3.29.03

The aroma of burning eucalyptus
The stench of fermented corn which you think is cow food, but really is chicha
The beat of cumbia against the yapping dogs
The wafts of diesel air through my window every morning as the trucks are warming up

And the cheers from the site visit announcements

that’s right we have our sites! Woot! And the best part is that we had a semi relay race that involved blowing plastic cups along a piece of string tied between two chairs only to pick up a chocolate egg with someone’s name and site inside. Trembles of nervous energy were felt the whole day and once we all knew our sites we couldn’t stop talking about them even though all we really know are some descriptive words on a page.

So we leave for our sites this weekend. I am off on a flota to Sucre, the capitol city of the Chuquisaca region. My site, Pintantorilla is an estimated 30 minutes southwest of Sucre, though word on the street is the road is not so great, complete with a shaky bridge over a river. Maybe I will have good stories now about crossing a sketchy bridge just like you dad! We have a great group going to Chuquisaca, though dear Mishay is off to Tarija where the papaya surplus is thrown into the river. We dream of swimming in papaya someday.

Cuatro Esquinas is really getting torn apart, but all for the best since we will now have many opportunities for tech exchanges and visitas! So I guess I will have some pictures if I ever have the patience to let them load. Pepe, the Ag project director gave me a cd with a couple slideshows, one to Hotel California, totally rad. The school looks amazing and the kids though rarely smiling in pictures look to be having a good time. Seems like they enjoy singing and shows and they have made cabinets and wardrobes and welded and sewn and planted and grown and swum and played and laughed throughout. But that’s all to be seen with my own eyes.

You’d think the site announcements at the beginning of the week would make the remaining days last forever, but even in Bolivia, where time rarely factors in, the days continue to fly. Forced down what I’m pretty sure was some sort of feet, duck, cow…last night only to get spinach fritters for lunch today! We also toured the alpaca factory. Most relaxed factory I have seen and the speed and precision at which those ladies can knit is awesome. I found myself a nice little shawl blanket but some of the sweaters were out of this world pattern wise, not sure anyone could really rock them.

Securing the subjunctive in my language learning. Almost a mole moment, in which I totally could grasp the concept, but not quite. The rules and uses are of course easy, the application and repetition is what’s moving about as fast as a crowded micro on cobblestones. New teacher though and she is very patient and creative. We got to sing a song by Sui Genesis an Argentinean group from the 60’s we want to sing it for the host family party, which is a week after we get back from site visits and then we are in Coch for a few days and then that’s it. Training is over as reality sets in.

But before that we are to make our commitment statements and really make sure we are in the right place. So since that is overwhelming I think I will end here with hope.

Hope that traveling goes well for all of us and we can reaffirm our decision to be here.

Hope too that the wonderful things you all are doing in this moment are like tasty bits of fresh honey on soft chewy bread in the early morning of a fall day in Bolivia as the sun slowly melts the dew off the mountains.

Love in barrels in tons
Lebo