Felicidades, Ninos con Valor

Olivia, Sofia, and I before dancing the Tinkus.


A group from CdP dancing the Saya!


The other group dancing the Taquirari!


The little ones from CdP dancing a traditional dance from Potosi!


The little angles from PdC!


Our Tinkus group!


The backdrop we put together that displayed the girls "thank you" flowers and photos!

Yesterday, Friday, September 23rd, 2011, we celebrated Ninos con Valor's 5th anniversary! The foundation has been changing Bolivian children's lives for five years--giving children love and encouragement, giving children a home and food, giving children the support and the guidance they need to overcome past traumas and succeed. I am so privileged to work with Ninos con Valor, an organization that not only has homes for boys and girls, but also works with poor, rural families and extremely poor, rural communities. NCV is dedicated to changing the lives of Bolivian children--one child at a time!

We began the morning by decorating the girls' home with balloons, bows, and photos. The girls helped as we cleaned, decorated, and set-up chairs for the guests. I helped decorate the back-drop with flowers the girls made thanking NCV for the love, support, and kindness (some of the flowers were extremely sweet, showing the strong bond between the girls in the home.), photos of the children from the beginning until now--and how much they have all grown!

As 7:00 PM approached, we put the final decorations up and got all the girls in dance costumes. Guests began to arrive, including a team visiting from the Seattle area, Members from the NCV Bolivian Board, fellow volunteer agencies, and friends of the staff and girls. Margot, one of the Bolivian board members, MCed the event. She began by explaining the foundation and the numerous projects, including the two homes, the One Child at a Time program that works with poor families and rural communities, and the future Streetlight program, which will work with children living on the streets, especially single mothers.

The kids from Pedacito de Cielo were the first to dance. They were dressed as little angels, and danced to religious songs sung by other kids! They were so cute, and did a really great job following the tias! I remember the last anniversary party, and most of them cried through the whole performance! The second dance number was the littlest girls from Corazon del Pastor. They did a traditional dance from Potosi with the polleras (traditional skirts) and shirts, hats and "babies" in their agoyos. Karina, the oldest of this group, did a spectacular job and helped guide the littler ones during the dance. After, the middle-aged girls danced the Taquirari, another traditional dance. The Taquirari is from Santa Cruz, Beni, and the Pando--all the jungly areas of Bolivia. Because it originated in areas with a lot of humidity and heat, the outfits worn are colorful dresses, a red flower in the hair, and no shoes. However, there was a lot of wind and cold last night, but the girls toughed it out and wore no shoes and no jackets--I was very impressed! Next, some of the other girls danced the Saya, another traditional dance from the Yungas, the jungle area of La Paz. The Saya is a mix of African, Aymara, and Spanish music and dance. It is a wonderfully fun dance, with lots of movement and a good beat! The girls were dressed in all white with the pollera (traditional skirt) and shirt with black hats and brown shawls. The tias had a surprise for four of the older girls who excelled in school and led their classes in the parade this year. Lourdes and Ana, Sofia and Valeria were all acknowledged and presented with small gifts, and Tia Jacki, the director of NCV, was given a frame with all the girls pictures. Finally, Sofia and Olivia, Ana and Abigail, Tia Pati and I danced the Tinkus. The Tinkus is a dance from Potosi that depicts a form of ritualistic combat. We wore long, embroidered dresses in either red of blue, hats decorated with feathers and ribbons, and waist sashes. I was extremely nervous, but think I did pretty well, considering I learned the dance 2 days before the celebration! Also, it was so fun to dance with the girls--we had tons of fun practicing and getting ready together. Margot closed by thanking everyone for attending, and because of the wind and cold, we moved inside to eat hors d'oeuvres and toast the foundation.

After a bit, the dance party began! The dance parties are my favorite part of the NCV celebrations! I love dancing with the girls--some of my best memories are dancing at parties with them! Last night was tons of fun and such an honor to be a part of!

Here's to five more amazing years, Ninos con Valor!

Feria de Cochabamba!

Today, the group of girls who go to school in the afternoon had presentations about the different provinces within the department of Cochabamba. I had the privilege of going and taking photos, as well as meeting their professors and friends, and tasting food and drinks typical of each province.

The girls are in different classes within the school, and each grade picked a different province to study and report on. The classrooms were set up in a circle and the parents and siblings walked around and received information from the students about the province--the typical dishes, traditional dances and music, products produced, traditional dress, and other interesting facts. In addition to facts and information, the students provided samples of the typical food and drink (which we carefully walked over soup, and kept running back and forth between the school and the house with food items and clothing items the girls had forgotten), dressed in the attire, made dioramas of the terrain, and provided brochures and pamphlets to take home and read more about the provinces. It was very interesting, considering I have not visited all the provinces, but I especially enjoyed tasting the food and beverages provided! More than anything though, I was extremely proud of the girls! They each knew their part and presented the information so well! They make a tia so proud, and I am so glad I can attend their school presentations and support them! I know how important it was to me that my parents came to my school functions, so I make a point of trying to go to their school presentations, and of course, taking pictures for them so they have these memories when they are older.

After the exhibition, I got to meet the girls teachers and received their progress reports. One of the teachers asked where I was from and we got to talking. I really touched me that she praised all of the tias and staff of Ninos and said what a wonderful job we have done with the girls, and what big hearts we must have. I told her that I definitely receive more from the children than I give them, and it is a pleasure to work with such wonderful, inspirational kids! Truly, I have one of the most amazing jobs ever, and appreciate every minute spent with the kids, as well as the lessons they have taught me--nothing is impossible and to keep on loving and caring, to be brave and loyal.

a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYCXCqKhf20kAZHpWqTApd1Z3h2q75JQHLcd8QdCvoO9o_PrvaMx51-t1KWjhs87b4Amo55141D8ytMVqxakVmmK_QxHjR2bedMhpG8QCsdo3fmbvCHqkVLL2cZvYBWpC2YEYxC_9cjeY7/s1600/IMG_9337.jpg">
Bryssa enjoying a typical dish from Arani.


Evelyn displaying her map of the Chapare, the jungle region.


Jhoselin with one of her classmates!


Cynthia and 2 friends presenting traditional dishes from Arani.


Sofia and her friends getting ready for their presentation on the Arque province.

Viva Cochabamba!

Yesterday, September 14th, was the 201st anniversary of the department of Cochabamba! It's quite the celebration here, considering we are in the department--the schools celebrate with dances, songs, and speeches the week of, the flag of the department is flown from cars and houses, and there are tons and tons of fireworks!

Because there was no school yesterday, the schools the girls attend had celebrations on Tuesday. In the morning, a small group of us went to watch Elena dance the Caporales at her school. The Caporales is a very traditional dance that comes of the time of Spanish rule. The male dancers dress in heeled boots and large, decorated belts--the typical dress of a Spanish military guard, while the women wear extremely, elaborately decorated skirts and shirts with high heels and a matching hat. It is still extremely popular today, and huge groups of dancers dance the Caporales in national festivities and parades.

Elena and her classmates danced for about 45 minutes, but did a wonderful job! Within the traditional dance, there is a lot of jumping and movement, but none of the students showed that they were tired and worn out! Elena was so nervous before the dance started, but the group of us who went to show support were very impressed with her dancing! I was also very exciting for me because I got to help Elena get ready, and I honestly felt like a big sister! These are the best moments of my job!

After lunch, we went to another school in our neighborhood to watch Cynthia dance the Cueca! The Cueca is an extremely beautiful dance and each department in Bolivia has their own version. (Cynthia and her classmates danced the Cueca that is from Cochabamba.) The clothing worn for the Cochabamba Cueca is different than that worn in other parts of Bolivia. The women wear a white traditional hat and traditional shirt with a light blue skirt, while the men wear black pants, a white shirt, a vest, and brown or black hat. The Cueca of Cochabamba is very lively with fast movements of the feet! Cynthia and her classmates also did a wonderful job with this dance!

I love to attend the celebrations at the girls' schools not only to show them support and of course take pictutres, but to also see and experience the Bolivian culture. Along with the traditional dances, the students sang the hymns of the country and the department, as well as recited poems written by Bolivian authors and some of the students! Attending the festivals and parades makes me jealous that in the United States we do not have traditional dances and songs! I guess I will just have to bring the dances I have learned here back home with me!

Potosi and Sucre Adventure!

Last Wednesday night, Kait, another volunteer, and I climbed onto a double-decker, sleeper bus and headed to Potosi. For being a ten hour ride, the seats were fairly comfortable and we slept pretty well. We arrived in Potosi on Thursday morning around 6:30 AM and it was freezing! So, we headed to our hostel to sleep for a bit and shower before heading out to explore the town. After walking around the small center and indulging in a bit of shopping, we went to Cafe La Plata, one of the most amazing cafes ever, for lunch! The afternoon was full of activiites--La Casa de la Moneda (which functioned as a mint, a prison, and the headquarters of the Bolivian Army. It houses amazing artifacts, including religious paintings from the Potosi Art School and various minerals and metals found in Cerro Rico, the mountain the looms over the city that has been mined for centuries. The Spanish, in essence, stole the silver and other valuable minerals from Cerro Rico. The mine is still being used today by Cooperative groups of miners), La Torre de la Compania de Jesus (a very old bell tower with amazing views of the city), and a bus ride to the outskirts of the city (we took the bus to the edge of town and ended up in a shanty-town, which was much different than the well-kept center of Potosi.)

The second day in Potosi was filled with more museums and activities--the Convent of San Francisco (which had interesting art work portraying the life of Saint Francis, as well as an amazing view from the roof of Potosi and Cerro Rico.), a quick lunch and a walk around the older, colonial streets, which are extremely windy and curvy to prevent the chill of the wind in the olden days. We walked and walked, but it was nice to get to know the city and see some very historical, antique buildings. We went to dinner at a very modern restaurant, 4060 (which represents the altitude of Potosi in meters) and went to the local pub to drink a little local beer, Potosina, and hear some traditional music.

Saturday was our last day in Potosi, but we made the best of it! We slept in late--we were so tired from the non-stop activities and running around, as well as the very high altitude...well over 13,000 feet. But, we went to a local spot for lunch--Dona Eugenia's for some Kala Purca, a thick soup made from corn with a scalding rock added to made it bubble and spit! It was quite the interesting lunch, considering I have never eaten "rock soup" before. We felt dumb, but many pictures and videos were taken of the Kala Purca! Traveling is all about these moments! After lunch, we headed to the new bus terminal in Potosi to take a bus to Sucre. After about 4 hours, we arrived in Sucre just in time for dinner! We went to our hostel, which was a block off of the main plaza and then headed to Florin, a restaurant we had heard about in Cochabamba. And, we were extremely satisfied with the food and the amazing beer! After a lovely dinner, we walked home through the main plaza, only to find a huge parade celebrating the Virgin de Guadalupe! There was traditional dancing, music, and fireworks set-off about 4 feet from us!

Sunday was Dia del Peaton (Pedestrian Day) nationwide. So, there were no cars and no motorcycles on the roads, just people walking, riding bikes and skateboarding. So, we took the opportunity to walk around the city and take pictures that would be carless! So, after walking around all day, we stopped into Ted's for lunch and then went to the hostel for an afternoon nap. Dinner was a treat--amazing Chinese food! Something both Kait and I had been missing! Sunday night was the second night of dancing to celebrate the Virgin de Guapalupe, and we watched and even participated in the dancing a bit!

Monday we took the bus out of the city to visit Parque Cretacico, the dinosaur park! We got to take pictures with replicas of the dinosaurs that were found in the area, and see their footprints in the hill! It is so cool, but a major part of the hill collapsed and our tour guide was explaining that soon most of the hill will collapse soon. A team of scientists from Chile visited to try and construct something to slow the crumbling and deterioration, so hopefully, they can come up with a plan! After a quick lunch, we went to the Convent of San Felipe Neri, which was one of my favorite places we visited! There is an amazing view of the city from the rooftop, and from there, you can really see why Sucre is known as the "White City." I got some amazing pictures from the roof (which will be posted to Facebook soon)! After the visit to the Convent, we took the bus up to the Recoleta, an area that overlooks the city from a hill! We had coffee and watched as the sun set over Sucre! It was one of the most amazing sunsets I have ever seen!

Tuesday we visited La Casa de la Libertad, which houses the Bolivian Declaration of Independence signed by Simon Bolivar, as well as other historical artifacts and paintings. We sat in the Main Plaza for a bit after the tour of the Museum and watched the daily life of those in Sucre. The Main Plaza is very peaceful and is filled with beautiful trees and flowers! The afternoon was a bit disappointing because the Museum of Indigenous art, the famous Iglesia de la Merced, and the spectacular water show were closed. So, we settled for an early dinner and a movie in our hostel.

Wednesday was our final day of travel and we visited the main cathedral in the Plaza, had coffee, and had out last meal at Florin, our favorite restaurant of the trip! And, our last stop in Sucre was Para Ti, the most amazing chocolate store. We had fabulous hot chocolate and chocolate coffee to end our adventure on a good note! Reluctantly, we walked back to the hostel to catch a cab to the airport. We had a wonderful trip, full of amazing memories! I was glad I was able to spend time with Kait before she returned to Canada!

However, as amazing as the trip was, going back to work on Thursday morning and being greeted with, "Tia Megan!" and hugs and kisses made me realize how much I really missed the kids and how lucky I am to work with Ninos con Valor! I missed their little smiling faces, amazing hugs, fun adventures to the park, and of course, laughing until it hurts!

These are the faces that greeted me on Thursday morning, who wouldn't miss their job???