Last week we were busy saying goodbye and wrapping up the loose ends of our 5-month stay in Cochabamba. Here are some photos from some of our “despedidas” (farewells):

 

On Sunday February 5, we arrived in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. We are staying here for a few days while we get our visas for Paraguay. Check out the little three-toed friend we saw in the main plaza yesterday:

We also enjoyed a yummy pizza from an Italian restaurant, La Bella Napoli.

We also took some pictures to warm ourselves up for our actual visit to Italy:

 

Tomorrow, we head to Biocentre Guembe (just outside Santa Cruz) to enjoy a day of watching wildlife (butterflies, orchids, turtles, birds and more!) and relaxing. More pictures to come!

On Christmas Eve, I traveled to the village of Japo, about two hours outside of Cochabamba. Japo is a village of simple adobe dwellings on the dry, barren altiplano (high plains) of Bolivia. I went there along with Juan José (Manager at Viva Bolivia) and Krista and Gustavo of Operation Harvest. (Jonathan had planned the trip, but was kept at home with a bad cold.)

In Japo, we were met by two representatives of SIAB (Servicio Integral Agropecuario Boliviano – Bolivian Farming and Agricultural Services). Through grants provided by Operation Harvest and Viva Bolivia, SIAB had bought Christmas gifts for all the children in the village, as well as a snack for all the residents to enjoy. We had the privilege of joining the SIAB representatives in handing out the gifts on this cloudy Christmas Eve afternoon.

The community gathered outside in the open air in a flat, grassy area. The SIAB representatives introduced us and Gustavo spoke briefly to the crowd about the history and meaning of Christmas and why we had brought the gifts. Then, with a herd of llamas contentedly munching the grass nearby, the children eagerly lined up to receive their presents. After receiving their gifts, some of the children would run to a parent, smiling and eagerly showing off their toy. Others would stand alone, just staring at it. Still others would show it to their friends, comparing what they had received.

 

Most of these children rarely, if ever, receive a Christmas gift. The concept was new to them. The gift they received was completely unexpected. They had done nothing to “deserve” it. The gift was given freely, they simply had to choose whether or not to receive it.

In a way, Jesus is like an unexpected gift that mankind received over 2,000 years ago. We did nothing to deserve Him. The Gift was given freely by God and even today all we have to do is choose whether or not to receive Him. Will we just stare at the gift, not realizing its worth? Will we reject it, believing such a great gift surely cannot be given freely? Or will we receive Him with joy, and share Him with others?

Christmas is Jesus; the unexpected Gift.

John 1:9-14

As you may know, Bolivia is a landlocked country. Many Bolivians have never had the chance to see the ocean. Last week, Jonathan and I were able to travel to the Chilean coast with a Bolivian family that we have known for about ten years. This family rarely has the opportunity to travel and had never seen the ocean. Thanks to the generosity of a donor in the US, we all took a trip to the coastal town of Arica, Chile for several days to enjoy its maritime delights!

Our trip started at the bus station in Cochabamba, (the city we currently live in). We left at about 8:30 in the morning. We were feeling pretty cushy in our bus. With only three seats per row, each seat was roomy, and also reclined to a comfortable sleeping position. About seven hours later we arrived at the Bolivia/Chile border crossing, feeling slightly less cushy. This border crossing is at an elevation of about 13,500 feet…it literally takes your breath away!

Both of the daughters in the family with whom we were traveling experienced symptoms of altitude sickness and fainted while in line to get their passports stamped. Thankfully, both recovered and made it back to the bus to rest. From the border crossing, we traveled about another seven hours and arrived in Arica at about 10:30 at night. Our hostal was close to the bus station, so we got settled in quickly and went to sleep. 

First view of the ocean in Arica!

In the morning, after enjoying a big breakfast at the hostal, we made our first trip to the beach (about a seven minute walk from our hostal). We first arrived at an overlook with a sweeping view of the ocean. Upon seeing this view for the first time, the girls were so exicited they started to jump up and down, yelling, “El mar! El mar!” (The sea! The sea!)

Since it was a cloudy, cool morning, we had not planned on swimming. However, upon reaching the beach, that plan went out the window! Even though they were not wearing swimsuits, they were soon wading into the water and getting thoroughly soaked by the waves! Any discomfort they may have felt from their wet clothes was completely overwhelmed by their excitement. After lunch, the clouds cleared and we returned to the beach with sunny skies, boogie boards, and swimsuits! Sand castles were built, waves were ridden, at least one person was almost completely buried in sand, and Jon and I were happy witnesses to the unbridled joy of this family experiencing their first day at the beach.

Over the next four days, we enjoyed long walks on the beach, more swimming and boogie boarding and new seafood dishes. The shrimp empanadas were a favorite! We also took the family to a Chinese restaurant for the first time (as requested by the older daughter). Each day was filled to the brim with activity as we explored the city of Arica and enjoyed the hospitality and friendliness of the Chilean people. On our last afternoon in Arica, we took one final trip to the beach to (as the younger daughter stated) “say goodbye to the ocean.”

 

Our return trip to Bolivia started in the wee hours of Friday morning. This was not a time we chose, it was the only time that buses left for Cochabamba. Our departure time was scheduled for 12:30 AM. Due to a conflict between the bus companies and the bus station, instead of catching our bus at the bus station, we were told to wait for the bus across the street from the bus station, on a

The city of Arica

random street corner. So it was that we found ourselves walking the streets of Arica at midnight with our luggage and two children. This went against everything I have ever learned about staying safe while traveling in a foreign country. It brought to mind a line from the movie Princess Bride, “…out for a pleasure cruise, at night… in… eel-infested waters…”  

 

 

 Thankfully, when we reached the appointed street corner, we found a well-lit area with about 30 fellow bus travellers waiting with their luggage. And we proceeded to wait. And wait. Finally, at about 1:30 AM the bus arrived. We boarded the bus and promptly found sleeping passengers in our designated seats. The bus driver promptly woke them and we took possession of our seats while they moved to their actual seats. 

About an hour out of Arica, we began to gain elevation, and it began to get colder. And colder. The bus company provided us each with a thick blanket, and as the temperature outside dropped below freezing, we bundled up. We waited for the driver to turn on the heat. For some reason that we still cannot fathom, he never did. We reached the border around 5:30 AM (temperature still hovering around the freezing point). We then proceeded to wait another two and a half hours, because the Chile/Bolivia border doesn’t open until 8:00 AM. Who knew a whole country could close for the night? Fortunately, the bathrooms at the border opened about an hour before the country did. Much less fortunately, this extended time at a high altitude was hard on the girls. Both experienced symptoms of altitude sickness again and generally felt miserable. I felt relieved for all of us when we finally passed through both Chilean and Bolivian customs and began our slow descent towards Cochabamba (and more oxygen). About the time the temperature warmed up outside, our driver figured out how to turn on the heat.

We finally arrived back in Cochabamba around 5:00 PM. We were all in need of a long rest and a shower, but we were also filled with great memories of our time in Arica. For Jonathan and I, it was not only a relaxing break at the beach, but a special opportunity to get to know this family better and share a once-in-a-lifetime trip with them.

Would you like to give someone a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity? Our charity, Viva Bolivia, seeks to promote economic and leadership development in Bolivia. Through grants, we provide life-changing opportunities in education, leadership and economic development. Your donation, no matter the amount, could help change a life! To learn more about Viva Bolivia or to donate, visit our web site at: www.vivabolivia.org

 

Being outside the US during the holidays can either make you really homesick, or, if you´re lucky enough to have friends to help you celebrate, it can make the day even more special than normal. There´s something about being foreigners in a foreign land, especially during  a holiday, that distills bonds in record time and can make you treasure even the cheesiest of holiday traditions.

Luckily for Jonathan and I, we were able to spend Thanksgiving in Bolivia with friends from the US. Together with several other families, we enjoyed turkey, stuffing, green bean supreme, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, homemade rolls, pumpkin pie and a host of other mouth-watering desserts. The only downer of the day was the price of the turkey – $3.25/pound! Yikes. We supplemented with a rotisserie chicken. Some of the ingredients (such as the crispy onions to top the green bean supreme) had been hand-carried from the US, specifically for use at Thanksgiving. Knowing that made the green beans even more supreme! Actually, it made me truly thankful for crispy onions. And green bean supreme. It’s good to be thankful…maybe being a foreigner in a foreign land distills thankfullness, too.

Whether you were with family, friends or were a foreigner in a foreign land I hope you had a happy, and thankful Thanksgiving.

 

La Cancha is huge, covering many city blocks (I’m guessing about 20). And it is unmapped. There’s no information counter, no directory board with a nice big red dot to tell you where you are and neat little squares with identifying numbers to tell you where to find the store you want. Uh-uh. Finding something in La Cancha is a matter of trial and error. While similar stores may all be grouped in one section (the cake section, the school supplies section, the plants section), you will also find stores placed at random, selling the most random things. And you’ll find restaurants in La Cancha. Some are clean and modern; others are little more than a burner on a stand on the corner…this ain’t the food court at your local mall.

There should be a long, angst-filled but also joyful, song about La Cancha. It’s that kind of place. I’ve never heard a song like this, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist…I’ll have to find a music store in La Cancha and ask.

In Bolivia, November 2 is a holiday called Dia de los Difuntos (Day of the Deceased). It is a day for families to remember their deceased loved ones. On Dia de los Difuntos (also called Dia de los Muertos – Day of the Dead) indigenous customs mix with Christian (Catholic) religious beliefs. Families visit the tombs of their dead with a feast, which they prepare the night before. Favorite foods of the deceased person are included in the feast. Sometimes the feast is enjoyed at home. Some believe the dead return to Earth to see if they are still being remembered by their families and friends.
Prior to the arrival of the Spanish in Bolivia, the dead (who at the time were embalmed) were taken out of their tombs. Friends and family members would dance with them, walk them around the cemetery, eat a meal with them and then put them back in their tombs. When the Spanish arrived they forbade this ritual. Today, a family member often dresses up to look like a dead family member and appears at the family reunion at the grave. He or she takes part in the feast that has been prepared and asks how the family has been over the past year. Sometimes the “dead” person gives advice to the children. When the day ends, the children take palm fronds and chase the person in the costume out of the cemetery just to be sure the soul of the real dead person doesn’t give in to the temptation of inhabiting their body in order to remain among the living.

Another important ritual is the baking of tantawawas (bread babies – a Quechua word) which are sweet breads made into various different shapes. Some of the breads are shaped into babies and faces are either decorated onto the breads or little clay heads and faces are baked into the bread. In addition, other breads are shaped like ladders (so the souls of the dead can climb up to heaven), stars, crosses, or angels with wings to help children and babies to rise to heaven.

Schools and most businesses are closed on Dia de los Difuntos. I have included two videos from YouTube about this day. They are both in Spanish, but you’ll get the idea from the pictures.   Tantawawas – Dia de los Difuntos        Feast for Dia de los Difuntos