Heading Back, Again!

This past week has been full of wonderful memories and moments! Olivia, one of the residents of Corazon del Pastor, turned 15! She is the first girl to “become a woman!” I had the wonderful opportunity to take her to Pablo’s Peluqueria (hair salon) for her birthday haircut! She liked the cut, but hated that they put curls in her hair after. It was great to spend time with she and two other girls who came along for support. Last Saturday night, we celebrated her quincinera! I had so much fun dancing with the girls and the tias! The celebration turned out wonderfully! There is a tradtion where the birthday girl has 14 friends who walk in formally in gowns carrying roses and candles. Then, the birthday girl walks in with her dad and they dance and go around to each girl to collect roses and blow out the 14 candles. However, because Rosa does not have parents present in her life, her “sisters” and Tyson filled in. Fourteen of the younger girls put on their fancy dresses and walked in with purple candles and red roses. And, Tyson, executive director of Ninos con Valor, danced with Olivia and assisted her with the symbolic tradition. It was beautiful, and as I watched and took pictures, I thought about how lucky I am to be part of this amazing organization! The party went on past one in the morning--it was pretty happening! Also, some of the most popular boys in school came wearing ties and dress shirts. The older girls were very excited about this, and had a great time dancing with the boys!

Sunday was just as eventful with mass at 10 AM, an Indian lunch at Brooke and Tom's house (which was absolutely delicious!), and dinner with Juan Francisco and David! I am really enjoying my time in Bolivia, and am so thankful to have gotten to know and become friends with the tias whom I work with, David and Juan Francisco (two priests that live in front of us), and many others I have met along the way!

Monday I had a coloring session with a few of the young kids at Pedacito and it was so fun! They enjoyed scribbling, and were so proud when they showed me their work! These are the moments that have truly impacted me. I will never forget sitting there and encouraging them to color more and telling them how beautiful and amazing their pictures were as each kid held up his or her paper with pride!

Because of events like these, I have decided to return to Cochabamba in January of 2011! I will spend six weeks at the Maryknoll Language Institute refining my Spanish, and then about five months as a full-time volunteer again with Ninos con Valor! I am very excited about this decision, but it was a difficult one to commit to. I do miss my family and friends from home so much, but I know that returning to Bolivia is what I need to do right now. I am excited to return for a little bit to watch the little ones and the girls grow and mature, to celebrate birthdays and special occasions, to be and older sister and a confident to the older girls, to spend time reading and singing songs to the babies and toddlers. I only wish I could be in two places at once!

I know I have said this before, but I have to repeat it again, I cherish and appreciate each moment with these wonderful Bolivian kids, and could not imagine my time in Cochabamba without being part of their lives. The kids of Ninos con Valor have taught me and continue to teach me new lessons each day! I look fondly on past memories, enjoy the present moments, and look forward to what the future holds for me here in Cochabamba, Bolivia!

So Grateful!

This week I officially have 2 months or 8 weeks left here in Cochabamba--bitter sweet! I am excited to head home and see family and friends, and of course, indulge in the foods I have been craving--Thai and Indian, Italian and Mexican, Barney's and Genova's. But, I am sad to leave the amazing kids I work with. Each day has been a learning experience--learning a new word or a piece of Bolivian culture. I am so grateful for this amazing experience and opportunity! I have not changed, but I am a different person than when I left on June 11th. Because of the stories I have heard and because of the people I have encountered and gotten to know, because of the hours spent with the younger kids and the girls of Ninos con valor and the cultural experiences in South America, I will never be the same.

I came down to Bolivia, the poorest country in South America, to try and make an impact in the live of children who have been abandoned and neglected, abused and mistreated. However, they have impacted me more than I could ever have imagined. I treasure each moment spent with the girls and the young ones. I think of them as the little sisters and brotehrs I never had.

Each girl possesses a heart-breaking past full of trauma and sadness, but each girl smiles and laughs, loves and shows affection. These girls have learned that one cannot be broken by his or her past, but must learn from it, grow stronger, and move forward. These girls are my heroes! They have seen and experienced things young kids should never live through. In the words of Ms. Joss Stone, they are "bruised, but not broken."

The residents of Pedacito del Cielo have similar pasts of abandonment and abuse, but many of them probably, and hopefully, do not remember these experiences. However, the tias and staff of Ninos con Valor provide such love and support to each child to make a positive impact. Despite the painful pasts, I believe these young ones will grow up to know only love and respect because of the positive influence of the organization and staff.

Well, here's to two more absolutely amazing, absolutely beautiful, absolutely marvelous months in Cochabamba, Bolivia!

How is Faith Maintained in Destitution and Sadness?

Today during our volunteer meeting we discussed how God accompanies people and what the importance of prayer is in this relationship. Recently, I have been struggling with the issue of God's role in people's lives. Here in Bolivia, extreme poverty and destitution, sadness and heartbreak, abuse and neglect are seen daily. However, Bolivians, and Latin Americans in general, possess so much faith. Where does this undying, strong sense of faith come from? We talked about how Bolivians who live in such poverty and sadness still have this faith in the Kingdom of God, and many will tell you that prayer is the answer to everything.

During religious celebrations, people will buy miniature items of things they wish for--money and plane tickets, houses and babies, a wedding and a car. This seems very materialistic, but majority of the people who partake in this tradition are extremely impoverished. They will never be able to afford a house or a car or a plane ticket to visit family in the U.S. or Spain. However, each year they return to the celebration with their miniature wants. Why do they continue to return? Do they truly believe that God will grant them these things? Or, is it just our of tradition, habit, and practice?

It is so interesting to me in a place like Bolivia, where people experience poverty and injustices on a daily basis, God is "present" to them. God's name is plastered on the buses and the trufis, many people make the Sign of the Cross whenever passing a church, many constantly pray. Religion is deeply rooted in the culture of Latin America, despite the violence and the poverty, the abuse and the neglect, and the day-to-day struggle majority of the people experience. Maybe God and religion are the only things people have left to bring some kind of hope and relief. But, I just cannot understand how such a deep sense of faith can be held on to, while people go hungry, while babies die, while mother's beg for a Boliviano or two, while you can hear domestic violence across the street, etc.

I left my heart in Cusco!

Well, the trip to Cusco and Machu Picchu was a success, minus getting altitude sickness in the Sacred Valley of the Incas. But, the Peruvian adventure was quite amazing!

The adventure began last Wednesday with a quick flight to La Paz, where we stayed the night. We arrived at the La Paz airport at 7 AM on Thursday morning for our flight to Cusco! The flight was about an hour, but the scenery below was absolutely beautiful--Lake Titicaca and part of the Andes Mountains! Being in Cusco immediately felt like being in another country. The city is very different than any city I have visited in Bolivia.

The driver who picked us up from the airport accidentally took us to the wrong hotel, so we waited with coca mate while someone came to get us and take us to our hotel, Hotel Royal Inca! We showered and got ready and headed to Plaza de Armas, the main plaza, for some lunch. We went to this small, quaint restaurant on the second floor that had an amazing view of the plaza.

At 1:30, we had a tour of the city. We toured the main Cathedral in Plaza de Armas. The Spanish built this church where an important Incan palace once stood before it was destroyed during colonization. There were amazing carvings in the cathedral, and much of the decor was done with 24K gold! The Spanish had a painting done portraying the last supper. The painting portrays daily life in Cusco, but the Spanish insisted Judas wear brown, while all the other disciples wear other colors. Brown is the symbol of the Incas! The Incas always wore brown, and the Spanish did not. Just one way the colonizers tried to dominate and oppress the indigenous.

Next, we visited Qorikancha, which is now the Convent of Santo Domingo. This area used to have temples built by the Incas to worship the fertility gods. However, the Spanish blew the rock walls apart using gun powder and built the Dominican convent. After a huge earthquake in the 1950s, the walls of the convent crumbled to reveal the older walls built by the Incas. Then, we drove up to the hills around the city to see Sacsayhuman, a temple that was built to the god of thunder, Qenqo, temples dedicated to the jaguar and the Pachamama. Human sacrifices took place in the temple dedicated to the Pachamama, and over 30 mummies were found in a ravine behind the altar of sacrifices. Puka Pukara was next! Puka Pukara is a fort that was used to maintain communication with the Machu Picchu region, and to try and fight off the Spanish, who had far superior weaponry. Our last stop of the day was Tambo Machay, a tribute to the water god, who is very important because he fertilizes Pachamama. It is not known where the water comes from that flows from 3 different falls. However, the water has been flowing steadily since the time of the Incas.

Our second day we toured the Sacred Valley of the Incas. It was absolutely beautiful--snow-capped mountains and flowing rivers, green hills and quaint towns. No wonder the Incas chose to live in this area of Peru! Our first stop was the ruins in Pisac. This happened to be the beginning and the end of the Sacred Valley journey for me! I was feeling pretty bad, and ended up throwing up on the ruins...never a good thing. So, I did not get to see much of the valley or the other ruins because I slept in the bus. By the last stop I was feeling better. We hiked up through a small town to see the "most beautiful church in the Sacred Valley." The Spanish destroyed the home of a famous Incan king and built the church on that hill. Only Spanish and noble Incas could enter the church, so the lower classes would sit outside and listen. When we arrived back in Cusco I was so exhausted.

Our last day was the journey to MACHU PICCHU! We got up at 5:45, had a quick breakfast, and took a bus to the train station in Poroy, just outside of Cusco. The train ride to Aguascalientes was about 3 and a half hours, but it was so beautiful! We followed this beautiful river and were surrounded by tall, snow-covered mountians. When we arrived in Aguascalientes, we found our tour guide and headed to catch a bus to the ruins. We entered the area and took a steep path up! When we finally came upon the city it was absolutely breath-taking! We were looking down at the city from above! We saw the terraces that were used for growing corn, the temples to the gods of the sun and the water, and to the condor as well. We saw the famous temple of 3 windows, which represents the 3 worlds--the upper world, this world, and the lower/inner world. Each world is represented by an animal--the condor is the upper, the puma is this world, and the snake represents the lower world. The sacred rock, which marks the entrance to the Huayna Picchu, the famous mountain that has a very important temple at the top and only 400 people can climb this mountain a day, has the same shape as the mountain in the distance. The lower section of the city was houses, workshops, etc, while the upper section was made up of temples and important buildings.

The whole Machu Picchu experience was amazing--to see the work that was put into this city, and realize that no one knows what happened to the inhabitants! I learned so much about the culture and history of the Inca people. It is still alive today because Cusquenas carry on the religious practices, including worshiping Pachamama and other Incan gods. Although I only explored a small portion of Cusco, I feel in love with the city! The people of Cusco today still associate themselves with their Incan ancestors and are proud to have such strong, indigenous roots!

Gracias, Henri Nouwen!

I have been reading Henri Nouwen's Gracias: A Latin American Journal in my spare time this past week. I have been home all week with stomach and back pains...a result of a kidney infection and more parasites! But, I was able to watch the whole first season of House and get into Gracias, which is absolutely amazing!

Henri Nouwen was a Dutch priest, who felt the urge to learn Spanish and work with those of Latin America. He attended Maryknoll's Language Institute in Cochabamba, Bolivia and then worked in Lima, Peru as a missionary. According to Nouwen, our job as missionaries is "to search with the poor for treasure hidden in the ground on which they stand." This was an idea developed by Maryknoll--a "radically new perspective" to missionary and volunteer work. I completely believe I am working here in Bolivia to help the babies and girls of Ninos con Valor find treasure not only in their land and culture, but in themselves. Each child I have gotten to know here has a special gift, a special treasure inside. I see it everyday.

The Dutch priest beautifully describes the irony of "Latin America: impressive wealth and degrading poverty, splendid flowers and dusty broken roads, loving people and cruel torturers, smiling children and soldiers who kill. It is here that we have to hunt for God's treasure." Yes, it is here in Bolivia where I find faith and see the teachings of Jesus. It is not in a huge cathedral or at a prayer group, but in my daily experiences at the two homes, people I see on the street, and grassroots movements I hear about. Bolivia is a place where desperation and poverty and helplessness are constantly in your face, yet it is also a place of hope and incredible beauty!

I could quote many things from Fr. Nouwen's book. Every page contains an important lesson that not only pertains to live in Latin America, but about how we can help others and help ourselves!

The Infamous Pyjamada!

Last Friday, Clare, a fellow volunteer, and I planned a pyjamada for the girls! We decorated the house with balloons and streamers, and set up a floor of mattresses to watch movies all night and a dance floor on the second floor! Although I think Clare and I had more fun dancing than the girls, the pyjamada was a hit!

We started the night dancing to the girls favorite artists--Jonas Brothers and Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus ans Selena Gomez, Rhianna and Justin Beiber! The littler girls had a lot more fun on the dance floor than the older girls. After some dancing, we watched Camp Rock 2, which the girls have been dying to watch! A DVD of current, popular music videos was the next on the list. And, finally, we ended our night with some Karaoke! Yes, the girls love karaoke and had a blast singing to High School Musical songs and other pop artists from Latin America!

I am so fortunate to have this opportunity to work with these girls! Each girl is absolutely amazing! I will never forgot the special moments I share with them, like the pyjamada! They have truly made my life in Bolivia complete!

This week I am traveling with the volunteers and directors of Ninos con Valor to the region of Miaque in the department of Cochabamba. We will be renovating a daycare in a small town with very few residents and no running water or electricity! I am excited to meet the families we will be helping, and working with the kids and teachers in the daycare! Also, I am excited to see another part of Bolivia!

I miss everyone so much! Sending all my love!

The Uyunian Adventure!

Finding words to describe the beauty and the isolation, the vastness and the pureness of Salar de Uyuni and the surrounding area seems impossible. I only hope this part of Bolivia remains untouched because it is truly spectacular!

We began our trip at Café Paris in Cochabamba’s main plaza! The first leg of our journey was a 5 hour bus trip from the bus terminal in Cochabamba to a random street in Oruro. We thought we had 20minutes to find our bus to Uyuni, which seemed like an impossible feat. We asked everyone we saw where the bus left from, and everyone gave us a different answer. We were literally running around the streets of Oruro at 11:30 at night to find our bus. Miraculously, a woman heard us panicking and frantic, and told us to knock on the bus company’s closed, locked door. Sure enough, we were in the right place, and the bus did not leave until 1 AM. So, the workers of Todo Turismo were nice enough to let us sit in their office until our bus arrived.

We boarded our sleeper bus at 1:15 AM and tried to sleep through the night, but a bumpy road will sure prohibit any sound sleeping. We arrived in Uyuni around 8:30 AM, and it was absolutely freezing! We dropped our luggage at the tour office and found a quick breakfast. We had time for a little shopping, which I loved! The town of Uyuni seems so quaint and cute! I wish we had more time to explore, but the adventures that laid ahead were far beyond what I imagined!

Around 10:30 AM we piled into our Toyota Land Cruiser 4-wheel-drive and headed off on our adventure! Oscar, our driver and tour guide, and Rosemary, our cook, were so amazing throughout the entire weekend! Oscar let Caroline and I name his car! We decided that Panchito was a fitting name! Our first stop was the Train Cemetery. This is a huge tourist attraction, but I found it not nearly as interesting as what we were about to experience! We spent about ten minutes climbing on trains and taking pictures! Our next stop was SALAR DE UYUNI, the world’s largest salt flat! It is 12,106 square kilometers and is over 12,00 feet. The Salar is a center of salt extraction—about 20,000 tons per year! Salar de Uyuni is truly magical—it is just the white ground, the blue sky with amazing clouds, and you! We walked around in awe for a while, snapping pictures and playing in the salt mounds. We then visited Cactus Island (Icawanku), which is located in the middle of the salt lake! The island is covered in tons of cacti, and we even spotted some llamas! Rosemary prepared our lunch here on the island. We enjoyed llama meat and vegetables as we still we in shock and awe that we were actually on Salar de Uyuni! Our next stop was Galaxia, a cave that used to be under the sea and is about 2200 years old. It was beautiful, and you could see the leaves that were fossilized into the top and bottom of the cave. Next to Galaxia was the Devil’s Cemetery—a pre-Incan burial ground. There were actual skulls and bones in the small holes made by the founders. After a full day of activities and very little sleep, we headed to our “hotel” in the small town of San Pedro. It was very basic—only electricity at night, concrete floors and beds, no heat, etc. But, I survived!

We began our second day with a huge breakfast courtesy of Rosemary! We ate, got ready, and packed up the car. Our first stop was miles and miles of volcanic rock formations, which went on as far as the eye could see. The formations were not that big, but very intricate and fascinating. Next were the mountains of color, which were layered with all different shades! Near the mountains of color, Oscar showed us an active volcano that straddles the border of Chile and Bolivia! We were so close to Chile! Our next two stops were two different lagoons, which were both amazingly beautiful and serene. Thousands of flamingos lived in both lagoons. We had another amazing lunch at the second lagoon. After lunch, we drove a while to the huge rock formations, which included the infamous Tree of Rock! Our last stop for the day was Lagoon Colorado, which literally has red water! It was so cold and windy that we could not spend much time outside of the car! Our hotel for the second night was a little nicer than the first, but still very basic and VERY, VERY, VERY, VERY COLD! We met some fellow travelers from Argentina and Spain and ended up playing dice games with them!

Our last day in Uyuni was insanely busy! We got up at 5 AM to head to the hot, thermal bath, which turned out to be lukewarm and it was way too cold to even think about taking my two shirts, three jackets, gloves, hat, and scarf off. The geysers, however, were amazing! The sun was just rising and it was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen! Our very last stop on the tour was the Green Lagoon. The water was definitely green, but no wildlife can live in this water because of its high levels of toxins and minerals. After the lagoon, we began our 8 hour drive back to the city of Uyuni with a few stops along the way—Dali Rocks, a few small towns, lunch, and more crazy rock formations!

Around 6 PM we pulled into downtown Uyuni. We grabbed a quick dinner and headed to the bus station, which was complete mayhem! We arrived in Oruro around 2:30, and a lady traveling with us was so sick because of the drastic change in altitude, the bus company helped us get a private cab back to Cochabamba!

After three days of no shower, the first thing I did was shower when I got back to our house! It was an amazing few days of seeing and experiencing things so unreal! I will never forget the natural, untouched, simple beauty of Uyuni! Also, I traveled with 5 other women—4 of then over 40 and one the same age as me—and it was so fun! We have all come from very different backgrounds and we are all at different places in live, but we got along so well and had so much fun!

I have had such amazing experiences in Bolivia, and am so thankful each day that I have had the opportunity to travel and get to know this amazing country and its amazing people!