Mizque: Dump Truck Days

He sat next to me on the ride home. I taught him Picachu, a popular hand game here in Bolivia.


The chicha man passing out a last round in the truck!


Our send-off, complete with music and white confetti, a symbol of peace and harmony.


She is so beautiful! She hung around as we painted and helped translate for us!


The three girls that watched as we painted, and decided to run away when we asked for help!


This little boy was so shy, but so cute!


The kids from the wawawasi (daycare/preschool) waiting in line for their new blankets.


He could not speak Spanish, but wanted his picture taken! Amazing how you can communicate without words!

This was my second trip to Mizque, a rural province in the department of Cochabamba. Both trips have put everything into perspective--what is truly important and how lucky we are to have an excess of things. This trip was a little different, as we visited a different community and held a workshop to show nine daycares/preschools how to use solar ovens, but still very touching and memorable.

Tuesday morning we began our journey to Mizque, arriving at the girls' home at 7 AM to organize everything and last minute pack. Despite an early arrival, we ended up leaving an hour late because we could not fit all 9 solar ovens on the bus. After a beautifully amazing 4 hour ride, we arrived in Mizque! We went to lunch first because everyone was starving, and then hung out for the rest of the day-visited the river, walked around the small market and town, ate ice cream. After dinner and a few games of cacho (a Bolivian dice game), we headed to bed.

Wednesday was an amazing, yet full day! We woke up early, and headed to Pantipampa, a very small, rural community about three hours outside of the city of Mizque, in a DUMP TRUCK! Yes, we made the trek in a dump truck, which was great for taking pictures and star gazing when coming back into the town. With the windy switchbacks and rough cliffs, it was quite the ride, but we survived! When we pulled into Pantipampa, the band was playing and they were getting ready to dance. We quickly got into painting the two classrooms and playing games with the kids. One of the husbands of the educators helped us mix the paint and talked with us as we painted.
Then, the members of the community marched around the soccer field two times shouting patriotic phrases, shooting fireworks, and waving flags. After the parade, the singing of the country's songs and hymns began, as well as the traditional dances. I found it very interesting that the kids made all the costumes that were used. (In the city, people rent and buy costumes for the dances.) A delicious lunch of charque (beef or llama jerky), potatoes, corn and cheese, and fava beans was served, as well as numerous rounds of chicha, a fermented corn drink!
After lunch, we hung out and put a second coat of paint on the classrooms. A group of girls watched as we painted, and when we tried to recruit their help, they kept running away giggling. One of the girls understood Spanish, so she helped us out as we asked questions and got to know them. (Majority of the adults and kids did not speak Spanish, so communicating with them was difficult. Going to Mizque makes me want to learn Quechua so I could communicate with those in the rural communities.) And, while painting, the men passing out chicha continued to come in and invite us to cups. It is a way for them to show the gratitude and give back to us. So, I became good at painting and drinking cups of chicha!
After painting and talking with those who could understand Spanish, we were given a proper send-off with singing and music, and white confetti (a symbol of peace and harmony) placed on our heads. Before they allowed us to leave, we had to dance for them, which turned into quite the free-for-alll. We packed up the dump truck, which included the chicha man climbing in to give everyone one last round, families who lived far away and had walked into the town center, and wonderful memories from our visit to Pantipampa.
On the ride back, I talked with a woman (with the help of a lady with us who could speak Quechua) about her family, and she was so sweet! It was frustrating not being able to tell her everything I wanted to, but I was thankful someone was there to help translate. One day, maybe I will be able to speak to this woman and other Quechua speakers. The ride with about 40 people crammed into one dump truck was so fun and a very bonding experience-hand games, and many laughs, which was wonderful, considering many of us did not speak each other's language. These are the moments I live for, and appreciate that I live here in Bolivia. After dropping the families off near their homes, which were a good 30 minute drive from where we began, we headed back to the town of Mizque. The sun set and the stars began to appear, and it was one of the most amazing things I have ever seen!

Thursday we spent the morning chopping and dicing vegetables for the solar oven demonstration. We brought nine of the ovens for daycares and preschools of different communities in Mizque. The educators came to see how Maritza, a tia at the girls' home, and Lupe, a representative from the oven company, made different meals. We ended up eating the food that was prepared in the ovens for lunch-rice and pasta, quinoa and potatoes, lentils and chicken, and pound cake-and it was delicious! The educators were extremely excited about their new ovens, and were excited to experiment with them! After lunch, we cleaned up, packed up, and headed home.

These trips to Mizque definitely have changed my life-seing the beauty of the people and realizing that even though they do not have much, they give back what the can and appreciate everything they have been given! I am thankful I have had the chance to visit the rural communities, meet the kids, play games with them, give out food and blankets, paint classrooms, and experience a completely new culture and tradition. I cannot put into words what it feels like to meet and be welcomed into a warm culture, and help those who have much less.

Thank you, Bolivia, for these amazing memories!