Going to Bolivia was something I never would have considered had not a friend said, “Let’s go to Bolivia.” So, some months later we were off. The women outnumbered the men 18 to 5 but we all enjoyed each other’s company. We came as strangers, (6 elders and 17 “kids) but went home as a family. Dr. Francisco Rodriguez (PACO) led the trip and he was perfect for the job. Relaxed, accommodating, and friendly, he managed to move us onto airplanes, buses, and boats without once losing his cool.
We visited three parts of Bolivia. Santa Cruz in the lowlands was first. Warm, tropical weather is the rule, with enough rain to enjoy the glorious weather on the first day. It was fascinating to visit El Fuerte before lunching in Samaipata. We saw Buena Vista and though the tour through the coffee plantation was rained out, we were able to walk in the afternoon and see some amazing butterflies.
Paco and guide, Mercedes, picked the perfect venue for our New Year’s Eve celebration. The live band played until 6:00 AM and the buffet dinner was set out at about 11:00 PM. Everyone danced---old ladies, small girls with their dads, sisters with each other, and our whole gang. It was without a doubt our favorite event of the trip and our best New Year’s Eve ever.
Cochabamba’s 8,000-foot elevation made the weather comfortable, warm but not hot. We were greeted by our host families and taken to our homes for the next eleven days. However, we only had a few days in Cochabamba before we flew off to La Paz, the highest capital city in the world. It’s a traffic-choked, hilly city and is well served by a teleferico, a series of elevated gondolas which move people from one part of the city to another.
After a ride, we took a walking tour of downtown with Oswaldo, our guide. The next day we had a 6 AM bus call and were off to Cococabana on the banks of Lake Titicaca at 12,600 feet above sea level. No one, except Oswaldo who grew up here, was breathing easily on the hikes up 2 different hills which gave lovely views of Cococabana. Though some were expecting the wet, grey, cold weather predicted for LA Paz, we were happily surprised to have clear, beautiful skies after the first night and half day.
The trip back to La Paz was eventful. Despite Paco’s insistence that there would be no problems if we missed the plane, our bus driver already had an agenda for the next day and wanted to drop us at the airport so he would have a free bus for his next event. Traffic made for a group effort to get on the plane. Bolivian Airlines held the plane for the five minutes extra it took for all of us to board. We had a collective sigh of relief to know that we were going back to the relative comfort of Cochabamba—good WIFI, bathrooms and showers that worked, 5-gallon jugs of water to fill up water bottles, and only 8,000 feet!
We spent the next five days immersed in the language program. Most of our host families only had limited English so we were forced to use Spanish. Our teachers only spoke Spanish to the middle and advanced groups of students and expected us to speak Spanish exclusively. Their insistence made for a radical jump in our comprehension and ability to communicate. Five-hour classes every day sounded onerous, but the teachers and regular breaks made the days fly by. Kitchen ladies made us coffee every afternoon and good rolls kept our strength up.
The other part of those five days were trips to a children’s hospital, a house for boys found living on the streets, an orphanage for abandoned babies, and a home for abused girls, ages 5-17. To say it was difficult is an understatement. We in the States can’t conceive of abandoning babies, but in Bolivia, single mothers are the absolute lowest class there is. Many have little or no education and with no family support, lack of childcare makes working impossible. Few have access to contraception with many partners refusing to allow it. It is a grim scene. We talked about it in our class and I talked with Martha, my host mom. She said it is starting to change, little by little.
In the course of our visits, we met an American nun, Sister Gloria, who has worked in Cochabamba for 60 years. She built a hospital and nursing school and started a home for the street boys. The hospital has been sold but they still have the nursing school. When she was younger she would bring 4 or 5 of the abandoned babies home and raise them. They now bring their families back so their children can meet “Grandma.” The boy’s house is an impressive operation. The kids raise ducks, chickens, pigs, and guinea pigs for food. There are large gardens, a bakery that supplies all the bread, pizza, and rolls, and a well-equipped wood shop. By the time the boys graduate they have skills so they can get jobs.
I can’t say enough about the warmth and kindness of the Bolivian people. They do so much with so little. Intelligent, nice, and incredibly hard-working, they are amazing. All of us were so grateful to have had this incredible opportunity to visit Bolivia and live with families. The SBCC study abroad staff, the Maryknoll Institute in Bolivia, and Dr. Rodriguez took two years of planning for this trip. Thanks aren’t enough.
Finally, thanks to “the kids” in our group. Your parents should know they’ve done a good job. You were unfailingly polite, enthusiastic, and kind. You even made it onto the 6:00 AM buses! A friend told me before we left: “You will like going with the kids. They have real energy.” I wasn’t so sure but you have proven her words were true. We said more than once how much we enjoyed being with you as opposed to a group of our peers.