CED times

This week, the CED (Community Economic Development) group whom I am working with, held various graduation ceremonies - in La Paz, the city of Oruro and the community of Viacha - for those who have finished a complete series of courses in the CED program over the past few years.

These courses are designed with and to convey the principles of community economic development which includes participatory involvement in order to maintain a bottom-up approach to economic development. Furthermore, CED also focuses on the idea that "capital" does not only imply "economic" but that it also includes other various forms such as physical, natural, human, cultural and social, and that these other forms of capital also support the richness of a community.

During these ceremonies, it was very moving to hear testimonials from the graduates about what CED means to them and how they are looking to apply it further in their lives. Additionally, graduates also shared successful implementation of the CED process in current, thriving projects that participants have begun since taking these courses.

Personally, these were great opportunities for me to learn more about the CED program in the Bolivian context and its utility for people and their communities. It was also a moment to meet members of Viacha with whom I will more than likely be meeting and working with over the next couple of months. This included having a lovely conversation with a young mother in the community whose husband is a recent graduate of the program. This lady expressed such desire to participate in the next course set as she really appreciates having educational opportunities in her own community and sees how much she could benefit from the program. She would have taken the program with her husband, only she was carrying their now 6-month old son.

This was also the opportunity to learn and be included in both Bolivian and indigenous cultural traditions. This included learning about how and when events take place (they can start when people get there - which can be quite some time after the "official" start time), social/cultural etiquette (accepting offerings of drinks or food, as well as pouring some of your drink on the ground in honour of the Pachamama or Mother Earth, sharing glasses with others in the community), as well as Ayni - the Andean act of reciprocity.
Finally, I was touched to be presented with a necklace of coca leaves as well as having confetti showered over my head by one of the graduates. Intercultural learning at its best.

A little bird told me...

This weekend, a group of us ladies went to check out the Alacitas market - a market where people purchase small versions of the things that they would like to have in their lives in the coming year. This can range from mini cars, tools, degrees, money, passport, bank account, food (aka abundance of food for the coming year), a healthy baby, a rooster (for a man to be in their life), a hen (for a woman to be in their life); pretty much anything that you can think of, there is a miniature for it.

The market also hosts a variety of food stalls such as api (a corn-based drink made in a big vat), as well as more of the traditional wares area where pottery from Cochabamba and woolen goods are for sale. There is also an area with games and fair rides for children, roaming clowns, as well as fortune tellers - just like a good old fair.

While we were wandering around the alleys of the market, we came across a man with a birdcage. In it there were two budgies and their specialty was, upon payment of Bs3 (about 50cents), the budgie would choose a folded up piece of paper from a drawer below their cage and would then bless it by kissing it and touching it with its foot.

This is what he choose for me...
Para una senorita.
Las puertas del destino estan abiertas, tu debes elegir con cautela el camino hacia el progreso y bienestar de tus seres queridos.
No derroches el poco dinero que tienes por que le hara falta mas tarde: probablemente en esos meses que bienes te llegara una noticia que tendra esperanze tiene para tus amores.
El hombre es un joven trabajador y de gran porvenir, luego les acompanaras la prosperidad de dia en dia y seras madre ejemplar de varios hijos los mismos que te protegeran tu verez y viviras rodeada por toda tu familia hasta una edad avanzada.
Dentro de pocos meses haras un viaje que te ha de resultar bien en negocios y tendras un buen capital.

Translation:
For a young lady.
Destiny's doors are open and you must cautiously choose the path of progress and well-being of your desires.
Do not squander the little money that you have as you will need it later. Most likely, in the coming months, you will receive word that will give you hope in your love affairs.
The man is a young worker with a great future. Prosperity will follow you both and you will be a exemplary mother to your children who will take care of you in your old age. You will live surrounded by your family well into an advanced age.
In the coming months, you will travel and this will lead to good news in business/work and in capital gains.

P.S. what was interesting is that two of the ladies that I was with also had the bird choose their fortune and for both of them who are mothers, he chose ones that were "para una senora" and that were also different from each other. Quite the sweet little entertainment.

Una semana paceña

“paceña or paceño” is what you call a person/thing who/that is from La Paz. Spending many consecutive days out and about in the city was a great way to become more comfortable living here. Shopping for groceries in the street markets, meeting local climbers and checking out nearby indoor and outdoor spots, I haven’t quite found a rhythm to my life here but it will slowly come.

Some highlights of the week: having fresh trout on the shores of Lake Titicaca, enjoying a night view of the city from the top of the Radisson hotel in lovely company, meeting local climbers and getting to explore one of the local crags, walking through the Alecitas market – a seasonal market selling various miniatures that one buys and has blessed by a shaman in order to set the intention of achieving it by this time next year, and enjoying a local folkloric group at a peña.

I realized that it may sound like I haven’t worked yet but in reality this week was shorter as we had Monday and Tuesday off. Work has been progressing well and we have both the coordinator of the project and the director of the centre through which the project is delivered who are currently in town. This coming week will be busy with both planning meetings and visits to the community; so on that front, all things are definitely progressing.

Toodles!

Carnaval times

Sparkling turns, terrifying faces;
Dancers in unison;
Carnaval estas tu.

La Virgen and cars;
Offerings for new year;
Carnaval estas tu.

Charque for sale;
Ponchillos, ponchillos;
Carnaval estas tu.

Where are you from?
How long have you been here?
Carnaval estas tu.

Foam in my hair;
Water guns at my back;
Carnaval estas tu.

These words cannot even begin to convey the experience of Carnaval. The smells and sounds varying from the pleasant to the vulgur are all a part of the wonder of this celebration.

As it turns out, Carnaval is not only celebrated in Oruro but this is the city to experience the bolivian Carnaval as it is the biggest and most well-known event. A parade with thousands of participants come down a main street lined with bleachers where observers purchase their spot for the two-day parade. Costumes of various forms walk, dance, jump, down the street, most groups accompanied by their own marching band. Side-streets are lined with food stalls as well as vendors selling umbrellas, ponchos, sunglasses, "espume" which are cans of foam that are used to spray foam into each others' faces, especially if one is a foreigner...

La Paz also holds a parade down one of the main avenidas but my experience of it this past Sunday has it coming in below the parade in Oruro. I can only guess that this one has more school-aged participants and isn't as organized/has a different purpose than the one in Oruro. The one thing that La Paz upped on Oruro was the amount of foam spraying and water attacks. In La Paz, participants step it up a notch with water guns making way for water balloons and water bottles. The other thing that Pacenos (those who live in La Paz) also do is attack people from their cars - as was my experience Sunday morning on my way home from breakfast. From a passing car, a little girl of maybe 4 years of age spray foamed me in the face. She had wicked aim for a wee one her age.

In any case, Carnaval, you are a 4-day festival that I will not soon forget. I still don't understand all of the symbolism; perhaps one day though...

Manana manana

So it appeared that “manana manana” was my mantra in the days leading up to my departure for La Paz but soon enough, it was 3:30am and my bags were packed. Running on an hour sleep, I made my flight and was en route to La Paz with stops in Los Angeles and Lima first. My fingers were crossed that once in LA, I would be able to switch to an earlier flight out of Lima, saving me from a 30hr travel day. Luck was on my side and not only was I able to change to the earlier flight but even with a short connection time in Lima, I was also able to catch that earlier flight; the only downside is that my bags did not make it with me and so I wait (note: while typing this, my luggage arrived - yay!)

As usual, the altitude is definitely slowing me down – La Paz sits at 3500m with the airport at 4000m. Not five minutes had passed since I had disembarked the plane that I could feel my heart beating fast and I was feeling slightly light-headed. To adjust to the altitude (and to shake off this cold that I seem to be nursing), I have been enjoying copious amounts of coca tea and ginger tea that should get me back on track over the next few days. The plan for here is to take it easy, although I do have to write a midterm tomorrow for the course that I am taking by distance, and then be ready for a fun festival this weekend in the city of Oruro as they celebrate Carnaval.