didn´t lose all their money. When we got there, we were a little unsure of what to expect. It was our group of young people from the states and europe, and then the director and some of the teachers from the school. They spoke spanish, we mostly speak english or german; there were a few moments of confusion, but in the end we had a great time. We set up a circle of chairs and got some music going and the party started. They played traditional Bolivian music for us and attempted to teach us the dances to go with the songs. Some were relatively easy, some were really difficult, but they all involved some hopping and spinning so I had a great time just trying. All the teachers were really nice and lots of fun. We also salsa-ed: Mans and I showing off our ¨skills¨ from the one class we took, while Uls and Camilla (who have been dancing salsa forever) actually had skills. We also found some old dicso music and all danced to this. The director was an older lady, but she was absolutely exploding with energy. She invited us all to come back and work for her if we didn´t want to leave. I may take her up on this.
On wednesday there were several futbol games we wanted to watch on television so we ventured into the center of the city, to an area called El Prado and found a restuarant full of fans. First we watched Bolivia play Ecuador, and while I was the only one cheering for Ecuador, the right team won. I didn´t cheer too loudly though because, being surrounded by bolivians, I decided this was the smarted choice. We also watched some of the Colombia game, Paraguay, Uruguay, you name it. For dinner, we spent an hour or so looking for a restaurant one of our teachers had recommended. It shares the same name as the mountain we climbed-Tunari-and one man we asked pointed to the mountain instead of a restuarant. We generally have better luck asking directions than this. Our expedition was unsuccessful, but we found somewhere else to eat, and they even changed the tv station for us so we could watch more futbol.
Friday was the last day of classes for 4 of the students at our school from Switzerland, so that evening we had a party to say goodbye. Once again there was a mix of contemporary music and dancing, as well as traditional. The directors and teachers even came to hang out and most were excellent dances. We learned one dance called the slave dance because it was traditionally done by the slaves brought to work the sugar cane fields, and you sort of have to move like your feet are chained together. Also one that my teacher Paola called the flirting dance, where the men and women face each other and wave handkercheifs in the air. If you wave it high, its like a ÿes i´m interested, and if you wave it towards the ground then its a no. After dancing at the school, we all piled in a teacher´s van (and I do mean all 12 of us) and headed to kareoke bar. We sang one song, it was bad, people laughed, and we all had a great time.
Saturday morning a group of us met bright and early at the school for a trip to the largest area of Incan ruins in Bolivia. The bus ride wasn´t the best after the long night of good-bye partying, but when we got to the site it was definitely worth it. We learned that, when at all possible, the Incans build their settlements between three rivers for protection. There were remains of the outer walls, the kitchen, what is believed to be some sort of barracks, as well as the largest single room from any Incan ruin discovered so far. There was a beautiful waterfall, and we learned about medicinal plants. There were circles of stones that marked where they buried their extra foodstuffs to keep the cold, dry, and safe from invading groups coming from the east. Evidently you can still find these circles throughout the mountains in the area. We were accompanied by a local woman who only spoke quechua, which was interesting when she tried to talk to me because I could not understand anything that she said. Vice versa, she didn´t speak spanish because in that region it is mostly the men who learn spanish because they take the goods to the city. The children also have to walk two to three hours to the local school.
On Sunday morning Dee, Mans, Camilla, and I decided to visit el Cristo de la Concordia. This is the largest statue of Jesus in the world, barely beating the one in Rio De Janeiro by a matter of centimeters. It is situated on a huge cerro in the south of the city. It is possible to walk up the hill, but because muggings happen here a lot we decided it was best to take a taxi to the top. From there we could see the entire city of Cochabamba. It was so clear we could even see to the ridge of Tunari. When we arrived at the top we also discovered that we could walk up into the body of the statue itself. This trip consisted of 154 steps up winding, metal staircases, with landings in between where there were small holes to look out over the city. The views really were amazing. We couldn´t climb completely to the top because it was closed, but our highest point was right around his armpits-still a great height. We ate ice cream and took pictures and then went home for lunch with our family. We debated walking down the hill with a large family of Bolivians, but somehow managed to hop on the teleferico, which wasn´t ´working,´ but all of a sudden was. We think we rode down with the men that were fixing it, and everyone at the bottom was surprised to see the 4 gringos pile out of a car, but it certaintly beat walking down in the heat. After showers and a nap, we met a group of friends and one of our teachers to go to a local futbol game. I expected it to be a little crazy, but really I was not prepared. The fans were extremely energetic to say the least. There were two sections with bands and huge flags. In one of these sections (I´m guessing it was full of young people) intermittently throughout the game they would set fires to piles of paper IN THE STANDS, as well as set off fireworks, throw bottles at the police, and even throw the fireworks towards the field. The police were armed with riot gear, and while they did nothing to put out the fires, at one point they set off tear gas. What instigated this we never found out, but the gas spread through the stadium, and they had to stop play for a bit so it could clear out. We weren´t even sure what was happening until we saw other fans spreading out and fanning themselves, and then the players on the field hit their knees and covered their faces. Luckily we were a good distance away, but it still reached us and my nose was burning. This was as bad as it got, although there was a family in front of us with a baby, and they were trying to keep her covered. This we decided, it probably why they did not sell any alcohol in the stadium at all: the fans are crazy enough as it is.
Yesterday was the feria de Cochabamba, which is a day to celebrate the founding of the city. After classes, we went into the city to buy a few things and stumbled across the city parade. This consisted of everyone from war veterans and widows, to firefighters, to police, to special ops, to high school bands, to miners´ unions, to the city council as well as the city tax department. There was more, but after a few hours in the sun we decided we had seen all that we could handle. Yesterday evening, as I was attempting to write this very e-mail in an internet cafe, all the power in our neighborhood suddenly went out. This was accompanied by a lot of children screaming, and I almost got stampeded by them running out the dorr, but I managed to stumble across Dee, Mans, Daniel, and Phillip in the street. We headed to a restuarant where shortly after we arrived the power came back on and ordered chicha because Daniel talked us into it. Chicha is the traditional drink of Cochabamba, and, as we learned at the Panchmama celebration, really isn´t that good. While we were lamenting our purchase, a few locals came over to make friends. Thus we ended up passing the chicha in circles while toasting Cochabamba and Bolivia and our new friends. Luckily for us they enjoyed chicha, and so we were able to finish the bucket. They were drunk, and so there were entertaining mistranslations, but it was really funny. One gentleman bought another bucket, but we excused ourselves seeing as how we had class in the morning (and we really, really didn´t want to drink more chicha.) On the way out another table offered us a taste of their local drink-can´t remember the name-and we figured that we might as well give it a try. Their´s was much better and now I know to order the pitcher of yellow drink versus the plastic bucket of chicha. Everyone was really friendly and wanted to talk to us. I gave translating my best and think it went pretty well. Dee and Mans held their own as well, although Mans was sitting beside the drunkest guy, so understandably had problems communicating with him.
Today was the last day of classes, and while I have learned a lot its a good time to leave because I was learning the different types of sunjunctive. Really confusing, really hard, and really frustrating. My brain needs a break and then maybe I can come back to it. Tonight we´re having a good-bye dinner with our friends. Cochabamba has been really great, and we´re definitely going to miss it, but now we´re on to new adventures in Montero.
Adios for now, my love to all. Please send me updates and news about your lives.
mgb
We´ve met another gringa here from the states named Jessica. She works at a pre-school in the city and is taking quechua classes at our school as well. Her pre-school held a party, but they ended up buying too much food and beer so she invited us to come on monday night and hang out and buy said party favors at a discounted price so the school didn´t lose all their money. When we got there, we were a little unsure of what to expect. It was our group of young people from the states and europe, and then the director and some of the teachers from the school. They spoke spanish, we mostly speak english or german; there were a few moments of confusion, but in the end we had a great time. We set up a circle of chairs and got some music going and the party started. They played traditional Bolivian music for us and attempted to teach us the dances to go with the songs. Some were relatively easy, some were really difficult, but they all involved some hopping and spinning so I had a great time just trying. All the teachers were really nice and lots of fun. We also salsa-ed: Mans and I showing off our ¨skills¨ from the one class we took, while Uls and Camilla (who have been dancing salsa forever) actually had skills. We also found some old dicso music and all danced to this. The director was an older lady, but she was absolutely exploding with energy. She invited us all to come back and work for her if we didn´t want to leave. I may take her up on this.
On wednesday there were several futbol games we wanted to watch on television so we ventured into the center of the city, to an area called El Prado and found a restuarant full of fans. First we watched Bolivia play Ecuador, and while I was the only one cheering for Ecuador, the right team won. I didn´t cheer too loudly though because, being surrounded by bolivians, I decided this was the smarted choice. We also watched some of the Colombia game, Paraguay, Uruguay, you name it. For dinner, we spent an hour or so looking for a restaurant one of our teachers had recommended. It shares the same name as the mountain we climbed-Tunari-and one man we asked pointed to the mountain instead of a restuarant. We generally have better luck asking directions than this. Our expedition was unsuccessful, but we found somewhere else to eat, and they even changed the tv station for us so we could watch more futbol.
Friday was the last day of classes for 4 of the students at our school from Switzerland, so that evening we had a party to say goodbye. Once again there was a mix of contemporary music and dancing, as well as traditional. The directors and teachers even came to hang out and most were excellent dances. We learned one dance called the slave dance because it was traditionally done by the slaves brought to work the sugar cane fields, and you sort of have to move like your feet are chained together. Also one that my teacher Paola called the flirting dance, where the men and women face each other and wave handkercheifs in the air. If you wave it high, its like a ÿes i´m interested, and if you wave it towards the ground then its a no. After dancing at the school, we all piled in a teacher´s van (and I do mean all 12 of us) and headed to kareoke bar. We sang one song, it was bad, people laughed, and we all had a great time.
Saturday morning a group of us met bright and early at the school for a trip to the largest area of Incan ruins in Bolivia. The bus ride wasn´t the best after the long night of good-bye partying, but when we got to the site it was definitely worth it. We learned that, when at all possible, the Incans build their settlements between three rivers for protection. There were remains of the outer walls, the kitchen, what is believed to be some sort of barracks, as well as the largest single room from any Incan ruin discovered so far. There was a beautiful waterfall, and we learned about medicinal plants. There were circles of stones that marked where they buried their extra foodstuffs to keep the cold, dry, and safe from invading groups coming from the east. Evidently you can still find these circles throughout the mountains in the area. We were accompanied by a local woman who only spoke quechua, which was interesting when she tried to talk to me because I could not understand anything that she said. Vice versa, she didn´t speak spanish because in that region it is mostly the men who learn spanish because they take the goods to the city. The children also have to walk two to three hours to the local school.
On Sunday morning Dee, Mans, Camilla, and I decided to visit el Cristo de la Concordia. This is the largest statue of Jesus in the world, barely beating the one in Rio De Janeiro by a matter of centimeters. It is situated on a huge cerro in the south of the city. It is possible to walk up the hill, but because muggings happen here a lot we decided it was best to take a taxi to the top. From there we could see the entire city of Cochabamba. It was so clear we could even see to the ridge of Tunari. When we arrived at the top we also discovered that we could walk up into the body of the statue itself. This trip consisted of 154 steps up winding, metal staircases, with landings in between where there were small holes to look out over the city. The views really were amazing. We couldn´t climb completely to the top because it was closed, but our highest point was right around his armpits-still a great height. We ate ice cream and took pictures and then went home for lunch with our family. We debated walking down the hill with a large family of Bolivians, but somehow managed to hop on the teleferico, which wasn´t ´working,´ but all of a sudden was. We think we rode down with the men that were fixing it, and everyone at the bottom was surprised to see the 4 gringos pile out of a car, but it certaintly beat walking down in the heat. After showers and a nap, we met a group of friends and one of our teachers to go to a local futbol game. I expected it to be a little crazy, but really I was not prepared. The fans were extremely energetic to say the least. There were two sections with bands and huge flags. In one of these sections (I´m guessing it was full of young people) intermittently throughout the game they would set fires to piles of paper IN THE STANDS, as well as set off fireworks, throw bottles at the police, and even throw the fireworks towards the field. The police were armed with riot gear, and while they did nothing to put out the fires, at one point they set off tear gas. What instigated this we never found out, but the gas spread through the stadium, and they had to stop play for a bit so it could clear out. We weren´t even sure what was happening until we saw other fans spreading out and fanning themselves, and then the players on the field hit their knees and covered their faces. Luckily we were a good distance away, but it still reached us and my nose was burning. This was as bad as it got, although there was a family in front of us with a baby, and they were trying to keep her covered. This we decided, it probably why they did not sell any alcohol in the stadium at all: the fans are crazy enough as it is.
Yesterday was the feria de Cochabamba, which is a day to celebrate the founding of the city. After classes, we went into the city to buy a few things and stumbled across the city parade. This consisted of everyone from war veterans and widows, to firefighters, to police, to special ops, to high school bands, to miners´ unions, to the city council as well as the city tax department. There was more, but after a few hours in the sun we decided we had seen all that we could handle. Yesterday evening, as I was attempting to write this very e-mail in an internet cafe, all the power in our neighborhood suddenly went out. This was accompanied by a lot of children screaming, and I almost got stampeded by them running out the dorr, but I managed to stumble across Dee, Mans, Daniel, and Phillip in the street. We headed to a restuarant where shortly after we arrived the power came back on and ordered chicha because Daniel talked us into it. Chicha is the traditional drink of Cochabamba, and, as we learned at the Panchmama celebration, really isn´t that good. While we were lamenting our purchase, a few locals came over to make friends. Thus we ended up passing the chicha in circles while toasting Cochabamba and Bolivia and our new friends. Luckily for us they enjoyed chicha, and so we were able to finish the bucket. They were drunk, and so there were entertaining mistranslations, but it was really funny. One gentleman bought another bucket, but we excused ourselves seeing as how we had class in the morning (and we really, really didn´t want to drink more chicha.) On the way out another table offered us a taste of their local drink-can´t remember the name-and we figured that we might as well give it a try. Their´s was much better and now I know to order the pitcher of yellow drink versus the plastic bucket of chicha. Everyone was really friendly and wanted to talk to us. I gave translating my best and think it went pretty well. Dee and Mans held their own as well, although Mans was sitting beside the drunkest guy, so understandably had problems communicating with him.
Today was the last day of classes, and while I have learned a lot its a good time to leave because I was learning the different types of sunjunctive. Really confusing, really hard, and really frustrating. My brain needs a break and then maybe I can come back to it. Tonight we´re having a good-bye dinner with our friends. Cochabamba has been really great, and we´re definitely going to miss it, but now we´re on to new adventures in Montero.
Adios for now, my love to all. Please send me updates and news about your lives.
mgb
In these pictures you will see a couple of friends Daniel is wearing a green jacket and a hat. Phillip is wearing a orange jacket and has long blonde hair both of them are from autria. Two of the girls you will see are from Germany Simona and Mirrium. These are all pictures from Tunari except for the one of me washing clothes with my host mom.
Last days in Cochabama
We had an awesome, but very busy, weekend! On Friday there was a fiesta at the school with lots of dancing (seems to be a requirement of any type of Bolivian fiesta). After that we went out into the city with one of the teachers and her husband. About 9 of us piled into his van, and we went to a karaoke bar (where a group ¨sang¨ Killing me softly) and to a discoteca.
On Saturday we got up very early and traveled to the Inca ruins about 4 hours away from Cochabama. Its the largest ruins in Bolivia and one of the teachers from the school gave a really interesting tour (which I could understand most of!). We learned about their sun festivals, why the windows were built at an angle, and a lot about plants that were/are used as medicine for various things. We also saw a water fall which the Incas called the princess bath and had a picnic by the river.
On Sunday we got up early again and went to the largest Christ statue in the world (by about 40 centimeters). It sits above the city on a hill and there are awesome views. Granted, it had nothing on the views from the mountain, but it was much easier to get to. The statue is also hollow with holes, and on Sunday´s you can walk up inside of it, which we did. We had been told the teleferico (ski lift) to the Christo was broken, but as we began our walk down the hill we saw it moving; we quickly ran over to the building, and after discovering the door was lock (maybe should have been a hint) we yelled through the window if they had room for four more. The guy ended up letting us on for free (our second hint) and we soon discovered we were on the first ride since it had been fixed and were riding down with all the guys who had been working on it. We made it safely to the bottom though with great views of the city, but I think the guys at the bottom were a bit surprised to see four gringos getting off.
On Sunday evening, we went to a soccer game with some other students and one of the teachers and her family (same teacher from Friday night). This time we managed to get 13 people in his van (two were ninas though). The game was awesome and really intense. The final score was 1-0 with the home team winning! The fans on both ends of the stadium were nuts. We appeared to be in a quieter section in the middle of the stadium. On the ends, and alternate side of the stadium where the away fans were, the people chanted constantly, set off fire crackers, lit fires in the stands, and threw bottles onto the field (and campus coppers in the US think college kids act rambunctiously in the stands!?!). One section of the stands even got tear-gassed, and while the game had to stop for a bit when the gas drifted into the field (and into our section), it did seem to calm them down. They also don´t serve alcohol at the games, which after attending one, seems like a very good idea.
Today we had our last day of classes and are leaving Cochabamba tomorrow. Do I know Castillano (Spanish)? Sort of, I know enough to get around by myself and carry on a very slow, very basic conversation, but I definitely have a good foundation for learning more in the future. I think we are all a little sad to be leaving; we´ve loved the city, had an awesome time, met great people and even managed to learn a little, but we´re on to new adventures!
On Saturday we got up very early and traveled to the Inca ruins about 4 hours away from Cochabama. Its the largest ruins in Bolivia and one of the teachers from the school gave a really interesting tour (which I could understand most of!). We learned about their sun festivals, why the windows were built at an angle, and a lot about plants that were/are used as medicine for various things. We also saw a water fall which the Incas called the princess bath and had a picnic by the river.
On Sunday we got up early again and went to the largest Christ statue in the world (by about 40 centimeters). It sits above the city on a hill and there are awesome views. Granted, it had nothing on the views from the mountain, but it was much easier to get to. The statue is also hollow with holes, and on Sunday´s you can walk up inside of it, which we did. We had been told the teleferico (ski lift) to the Christo was broken, but as we began our walk down the hill we saw it moving; we quickly ran over to the building, and after discovering the door was lock (maybe should have been a hint) we yelled through the window if they had room for four more. The guy ended up letting us on for free (our second hint) and we soon discovered we were on the first ride since it had been fixed and were riding down with all the guys who had been working on it. We made it safely to the bottom though with great views of the city, but I think the guys at the bottom were a bit surprised to see four gringos getting off.
On Sunday evening, we went to a soccer game with some other students and one of the teachers and her family (same teacher from Friday night). This time we managed to get 13 people in his van (two were ninas though). The game was awesome and really intense. The final score was 1-0 with the home team winning! The fans on both ends of the stadium were nuts. We appeared to be in a quieter section in the middle of the stadium. On the ends, and alternate side of the stadium where the away fans were, the people chanted constantly, set off fire crackers, lit fires in the stands, and threw bottles onto the field (and campus coppers in the US think college kids act rambunctiously in the stands!?!). One section of the stands even got tear-gassed, and while the game had to stop for a bit when the gas drifted into the field (and into our section), it did seem to calm them down. They also don´t serve alcohol at the games, which after attending one, seems like a very good idea.
Today we had our last day of classes and are leaving Cochabamba tomorrow. Do I know Castillano (Spanish)? Sort of, I know enough to get around by myself and carry on a very slow, very basic conversation, but I definitely have a good foundation for learning more in the future. I think we are all a little sad to be leaving; we´ve loved the city, had an awesome time, met great people and even managed to learn a little, but we´re on to new adventures!
Last days in Cochabamba
As our departure date is drawing near we have been trying to do as much as possible in a little amount of time. I will start with my favorite activity of this past week.
Saturday we went to a ¨soccer game¨ by soccer game i really mean a huge party with no alcohol (thank god), guns, tear gas, and lots and lots of whistling. We went to a very important game in which the team from Cochabamba ¨Whilsterman¨ was going to be relegated if they did not win, they were playing the team from Orurro. They did in fact win in a very even matched 1-0 game. We saw a blocked pk and lots of close chances. Though the game was the not the most exciting part. The atmostphere was incredible! The entire stadium was wearing red except for the part of the stadium whos fans were for Orurro and this was the part that was in the sun. Which must have been unbearable because we were in the shade and it was super hot. The ends behind the stadium were filled with the ¨crazies¨ it was hard to see how they could possibly pay attention to the game because they were so busy lighting fires in the stands and fighting wth the riot police, and dancing wildly while slowing removing lots of clothing. At one point the police had to tear gas the section because they were getting out of control. Tear gas slowly filled the enitre stadium and even the players had to stop playing for a few minutes because it was so bad we all looked as if we were at a funeral and not a soccer game. We saw a few fans dragged out and beaten. Apprently there is a limit on how big you can build you fire and how many bottles you can throw during the other teams corner kicks. Upon entering the stadium you are not searched so one could hypothetically bring in anything one wanted though there were signs that said bottles were not allowed to be brought into the stadium. Two rows infront of us there were two 12 year olds that were setting off quite large fire works. No one thought much of it except for one grandmother but that did not even slow them down. Overall it was an experience I will never forget and was some of the most fun I have ever had.
We had a party at the school for four of our friends who were leaving (Uls, Camille, Marc, and Francesca). All were from Switzerland and were all a lot of fun. We went out many nights with Camille and Uls and watched them dance some incredible salsa. They even persuaded Maya and I to take a salsa class which was very interesting but fun. We left the school and all piled into a van driven by a teachers husband. By pile in i mean 13 people in óne van. We went to a karoke bar and a disco techa and had lots of fun. I even managed to introduce Camille to country (just doing my part spreading the southern culture).It was great to make new friends from other places.
The next day we went the Inca ruins which was a loooong four hours away but was a whole lot of fun an very interesting. The ruins are quite incredible we also learned a lot about their culture. After, some people played in the river while others slept in the shade. It was overall a very peaceful and fun day.
Sunday we went to the biggest statue of Jesus in the world. It was incredible. ¨El Cristo¨ stands about 32 meters tall with a head of over five meters tall. It is similar to a light house in the aspect that you can walk up the 154 stairs to the almost top and look out little wholes throughout its whole body. Maya said ¨It kind of looks like someone shot up Jesus¨ I thought that was a fair description. From all the wholes you can see the entire city and it is quite and incredible view.
We are sad to be leaving Cochabamba tomorrow but are excited about our next adventures in Montero and where ever else we may end up.
Saturday we went to a ¨soccer game¨ by soccer game i really mean a huge party with no alcohol (thank god), guns, tear gas, and lots and lots of whistling. We went to a very important game in which the team from Cochabamba ¨Whilsterman¨ was going to be relegated if they did not win, they were playing the team from Orurro. They did in fact win in a very even matched 1-0 game. We saw a blocked pk and lots of close chances. Though the game was the not the most exciting part. The atmostphere was incredible! The entire stadium was wearing red except for the part of the stadium whos fans were for Orurro and this was the part that was in the sun. Which must have been unbearable because we were in the shade and it was super hot. The ends behind the stadium were filled with the ¨crazies¨ it was hard to see how they could possibly pay attention to the game because they were so busy lighting fires in the stands and fighting wth the riot police, and dancing wildly while slowing removing lots of clothing. At one point the police had to tear gas the section because they were getting out of control. Tear gas slowly filled the enitre stadium and even the players had to stop playing for a few minutes because it was so bad we all looked as if we were at a funeral and not a soccer game. We saw a few fans dragged out and beaten. Apprently there is a limit on how big you can build you fire and how many bottles you can throw during the other teams corner kicks. Upon entering the stadium you are not searched so one could hypothetically bring in anything one wanted though there were signs that said bottles were not allowed to be brought into the stadium. Two rows infront of us there were two 12 year olds that were setting off quite large fire works. No one thought much of it except for one grandmother but that did not even slow them down. Overall it was an experience I will never forget and was some of the most fun I have ever had.
We had a party at the school for four of our friends who were leaving (Uls, Camille, Marc, and Francesca). All were from Switzerland and were all a lot of fun. We went out many nights with Camille and Uls and watched them dance some incredible salsa. They even persuaded Maya and I to take a salsa class which was very interesting but fun. We left the school and all piled into a van driven by a teachers husband. By pile in i mean 13 people in óne van. We went to a karoke bar and a disco techa and had lots of fun. I even managed to introduce Camille to country (just doing my part spreading the southern culture).It was great to make new friends from other places.
The next day we went the Inca ruins which was a loooong four hours away but was a whole lot of fun an very interesting. The ruins are quite incredible we also learned a lot about their culture. After, some people played in the river while others slept in the shade. It was overall a very peaceful and fun day.
Sunday we went to the biggest statue of Jesus in the world. It was incredible. ¨El Cristo¨ stands about 32 meters tall with a head of over five meters tall. It is similar to a light house in the aspect that you can walk up the 154 stairs to the almost top and look out little wholes throughout its whole body. Maya said ¨It kind of looks like someone shot up Jesus¨ I thought that was a fair description. From all the wholes you can see the entire city and it is quite and incredible view.
We are sad to be leaving Cochabamba tomorrow but are excited about our next adventures in Montero and where ever else we may end up.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Pancha Mama
Last Friday we attended a Pancha Mama (mother earth) celebration. From what I have gathered from talking with various people, Pancha Mama is part of the indigenous religion here. This religion has also be accepted, in various ways, by the Catholic church in Bolivia, and in some places there are even churches that practice a mix of both religions. According to my teacher, the Catholic church has been the only church in Bolivia to tolerate this religion.
Most of the people at the celebration did not, however, appear to be indigenous Bolivians. While there were Bolivians there, I think ¨hippies from Spain¨ was the most accurate description I heard of the majority of the people in attendance. There was lots of music, dancing and chicha (a local drink that tastes sort of like soured beer).
The actual ceremony itself consisted of burning an alter of various things and pouring out chicha. The alter was food for Pancha Mama and the chicha was drink. Four people (2 men and 2 women) were picked from the crowd to burn the alter and drink the chicha. They poured the chicha in all four directions (north, south, east, and west) around the fire and then drank the remaining chicha. Not to offend the hardcore Christians out there, but the ritual sort of reminded me of communion. I find it very interesting the many similarities that exist between religions; perhaps if people were willing to recognize these similarities there would be less need to prove that one has found the ¨right¨ religion, but I digress.
After the ceremony was completed, there was more dancing and chicha for all! A band consisting of wooden pipes and drums played while everyone (including us) did an interesting circle dance around the fire. It was a lot of fun, but we didn´t stay too late because we had to climb the mountain the next morning. Good thing we called it an early night, because we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into the next morning.
School has been good this week; still learning a lot. On Tuesday we attended a party at a preschool where our friend, Jessica, works. It was not a large party (just a group from our school and the teachers at the preschool), but it was a lot of fun! We learned traditional Bolivian dances and taught them a few of our own. Though I think the meaning of the Y-M-C-A motions was completely lost in translation.
This weekend we are looking forward to a party at the school, a soccer game (where we have been warned not to wear white), and a visit to the Inca ruins near the city.
Most of the people at the celebration did not, however, appear to be indigenous Bolivians. While there were Bolivians there, I think ¨hippies from Spain¨ was the most accurate description I heard of the majority of the people in attendance. There was lots of music, dancing and chicha (a local drink that tastes sort of like soured beer).
The actual ceremony itself consisted of burning an alter of various things and pouring out chicha. The alter was food for Pancha Mama and the chicha was drink. Four people (2 men and 2 women) were picked from the crowd to burn the alter and drink the chicha. They poured the chicha in all four directions (north, south, east, and west) around the fire and then drank the remaining chicha. Not to offend the hardcore Christians out there, but the ritual sort of reminded me of communion. I find it very interesting the many similarities that exist between religions; perhaps if people were willing to recognize these similarities there would be less need to prove that one has found the ¨right¨ religion, but I digress.
After the ceremony was completed, there was more dancing and chicha for all! A band consisting of wooden pipes and drums played while everyone (including us) did an interesting circle dance around the fire. It was a lot of fun, but we didn´t stay too late because we had to climb the mountain the next morning. Good thing we called it an early night, because we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into the next morning.
School has been good this week; still learning a lot. On Tuesday we attended a party at a preschool where our friend, Jessica, works. It was not a large party (just a group from our school and the teachers at the preschool), but it was a lot of fun! We learned traditional Bolivian dances and taught them a few of our own. Though I think the meaning of the Y-M-C-A motions was completely lost in translation.
This weekend we are looking forward to a party at the school, a soccer game (where we have been warned not to wear white), and a visit to the Inca ruins near the city.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
The Forgotten List
After what was quite a hard day (hiking Tunari) I forgot to I needed to add my list of what all I did a top the mountain so here it goes.
List of things:
I ate (we had chicken sandwhiches and salted tomato)
I burped ( we had been drinking lots of water)
I slept (no explanation needed)
I took a million photos
I almost lost my hat the the unrelenting wind
I did lose a our lunch bag to the wind
I celebrated (because we did finally make it to the top)
I listened to lots of German
I pondered whether or not it was possible the wind could pick my up of the top of the mountain (I decided it was possible)
These past few days have been quite we have been studying a lot and going to school. We did have one very interesting night in which we contributed to the local community by buying all the left over beer from a school for young kinds and partying with all the teachers. We got word from a friend at a different language school that one of the places she was voluntering had a party for the parents and had bought to much beer and were afraid they were going to lose money. So we did what every other stand up citizens would do...we drank it. We learned some traditional dances from all the teachers who were quite old but new how to have a good time. So I guess you could say we have been learning and giving back to the community lots of great photos from this night which will be posted later.
This afternoon and tonight is going to be a lot of fun. The Bolivian National team plays Ecuador so we are going into the city to watch that and right after that game Argentina plays Paraquay in a huge matchup which ultimatly could decide whether or not Argetina makes it to the world cup. Also this weekend we will be going to a live game in the city which apparently is going to wild. The teachers we are going with gave us certain colors to wear that were nuetral so we would not be seen as supporting one side or the other. I do think however that the teachers are being some what over catious but better safe than sorry. More later
List of things:
I ate (we had chicken sandwhiches and salted tomato)
I burped ( we had been drinking lots of water)
I slept (no explanation needed)
I took a million photos
I almost lost my hat the the unrelenting wind
I did lose a our lunch bag to the wind
I celebrated (because we did finally make it to the top)
I listened to lots of German
I pondered whether or not it was possible the wind could pick my up of the top of the mountain (I decided it was possible)
These past few days have been quite we have been studying a lot and going to school. We did have one very interesting night in which we contributed to the local community by buying all the left over beer from a school for young kinds and partying with all the teachers. We got word from a friend at a different language school that one of the places she was voluntering had a party for the parents and had bought to much beer and were afraid they were going to lose money. So we did what every other stand up citizens would do...we drank it. We learned some traditional dances from all the teachers who were quite old but new how to have a good time. So I guess you could say we have been learning and giving back to the community lots of great photos from this night which will be posted later.
This afternoon and tonight is going to be a lot of fun. The Bolivian National team plays Ecuador so we are going into the city to watch that and right after that game Argentina plays Paraquay in a huge matchup which ultimatly could decide whether or not Argetina makes it to the world cup. Also this weekend we will be going to a live game in the city which apparently is going to wild. The teachers we are going with gave us certain colors to wear that were nuetral so we would not be seen as supporting one side or the other. I do think however that the teachers are being some what over catious but better safe than sorry. More later
Saturday, September 5, 2009
On Top of the World
Today we went to the top of the world; or at least the top of Bolivia; that might also be an exaggeration but it was really really high!
The trip started with a bus ride (please see previous description of a road, but think more cobblestone, less pavement). We rode the bus from Cochabamba up to about 4,000 meters where our hike of Tunari mountain (about 5,300 meters) began.
Immediately I knew we were in for trouble when I ran up a small hill to use the bathroom and was very out of breath. Since we were so high the air is very thin and it makes it hard to breathe (No, I´m not just that out of shape). You have to go up and down the mountain slowly or take pauses to allow your body to adjust just the changes in altitude; not that we could have gone up the mountain any way but slowly. The people at the school also recommended bringing coca tea, which apparently helps fight against altitude sickness. Maya, Mans and I, however, decided to do what the locals do and chewed on coca leaves during the trip. (For some reason, the lady at the market found it extremely funny that three Americans were looking for coca leaves, but they worked).
The hike was pretty much straight up and definitely the hardest hike I´ve ever done. It was also probably the hardest physical thing I´ve ever done too. As Mansfield so eloquently put it ¨just keep putting one foot in front of the other.¨ By the time we got to the last 200 meters, we were all (including the guide) stopping about every 50 feet to try and catch our breath. One girl ended up not making it up at all because the altitude was really getting to her.
Though when we reached the summit, all of that hard work was totally worth it! We had some of the most beautiful views I have ever seen, including other snow capped mountains and a view of Cochabamba (the city we are currently staying in). The guide also told us we were higher than La Paz (the highest capital city in the world), and we could see the mountain where it was located. At the top (which was very cold) we ate lunch, took pictures, and took a siesta. It was awesome! We´ll post pictures when we get back to Montero, but I´m not sure they could do the view justice.
On the way down, all I could think was ¨holy crap, we hiked up this!?!¨
We also had a very interesting experience at an indigenous religious celebration; but that will have to wait for another post. Hope all is well at home!
The trip started with a bus ride (please see previous description of a road, but think more cobblestone, less pavement). We rode the bus from Cochabamba up to about 4,000 meters where our hike of Tunari mountain (about 5,300 meters) began.
Immediately I knew we were in for trouble when I ran up a small hill to use the bathroom and was very out of breath. Since we were so high the air is very thin and it makes it hard to breathe (No, I´m not just that out of shape). You have to go up and down the mountain slowly or take pauses to allow your body to adjust just the changes in altitude; not that we could have gone up the mountain any way but slowly. The people at the school also recommended bringing coca tea, which apparently helps fight against altitude sickness. Maya, Mans and I, however, decided to do what the locals do and chewed on coca leaves during the trip. (For some reason, the lady at the market found it extremely funny that three Americans were looking for coca leaves, but they worked).
The hike was pretty much straight up and definitely the hardest hike I´ve ever done. It was also probably the hardest physical thing I´ve ever done too. As Mansfield so eloquently put it ¨just keep putting one foot in front of the other.¨ By the time we got to the last 200 meters, we were all (including the guide) stopping about every 50 feet to try and catch our breath. One girl ended up not making it up at all because the altitude was really getting to her.
Though when we reached the summit, all of that hard work was totally worth it! We had some of the most beautiful views I have ever seen, including other snow capped mountains and a view of Cochabamba (the city we are currently staying in). The guide also told us we were higher than La Paz (the highest capital city in the world), and we could see the mountain where it was located. At the top (which was very cold) we ate lunch, took pictures, and took a siesta. It was awesome! We´ll post pictures when we get back to Montero, but I´m not sure they could do the view justice.
On the way down, all I could think was ¨holy crap, we hiked up this!?!¨
We also had a very interesting experience at an indigenous religious celebration; but that will have to wait for another post. Hope all is well at home!
Just one more ridge..
[Just one more ridge] Thats what i found myself thinking continuously as we walked/climbed/scrammbled up the side of a mountain and over numerous massive ridges. Today we climbed the largest mountain in Cochabamba. Tunari as it is called is quite the monster we had heard and today we realized monster was a strong understatement. We left early this morning at six am for a two hour bus ride that would take us the first 4000 meters and then the last 1200 meters was for us to try and hike. Tunari is a massive 5230 meters tall (over three miles high) which overlooks the entire city of Cochabamba.
After three and a half grueling hours of climbing, chewing coca leafs(which apperently helps with altitude sickness), listening to the rest of our group speak in German (which we understood none of), drinking lots of water and eating whatever our host mothers had packed for us we reached the top! It was honestly the most incredible view I have ever seen. We were literally in the clouds and could see the entire city. After much picture taking and finishing of our lunches we all proceded to take a nap on the the top of the mountain. I say nap meaning we shut our eyes while the wind houled around us while we tried to take cover behind whatever rocks we could find. The walk down was much simpler. It was simply sliding down a massive sheet of rock on all fours and only took two hours. Hands down the hardest hike I have ever done and hopefully the hardest one I will ever do. We saw many llamas an even encountered a local who was apparently looking for his llama. One interesting fact was that we learned was that llamas all poop in the same place. There would be one huge pile of poop. This was to mark their territory our guide said and also as Philip one of the Austrian guys pointed out was [very clean]. It has been one of the most amazing/miserable days of my life.
Last night (the night before our hike) we went to the a celebration of mother earth aka Panchamama. It was very interesting and the cermony that took place was quit inredible. Also the most famous drink Chicha was flowing throughout the night as it is tradition to chew Coca leaves all night and drink this quite interesting drink that tastes mostly like old, hot beer. We did not stay all night and leftabout eleven knowing we had a pretty hard hike the next day.
We were originally planning to stay at the language school for two weeks which would be up tuesday but since we are having so much fun and learning a lot we are goin to stay another week. Once we are back in Montero I will be able to post a lot of pictures.
After three and a half grueling hours of climbing, chewing coca leafs(which apperently helps with altitude sickness), listening to the rest of our group speak in German (which we understood none of), drinking lots of water and eating whatever our host mothers had packed for us we reached the top! It was honestly the most incredible view I have ever seen. We were literally in the clouds and could see the entire city. After much picture taking and finishing of our lunches we all proceded to take a nap on the the top of the mountain. I say nap meaning we shut our eyes while the wind houled around us while we tried to take cover behind whatever rocks we could find. The walk down was much simpler. It was simply sliding down a massive sheet of rock on all fours and only took two hours. Hands down the hardest hike I have ever done and hopefully the hardest one I will ever do. We saw many llamas an even encountered a local who was apparently looking for his llama. One interesting fact was that we learned was that llamas all poop in the same place. There would be one huge pile of poop. This was to mark their territory our guide said and also as Philip one of the Austrian guys pointed out was [very clean]. It has been one of the most amazing/miserable days of my life.
Last night (the night before our hike) we went to the a celebration of mother earth aka Panchamama. It was very interesting and the cermony that took place was quit inredible. Also the most famous drink Chicha was flowing throughout the night as it is tradition to chew Coca leaves all night and drink this quite interesting drink that tastes mostly like old, hot beer. We did not stay all night and leftabout eleven knowing we had a pretty hard hike the next day.
We were originally planning to stay at the language school for two weeks which would be up tuesday but since we are having so much fun and learning a lot we are goin to stay another week. Once we are back in Montero I will be able to post a lot of pictures.
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