I knew this was going to be an interesting trip from the start. Originally we had 12 people signed up, ready to go...but after health problems, concern over a bit of social unrest in Bolivia, and economic hardship in the States, it dwindled down to me. Either that suggests that I´m a bit crazy, or really needed a good adventure. Probably a bit of both. Nevertheless, we couldn´t have a ¨group¨ trip with just one person, even with my multiple personalities... so I had to rally some troups. I failed misserably to rally ¨troups¨, but I did sucker one ¨trouper¨ in, and that was enough to make it plural, so we were good to go.The adventure began on Monday, June 30. Mike, a health planning director in a midwestern city, and I met up in Miami and flew straight to La Paz. We arrived in La Paz EARLY tuesday morning. And made our way to the desk of Amazones for our flight to Rurrenbaque.
Let me stop here for a minute a give a little aside. Bolivia´s president is Evo Morales, the first indegenious president Bolivia has ever had, and a socialist with ties to Venazuela and Cuba. Let´s put it this way, Bush probably threw a nice little hissy fit when Evo was elected. There is a question right now whether USAID and the US Embassy will leave Bolivia. I don´t know the whole story(1), but from what I am hearing around here, Evo told USAID to stop a project that was probably related to privatizing some important national resource so that some US multinational corporation could turn a profit (oh, sorry, I mean ¨invest¨) at the expense of the poor. The US Embassy and USAID threw a fit and said that they just might take their toys and go home.(2) Ok, ok, so I know I´m WAYYYYY off on a tangent that may or may not be completely false, however there is a point. When Mike and I arrived in La Paz in all of our American glory, I was very much expecting a rather cool reception. I mean, I usually get a cool reception when arriving most foreign places.(3) Not here. Not Bolivia. Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE has been great. Even when I accidently went through immigration without stopping at the window to get my passport stamped and the guy had to call me back and I was oblivious so I kept walking, and he had to call again, and so did three other people including Mike. I think if that happened trying to get into the US, I might have been shot. So, straight off, quite impressed that I did not start my adventure with a bullet wound. Bolivians are buena gente.
Ok, ok, back to the story. Where was I...oh yes, La Paz airport. So Mike and I are waiting to get on a rather small plane to fly to a rather small city on a...wait for it...grass runway(4), when we met Lyse, an American first year medical student traveling before she begins a volunteer project in a pediatric hospital in La Paz. We instantly had a third amigo...at least for the next 24 hours.
I´m about to go into a tedious story that takes you through every event, but since I am still in Bolivia and have no desire to spent my adventure in an internet cafe with no cafe, I´m just going to skip to our first village visit then make you wait until I get home before you get the rest...
After meeting up with Christopher, checking out Rurrenbaque, hitting the MUST go to Mosquito bar, meeting the wonderful Rio Beni Health Project Team (Joselo, Frida, Lola, Modesto, Jorge Louis--the Cuban doctor--, and Antonio), and hobbling up to the Cross(5), we went to our first village.
The day trip would take 1.5 hours each way to get to Alto Colorado, a Chimani village just off the main road to La Paz. And by ¨main¨, I really mean only. And by ¨road¨, well, it´s definitely a road, but paved it is not. The dirt road is pitted with holes (huecos)(6) and rocks and, when the drivers aren´t dodging cows and pedestrians, the passengers are rolling up the window to try to keep the copious amounts of dust at bay, to no affect. Mike and I both were thinking of the first El Puente Group...the ones that bike from La Paz to Rurrenbaque. Impressive. That´s an understatement, my hat is off and I bow down in your honor. When we arrived in the village, all the kids were waiting, and curious. The adults were not around at first. Some were still in the rice fields, and it took them a while to get back. But having foreign visitors is a huge event, so as the women began to come, we noticed that many of them were dressed in their Sunday best. We started the visit with the installation of a sand based water filter, and an explanation of how it works and why filtered water is important. The absolutely incredible Joselo provided this explanation, and, even with the Chimani interpretor, Joselo tells me that they probably don´t really understand all of the mechanics and what microbes are, but they do understand that this will filter the water, and filtered water will help get rid of parasites.
Frida, Modesto, and Lola round out the presentations with a skit on the importance of washing hands. The skit was hilarious. Frida began by explaining parasites while Modesto sticks out his stomach as much as possible to domonstrate a belly swollen with parasites...everyone laughed. But they don´t stop there. Frida then has Modesto double over as she pulls rope out of his pants to simulate worms. I could not believe how graphic, and yet totally effective this was. The kids were rolling, Modesto never broke character, and Frida was having a ball.
After lunch, we regrouped with the village and watched the young men from Alto Colorado play a soccer game against a neighboring village. They had saved up for proper uniforms. And they looked great. I could believe how good these guys were. Before I saw them play, I was hoping that I would be able to play with them. After seeing 2 minutes of the match, I´m glad I didn´t. I don´t need to embarass myself that badly.
All kidding and fun aside, if you aren´t used to seeing poverty, it is very difficult to visit a village such as this. Within the smiles and laugher, the soccer games, Sunday best, and sodas, there were barefoot children and adults with major health problems. There were open sores, swollen faces, bacterial infections, 14 years olds married with kids to 15 year olds, and families of 20 living in one room huts with straw mats on dirt floors. Mike is overwhelmed by the idea of trying to comprehend how a project such as Rio Beni would measure ¨impact¨, when there is so much that must be done. This is why in the short time I have been here am SO VERY impressed with the Rio Beni Project. With the philosophy of partnership by leaving ego aside and working with the local, provencial, and national government; connecting communities with each other within Bolivia and beyond; and going slowing to make sure that each step takes root, successes can be built apon, and failures learned from; this project has the ability to make a real, long term, impact. Alto Colorado won´t change much the next time I visit (and there WILL be a next time). Quick change will probably break down the fabrick of their culture. No, positive change to improve health and quality of life without undermining their existing quality and values in life, that takes time.
From Bolivia,
Nos vemos
(1)Of course, I am on the internet and could look it up, but I´m on a rhythm here and when were ¨facts¨ ever important in a blog?
(2) I don´t think that´s actually how the call went, but that´s how it goes in my head.
(3) And NO, it´s NOT because of me. These people haven´t met ME yet. I mean because I´m an American. Be nice. Sheesh.
(4) Oh yeah, baby, we´re hardcore!
(5) Christopher is probably thinking that this is a gimpy joke at his expense. Ok, so it is, but I´m also throwing in Jorge Louis´ smoking and my limp from the very intellent long run I did two days before I left that left me with a VERY sore IT band and hip flexor. Take that group, and put them on a trail that takes about 20 minutes to walk up, and by up, I mean that we needed to hold on to tree roots to help us. Of course, Antonio, being Bolivian, skipped. Not cool, Antonio. Not cool.
(6) Totally uncessary to add the Spanish there...I just love that word.
