Thoughts Before Bolivia 🇧🇴
June 18, 2018
Hello! My name is Jada Paddock and I am a second-year mechanical engineering student at Santa Clara University. These next 7 weeks, I will be traveling and working in Cochabamba, Bolivia, as one of the two members of the Earth Regeneration team. As of what I know right now, my partner, Erin, and my work will mainly consist research on deforestation and endangered animals in Bolivia for a future museum for the company AHA Bolivia.
When I first heard I was going to Bolivia this summer, I was shocked to say the least. Erin and I were initially headed to Indonesia to work with the Indonesian Institute for Energy Economics; however, the week of spring break the organization announced that they would no longer be able to accept students for the summer. The two of us regrouped with the help of the Global Fellows’ director, Tanya, and we decided on Bolivia as our back-up destination. This threw a wrench in my initial plans for Indonesia as I had already received a shot for the trip as well as typhoid pills. My grandfather grew up in Indonesia before moving to the Netherlands for and the U.S. for work, so I became super excited for the trip. However, even though I think I would have loved going to Indonesia, I am so grateful that I am still headed somewhere this summer.
Ever since I returned from school, my life has surrounded packing: unpacking college items and repacking for Bolivia; planning what I will need for this trip and what I need to set aside for my study abroad trip; running to Target and the Dollar Store to get last minute essentials, like Imodium and ‘thank you’ cards 😣. Right off the bat, I am learning the importance of organization and preparedness regarding international travel.
It is 24 hours before my flight takes off for Bolivia. I am currently feeling very nervous — not a scared nervous, but an excited nervous. While I am nervous to see Anna (our contact for AHA Bolivia) again and finally meet Carlos (the person whom Erin and I will be working the closest with), I am more excited to get to know them better and understand their vision for Earth Regeneration and AHA Bolivia. While I don’t know if I packed enough warm clothing, I am excited to travel to Salar de Uyuni, the Salt Flats, to see the abandoned trains and witness a natural miracle.
I am hoping that this experience will help me grow as a person to be more adaptable, empathetic, and sociable. Anna primed the Bolivia group with some words of wisdom. Summarized, she told us to not think we need to be working the whole time; a large part of our job is to socialize and interact with the people around us. This message set off an alarm in my brain: socializing! It’s not to say that I am a hermit, that I hate people, or that lack social skills (hopefully not!), I am simply an introvert. The culture of Bolivia relies on strong bonds made between people. My biggest worry for this trip is that I won’t be the personality that Anna and Carlos would like and expect from a Global Fellow. While I understand that this is a very trivial worry, it’s been floating around in my head for about a month and leading up to the trip it’s still there.
With every step of this journey, there will be ups and downs. For every ‘glass half-full’ moment, there’s bound to be a ‘glass half-empty’ moment as well. What I have learned from previous Global Fellows, is that these situations and experiences are bound to happen. One day you’ll forget your phone charger and you’re stuck on 20%, the next you’ll eat something that doesn’t sit right and your next trip will be to the baño. However, these memories are some that are once in a lifetime, never-going-to-happen-again moments. I plan to cherish and fully absorb everything I experience, whether it be ‘glass half-full’ or ‘glass half-empty’.
(Actually, it’s just me, the world’s best dressed human, at a boat competition, watching our boat move at 1mph. The caption makes the image and my trip more mystical though. 😆)
