My family:
Mom: Angelica
Dad: I don’t know his name because he works in the mines all week
Lurdes: 22 year-old sister who is awesome and my favorite in the family. She works a lot though so isn’t around so much unfortunately. She is a good dancer and gave the group and I a couple lessons.
Llovana: 19 year-old cousin. She is really nice but shy and spends a lot of time cooking and cleaning. I don’t really know much background on her.
Rosemary: 15 year-old sister. She is kind of quiet and I think she has a hearing disability. You have to talk really loud in order for her to hear you. She might have some other social issues because she stares a lot and is kind of odd. In all she is nice though.
Juan Carlos: 14 year old brother. He is obnoxious and very rude to his mom (I guess like all 14 year old boys). He yells a lot and is not that fun to be around. He is nice to me though and we arm wrestle every once and a while haha
Gina: 13 years old sister and I really don’t like her that much. She is very rude and always asks for gifts and doesn’t have a nice personality. I try to get along with her but it is hard to. She also always says my name… “Nataliaaa” over and over again and I can’t stand it. She also cheats in every game we play.
Jose: 9 year old brother. I like Jose and he is fun to play with but sometimes is hard to handle. He also yells A LOT in the morning and always wakes me up at 6:00am. I can’t stand that---they all yell to each other. He always wants to play cards but constantly cheats as well, which I cant stand.
In all I don’t really like my family but luckily I love my town.
Tutuacaja
Tutu is the town I live in and I love it. The town is slightly outside Sorata and is known as the “campo” or rural part. It is about a 20 min walk from the program house and 30 min from the main plaza of Sorata. Chris, Sam, Annie, Becky and I live there and the rest of the group lives in Soarata near the Plaza. What I love about Tutu is that all the kids are always out playing and the landscape is just gorgeous. I have a perfect view of Illampu and the other surrounding mountains. It is hard to describe but it is just so pretty. Almost every night or day we play in the cancha (soccer field). When the kids and I want to play in the cancha we say… “A LA CANCHA!” which means “to the field!” Everyday I came home from classes they would always say that to me. I ended up actually creating a after school “sports program” for the kids. Sorata and the schools there have more organized teams and activities so I thought I would organize our own in Tutu. I made t-shirts that say Tutuacaja Deportes on the front and on the back it says Bolivar (a popular Bolivian soccer team). Around 2:00 every day we would all gather in the cancha and play different games. I taught them some of my favorite but we would always end with soccer and snacks. We actually worked on skills and did different drills, which I was so siked about.
Independent Study Project/Working in the schools
For my ISP I decided to work in two different schools. I first worked in the local campo school in Tutu that had 101st-3rd graders. The second week I worked in a school in the city of Sorata and taught English to 20 7th-8th graders. It was SO much fun! I taught English to both ages but the older grades were fun because I taught them songs like Mary Had A Little Lamb and Twinkle Twinkle. It was also amazing to see the difference between the two schools. The school in Tutu was a lot more disorganized and to volunteer there all I had to do was walk in. In order to volunteer in the city school I had to talk to the principal and teachers and set up exact times a week before. Both schools were a great experience and I hope to volunteer in more schools in different towns. In addition to working in the school in Tutu I set up that after school program and made the t-shirts. Every day I had a great time playing with the kids and was so glad it worked out!
Spanish Classes
I loved my Spanish class! I was with Emily and Chris and had an awesome teacher named Chela. We met four hours each day but I never really got bored. We reviewed grammar but also just talked about different things. The four of us got really close and it was so sad saying by to Chela! I was really happy about my Spanish class and learned a lot.
Program House
The group spent a good amount of time in the program house when we weren’t with our families. We worked on different projects around the house and had group meetings here. Every once and a while we would have movie nights or other activities. IT is also a great place to just come and relax when I got sick of my family or work on things. I am going to miss the program house—it is so pretty!
Café Illampu
Café Illampu was only open during the first week we were here but the people in Tutu would always go and eat here on the way to classes. It had delicious fruit drinks and amazing bread. A Swiss man who was a previous baker owns it and my sister Lurdes worked there so I would always get free stuff, which was awesome. We loved going there and sad it closed for the season! One day there was also two circus clowns to perform for the kids. It was absolutely hilarious!
River/Cave
A big river runs down the side of Sorata and is just below the gorgeous mountain of Illampu. One day a couple of us hiked down the river and “swam” or dipped in. It was so pretty because Illampu was in the background and it was a gorgeous day. Another day Chris, his siblings and I went to the San Pedro cave. It is a huge cave that also has a crystal clear lake inside of it. The cave is 480m long and the lake is 400m long. It was awesome!
Aymara Ceremony
One afternoon the group got to experience another indigenous ceremony somewhat similar to the Quechua ceremony minus the sacrifice. It was really cool to see the difference between the two. I liked the concept of this ceremony better but it wasn’t as powerful I don’t think, maybe because it was miday. It was nice though because there was only one leader and he explained everything we were doing unlike the other leaders who just set everything up.
Food
I have been eating a lot of the same thing. My family isn’t that good at cooking and I usually have the same tasting thing every night whether it be soup, pasta or chicken. Every morning I usually have rice and eggs but sometimes they give me full out meals and there is no chance I can eat it. In those cases I usually tell them I will eat it for lunch,.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Day 28: Oct 4
-Saltenas for breakfast. Yum.
-Internet
-3 hour bus ride from Sorata: stopped at Lake Titicaca for fresh trout for lunch
Sorata is a pretty city up on a valley and a gorgeous mountain called Illampu looks over it.-Arrived at program house (Molly fell into a ditch and broke her leg). The program house is a house that the program owns and the instructor’s stay here. The house is really pretty and surrounded by mountains, rivers, flowers, and trees and has a bonfire pit and a couple swings. We had a bonfire and roasted marshmallows—very pretty night under the stars. A couple of us decided to sleep outside in the yard
-Internet
-3 hour bus ride from Sorata: stopped at Lake Titicaca for fresh trout for lunch
Sorata is a pretty city up on a valley and a gorgeous mountain called Illampu looks over it.-Arrived at program house (Molly fell into a ditch and broke her leg). The program house is a house that the program owns and the instructor’s stay here. The house is really pretty and surrounded by mountains, rivers, flowers, and trees and has a bonfire pit and a couple swings. We had a bonfire and roasted marshmallows—very pretty night under the stars. A couple of us decided to sleep outside in the yard
Day 27: Oct 3 (La Paz)
We all spent the day in La Paz before Sorata. I did the typical La Paz things:
-Ate amazing saltenas
-Internet
-Shopped
-Dinner (fantastic), attempted to go to a casino, and discoteca!
-Ate amazing saltenas
-Internet
-Shopped
-Dinner (fantastic), attempted to go to a casino, and discoteca!
Day 26: October 2
I woke up early to pack. My siblings were getting ready to leave for school. As they were leaving I gave them some cookies. I tried giving Remedius a hug but she was so shy that she put her head down and scrunched her soldiers in. I said goodbye to Arturo and Ana but couldn’t find Hugo. He darted out of the kitchen trying to avoid me but I ran after him calling his name. I finally caught up to him to find tears running down his cheeks. I tried telling him it was going to be OK but he couldn’t really understand. Instead, I gave him a fist pound and started singing our goal song “olay, olay, olay, olay.” He gave me a smile and I told him to keep scoring. We pounded one more time before he turned around and started heading back up the street. It was so sad but at the same time I was glad to know I made an impact in his life and he had fun. I went back into the kitchen and had some soup and took pictures with my family. Helen then came to my door and it was time to say goodbye. I wanted to tell them how much I enjoyed my stay and how great they were but I knew they wouldn’t understand. Instead, I shook their hands and said thank you. There was so much more I wanted to say but couldn’t.
Helen and I met the rest of the group at the bottom of the hill and then split up according to bus rides. Not everyone could fit so one group was going to walk 2 hours to the bus station and go to the hot springs before and the other group was going to go straight to La Paz. I was in the group that walked and went to the hot springs. It was a very pretty day so I was happy walking and really glad that we were going to the hot springs because I hadn’t showered in a long time. We got to the hot springs after a nice 2 hour walk but they weren’t exactly what I expected…. or IT wasn’t exactly what I expected. We walked down to find a pool filled with hot green water. I didn’t really care at that point though because it was dirty and hadn’t had a warm shower in forever. We stayed at the hot spring for a while and then walked into town for lunch. The bus left at 4:00 and was awful. It was an 8-hour bus ride with people standing, hovering over me in the isles and I was so hot. I also lost my hat and walking stick : ( We FINALLY arrived in La Paz after a very long ride. All of us were really hungry so at like 1:00am we all went to Mega Burger and had a Bolivian fast food HAMburger…it was literally a hamburger because they put ham on it. There were hilarious 90’s music videos playing also it was great. Walked back around the corner and slept really well.
Helen and I met the rest of the group at the bottom of the hill and then split up according to bus rides. Not everyone could fit so one group was going to walk 2 hours to the bus station and go to the hot springs before and the other group was going to go straight to La Paz. I was in the group that walked and went to the hot springs. It was a very pretty day so I was happy walking and really glad that we were going to the hot springs because I hadn’t showered in a long time. We got to the hot springs after a nice 2 hour walk but they weren’t exactly what I expected…. or IT wasn’t exactly what I expected. We walked down to find a pool filled with hot green water. I didn’t really care at that point though because it was dirty and hadn’t had a warm shower in forever. We stayed at the hot spring for a while and then walked into town for lunch. The bus left at 4:00 and was awful. It was an 8-hour bus ride with people standing, hovering over me in the isles and I was so hot. I also lost my hat and walking stick : ( We FINALLY arrived in La Paz after a very long ride. All of us were really hungry so at like 1:00am we all went to Mega Burger and had a Bolivian fast food HAMburger…it was literally a hamburger because they put ham on it. There were hilarious 90’s music videos playing also it was great. Walked back around the corner and slept really well.
Day 25: October 1 (Kaata Day 2)
I slept really well last night on just straw and ship skin. I woke up around 8 and joined my family kitchen room. I was given coffee and popcorn kernel type things. I sat there with little conversation, slowly sipping my delicious coffee. When I put on my clothes this morning and stepped into the room, I felt out of place for the first time the whole trip. I was just so different. I don’t know why at this particular moment I first felt this way; maybe it was the language barrier or maybe the huge difference in lifestyle. Despite feeling a bit self-conscious from all the curious glares, I felt welcomed and happy to be there. After finishing my coffee I walked Hugo and Ana to school. They picked up friends along they way and together they giggled, probably at my clothes or how different I was. We walked down the gorgeous hill that overlooked the valley and rest of the town. In all different directions, you could see kids walking down towards the school. I ran into Becky and her sister as well. We finally got down to the school a little past 9:00 when school started but a bunch of the kids didn’t go in. Becky and I tried asking why they weren’t going in but we didn’t get much of a response—more of a cold shoulder. I decided to leave despite not entering the school; I wanted to get back to help my mom around the house.
When I got home I was served more soup and potatoes. My mom and Edwin were sitting in kitchen but my dad had left for the fields. After Edwin left, the only Spanish speaker, my mom and I sat in silence. I did the dishes once I finished eating and then sat reading outside my room. My mom then came outside and started to pile hay. I sat and watched her for a little until she called me over with a hand gesture. I stood behind her and without words she slowly instructed me how to disperse the straw. I attempted…we laughed. She then took my wrist and shook it back and forth showing me the proper movement. Nodding her head, she told me to try once more. Stroking back and forth, I followed her every movement. Soon enough we were working synchronized side by side. We shared smiles, but very little words. It is weird how close I felt to her even though we barely spoke. Once we were done with the straw, we headed for the kitchen. I attempted to peel potatoes but yet again I needed my mom’s help. She laughed and helped me through the process… I didn’t pick it up as easily as I did the straw! It took forever for me to peel just one but my mom could peel one in 10 seconds. We ended up making papas fritas, eggs, and rice and once my siblings returned from lunch we all ate together; it was delicious. I used to not like eggs but now I love them! After lunch we went to the store to get some cookies. When we got back we played some soccer in the plaza until the weather started to turn. It started to storm, so I went to my room and read as I listened to the raindrops hit the tin roof—so relaxing (I ended up falling asleep for a little). When I woke up I got some tea and popcorn. I had a group meeting then came back home and had soup for dinner and played chess with my siblings. They were SO good at chess!
Later that night around 9:00 we all gathered at the instructors house for a Quechua ceremony. We all sat around the edge of the room with two Kayawallas (traditional Quecha healers) in the middle. They were setting up seashells with different ornaments in them while smoking and drinking in between. It was really slow and boring at first but then we got to participate by putting more objects into the seashells; I added some llama fat. Once the seashells were filled the Kayawallas took a guinea pig out of a bag, held it up, and cut open its throat for a sacrifice. It was really graphic but I would later slay a pig and lamb so now it seems like nothing. The sacrifice was sad though because the guinea pig was squealing and squirming until the neck was snapped off.
The Kayawallas then ripped open the chest and you could still see the heart beating. They then examined the intestines in order to read our future. Like the other Kayawalla, they said that our trip will go as expected. Once the sacrifice was over we all got a shell and went outside and stood in a circle. Everyone was completely silent, waiting for the Kaywalla to come around and put his hands over our head while chanting a prayer. We were supposed to think of a good journey, home, and the Pacha Mamma as his hands were over our head. It was a very cool and powerful moment. After the Kayawalla’s started a fire next to the guinea pig grave. We dumped the contents of our shells into the fire and then took the pig blood in the cup and sprayed some into the fire. When we sprayed it into the fire we had to think of a good journey and thank Pacha Mama. Right after I sprayed blood into the fire, I went to the other side of the circle and sprayed some blood towards the mountains thinking of home and a safe journey. We had one last circle then ended the ceremony. It was a very cool experience and I felt so alive afterwards.
When I got home I was served more soup and potatoes. My mom and Edwin were sitting in kitchen but my dad had left for the fields. After Edwin left, the only Spanish speaker, my mom and I sat in silence. I did the dishes once I finished eating and then sat reading outside my room. My mom then came outside and started to pile hay. I sat and watched her for a little until she called me over with a hand gesture. I stood behind her and without words she slowly instructed me how to disperse the straw. I attempted…we laughed. She then took my wrist and shook it back and forth showing me the proper movement. Nodding her head, she told me to try once more. Stroking back and forth, I followed her every movement. Soon enough we were working synchronized side by side. We shared smiles, but very little words. It is weird how close I felt to her even though we barely spoke. Once we were done with the straw, we headed for the kitchen. I attempted to peel potatoes but yet again I needed my mom’s help. She laughed and helped me through the process… I didn’t pick it up as easily as I did the straw! It took forever for me to peel just one but my mom could peel one in 10 seconds. We ended up making papas fritas, eggs, and rice and once my siblings returned from lunch we all ate together; it was delicious. I used to not like eggs but now I love them! After lunch we went to the store to get some cookies. When we got back we played some soccer in the plaza until the weather started to turn. It started to storm, so I went to my room and read as I listened to the raindrops hit the tin roof—so relaxing (I ended up falling asleep for a little). When I woke up I got some tea and popcorn. I had a group meeting then came back home and had soup for dinner and played chess with my siblings. They were SO good at chess!
Later that night around 9:00 we all gathered at the instructors house for a Quechua ceremony. We all sat around the edge of the room with two Kayawallas (traditional Quecha healers) in the middle. They were setting up seashells with different ornaments in them while smoking and drinking in between. It was really slow and boring at first but then we got to participate by putting more objects into the seashells; I added some llama fat. Once the seashells were filled the Kayawallas took a guinea pig out of a bag, held it up, and cut open its throat for a sacrifice. It was really graphic but I would later slay a pig and lamb so now it seems like nothing. The sacrifice was sad though because the guinea pig was squealing and squirming until the neck was snapped off.
The Kayawallas then ripped open the chest and you could still see the heart beating. They then examined the intestines in order to read our future. Like the other Kayawalla, they said that our trip will go as expected. Once the sacrifice was over we all got a shell and went outside and stood in a circle. Everyone was completely silent, waiting for the Kaywalla to come around and put his hands over our head while chanting a prayer. We were supposed to think of a good journey, home, and the Pacha Mamma as his hands were over our head. It was a very cool and powerful moment. After the Kayawalla’s started a fire next to the guinea pig grave. We dumped the contents of our shells into the fire and then took the pig blood in the cup and sprayed some into the fire. When we sprayed it into the fire we had to think of a good journey and thank Pacha Mama. Right after I sprayed blood into the fire, I went to the other side of the circle and sprayed some blood towards the mountains thinking of home and a safe journey. We had one last circle then ended the ceremony. It was a very cool experience and I felt so alive afterwards.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Day 24: Sep 30 (Kaata Day 1)
Woke up and packed-Breakfast, health check in, group meeting about Apolobamba trek (reflections, review etc.)-We were going to a Quechuan town called Kaata and it was across the valley so we had to walk 1 hour down and 1 hour back up the valley. If a bird traveled there it would only take 20 minute but we had to go up and back down. The hike was really pretty though and we had lunch by a river.-Arrived in Kaata and got our host families. I loved my Kaata host family. I had a 20-year-old brother Edwin, Mom and Dad, 15-year-old brother, 13-year-old sister, 11-year-old sister, and an 8-year-old brother. The family was sooo cute and so shy at first. I first got into the house and the parents weren’t there. I set my bag down on the “bed” in a little adobe hut. The “kitchen,” or clay fire hole, was in the same room and I soon started to hear little squeaks. I looked around to find guinea pigs running all over the floor, kittens lying next to their mom, and skeletons of burned animals hanging from the ceilings. I was so shocked and at first grossed out. I wrote in my diary “I am sitting in my home stay room and it is far from what I expected. Guinea pigs are running around, cats are huddled in the corner guarding their kittens, and my 13 year-old-sister is cooking dinner in a tiny pot over a stone fire. Communication is limited to the fact Spanish is both our second language. My host brother is outside making a table and the rest of my family is MIA—and I can’t figure out where they are. Skeletons of some animals are hanging above the fire and poo sits near the stone. Squeals of the guinea pigs are below and all around me. The air is full of some. The bed is just wood, straw, and some blankets. I feel gross but at the same time I feel safe and welcomed. I hate cats and I hate guinea pigs but I don’t seem to mind it. The smiles of hospitality from my family over write everything else. It is an experience that is for sure.” It was so different from anything I’ve seen. I was distracted from it all though by the hospitality and kindness of my family. Soon it didn’t even bother me. Edwin, my 20-year-old brother, was the only one who could really speak Spanish—everyone else spoke only Quechuan. The rest of my family came home and poured into the room I was sitting in. We all sat around and had some homemade bread and tea. Communicating was extremely hard because we both didn’t speak Spanish very well. They talked among themselves and every once and a while I heard gringo so I knew they were talking about me. We sat in the room, radio on, animals chirping, and pan frying for a little longer before we decided to go outside. We kicked the ball around when more kids showed up at our door. We went to the “plaza” to play. Kids from ages 7-20 played in the fog under these two street lights. There were pile of rocks for the goals, poo on the field, smiles on every ones faces, and, of course, the radio blasting the same songs. I had so much fun. I especially liked this home stay because we were only there second stay, so they were so interested in me. They were all really shy but eventually started to warm up and giggle a lot. After soccer we came back into that main room and had some soup and potatoes for dinner. I ate my first bowl and was really content and then my mom filled it up again…omg so much soup! I sat there for a while until my dad picked up my backpack and showed me to another “room.” He pushed some potatoes and clothes out of the way revealing a straw platform. He set my backpack down and put sheep skin over the straw and then patted it gesturing to me to sit. At that point I realized I wouldn’t be sleeping with the animals but instead heaps of potatoes. I pretty much slept in their storage room but didn’t mind it at all. I got my sleeping bag out and fell right to sleep. I was so happy and excited for the next day of my home stay.
Day 23: Sept 29
Woke up and it was COLD!! Had scrambled eggs for breakfast then started hiking in the fog. We started the hike uphill and it was just so hard, especially doing it first thing in the morning. Finally we made it to the last pass and took our final “pass” picture. We headed down for 2 hours; the weather was only decent (foggy and misty). We walked down and out of the clouds passing waterfalls, creeks, and made our way into stone made villages. In one of the villages we stopped and had lunch and a local indigenous woman showed us some of her textiles. I bought a bracelet that says “recuerdo” or remember. After lunch we crossed a pretty creek and started to leave the tiny village. He heated debate started between some group members about development in Bolivia and US involvement. IT was foggy the rest of the hike and there wasn’t much to see. 2 hours had passed until we reached another town. We started to walk into the center and it seemed like a ghost town due to the fog. Also, no one was really out walking because it was a farming community so everyone was still on their fields. We visited the newly built hospital that was a mix of the indigenous and western practices. We talked with a Kayawalla, an indigenous doctor who uses medicinal plants, as well as western doctor. It was really cool because we got to learn more about medicinal plants (pretty sure they used dandelions for like stomach aches haha). When the tour was done we walked 20 minutes to a lodge where we spent the night. I was the cook and made some tomato soup with Molly and Sam. The Kayawalla ate dinner with us and answered some of our questions. Also, he read coca leaves for us that are similar to fortune telling but a lot cooler and “religious.” He said that our trip will go really well and there “won’t be any surprises.” Anne later did her Shatakwa and it was interesting—she is soo artistic and talented! She played songs on the guitar that she made, read slam poetry, and also sang a classical French song that was really pretty. When we were about to go to bed Chris and Sam barged into the room claiming they were about to have a water chugging contest. It was the funniest thing I had ever seen. Chris won by a long shot but Sam’s face was absolutely priceless. After that we finally got to go to bed.
Day 22: Sept 28
Woke up and had oatmeal. Emily didn’t feel well the night before and puked a couple times so when we started to hike I helped set a slow pace. I knew how it felt feeling sick hiking a mountain. We passed some mining towns on trek up to the pass. We also heard more ice cracking on the glaciers, which was cool. We got to the top and had to traverse down for two hours. The traverse was really cool and reminded me of a ski run at Snowbird (a ski resort). It was rocky and zigzagged down. Some people said it reminded them of Mordor, from Lord Of The Rings because it was foggy out, rocks were sliding, and it was just very eerie. After two hours of the misty, foggy hike down we had lunch. After lunch we hiked back up the other side of the valley for 2 hours. We made it to our campsite and there was poo literally EVERYWHERE. We had to move poo out of the way in order to find a spot for our tents. Again, we played cards until dinner. Dinner that night was veggies and wheat. Chris, John, Sophia and I made popcorn after dinner and played more cards. I didn’t sleep so well that night because it was pretty cold and rainy.
Day 21: 9/27 (Apolobamba Day 3)
I had a really good breakfast this morning thanks to Emily and Molly who love cooking. I had home fries, oatmeal with banana, and scrambled eggs. We packed up and had our group meeting. Today I my job was the lover that meant I had to make sure everyone was in high spirits and if not, I gave them a hug. We started hiking and the terrain was very steep—so hard to do in the morning! The weather was really nice in the morning also; sun was out and a good temperature. As we kept walking the sun turned into clouds and it slowly started to snow. Luckily, it wasn’t that cold. We went through bofidal, a type of terrain that somewhat resembles a marsh, and it was gorgeous. It was all green with some flowers and puddles full of water. The snow and fog cleared up literally right as we go to a huge glacier and it’s lake in front of it. The water was a spectacular aqua color and the snow capped mountain sat right behind it. It was the perfect place to have lunch! We sat down for lunch right next to the lake and had our typical Salome, peanut butter, avocado, tuna, mustard and crackers. We took a group picture then headed up the 16,000 ft pass that was the highest one we went up. I felt great! After Tunari, which was 17,000ft, I was so scared I was going to get sick again at that elevation. Instead, I cruised right up it and did so well! I was so happy. It was funny though because it didn’t snow while we were eating lunch but right when we started hiking again the snow picked up. It was steep climb and once we reached the top the snow stopped. The view was really pretty; you could see both sides. There were a lot of snow capped mountains and Bofidals. We chilled at the top for a while and had some snacks then headed back down. Unfortunately, Sophia wasn’t feeling that well so I walked slowly with her down. We got to the campsite after about 1 hour downhill. The site was pretty with the glaciers right next to us (you could hear the ice cracking). It was really cold at this point so Chris and I quickly set up a tent for Sophia to get in because she still felt crummy. I also help set up this other tent that was the biggest pain in the butt. You had to make sure the rain cover didn’t hit the inner net layer because then it was useless and rain would pour in. We couldn’t get them to not hit and the tent got really wet…I ended up having to sleep in it and dry it out. So annoying. We played cards (a huge game of kemps=really fun), and drank hot chocolate until dinner. Dinner was spaghetti carbanara and it was really good; dessert was pudding. After dinner we played the Dream Game again. We played for a while until I found out that I was making up the dream the whole time---it was all a trick! It was really funny though. We also had the best popcorn that Maro and I made.
Woke up and packed-Breakfast, health check in, group meeting about Apolobamba trek (reflections, review etc.)-We were going to a Quechuan town called Kaata and it was across the valley so we had to walk 1 hour down and 1 hour back up the valley. If a bird traveled there it would only take 20 minute but we had to go up and back down. The hike was really pretty though and we had lunch by a river.-Arrived in Kaata and got our host families. I loved my Kaata host family. I had a 20-year-old brother Edwin, Mom and Dad, 15-year-old brother, 13-year-old sister, 11-year-old sister, and an 8-year-old brother. The family was sooo cute and so shy at first. I first got into the house and the parents weren’t there. I set my bag down on the “bed” in a little adobe hut. The “kitchen,” or clay fire hole, was in the same room and I soon started to hear little squeaks. I looked around to find guinea pigs running all over the floor, kittens lying next to their mom, and skeletons of burned animals hanging from the ceilings. I was so shocked and at first grossed out. I wrote in my diary “I am sitting in my home stay room and it is far from what I expected. Guinea pigs are running around, cats are huddled in the corner guarding their kittens, and my 13 year-old-sister is cooking dinner in a tiny pot over a stone fire. Communication is limited to the fact Spanish is both our second language. My host brother is outside making a table and the rest of my family is MIA—and I can’t figure out where they are. Skeletons of some animals are hanging above the fire and poo sits near the stone. Squeals of the guinea pigs are below and all around me. The air is full of some. The bed is just wood, straw, and some blankets. I feel gross but at the same time I feel safe and welcomed. I hate cats and I hate guinea pigs but I don’t seem to mind it. The smiles of hospitality from my family over write everything else. It is an experience that is for sure.” It was so different from anything I’ve seen. I was distracted from it all though by the hospitality and kindness of my family. Soon it didn’t even bother me. Edwin, my 20-year-old brother, was the only one who could really speak Spanish—everyone else spoke only Quechuan. The rest of my family came home and poured into the room I was sitting in. We all sat around and had some homemade bread and tea. Communicating was extremely hard because we both didn’t speak Spanish very well. They talked among themselves and every once and a while I heard gringo so I knew they were talking about me. We sat in the room, radio on, animals chirping, and pan frying for a little longer before we decided to go outside. We kicked the ball around when more kids showed up at our door. We went to the “plaza” to play. Kids from ages 7-20 played in the fog under these two street lights. There were pile of rocks for the goals, poo on the field, smiles on every ones faces, and, of course, the radio blasting the same songs. I had so much fun. I especially liked this home stay because we were only there second stay, so they were so interested in me. They were all really shy but eventually started to warm up and giggle a lot. After soccer we came back into that main room and had some soup and potatoes for dinner. I ate my first bowl and was really content and then my mom filled it up again…omg so much soup! I sat there for a while until my dad picked up my backpack and showed me to another “room.” He pushed some potatoes and clothes out of the way revealing a straw platform. He set my backpack down and put sheep skin over the straw and then patted it gesturing to me to sit. At that point I realized I wouldn’t be sleeping with the animals but instead heaps of potatoes. I pretty much slept in their storage room but didn’t mind it at all. I got my sleeping bag out and fell right to sleep. I was so happy and excited for the next day of my home stay.
Day 23: Sept 29
Woke up and it was COLD!! Had scrambled eggs for breakfast then started hiking in the fog. We started the hike uphill and it was just so hard, especially doing it first thing in the morning. Finally we made it to the last pass and took our final “pass” picture. We headed down for 2 hours; the weather was only decent (foggy and misty). We walked down and out of the clouds passing waterfalls, creeks, and made our way into stone made villages. In one of the villages we stopped and had lunch and a local indigenous woman showed us some of her textiles. I bought a bracelet that says “recuerdo” or remember. After lunch we crossed a pretty creek and started to leave the tiny village. He heated debate started between some group members about development in Bolivia and US involvement. IT was foggy the rest of the hike and there wasn’t much to see. 2 hours had passed until we reached another town. We started to walk into the center and it seemed like a ghost town due to the fog. Also, no one was really out walking because it was a farming community so everyone was still on their fields. We visited the newly built hospital that was a mix of the indigenous and western practices. We talked with a Kayawalla, an indigenous doctor who uses medicinal plants, as well as western doctor. It was really cool because we got to learn more about medicinal plants (pretty sure they used dandelions for like stomach aches haha). When the tour was done we walked 20 minutes to a lodge where we spent the night. I was the cook and made some tomato soup with Molly and Sam. The Kayawalla ate dinner with us and answered some of our questions. Also, he read coca leaves for us that are similar to fortune telling but a lot cooler and “religious.” He said that our trip will go really well and there “won’t be any surprises.” Anne later did her Shatakwa and it was interesting—she is soo artistic and talented! She played songs on the guitar that she made, read slam poetry, and also sang a classical French song that was really pretty. When we were about to go to bed Chris and Sam barged into the room claiming they were about to have a water chugging contest. It was the funniest thing I had ever seen. Chris won by a long shot but Sam’s face was absolutely priceless. After that we finally got to go to bed.
Day 22: Sept 28
Woke up and had oatmeal. Emily didn’t feel well the night before and puked a couple times so when we started to hike I helped set a slow pace. I knew how it felt feeling sick hiking a mountain. We passed some mining towns on trek up to the pass. We also heard more ice cracking on the glaciers, which was cool. We got to the top and had to traverse down for two hours. The traverse was really cool and reminded me of a ski run at Snowbird (a ski resort). It was rocky and zigzagged down. Some people said it reminded them of Mordor, from Lord Of The Rings because it was foggy out, rocks were sliding, and it was just very eerie. After two hours of the misty, foggy hike down we had lunch. After lunch we hiked back up the other side of the valley for 2 hours. We made it to our campsite and there was poo literally EVERYWHERE. We had to move poo out of the way in order to find a spot for our tents. Again, we played cards until dinner. Dinner that night was veggies and wheat. Chris, John, Sophia and I made popcorn after dinner and played more cards. I didn’t sleep so well that night because it was pretty cold and rainy.
Day 21: 9/27 (Apolobamba Day 3)
I had a really good breakfast this morning thanks to Emily and Molly who love cooking. I had home fries, oatmeal with banana, and scrambled eggs. We packed up and had our group meeting. Today I my job was the lover that meant I had to make sure everyone was in high spirits and if not, I gave them a hug. We started hiking and the terrain was very steep—so hard to do in the morning! The weather was really nice in the morning also; sun was out and a good temperature. As we kept walking the sun turned into clouds and it slowly started to snow. Luckily, it wasn’t that cold. We went through bofidal, a type of terrain that somewhat resembles a marsh, and it was gorgeous. It was all green with some flowers and puddles full of water. The snow and fog cleared up literally right as we go to a huge glacier and it’s lake in front of it. The water was a spectacular aqua color and the snow capped mountain sat right behind it. It was the perfect place to have lunch! We sat down for lunch right next to the lake and had our typical Salome, peanut butter, avocado, tuna, mustard and crackers. We took a group picture then headed up the 16,000 ft pass that was the highest one we went up. I felt great! After Tunari, which was 17,000ft, I was so scared I was going to get sick again at that elevation. Instead, I cruised right up it and did so well! I was so happy. It was funny though because it didn’t snow while we were eating lunch but right when we started hiking again the snow picked up. It was steep climb and once we reached the top the snow stopped. The view was really pretty; you could see both sides. There were a lot of snow capped mountains and Bofidals. We chilled at the top for a while and had some snacks then headed back down. Unfortunately, Sophia wasn’t feeling that well so I walked slowly with her down. We got to the campsite after about 1 hour downhill. The site was pretty with the glaciers right next to us (you could hear the ice cracking). It was really cold at this point so Chris and I quickly set up a tent for Sophia to get in because she still felt crummy. I also help set up this other tent that was the biggest pain in the butt. You had to make sure the rain cover didn’t hit the inner net layer because then it was useless and rain would pour in. We couldn’t get them to not hit and the tent got really wet…I ended up having to sleep in it and dry it out. So annoying. We played cards (a huge game of kemps=really fun), and drank hot chocolate until dinner. Dinner was spaghetti carbanara and it was really good; dessert was pudding. After dinner we played the Dream Game again. We played for a while until I found out that I was making up the dream the whole time---it was all a trick! It was really funny though. We also had the best popcorn that Maro and I made.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Quick Update!
Sorata
Hi Everyone! Sorry about the delayed updates. I have a lot to write but live so far away/the internet is slow and expensive. Right now I am in Sorata living with a homestay family. I am also taking 4 hours of Spanish classes 5 days a week, volunteering in two schools, and am taking a Andes history course. The group was split into two different towns of Sorata. Chris, Annie, Sam, Becky and I are in the more rural town of Tutuacaha. We live about 45 minutes away from the main plaza of Sorata and about 30 min away from the Program House (a house that Dragons owns, the instructors sleep in, and where our spanish classes are held). It definatly is a great workout walking back and forth, up and down hills, every day. My home stay family is good. I have: a mom Angelica, a dad who is always working in the mines, a 22 year old sister Lurdes, 19 year old cousin Llovana, 15 year old sister Rosemary, 14 year old brother Juan Carlos, 13 year old sister Gina, 9 year old brother Jose, and a 1 year old cousin Nardi. It is definatly a full house but it is really fun! Since I live in a small rural community just outside the main city of Sorata, I am very close to my other group members and also know mainly all the kids in the community. In the afternoon we enjoy playing in the cancha, or soccer field. It is funny because most of the town is related (there are like 15 families). Also, there is only 1 public bathroom but luckily it is close to my house. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know I am having a great time in Sorata and I will continue to update you as best I can. Chao!
Hi Everyone! Sorry about the delayed updates. I have a lot to write but live so far away/the internet is slow and expensive. Right now I am in Sorata living with a homestay family. I am also taking 4 hours of Spanish classes 5 days a week, volunteering in two schools, and am taking a Andes history course. The group was split into two different towns of Sorata. Chris, Annie, Sam, Becky and I are in the more rural town of Tutuacaha. We live about 45 minutes away from the main plaza of Sorata and about 30 min away from the Program House (a house that Dragons owns, the instructors sleep in, and where our spanish classes are held). It definatly is a great workout walking back and forth, up and down hills, every day. My home stay family is good. I have: a mom Angelica, a dad who is always working in the mines, a 22 year old sister Lurdes, 19 year old cousin Llovana, 15 year old sister Rosemary, 14 year old brother Juan Carlos, 13 year old sister Gina, 9 year old brother Jose, and a 1 year old cousin Nardi. It is definatly a full house but it is really fun! Since I live in a small rural community just outside the main city of Sorata, I am very close to my other group members and also know mainly all the kids in the community. In the afternoon we enjoy playing in the cancha, or soccer field. It is funny because most of the town is related (there are like 15 families). Also, there is only 1 public bathroom but luckily it is close to my house. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know I am having a great time in Sorata and I will continue to update you as best I can. Chao!
Day 20 Sep 26 (Apolobamba day 2)
Woke up to cook; it was really cold! Becky, Annie and I made oatmeal with bananas, and a fruit salad. I packed up the tent and my backpack and had a group meeting before we started hiking again. During the meetings we usually stretch and go over roles for the day. It was a gorgeous sunny day and started to warm up. We started the trek up the first pass leaving the big snow capped mountains behind us. After about an hour we made it to the top. Crister, Chris and I hiked up the mountain a little more to get a better view of the glaciers and lake ahead of us. When we got back down our guide gave us some history on the mountain and trail we were on. A lot of Incas traveled back and forth on the path in order to trade with different towns. There was also a big rock pile on the pass that our guide said was a tributary to Pacha Mama for good travels had had been there for many years. We started to trek down: going down isn’t as much fun as you would think. My shoes slid and my knees bothered me a little. Luckily, the view was gorgeous. Below us was a valley with a crystal blue snaking river. Once we got to the bottom we had a water break near the river; llamas surrounded us. We trekked for about 2 more hours until we got to a town and had lunch. Right when we sat down for lunch it started raining/hailing; it was so cold. I had a peanut butter and banana sandwich and a Salome, cheese, mustard, and avocado sandwich. After lunch it was still pretty cold and rainy. We hiked for another 3 hours before we came to our campsite. I set up the tent and cooked quinua soup for dinner with Becky, Maro and Annie’s help. After dinner we went over roles for tomorrow and played this game where the group set up a fantasy dream for me and I had to ask yes or no questions to figure it out. My dream was really funny. After Helen gave us amazing chocolate for dessert. Bed.
Day 19: Sep 25 (Apolobamba day 1)
I woke up and packed for the trip. We had pancakes for breakfast that was a real treat! It was the first time I had pancakes, so it tasted really good. I went to the little town/plaza with Sophia and bought this sweet leather Chicago Bulls hat. I laughed so hard that they had it in the middle of no-where Bolivia. Best purchase so far probably haha. When I got back we made roles for the trek and packed our bags on the mules. The group did some pre-trek activities then set off on the trail. It was a very pretty day—nothing but blue skies. We hiked up a road for a while and I did really well: SO much better than Tunari. I was previously soooo nervous for the trek because I didn’t want a Tunari round 2. After hiking and talking for a while, we stopped at a waterfall for lunch. My camera started to revive itself a little so I got a few pictures. We did skits for Leave No Trace, which is a concept where we do our best to, well, leave no trace. After lunch we hiked up a trail for 30 minutes until we reached our campsite. It got really cold once we got there. The site and hike was very pretty. The campsite was in a small valley between mountains and beyond I could see the mountain glaciers. We pitched tents and played cards for a while. Dinner was good: Anne and Emily prepared it. We had Mac n cheese and vegetable stir-fry and for dessert we had apple crisp. After dinner, we chilled outside and listened to guitar, told stories etc. Crister then did what he calls a Shatakwa. It is basically your life story but you can also add other things like songs, guitar playing, skits etc. Crister played a song his dad wrote then told us about his very interesting and action packed life. He traveled a lot all his life to places like Australia and a lot of South America. After the Shatakwa it was time for bed! The tent was a lot more comfortable than I thought and I slept well.
Day 18: Sep 24
Travel Day
I woke up/packed. I had one last bread breakfast with really good guava jam. I said goodbye to Don Tomas who was a great host. The group had to carry their backpacks on the dirt road to catch the bus on the big road. While we waited we played cards with Cholitas (traditional dressed women) and talked about Peru possibilities. The bus came and we rode it for a long 8 hours. THE same Bolivian music played over and over again for 8 hours. By the end I could fiddle along with it. We got to the town of Pelechuco. It was a cute mountain town in a small, narrow valley; it was a little eerie because of the fog. Chris, Sophia, and I got some food for the hike at the local tiendas then went to the hostal. The hostal was a cute little building next to the river. I was in a room with all the girls except Annie and Emily. My bed was right next to the window with river so it was pretty and relaxing to hear. We all ate dinner together in the dining room of the hostal. After dinner Sam and I got some candy and shared it with the sons of the hostal owner. The girls had a pow wow in Maro’s room; we braided hair and gossiped : ) I then went to bed to the sound of the river. End of day 18.
Day 17: Sep 23
Santiago De Okola Day 3
I woke up at 4:00 in the morning to go fishing! It was amazing. I went with Sophia and Emily. We bundled up with all the layers we had and walked down to the beach. The stars were out and crystal clear. It was absolutely gorgeous. We waited for Molly’s dad, Juan Cayo, for about 15 minutes on the beach until he came. He told us we would have to walk in the water but none of us had waterproof shoes. We didn’t know what to do because after walking all the way to the beach in the cold at 4 in the morning we didn’t want to let 10 feet of water get in our way. We stood by the edge of the water until Juan Cayo gestured Emily to get on his back. Emily who I like 6 feet tall was puzzled. She didn’t know how she was going to fit on the back of a 5 ft man. Juan Cayo threw Emily on his back and plopped her on the boat; Sophia and I followed. With the four of us in the boat, Juan Cayo slowly paddled us out. I felt so bad because there was so much extra wait on the boat. His little 60-year-old body rocked back and forth with a lot of resistance against the water. The sound of the paddles hitting the water, the birds crowing, and the waves collapsing against the sand was truly magical. The profile of the mountains against the deep blue sky was gorgeous. The stars shooting through the sky left a purple tail and were the best I’ve ever seen. The morning was truly indescribable. Serene and peaceful. We stopped from booey to booey pulling fish up from the nets. The stars slowly started to fade and the sun started to rise behind the mountains. Juan Cayo rowed us back in and inch-by-inch the sky grew lighter and hints of orange and pink sprayed out from the peaks of the mountain. When we finally arrived at the beach, we were all freezing. The sun still wasn’t all the way up so Sophia, Annie and I rushed to the top of the Dragons’ Head (the smaller part of the Sleeping Dragon mountain). We had a photo shoot at the top and watched the sunrise. It was GORGEOUS! When we got down, I saw Juan Cayo and his wife wheeling the fish from the beach. I went over and offered to wheel it for him; it was heavy!! I wheeled it all the way to his house that was pretty far. After I finished that I saw Don Tomas with some water buckets and helped him fill them up and bring them home. By this time it was around 8:00 and I had to be ready for activities at 9:00. I got home and slept for a little then had some bread for breakfast. I then headed to the beach for the group activities. The first 5 minutes we reflected then talked about Lake Titicaca. After we split up in teams and collected trash along the beach. You wouldn’t believe how much we picked up. Unfortunately, a lot of the trash comes from across the lake in a touristy town of Copacabana. Once all the trash was picked up we took a dip in the cold lake. We all rushed in, it was really fun. The day was going SOOO well and I was having so much fun until Becky broke my camera… :( it was an accident but she accidentally left my camera lens open in the sand and it jammed up. It was a damper in my day… Luckily lunch was next so I ate my feelings away haha. We had a community lunch with really good meat and vegetables. I think the food is so good because they cook it in a real fire pit. I went home after lunch and rested a little bit before the group climbed the “Dragons Back” part of the mountain. It was a very fun and gorgeous climb. It was more free climbing than a trail and that made if fun. The view from the top was incredible. I could see the mountains far across the lake—as far as Peru. Both beaches left and right were gorgeous. I could also see the Cordillera Real, which are the big snow mountains. Each direction carried its own beauty. The hike down was just as enjoyable. We stopped in this cave that looked out over the mountain. Also, there were dogs that followed us the whole way up and they would always stop on top of a rock and look out onto the ocean; it was so cute! Before dinner the instructors, Emily and I chilled around the table and Crister played some guitar—it’s the best when he plays. Don Tomas served us dinner and I was surprised that we didn’t get any meat because there is usually always meat. I yet again had really good soup. After dinner we had a group bonfire at Anne and Becky’s house. We attempted to tell funny stories but they were funnier because they were soo bad. IN all the day was VERY good except the camera incident. Lake Titicaca was all that I hoped it would be!
I woke up at 4:00 in the morning to go fishing! It was amazing. I went with Sophia and Emily. We bundled up with all the layers we had and walked down to the beach. The stars were out and crystal clear. It was absolutely gorgeous. We waited for Molly’s dad, Juan Cayo, for about 15 minutes on the beach until he came. He told us we would have to walk in the water but none of us had waterproof shoes. We didn’t know what to do because after walking all the way to the beach in the cold at 4 in the morning we didn’t want to let 10 feet of water get in our way. We stood by the edge of the water until Juan Cayo gestured Emily to get on his back. Emily who I like 6 feet tall was puzzled. She didn’t know how she was going to fit on the back of a 5 ft man. Juan Cayo threw Emily on his back and plopped her on the boat; Sophia and I followed. With the four of us in the boat, Juan Cayo slowly paddled us out. I felt so bad because there was so much extra wait on the boat. His little 60-year-old body rocked back and forth with a lot of resistance against the water. The sound of the paddles hitting the water, the birds crowing, and the waves collapsing against the sand was truly magical. The profile of the mountains against the deep blue sky was gorgeous. The stars shooting through the sky left a purple tail and were the best I’ve ever seen. The morning was truly indescribable. Serene and peaceful. We stopped from booey to booey pulling fish up from the nets. The stars slowly started to fade and the sun started to rise behind the mountains. Juan Cayo rowed us back in and inch-by-inch the sky grew lighter and hints of orange and pink sprayed out from the peaks of the mountain. When we finally arrived at the beach, we were all freezing. The sun still wasn’t all the way up so Sophia, Annie and I rushed to the top of the Dragons’ Head (the smaller part of the Sleeping Dragon mountain). We had a photo shoot at the top and watched the sunrise. It was GORGEOUS! When we got down, I saw Juan Cayo and his wife wheeling the fish from the beach. I went over and offered to wheel it for him; it was heavy!! I wheeled it all the way to his house that was pretty far. After I finished that I saw Don Tomas with some water buckets and helped him fill them up and bring them home. By this time it was around 8:00 and I had to be ready for activities at 9:00. I got home and slept for a little then had some bread for breakfast. I then headed to the beach for the group activities. The first 5 minutes we reflected then talked about Lake Titicaca. After we split up in teams and collected trash along the beach. You wouldn’t believe how much we picked up. Unfortunately, a lot of the trash comes from across the lake in a touristy town of Copacabana. Once all the trash was picked up we took a dip in the cold lake. We all rushed in, it was really fun. The day was going SOOO well and I was having so much fun until Becky broke my camera… :( it was an accident but she accidentally left my camera lens open in the sand and it jammed up. It was a damper in my day… Luckily lunch was next so I ate my feelings away haha. We had a community lunch with really good meat and vegetables. I think the food is so good because they cook it in a real fire pit. I went home after lunch and rested a little bit before the group climbed the “Dragons Back” part of the mountain. It was a very fun and gorgeous climb. It was more free climbing than a trail and that made if fun. The view from the top was incredible. I could see the mountains far across the lake—as far as Peru. Both beaches left and right were gorgeous. I could also see the Cordillera Real, which are the big snow mountains. Each direction carried its own beauty. The hike down was just as enjoyable. We stopped in this cave that looked out over the mountain. Also, there were dogs that followed us the whole way up and they would always stop on top of a rock and look out onto the ocean; it was so cute! Before dinner the instructors, Emily and I chilled around the table and Crister played some guitar—it’s the best when he plays. Don Tomas served us dinner and I was surprised that we didn’t get any meat because there is usually always meat. I yet again had really good soup. After dinner we had a group bonfire at Anne and Becky’s house. We attempted to tell funny stories but they were funnier because they were soo bad. IN all the day was VERY good except the camera incident. Lake Titicaca was all that I hoped it would be!
Day 16: Sep 22
Santiago De Okola Day 2
I woke up feeling WAY better! My energy was still low but my stomach was feeling way better. I ate some bread and Don Tomas, who is a cute, old Quechuan man, made me this weird native drink that he believed would cure my stomach problems. He mixed some natural herbs to make this foggy looking tea. I had a big gulp but with a bad stomach it didn’t taste so good…Crister helped me finish the rest thank god. After breakfast we had a community tour. The tour was very pretty. The town is full of gardens, fields, and the lake brings everything to life. Locals talked to us about crops and other town myths. We went to the beach and our guide told us a myth about a pass between two rocks. She said that the locals believe if you go through it alone then you will see a ghost on the other side and have bad luck but if you go in a group then you might see a good ghost who will reveal your true love. After we learned about the school, cemetery, and medical clinic. During the whole tour I felt soo tired. I constantly had to sit in between stations. Luckily, lunch was next. I was nervous to eat but Don Tomas brought out a soup that resembled Mirani’s chicken noodle soup. I was SOO excited! It was exactly what I felt like. It hit the spot and I felt even better. I took a catnap under the sun before our afternoon activities.
The group split up for afternoon activities. I was in-group 1 and we first learned about medicinal plants. Our guide, Walter, brought us around the community and showed us different plants and explained their medicinal use. After the groups switched and we my group learned how about textiles. We watched a 70-year-old woman work on a quilt she was working on. We took turns learning how to weave. It was harder than it looked but it was really fun! The elderly woman said it would take 6 days to finish, which seemed incredible! She also said that she takes her animals up the mountain and back every day! Imagine a 70-year-old woman herding animals up a big mountain every single day. I couldn’t believe it. The work ethic is so different. All her kids, like many others, are in La Paz.
On the way back from the activities Maro and I took a picture of a woman sitting in the field but she made us pay her. I payed her 2 Bs but it was totally worth it. After we played volleyball and soccer at the school. We all taught Walter, our 15-year-old tour guide, some English. It was really funny watching him try to learn it. He used a lot of hand gestures when trying to pronunciation words. At dinner we taught him “Hey baby, I love you.” It was sooo funny. I had more yummy soup for dinner that made my stomach even better. The group stargazed a little after dinner but it was really cold out. Bed.
Day 15: Sep 21
Santiago De Okola Day 1
After not feeling well the night before and puking a couple times, I had to wake up early to pack for Lake Titicaca. I didn’t go to breakfast because I still wasn’t feeling so well. I called my parents and did some work on the computer instead. Around 9:00 we all loaded the bus for Santiago de Okola, Lake Titicaca. The bus ride was three hours and wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be because I wasn’t feeling well. The scenery was also gorgeous. We came up and over the hill to see the bright blue lake and the mountain they call the Sleeping Dragon because it looks like it is sleeping on its belly. When we finally arrived I wasn’t feeling well still. I had a stomachache and had very low energy. Once we got out of the bus we were greeted by the locals with handshakes and smiles. We were assigned home stay families; Emily and I were assigned the house closest to the instructors because we both felt bad. Emily had a lingering staff infection that made her throat and stomach soar. Both of us quickly went to our rooms and collapsed on our bed. We missed most of the afternoon activities that is unfortunate. A man named Steve from a company called La Paz On Foot was at Santiago de Okola. He works a lot with Dragons and his mission at Santiago de Okola was to promote ecotourism and biodiversity in the community. I caught the last big of the meeting he had with the group. He talked about what his company does and ways to interview the locals for our Independent Study Projects. After the meeting, Helen, my instructor, asked Emily and I if we wanted to go back to La Paz to see the doctor. Emily said yes just because her infection had been lingering for a long time and her antibiotics we upsetting her stomach. I was torn because the Apolobamba trek was coming up and I didn’t want to be sick for it. I was also nervous that I had an intestinal infection and if I did I would need antibiotics for it. After contemplating for a while I decided not to go back. I was looking forward to Lake Titicaca for SO long that I didn’t want to miss it. We were only going to be by the lake for 3 days.
I went back to my room and slept for the rest of the afternoon. I literally had NO energy; it was awful. Crister woke us up later in the evening and we moved to Don Tomas’ house where the instructors were staying. Steve led another meeting regarding projects in Bolivia in Don Tomas’ house but I slept through most of it. Emily and Helen left for La Paz after the meeting and I slept.
After not feeling well the night before and puking a couple times, I had to wake up early to pack for Lake Titicaca. I didn’t go to breakfast because I still wasn’t feeling so well. I called my parents and did some work on the computer instead. Around 9:00 we all loaded the bus for Santiago de Okola, Lake Titicaca. The bus ride was three hours and wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be because I wasn’t feeling well. The scenery was also gorgeous. We came up and over the hill to see the bright blue lake and the mountain they call the Sleeping Dragon because it looks like it is sleeping on its belly. When we finally arrived I wasn’t feeling well still. I had a stomachache and had very low energy. Once we got out of the bus we were greeted by the locals with handshakes and smiles. We were assigned home stay families; Emily and I were assigned the house closest to the instructors because we both felt bad. Emily had a lingering staff infection that made her throat and stomach soar. Both of us quickly went to our rooms and collapsed on our bed. We missed most of the afternoon activities that is unfortunate. A man named Steve from a company called La Paz On Foot was at Santiago de Okola. He works a lot with Dragons and his mission at Santiago de Okola was to promote ecotourism and biodiversity in the community. I caught the last big of the meeting he had with the group. He talked about what his company does and ways to interview the locals for our Independent Study Projects. After the meeting, Helen, my instructor, asked Emily and I if we wanted to go back to La Paz to see the doctor. Emily said yes just because her infection had been lingering for a long time and her antibiotics we upsetting her stomach. I was torn because the Apolobamba trek was coming up and I didn’t want to be sick for it. I was also nervous that I had an intestinal infection and if I did I would need antibiotics for it. After contemplating for a while I decided not to go back. I was looking forward to Lake Titicaca for SO long that I didn’t want to miss it. We were only going to be by the lake for 3 days.
I went back to my room and slept for the rest of the afternoon. I literally had NO energy; it was awful. Crister woke us up later in the evening and we moved to Don Tomas’ house where the instructors were staying. Steve led another meeting regarding projects in Bolivia in Don Tomas’ house but I slept through most of it. Emily and Helen left for La Paz after the meeting and I slept.
Background on Santiago De Okola
Santiago De Okola is a small community on the shore of Lake Titicaca. The town is currently working with an organization called La Paz On Foot run by an American named Steve (who is married to a Bolivian). The organization is trying to promote biodiversity and ecotourism in Santiago De Okola. The community is mainly an agricultural and fishing community; they keep all the food for themselves unless they need money. A lot of the youth is moving to La Paz, which is similar to a lot of youth all over Bolivia. Santiago De Okola is a Aymaran community; they speak little Spanish and most of the members are very shy. The houses are simple adobe houses with dirt floors and straw roofs.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Back To Civilization! 10/3
I MADE IT! The Apolabamba trek was awesome!! I am now in La Paz for one day before I go to Sorata for 3 weeks. There I will live with a homestay family, take spanish classes, and work on my independent study project which I think will be working with the local school. I have SO much to write about and am typing it on my instructors laptop and will upload it all sometime soon. I don´t have enough time today to do it all but it is coming soon! I just wanted to let you all know that I had a BLAST at Lake Titicacca, Apolobamba trek, and my homestay in a Quechua village of Caata. That is all for now but you will hear from me within the next couple of days!!
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