In the Swing of Things
Disclaimer: This blog post takes place in the events of the weeks of Jun 21- Jul 3. Please excuse the lack of punctuality and enjoy. :)
The past few weeks have been a lot — in the best way possible. Everyday is something new and crazy and unexpected, especially our first weekend in Cochabamba, which was extremely eventful.
On Friday, we woke up at 3 in the morning in order to be at the rendezvous spot by 4 for the Aymara New Year celebration. We waited for probably 2 ½ hours in one spot for the sun to rise, and the crowd to lift their hands and take in the first rays of sunlight. The hours were well spent though, as we had the chance to listen to all the traditional native music, watch and join in dancing, and witness the ancient ceremonies for the New Year, which I am grateful to have been a part of even in the slightest.
The day went on with lunch at Anna and Carlos’s and then a rock and blues concert in the evening, and we didn’t return to our homestay until 11pm. Don’t ask me how I survived the day without a nap because I genuinely could not tell you, but the excitement continued throughout the weekend.
On Saturday, we tackled La Cancha, which is basically Cochabamba’s big marketplace/flea market and on Wednesdays and Saturdays it comes out in full force. The first words I can think to describe La Cancha are sensory overload. Everywhere you turn there is another person trying to get passed you or there is a bus driving directly through the walkway, clogging traffic. La Cancha seemed like an endless spans of just stuff. Everything from fresh fruits and vegetables, bread, purses, name brand shoes and jackets, soup, art supplies, toiletries, to whatever else you could think of. Our group eventually found the artisan section, which is where we spent the bulk of our time shopping all the souvenir-y things. Did I spend entirely too much money? You bet, but I have zero regrets, and I will definitely be returning to spend even more. Eventually, we escaped this tourist trap of a shopping section, and decided to walk to a restaurant for Silpancho, which is a popular Bolivian dish that did not disappoint.
On Sunday, we were lucky enough to be able to sleep in a bit and in the afternoon meet Cecilia, the head of the Bolivia4Ward program, for a bike art tour around Cochabamba. Since Sundays are actually observed as a day of rest in Bolivia, fortunately for us, there weren’t many cars on the street and we were able to navigate the city on bikes relatively seamlessly. It was so thrilling to be able to explore Cochabamba this way, and get an even better sense of the connection between culture and street art.
By the time the weekend ended, I would say we were pretty comfortable and accustomed to the trufi and taxi situation. The streets look more and more familiar by the day, and I am starting to get used to Bolivian driving standards. Stoplights? Optional. Lanes? Also optional. Horns? Always necessary.
Monday was our first day working at Agroflori, an animal sanctuary/rehabilitation center, in which we basically spent the morning taking out the animals’ food and water trays, cleaning them, and putting them back. I will let the fact that I was surrounded by beautiful, exotic and endangered animals including, but not limited to, parrots, macaws, eagles, tortoises, foxes, an ocelot, flamingos, the list goes on. My exposure to animals in Bolivia continues into our homestay as I have become best friends with the two pets at our home stay, the baby chihuahua, Almendra, and the cat, Darcy.
After our first full work week, our group was lucky enough to travel to Torotoro National Park for the weekend. Dubbed as the “Grand Canyon of South America” by some, Torotoro definitely did not disappoint. It was a weekend full of beautiful (and intense) hikes throughout the breathtaking landscapes and canyons supplemented with some history about the history of the land we stood on, courtesy of the two amazing guides we had.
This past week, Sammi, Ellie, Carlos, and I have been continuing to prep for the main project of Earth Regeneration, which was the development of El Museo de los Pumas on Isla del Sol. Our preparation mainly consists of ironing out logistical details and any other information for the museum’s development and construction as the goal is to have an open and functioning museum by the end of the summer.
I can’t say I expected to feel so comfortable in Cochabamba so quickly, but I honestly, I have the people I am surrounded with to thank for that. From my placement partners, Sammi and Ellie, to my homestay and host family, to Anna and Carlos, to the whole Bolivia Global Fellows gang. Just when it seemed like everything was somewhat becoming routine, Sammi, Ellie and I are now packing up to spend almost two weeks at Isla del Sol on Lake Titicaca to help finish constructing the puma museum. See you at the Lake!
