Two weeks down, five more to go.

Amazing the passage of time. Before we know it, we will be on our way to Lake Titicaca. The AHA group and final third of our placement just arrived. Kind of bummed we are all in Bolivia for such a short time. We’re making the absolute most of it; that’s for sure.

Not entirely sure how I’m meant to start this blog post either. I have, however, been keeping a journal recapping the latest Bolivian happenings. So far, I can wholeheartedly say that I love Cochabamba. The city is lively, personable, and full of color. Women of all backgrounds are seen with vibrantly woven blankets carrying anything from the day’s goods to a child. It’s an interesting contrast between indigenous dress and western clothing. Another interesting observation of the city is that it’s divided into sections. These aren’t official divisions. You will see a series of blocks selling every kind of car part rapidly transition into a food market. Apply that same idea to housewares, construction materials, book stores, pet apparel, scrubs, and so much more. Additionally, a large Brazilian community exists because medical school is so much more affordable here. As you peruse the streets and main roads of Cochabamba, you will also see the following: Argentinians juggling in the streets between red lights, the countdown controlling their rhythm, grills along the sidewalk, food carts and trucks galore, and hustles of every kind. (By hustle, I mean that everyone has some kind of way to make money regardless of age or capability.) It’s a city of contrasts that you must experience to believe. In the meantime, here are excerpts from my journal to keep y’all updated.

June

Wednesday 19 (second day)

Our host mom is incredible and precious. She is a warm and welcoming soul that brightens the house. With her color-coordinated green kitchen, she loves to fill the house with life and character. Her name is Jaquelin. She is a lawyer whose husband is a chef. You can say we have it pretty good here. But, of course, the two lactose intolerant people live on the corner of a dairy store. (Like I said, a city of contrasts.) Interestingly, even though vegetables are so affordable/cheap, not many Bolivians eat vegetables. Cows are a huge resource, so the staples are beef, dairy, potatoes.

We were about half an hour late to lunch. Felt so bad. Jaquelin and family waited for us! And they even served us first what the heck. Too considerate. At least Lidia (an exchange student also living in our house) ate already. That was good. The chicken, fries, platanos, and rice were from a local chicken place. The salsa was called yacua (sp?). So yummy. Nice and spicy. My brain is still really tired. Jaquelin includes us in conversation, but our Spanish is still so rusty. We are so tired. It’s a real struggle bus. Spanish class helped, but I think we are only going to do 2 weeks. Mercedes (our profa) is so patient. She teaches English classes as well as Spanish. Her little black hat was the kind that I never understood how to wear. Turns out you roll up the bottom so that you can see. It’s the ones that look just like a little cap perfect for your head. Ellie made a great point that we should ask her about Bolivian culture and slang: “provecho”. (Update: provecho = bon appetit… sort of).

Orientation was great and simple, but not so helpful. It was stuff about public transport and food, but our host mom already told us all of that. We even took the trufi with her! And the bus. So easy, so cool. Ellie and I were talking: “If everyone’s public transport were like this (paying per trip) then public transport would be so much easier. Not everyone would drive.” Genius.

Thursday 20

Today we visit Agroflori/Parque de las Aves. It’s a wildlife refuge for animals (mostly birds) that were found along the Bolivian borders intercepted in illegal pet trade. Macaws, loros, an ocelot, falcons, monkeys, lorases, a weasel-thing, peacocks, flamingos, cockatiels, parakeets, budgies, a reindeer-thing, tortoises, and so much more. The falcons don’t like me. The macaws scream and catcall you. An interesting experience, but invaluable, nonetheless. Didn’t think I’d be doing husbandry again, but this was more unique. Carlos (Anna’s husband/our “boss”/partner) took us there to visit since we start work Monday.

Speaking of Carlos, he took us to one of his properties since we finished so early. This man. He is plagued by tragedy and an overwhelmingly creative mind. There’s so much energy in him that it must be expressed. Hence, his studio in Tiquipaya. This was an old house of theirs where they now keep AHABolivia supplies, hosted a climate summit, and rent out parts of the property. He made his own installment with a particular entrance/exit accompanied by his own music. His music is actually pretty good. Clearly emotional. By the way, he got emotional at the animal sanctuary because a friend died yesterday because she couldn’t get heart surgery. So much tragedy in his life. So much death. Each encompassing story somehow includes major loss and struggle. This man tries to be so full of life and energy in the face of so much despair. It’s clearly getting to him, but he copes the best he can. His studio is a pure explosion of his expression. He is fueled by the tragedies in the world and his own life. Inspired by the Holocaust, life as an illegal immigrant in the States, Che Guevara, and the guerilla life, he creates. He tries his best to redirect that energy into studies and educating himself. He’s a total conspiracy theorist though. Would totally buy into that stuff. He is also highly educated. Perhaps he’s the fine line between genius and madness. Seems to be so.

I mean this in the best way, of course. There’s no way to do justice in describing a person you have to meet. It’s not the same. It’s difficult to not admire how his mind works.

Lunch rolled around (the biggest meal of the day), and the family surprised me with a cake! They’re incredibly kind, and the cake was bomb. There’s a tradition where you bite the cake, but I had no idea what they were asking me. Luckily, Ellie translated and shared that the real tradition is to get caked. Love it. Tried to exercise at this altitude. It’s no joke. Butt was whooped in 5 minutes.

Friday 21

Today is the solsticio (winter solstice) and Aimara new year. That means we wake up before the crack of dawn to get to the apartment for a 4am pickup. That is some wild scheduling. But this is due to Colcas de Cotopachi being an hour away — in Quillacollo. It’s also important that we be there early to take in the entire scene.

It. Was. Gorgeous. The early, early dawn was a deep blue with hints of an approaching sunrise. The moon was high and bright with her children dancing in her light. Cheeks filled with coca leaf, many drank, danced, played music, and made ritual preparations. Our tour guide purchased a bag of coca leaves for us as well and showed us how to do it. You bite off the petiole, wad it in your lip or cheek like dip, and suck away. You do not chew or swallow it. Be forewarned. Much of the excursion was waiting for the sun to come. Apparently, he is “Padre Sol”, but we kept saying “she” was taking her time. Meanwhile, we took photos by the corn mills, of the ofrendas being arranged, and general candid shots of the scene playing out.

When the sun finally arrived, the music got louder, the people got rowdier, hands got higher, and everyone was happier. Her rays filled us with energy and love along with absolute joy. Happy new year! Happy solstice! So many good things to celebrate.

When we arrived at Anna & Carlos’s for Friday lunch, they were rocking out playing some cool blues. Lunch was a huge operation. Anna made Texas brisket, there were fresh veggies from Paola (THANK GOD), and some roasted green beans, carrots, cauliflower with a grilled onion and plantain dish. There was bread, rice, and yucca as well. MMMMM. Delicioso. Afterwards, we talked with Anna, her cousin Paul, and one of Carlos’s cousins. Everyone is really nice. Finally, we decided to go home, recuperate, and gather again for the rock & blues concert in Plazo Grenado.

The host/last performer looked like a cross between Slash and Santana. I wanted to be him. His energy. Wow. The day was long, but we eventually got a cab and headed back home. There was so much more to the concert, but I can’t put it into words. I’m so happy to be living an exciting life where I can walk into a rock and blues concert in the park in an unfamiliar country. This is the life I want to live.

Saturday 22

La Cancha is extremely vast. The most shocking part was that traffic goes right through the market. Everything you could ever want was sold there: Adidas, Nike, down jackets, woven jackets, lingerie, socks, shampoo, soaps, toilet paper, fruits, vegetables, hot food, artisanal crafts, etc. I ended up getting a bag and a couple of bracelets. Didn’t buy much. My first purchase was bagged water. So nice and cold. The bag wasn’t the cleanest, but you have to suck on it. So fingers crossed! We had changed money before at a cambista, and I got to break my big bills. That saved me so much. I still need to break them because now I don’t have any more 2Bs for the trufi/bus. I used them all today. Stalls. As far as the eye can see. Trufis and buses barreling through. I mean, we did it! I didn’t haggle because some of the prices were so low already. We will definitely go back now that we know how to make it. Just the #9 bus all the way! While we were there, I definitely saw cuy or some small mammal skewered on a stick and roasted. Was curious but not sure yet about street meat/anticuchos. I will start with a saltena. (I have yet to get a saltena.)

Sunday 23 (urban art bike tour)

Proyecto mARTadero is on the borderline of a sketch neighborhood. The murals were so colorful already. Cecelia met us there. While we were all talking from a dude from Argentina, Camila, Martimeano, and Rachel showed up. We got fitted for bikes and went on our merry way. Of course, the bikes weren’t perfect, but I found one that was my height. The seat was tilted sometimes but worked nonetheless. We dodged traffic, skimmed by lights, and saw incredible murals. Cecelia is such a good tour guide. She gave us the full run down of each mural: occasion, significance, artist, if it was a collaboration, and so much more. Some weren’t as confident on bikes, but we all made it out okay. Camila’s chain was a bit loose, so when she stood on it, it would come off. This resulted in her falling a few times. One time it was pretty rough. It deadass seemed like this dude was gonna get out his car and help her because he was right behind her, BUT ALL HE DID WAS GO INSIDE A BUILDING TO GET A MONKEY WRENCH. She said she only has two bruises. All good. Martimeano crashed once, even if he says otherwise. He almost crashed into me, but we evaded each other. One time we had to go on a sidewalk. Not only was the light turning red and cars were coming, but both Martimeano and I couldn’t fit on the tiny uphill onto the sidewalk! So, I said whatever and stopped at the corner to quickly hop onto the sidewalk. Rachel had trouble starting her bike and merging into traffic. She got left behind at one light, but it worked out. I had a couple of slow starts too. Ellie and Tia were the only ones who had an easy breezy time with their bikes. Each time we stopped, I had no idea how hard I was breathing. Eventually realized I hadn’t drunk any water, so I did that promptly.

Tuesday 25 — Wednesday 26

A small group of students came up to us at Agroflori and asked if we spoke English. It never crossed my mind that that question would be asked HERE. They wanted to practice, so of course, we obliged. We spoke to them in Spanish while they responded in English. They were so cute. We covered everything from where we were from, to activities, to where in the US they wanted to go. Before long, we had to go back to work, and they continued their tour. We saw them now and again throughout. Oh! And their teacher took a photo of us all together. While I was washing plates, they came by again; and we took more photos. We had to dip right at 12:30 to make up for being late and to be home for lunch. Got home, zoomed in, changed, ate hella fast, then taxied over to the AHA office. Carlos just arrived when we did, so the meeting began.

This man. He. Loves. Allan. Savory. Enough said. Anyways, now we finally have tasks and are official interns for Earth Regeneration. Little shared desk and all. It was such a struggle bus to get him to focus and understand what he wants from us. Apparently, Allan Savory is the man I thought he was!! He used to cull elephants and now grazes across the grassland barefoot.

We had dinner at Paula’s house!! Camila made yogurt-saffron-marinated chicken kebabs, Tadjik, and a salad with cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, lemon, olive oil, and yerba buena. It was incredible. We had so much fun having dinner together. Paula is such a kind and sweet woman. I want my home to be like hers.

Friday 28 — Sunday 30

Toro Toro! (see pics below) It was incredibly hard to describe per the following entry I tried to write in our bus:

First morning in ToroToro (o.g. turu turu in Quechua which means “muddy muddy” but the Spanish changed it to Toro Toro to pronounce easier — had some tongue/throat clicks in there). The drive up to the hiking spot is indescribable. It looks like a green screen; it’s that unreal. Mountains as far as the eye can see. Even further than that maybe. On one side they rise up like oysters or stegosaurus plates. The other is carved like the mountains of Hawaii but smoother. I honestly cannot put it into words. It’s so difficult to paint the picture and do it justice. Takes about an hour to get to the point at which we hike. When you enter there is a big rock formation that I thought looked like a cuy/guinea pig but apparently it’s an iguana. There is even a stack of rocks that look like The Thinker.

We climbed down into an old cattle grazing area tucked between towering rocks that looked like elephants. In there, we entered El Carcel which is basically a rock formation with a “chimney” that lets the tiniest of slivers of light in. This long hike takes us to Ciudad de Itas which is stunning. Large arches of bright stone so smooth it looks man-made. The acoustics were incredible. Another spot looked like the top of the Earth. Much of the Andes and its vastness were all you could see. I’m doing a really bad job of describing it. It was that awe-inducing.

One thing for sure is that my hip flexors and glutes have never been more tired. And this girl has climbed a nearly-vertical shale/shoal cliff for Alamere Falls in Point Reyes and through rivers for Maple Falls in Nicene Marx. The gorge we drive around is so vast. I am truly at a loss for words.

The next day, we venture down into the canyon. Following the river for roughly 90 minutes, we arrived at a small lagoon. Water from between the rocks flows through and creates a waterfall. Stunned. Speechless. Definitely sore. Didn’t take long for some of us to jump in and enjoy the water. The chilly river felt great against our sore, sun-kissed muscles. Just the refresher we needed. Sadly, we couldn’t stay long and had to make the 700-meter staired trek back up to the mirador/lookout. From there, we head back for lunch, pack up, and drive to Cochabamba.