Hello there...
Here in Sopachuy we are still getting ready for the Feria and prepping the garden... not much new to report work-wise, relatively busy and happy, especially now that I am free of that maldito skin rash. I am working on A Confederacy of Dunces, my seventh book since I arrived in site as many weeks ago. Also halfway through 3 separate songs... hopefully at least one will turn into something, I am hedging my bets!
We celebrated Daniela´s 3rd birthday yesterday, Valentina´s little girl... typical kid party, lots of running and cake. They blasted a DVD of American music videos from the 1980´s -- I was ecstatic to revisit such musical gems as Rock Me Amadeus, Somebody´s Watching Me, We are the World, If You Want my Body, the Grease Mega Mix, I Was Made for Loving You, and Who Can it Be Now. (I will admit, however, that ¨Take on Me¨ is a guilty pleasure.) I was the tallest so I suspended the piñata while the kids waited underneath like a pack of ravenous hyenas. Then we sat around and drank beer, and the participating in the conversation became more and more challenging with each glass. But it was a good time.
More soon.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Monday, June 9, 2008
Forage Crops and a Pair of Rabbits
Howdy y´all. I am writing from Sucre, my regional city and the true capital of Bolivia. I am here this weekend running various errands, which range from finding the ingredients for honey shampoo to buying a pair of rabbits for a friend in Sopachuy. I hope they don´t shit too much on the seven-hour bus ride back to town.
In my site we are preparing for the big agricultural fair in July, a yearly extravaganza which attracts lots of outside visitors. Our beekeeping group will have a stand there, where we will be selling honey and, hopefully, other products including said shampoo and lip balm. On the forage front, Don Tomas and I finally broke ground the other day on our demonstration garden, which will include various types of alfalfa, barley and triticale (a mix between wheat and rye); we will plant next week. I brought a couple of cervezas along, as is the custom when dedicating a new piece of land, and Tomas poured out a splash for the Pachamamma, a Quechuan kind of Mother Earth figure. He said a prayer that she would allow our garden to produce fruitfully and that people would be educated by our efforts, rather than laugh at us. Indeed.
About that pictures thing... unfortunately this computer won`t let me upload any. So we`ll have to wait `til next time, I suppose. I haven`t taken that many yet anyway, but I promise next time to offer a comprehensive sample of Sopachuy life. Okay? Okay.
Love and miss. Go Obama.
In my site we are preparing for the big agricultural fair in July, a yearly extravaganza which attracts lots of outside visitors. Our beekeeping group will have a stand there, where we will be selling honey and, hopefully, other products including said shampoo and lip balm. On the forage front, Don Tomas and I finally broke ground the other day on our demonstration garden, which will include various types of alfalfa, barley and triticale (a mix between wheat and rye); we will plant next week. I brought a couple of cervezas along, as is the custom when dedicating a new piece of land, and Tomas poured out a splash for the Pachamamma, a Quechuan kind of Mother Earth figure. He said a prayer that she would allow our garden to produce fruitfully and that people would be educated by our efforts, rather than laugh at us. Indeed.
About that pictures thing... unfortunately this computer won`t let me upload any. So we`ll have to wait `til next time, I suppose. I haven`t taken that many yet anyway, but I promise next time to offer a comprehensive sample of Sopachuy life. Okay? Okay.
Love and miss. Go Obama.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Granny, Shamrocks and Space Quest
So I will start with a prayer of thanksgiving for Granny, for her strong, simple faith, for her quiet constant love for her family. My thoughts are with you all. We should not say that our family has lost its center. Instead I pray that her memory will keep us close to her joyful spirit, and thus draw us closer to each other.
My mom and dad tell me that her passing was peaceful, and that Anna sang beautifully at her funeral, and I am glad for that. As for me, I am sorry I can´t be with you guys during this time. But the neat thing about family is that I am somehow still with you anyway. I feel Granny´s presence with me here in Sopachuy. Obviously she would not forget to visit me here, since, after all, I am her favorite.
My Trinity brothas will be glad to know that Joey Porter ´78 will be named an Honor Alumnus at graduation this weekend. I say, it is about damn time. Through him I have lived and breathed Trinity since I was a youngin. Many of my first memories are hanging out at Steinhauser gym, collecting lost quarters and dimes while my dad coached basketball practice. He loves Trinity so much that he even agreed to assume the dreaded post of disciplinarian for like 7 years. He hates St. X with a 15 year-old´s passion. Trinity is his second home, and I cannot think of anyone who represents that place and what it stands for better than my father. I know better than anybody that he is a very good teacher. I am proud of my dad. Go Rocks!
Brief Sopachuy update: Patience, the pictures will come. Next time I go to Sucre I´ll upload a few. In the mean time, I am learning how to gather information from community members, to find out what interests them and what potential exists for various projects. If you guys remember the old Sierra computer games, King´s Quest, Space Quest, etc., you would often have to explore a new city, and there were always like 2 or 3 people hanging out on the street corner that you had to approach, and ask the right questions to advance in the game. They would give you information, like where to buy a tool you needed or where the bad guy lives, etc. Otherwise you would just have to wander around the city indefinitely. Being a PCV is pretty much like that: most of the valuable information I have collected, and ideas we have come up with, stem from casual conversations with folks on the street. Thanks Space Quest!
More soon. Peace and love...
My mom and dad tell me that her passing was peaceful, and that Anna sang beautifully at her funeral, and I am glad for that. As for me, I am sorry I can´t be with you guys during this time. But the neat thing about family is that I am somehow still with you anyway. I feel Granny´s presence with me here in Sopachuy. Obviously she would not forget to visit me here, since, after all, I am her favorite.
My Trinity brothas will be glad to know that Joey Porter ´78 will be named an Honor Alumnus at graduation this weekend. I say, it is about damn time. Through him I have lived and breathed Trinity since I was a youngin. Many of my first memories are hanging out at Steinhauser gym, collecting lost quarters and dimes while my dad coached basketball practice. He loves Trinity so much that he even agreed to assume the dreaded post of disciplinarian for like 7 years. He hates St. X with a 15 year-old´s passion. Trinity is his second home, and I cannot think of anyone who represents that place and what it stands for better than my father. I know better than anybody that he is a very good teacher. I am proud of my dad. Go Rocks!
Brief Sopachuy update: Patience, the pictures will come. Next time I go to Sucre I´ll upload a few. In the mean time, I am learning how to gather information from community members, to find out what interests them and what potential exists for various projects. If you guys remember the old Sierra computer games, King´s Quest, Space Quest, etc., you would often have to explore a new city, and there were always like 2 or 3 people hanging out on the street corner that you had to approach, and ask the right questions to advance in the game. They would give you information, like where to buy a tool you needed or where the bad guy lives, etc. Otherwise you would just have to wander around the city indefinitely. Being a PCV is pretty much like that: most of the valuable information I have collected, and ideas we have come up with, stem from casual conversations with folks on the street. Thanks Space Quest!
More soon. Peace and love...
Friday, May 2, 2008
Una Vida Nueva
Just as I was getting used to the frenetic pace of training, life has radically changed again. Now officially a Peace Corps Volunteer, I am writing from my site in Southeast Chuquisaca, where I will be living for the next two years.
I arrived just over a week ago to this gorgeous place, a quiet town nestled in a lush valley and enveloped by two rivers. During my site visit Dan introduced me to the town and many people, so I already know a few folks here. So far, I have basically been spending my time wandering around town, chatting with folks, or hanging out at the agricultural cooperative store, visited daily by many of the farmers with whom I will be working.
Coming from a task-oriented, hectic society, and fresh out of an intensive three-month training period, it is a challenge to adapt to the slow pace of life here, and to the lack of immediate work. I am not by nature a very patient dude, so that is a virtue I am quickly learning here in site. And although there is not a lot to do just yet, the local folks seem excited to get started on new projects, and we are beginning to exchange ideas and make plans. I will continue working with the beekeeping group developed by the previous volunteers here: It is honey harvest time, and the group´s strong colonies are producing well. Also in the works are plans to produce more advanced bee products, including royal jelly, with the group´s three strongest beekeepers. In addition, the cooperative has agreed to the idea of using a small plot of land as a demonstration plot for various forage crops, which if it succeeds will hopefully convince some of the socios to plant alfalfa or clover. Such crops are sorely needed here in Sopachuy, as the grazing animals here basically starve during the 8-month dry season. Growing and storing alimento would make it possible to sell meat and dairy products in the winter months (summer in the States). Other possible projects include building fish ponds, in which Jorge at the cooperative has expressed strong interest. I told him that I knew exactly nothing about fish farming, but that I would research the topic. So basically, there are tons of opportunities here in my site. The trick is to have patience while things develop: The most important thing is to build friendships and gain the trust of the community, without which accomplishing any meaningful work will be next to impossible.
Personally, I am doing pretty well. I love it here in Sopachuy, and everyone has welcomed me generously. Yes, Mom, I am making friends. I have loads of free time, which I spend walking, reading, cooking, playing guitar. But of course, being the only gringo in town, speaking Spanish all day, being away from the ones I love is tough. But I knew that those occasional feelings of loneliness, isolation would come. One friend counseled me, ¨When you feel alone, just remember all the people who love you.¨ And that sure makes me feel better.
Life is good here, man. I certainly can´t complain. I´ll send pictures, once I take a few. Till then, keep on rockin in the free world...
I arrived just over a week ago to this gorgeous place, a quiet town nestled in a lush valley and enveloped by two rivers. During my site visit Dan introduced me to the town and many people, so I already know a few folks here. So far, I have basically been spending my time wandering around town, chatting with folks, or hanging out at the agricultural cooperative store, visited daily by many of the farmers with whom I will be working.
Coming from a task-oriented, hectic society, and fresh out of an intensive three-month training period, it is a challenge to adapt to the slow pace of life here, and to the lack of immediate work. I am not by nature a very patient dude, so that is a virtue I am quickly learning here in site. And although there is not a lot to do just yet, the local folks seem excited to get started on new projects, and we are beginning to exchange ideas and make plans. I will continue working with the beekeeping group developed by the previous volunteers here: It is honey harvest time, and the group´s strong colonies are producing well. Also in the works are plans to produce more advanced bee products, including royal jelly, with the group´s three strongest beekeepers. In addition, the cooperative has agreed to the idea of using a small plot of land as a demonstration plot for various forage crops, which if it succeeds will hopefully convince some of the socios to plant alfalfa or clover. Such crops are sorely needed here in Sopachuy, as the grazing animals here basically starve during the 8-month dry season. Growing and storing alimento would make it possible to sell meat and dairy products in the winter months (summer in the States). Other possible projects include building fish ponds, in which Jorge at the cooperative has expressed strong interest. I told him that I knew exactly nothing about fish farming, but that I would research the topic. So basically, there are tons of opportunities here in my site. The trick is to have patience while things develop: The most important thing is to build friendships and gain the trust of the community, without which accomplishing any meaningful work will be next to impossible.
Personally, I am doing pretty well. I love it here in Sopachuy, and everyone has welcomed me generously. Yes, Mom, I am making friends. I have loads of free time, which I spend walking, reading, cooking, playing guitar. But of course, being the only gringo in town, speaking Spanish all day, being away from the ones I love is tough. But I knew that those occasional feelings of loneliness, isolation would come. One friend counseled me, ¨When you feel alone, just remember all the people who love you.¨ And that sure makes me feel better.
Life is good here, man. I certainly can´t complain. I´ll send pictures, once I take a few. Till then, keep on rockin in the free world...
Monday, April 14, 2008
Declaración de Compromiso
Before swearing in, each trainee has to write a commitment statement and present it before the group and the Country Director. Thought I would include what I wrote, in case you´re wondering what in the world I´m doing down here...
Ama Suwa, Ama Qhella, Ama Llulla
These are the prohibitions of Quechuan law, which in English are translated, ¨Do not steal, do not lie, do not be lazy.¨ At first glance, these commandments don´t seem hard to follow; neither do they appear to be a comprehensive guide for right behavior. Unlike English, however, Quechua is a language of few words: Saying little, one expresses a great deal. Such is the case with the above laws: For many of us, myself included, to truly follow them would demand of us radical life changes.
Ama suwa: ¨Do not steal.¨ To follow this commandment, not only must we refrain from active theft, but also we must pay our debts. Incidentally, Plato in his Republic defines justice as giving to each what is owed. One reason I joined the Peace Corps is that I believe that the poor of the non-industrialized world are owed the opportunity to lead a fulfilling life – they are entitled not only to food and shelter, but also medicine, education, the opportunity to develop their natural gifts, and respect. Though all human beings share these rights, many in Bolivia and throughout the Southern Hemisphere do not have them. They are owed. And as someone who has had more than his fair share of these opportunities, I feel that it is I who owe: As a person of privilege, I owe it to the Bolivian people to share. To refuse, I believe, would be tantamount to stealing.
Ama qhella: ¨Do not lie.¨ Which is another way of saying, ¨always tell the truth.¨ But in both the First and Third Worlds, there persist many pernicious and oppressive lies. To remain silent while another is lying is to be complicit in the lie: Thus, if we wish to follow Quechuan law, we must actively tell the truth. In Bolivia, as many of my fellow Trainees are aware, some people hold to the lie which says, ¨all gringos are greedy, selfish, unfeeling imperialists.¨ As Peace Corps Volunteers, we have the opportunity to show the people of our communities that this statement is false. At PCV Daniel´s despedida in [my site], farmer and beekeeper Don Tomas spoke of this common perception of North Americans, and he sternly insisted, ¨es mentira.¨ By fighting the lies that foster division and hatred, we have the opportunity, on an individual level, to promote world peace.
In our homeland, there exists a parallel and even more dangerous falsehood: ¨All people have an equal opportunity for success, and the poor, because of their ignorance and laziness, deserve their lot. Poverty is someone else´s problem, not my responsibility.¨ It is my hope that I can return to the United States after my two years in Bolivia as a messenger for the poor, who I feel certain would take strong exception to the above statement. I want to serve as a PCV in Bolivia because I want to tell the truth. (Incidentally, the eradication of the above two lies coincides with the second and third goals of the Peace Corps.)
Ama llulla: ¨Do not be lazy.¨ And why else are we here? We are willing to work hard. We want to do our best. We are chronic overachievers. Personally, I spent 14 months waiting to receive my invitation to Bolivia, during seven of which I worked as a farmer´s apprentice. I took that job because, as a philosophy major and lifelong suburbanite, I was deemed unqualified for Peace Corps. At the farm, I learned how to grow potatoes (a vital skill to have here in Bolivia!), and I also learned how to truly work hard. By accident, I also learned while working at the farm that I happen to love farming.
Strangely, something similar has happened to me during these three months of training. I applied for Peace Corps for many idealistic reasons, partially out of a sense of duty. During training, however, I have happily discovered that I actually enjoy development work, and that I am going to love living in Bolivia. It has been an amazing growth process: What was an abstract and naive idea of ¨fighting poverty¨ is now a set of feasible goals and strategies for development in [my pueblo]. What was a lofty notion of ¨serving the poor¨ has now been realized by a fervent desire to help the Beekeeping Association there succeed, so that Don Valerio can send his children to college. I come to my site with ganas to work hard, to do my very best. I believe that anything less would be a violation of the third law.
So, to the directors of Peace Corps / Bolivia, I submit that:
Because I believe in my ability to work with the women and men of [my site] to make real, sustainable progress;
Because I can already feel myself falling in love with my job and with this place;
Because I believe deeply in the mission of the Peace Corps; and
Because, most of all, I wish neither to be a thief, nor a liar, nor lazy, but rather a friend and compañero to the people of Bolivia,
I therefore ask that I be further considered to serve as a Peace Corps Volunteer.
Finally, to my fellow B-47 trainees, my friends, I say to you, ¨Ama suwa, ama qhella, ama llulla.¨ To which, according to the Quechuan custom, you should respond, ¨Qanpis kikillanta.¨ In English: ¨You either!¨
Ama Suwa, Ama Qhella, Ama Llulla
These are the prohibitions of Quechuan law, which in English are translated, ¨Do not steal, do not lie, do not be lazy.¨ At first glance, these commandments don´t seem hard to follow; neither do they appear to be a comprehensive guide for right behavior. Unlike English, however, Quechua is a language of few words: Saying little, one expresses a great deal. Such is the case with the above laws: For many of us, myself included, to truly follow them would demand of us radical life changes.
Ama suwa: ¨Do not steal.¨ To follow this commandment, not only must we refrain from active theft, but also we must pay our debts. Incidentally, Plato in his Republic defines justice as giving to each what is owed. One reason I joined the Peace Corps is that I believe that the poor of the non-industrialized world are owed the opportunity to lead a fulfilling life – they are entitled not only to food and shelter, but also medicine, education, the opportunity to develop their natural gifts, and respect. Though all human beings share these rights, many in Bolivia and throughout the Southern Hemisphere do not have them. They are owed. And as someone who has had more than his fair share of these opportunities, I feel that it is I who owe: As a person of privilege, I owe it to the Bolivian people to share. To refuse, I believe, would be tantamount to stealing.
Ama qhella: ¨Do not lie.¨ Which is another way of saying, ¨always tell the truth.¨ But in both the First and Third Worlds, there persist many pernicious and oppressive lies. To remain silent while another is lying is to be complicit in the lie: Thus, if we wish to follow Quechuan law, we must actively tell the truth. In Bolivia, as many of my fellow Trainees are aware, some people hold to the lie which says, ¨all gringos are greedy, selfish, unfeeling imperialists.¨ As Peace Corps Volunteers, we have the opportunity to show the people of our communities that this statement is false. At PCV Daniel´s despedida in [my site], farmer and beekeeper Don Tomas spoke of this common perception of North Americans, and he sternly insisted, ¨es mentira.¨ By fighting the lies that foster division and hatred, we have the opportunity, on an individual level, to promote world peace.
In our homeland, there exists a parallel and even more dangerous falsehood: ¨All people have an equal opportunity for success, and the poor, because of their ignorance and laziness, deserve their lot. Poverty is someone else´s problem, not my responsibility.¨ It is my hope that I can return to the United States after my two years in Bolivia as a messenger for the poor, who I feel certain would take strong exception to the above statement. I want to serve as a PCV in Bolivia because I want to tell the truth. (Incidentally, the eradication of the above two lies coincides with the second and third goals of the Peace Corps.)
Ama llulla: ¨Do not be lazy.¨ And why else are we here? We are willing to work hard. We want to do our best. We are chronic overachievers. Personally, I spent 14 months waiting to receive my invitation to Bolivia, during seven of which I worked as a farmer´s apprentice. I took that job because, as a philosophy major and lifelong suburbanite, I was deemed unqualified for Peace Corps. At the farm, I learned how to grow potatoes (a vital skill to have here in Bolivia!), and I also learned how to truly work hard. By accident, I also learned while working at the farm that I happen to love farming.
Strangely, something similar has happened to me during these three months of training. I applied for Peace Corps for many idealistic reasons, partially out of a sense of duty. During training, however, I have happily discovered that I actually enjoy development work, and that I am going to love living in Bolivia. It has been an amazing growth process: What was an abstract and naive idea of ¨fighting poverty¨ is now a set of feasible goals and strategies for development in [my pueblo]. What was a lofty notion of ¨serving the poor¨ has now been realized by a fervent desire to help the Beekeeping Association there succeed, so that Don Valerio can send his children to college. I come to my site with ganas to work hard, to do my very best. I believe that anything less would be a violation of the third law.
So, to the directors of Peace Corps / Bolivia, I submit that:
Because I believe in my ability to work with the women and men of [my site] to make real, sustainable progress;
Because I can already feel myself falling in love with my job and with this place;
Because I believe deeply in the mission of the Peace Corps; and
Because, most of all, I wish neither to be a thief, nor a liar, nor lazy, but rather a friend and compañero to the people of Bolivia,
I therefore ask that I be further considered to serve as a Peace Corps Volunteer.
Finally, to my fellow B-47 trainees, my friends, I say to you, ¨Ama suwa, ama qhella, ama llulla.¨ To which, according to the Quechuan custom, you should respond, ¨Qanpis kikillanta.¨ In English: ¨You either!¨
Visita de Sitio y Otras Fotos
Thought I´d begin with some beautiful scenery: Denis´ toenail used to be there. One afternoon I was studying and my host brother approached me and said, "Andrés, un favor grande...¨ and I helped him rip his rotten, black toenail off of his foot. Such is the life of a Peace Corps Volunteer.
Sucre, the historical (¨actual,¨ according to the people there) capital of Bolivia. It is a rule that all buildings in the city center must be painted white! Beautiful town. Come see it.
The new Sucre crew. As my pueblo is 7 hours from the city, lamentablemente I probably won´t be seeing them much!
Dan, my pueblo´s current PCV, in front of the town.
Me in front of the Rio San Antonio near town. I promise to provide more eye-candy next time -- my pueblo is gorgeous, but it was raining all week.
Dan with Valerio, my work partner. Dan is holding various recuerdos given him by the Beekeepers´ Association at his going-away party.
Lebo watering our award-winning garden. The Ag trainees divided into 5 groups and each group has its own garden. Ours was judged the best. We won a cake. Gracias Ivor. 
Spike is his name. He got in a fight with a street dog (they are bad!) and lost part of his ear. I came to the rescue with my Peace Corps medical kit and we sterilized the wound and wrapped it in gauze. But Spike chewed the gauze off. Tough mutt.
Me (in my sweet new sombrero) and Ronaldo (in a ch´ullu).
My host brothers Jhonny (not a misprint), Ronaldo and Denis. Orlando, the second oldest, left 3 weeks ago to look for work in England. Sadly, in a mass exodus thousands of young Bolivians are leaving to look for work, mostly in Spain. As a result, Bolivia is losing its young talent and the country will suffer even more. But Orlando says he´s enjoying England, and has already joined two soccer teams.Sunday, April 6, 2008
Listo
Just returned from an incredible week in my future site. I spent the week hanging out with Dan, the current PCV whom I will replace in two weeks. He is a great guy and an excellent volunteer, and I am truly excited about the possibilities before me.
Sucre is my regional city, to which I will travel occasionally to visit the PC office, pick up mail and take care of odds and ends. It´s a beautiful town, called the ¨Athens of South America¨ for its wealth of historical architecture and majestic feel. I much prefer Sucre to the mundane hustle and bustle (dust and diesel) that is Cochabamba.
My pueblo in southeast Chuquisaca is a small town of a few hundred people, a quiet little town set within some of the most gorgeous countryside I have yet seen. Dan´s place, soon to be mine, is sort of an apartment setup: A landlord owns the place and lives on the first floor, and a family lives in the complex too, but basically I am independent. The second-floor place has its own bedroom, bathroom and kitchen, and Dan is pretty much leaving behind all of the furniture and supplies I will need. There´s also a patio on the roof where Dan washes his clothes: It´s also a perfect place to sit and strum the guitar on quiet evenings. It´s a modest place, not too fancy, but with most of the comforts of home. I couldn´t ask for more.
Basically Dan and I spent the whole week 1) meeting Bolivians and 2) talking for hours and hours about Peace Corps. He has an amazing relationship with the people in town, and is actually padrino (godfather) to a couple of kids, including the son of my official counterpart, beekeeper and construction worker Don Valerio Moscoso. I really feel lucky to be replacing this guy: I feel confident in gaining people´s trust and making friends, thanks in large part to the fact that Dan is so well loved and trusted.
We spent much of our time discussing the pueblo, the people, and the trabajo: Dan´s successes, struggles and failures, and how they relate to the possibilities for the next two years. I am coming in following four years of PC Agriculture service in town, and inherit a beekeeping project at a critical stage. There´s a group of about 15 beekeepers who do basic colony management and honey harvesting, but Dan has also been working with three advanced beekeepers on more technical bee activities, such as royal jelly harvesting and queen rearing. These guys will need help developing those projects and then, most importantly, finding a market for their relatively obscure products. Beekeeping will be a main focus of my two years of service. There are other exciting opportunities, too: Dan and the volunteer before him worked to promote forage crops, which are not common in town but are essential as feed during the dry season. The farmers have tried it before with mixed results, but Dan and I think that if we can convince the local cooperative to give alfalfa another shot, we could see some really positive results for the local campesinos.
Like many PCVs, Dan has mixed feelings about his service: Some projects have succeeded, others have failed, and some are hanging in the balance. Like many PCVs, Dan had to learn to accept failure, and realize that he could not singlehandedly lift the campesinos out of poverty; in Dan´s words, he had to ¨make peace with his service.¨ We talked extensively during the week about the frustrations of Peace Corps service, and even got into a few deeper conversations about the ultimate goals of PC. Basically we just had a solid time. Dan´s a hell of a guy.
Okay, I´ll wrap up this discourse. En fin, it was just an amazing week: What was an abstract idea of PC service is now a set of concrete objectives; what was an idealistic dream of helping ¨the poor¨ is now a desire to see Don Tomas succeed with his alfalfa crop, and to help Valerio send his kids to college. Basically, I feel ready for Peace Corps service. Well, as ready as I´ll ever be, anyway.
Another week and change of training. I´m restless and excited: As a new volunteer, I have, in the words of local beekeeper Don Cirilo said, pilas cargadas (charged batteries).
Love you guys.
Sucre is my regional city, to which I will travel occasionally to visit the PC office, pick up mail and take care of odds and ends. It´s a beautiful town, called the ¨Athens of South America¨ for its wealth of historical architecture and majestic feel. I much prefer Sucre to the mundane hustle and bustle (dust and diesel) that is Cochabamba.
My pueblo in southeast Chuquisaca is a small town of a few hundred people, a quiet little town set within some of the most gorgeous countryside I have yet seen. Dan´s place, soon to be mine, is sort of an apartment setup: A landlord owns the place and lives on the first floor, and a family lives in the complex too, but basically I am independent. The second-floor place has its own bedroom, bathroom and kitchen, and Dan is pretty much leaving behind all of the furniture and supplies I will need. There´s also a patio on the roof where Dan washes his clothes: It´s also a perfect place to sit and strum the guitar on quiet evenings. It´s a modest place, not too fancy, but with most of the comforts of home. I couldn´t ask for more.
Basically Dan and I spent the whole week 1) meeting Bolivians and 2) talking for hours and hours about Peace Corps. He has an amazing relationship with the people in town, and is actually padrino (godfather) to a couple of kids, including the son of my official counterpart, beekeeper and construction worker Don Valerio Moscoso. I really feel lucky to be replacing this guy: I feel confident in gaining people´s trust and making friends, thanks in large part to the fact that Dan is so well loved and trusted.
We spent much of our time discussing the pueblo, the people, and the trabajo: Dan´s successes, struggles and failures, and how they relate to the possibilities for the next two years. I am coming in following four years of PC Agriculture service in town, and inherit a beekeeping project at a critical stage. There´s a group of about 15 beekeepers who do basic colony management and honey harvesting, but Dan has also been working with three advanced beekeepers on more technical bee activities, such as royal jelly harvesting and queen rearing. These guys will need help developing those projects and then, most importantly, finding a market for their relatively obscure products. Beekeeping will be a main focus of my two years of service. There are other exciting opportunities, too: Dan and the volunteer before him worked to promote forage crops, which are not common in town but are essential as feed during the dry season. The farmers have tried it before with mixed results, but Dan and I think that if we can convince the local cooperative to give alfalfa another shot, we could see some really positive results for the local campesinos.
Like many PCVs, Dan has mixed feelings about his service: Some projects have succeeded, others have failed, and some are hanging in the balance. Like many PCVs, Dan had to learn to accept failure, and realize that he could not singlehandedly lift the campesinos out of poverty; in Dan´s words, he had to ¨make peace with his service.¨ We talked extensively during the week about the frustrations of Peace Corps service, and even got into a few deeper conversations about the ultimate goals of PC. Basically we just had a solid time. Dan´s a hell of a guy.
Okay, I´ll wrap up this discourse. En fin, it was just an amazing week: What was an abstract idea of PC service is now a set of concrete objectives; what was an idealistic dream of helping ¨the poor¨ is now a desire to see Don Tomas succeed with his alfalfa crop, and to help Valerio send his kids to college. Basically, I feel ready for Peace Corps service. Well, as ready as I´ll ever be, anyway.
Another week and change of training. I´m restless and excited: As a new volunteer, I have, in the words of local beekeeper Don Cirilo said, pilas cargadas (charged batteries).
Love you guys.
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