Jallalla Bolivia

Hey,

Yesterday we begun the campaing ´no dengue, no malaria and no trash´. The mosquito that carry the sickness often bread in trash, or in small water ponds in bottle, cans, etc. The city doesnt have any public system to despose trash, it is in the streets and in the backyards, really gross and sad to look at. So the first days we whent around talking to different public institutions that might cooperate. Find a place to dump the trash later, find out who to pay for picking the trash up and drive it to the dumping place, etc. At the same time we cant tell them what to do, or why its a good idea, we have to make them feel its their idea, so they feel responsible for the campaing and so hopefully make it to more than an occational happening. So yesterday we started walk true a part of the city, innforming everyone living their and try to make them clean up outside their house and put it in the street and we would collect it later. It sounds easy but they have not tradition to dispose trash and they dont see the problem of it lying around, that why dengue and malaria is important, since people are dying of it they want to do something to stop it flourishing.

Yesterday I also got to play real football, 11 against 11 with some students and other people. It started at 4 and i almost died of heat, after 10 min i lost the ability to run and just walked around, occasionaly jogging after the ball. it was fun. A couple of cubanos doctors I meet a couple of days ago was there to. Each time I got close the ball they screamed Scooby Doo and Shaggy, they think I look like him, was not easy to focus clearly with that either.

Yesterday the people from Santa Cruz also came and they stay until tomorrow. Nice to see them and show them ´my´city and ´my´family. No I got to go to spanish lesson.

Chao

Start of normal days

After some days with carneval and celebrating of Pachamama, the normal days are suppose to begin again. It is strange how quick you adjust a new situation. I am starting to feel really home now, and I dont feel I miss anything. I sleep very good, even if there is incredibly warm in my room, there are one or two else sleeping there, gekos, ants. mosquitos and other things staying there, always noise from dogs, roosters, other people or music, they always play music and it is always the same music. From 6am until 12pm they play the same cd over and over again, of carneval music, i think i can sing it now in quechua.
During carneval it been dangerous walking outside the house, all kids have water balloons, sprays and paintings and gringo´s is there prime target.
Got to go
chao

Hola

The last days been jakotako. Carneval is nice but I never really know what is going on, and when I think I know something, they postpone it, so I end up waiting for something that never happens. Again I am quite sure its Juan Carlos b-day party, for the third day I believe so. Maybe it happens tonight. Yesterday was a big carneval, with dancing, dressing up and parade. Children are going insane with waterballons, water guns and sprays of some kind.
The neighbor kids are not afraid of me anymore, but they are looking at me with curious eyes. Every day there are friends over visiting the mother, and every has at least 5 kids. there are more kids than mosqitoes here. the brother that is 19 years old have a dauther on 7 years, he was 12 years old, insane.
The father arrived home for carneval, a day later than they first said, he seems nice. I have a lot to read but little time on internet.

Muy caliente

After the first days of a small culture shock, am I now feeling more like home. So far a normal day been work with Juan from 8 til 2, and after lunsj I am home, reading spanish and have constant company from my youngest brother. which is really nice, it forces me to practise constantly. He likes to call me Peter Crouch!!! and to touch my hair. Yesterday he took me to the police station and we visited the oldest brother, who is in jail, I dont know why. I think it was around 10 people in his small cell. He is a really good drawer / painter and gave me a web page where he have some on ´www.arteddy.deviantart.com/gallery´.
Today is Juan birthday and there be a fiesta at my house and carneval also starts today and last until thuesday, I am very excited about that.
Yesterday it was so warm I thought i would die, when it began raining in the evening I was so happy. Then it was thunder for a long time.
I have a great time, and will post some pictures when internet access gets better.
Chao

First meeting

Yapacani is a lot of impressions. Lies on both sides of the main road to Cochabamba (main raod doesnt say much). Forest around and some sugar, raps oil and rice plantations around, oil productions in the north and some rivers around (no pirayas, crocodilles). Streets are sand and mud, since its raining almost each day, chickens and dogs running around, and small houses that have their own charm. Unfortunately their are no places to throw trash so most of it goes in the streets, but changing that is one of the projects we will work on.

My family lives nicer than I expected. The brother on 12 is very curious. I share room with the brother on 16. Its only the toilet I was a little unpreared for!!! I will post pictures later, the shower is also an experience.

Today we had meeting with the mayor and a lot others to plan the projects, local tv was an filmed us. I spent 4 hours in a meeting not really understanding what was going on. Guess I know later.

Sunburn

After being here for 5 days I thought my skin was getting used too the sun. So when we finally got a day off, I spent to much of it in the sun, and without suncream. I had clearly forgot that my shirt been on the whole time so far and we had program inside the whole day. So today I been pink like a pig, used a shirt and hiding in the shadow. However, today I bought suncream, better late than never. I was also told the weather been cold the first week, if that's true I got a problem.
My stommach have also decided to not go crazy, but it also decided not to be good. I had small cramps in my stommach the last days. At the same time it's to much exciting food I got to taste.
Tomorrow I leave for Yapacuni, a couple of days later than I first thought. There I have no idea about internet, but I am almost certain it's not to good. Chao

Div bilder

The Yapacani 'saviors'

At the fiesta a couple of days ago one of my new family member came, one girl from Andreas new family was also there. Was fun to meet them. We was all a little excited and I tried to talk to them for a while. I realized I need to work harder on my spanish since soon I depend on nothing else. He was really nice and I am sure I get a good time in his family. The meeting made me realize how completely helpless I will be because of language challenges sometimes.
The first picture is the group that will be working together for most
my time.
Yapacani is too the northwest of Santa Cruz, I thought it was too the south. Its next to Rio Yapacani that becomes Amazonas a couple of thousand miles later. Its the start of the rainforest.
I am looking forward to meet my family and start whatever I will do :)

Plan 3000 and fiesta

Yesterday was a very diverse day. First we went too 'casa de las mujeres' that's a house where they work for family and womens rights. Not suprisingly they seldom knows what rights they have or where to get help from. That house has some rooms they can stay, lawers, psychologist and a radio. One of the womens there lived 7 years in Sweden as a refugee and she would love if anyone of us would come there for a week or two. Something I know really could like. After that we whent to Plan 3000 that is a very poor part of the city, first we visited anothere radio where we had to talk and sing on. That is the biggest radio thats not owned by the rich opposition and they say they tell the truth, no other media does so. Personally I am getting tired of a polarized political situation, each side accuse each other constantly. However, my organization sympathizes with one side so I guess I do to. I am happy we are not 'suppose' to be political oriented, then I can focus on leaning and help those social movements that works for individual.
After lunsj I was relaxing in the center of the city, where it's a nice small park and ate icecream, chocolate and strawberries. Unluckily our program started again soon and I had to go back.
Our 'lecturer' today was Gabriella ........, MAS and Evo Morales personal representative in Santa Cruz and one of the leading figures in the party. For two hours she talked and answered our questions, she was really good and I had a great time (I now start to recognize a lot of words when they speak, not enough to make the meaning yet, but its clear progress). She was very young, educated to be a doctor and smoked constantly. When she finished we had to get ready for goodbye party, those staying around La Paz leaves today.

It was a good party, around 35 people from many movements, some of our new families (my new brother was there) and even Gabriella and her huspand was there. Jose had made 30liters of sangria and then we jsut had to enjoy. Me and my 'brother', named Juan!!!, that is my name in Spanish talk a lot, or with my spanish its very limited, but i managed to say more than i expected. He is a quiet guy and really likes his job. He turns 22 next thursday and on thursday there's also a carneval in the city, so I am looking forward to thursday now. I will go to Yapacani on tuesday so I can practise some more spanish before I leave too. Which I have strong intentions too. The party was fun, trying to learn merenga and other rhytmical moves that is not so natural for me as for latinos. Meet and talk to people in spanish, very limited, but extremely fun when I manage to say what I want. And it was nice being in a different social setting.

Today some will leave, we will have some preparations and some spanish. Annoyingly enough my stommach is not perfect today and I fear for many visits to the Bano or bathroom. I love the weather and temperature here, so nice, I will have a warm Norwegain summer the next 4 months and I am excited about it.

How the first days passes

My hope for some easy days and exploring in around the city are not happening. It's clear that it's not going to be a vacation. We begin the days with breakfast at 8, spanish form 9 til 1, lunsj and break from 1 - 3, 3 - 9 we have different presentations about Bolivia. All the people who has the presentations speak spanish so our translators are working very hard. For me it is a good motivations to learn spanish, to listen to someone speak without understanding is not funny. Luckily the translators done a really good job so far and i get to work on my patience.

On friday we will know where we will stay for the next 3 months and i am excited to find out. All of the 4 places i can end up sounds amazing in there own way. I am getting more than ready for going to my 'family' and settle down in some new way. Learn spanish and help with different work at the organization.

Also that the winter excist is only a vague memory, its almost as warm at night as during the day, which is a little more than in Norway.

Flying and finally Santa Cruz :)

On sunday morning at 4.30am i walked to the train with my brother. It was 35cm snow in Oslo and i was a little sad since i could not go cross country skiing. Nevertheless i was on my way to Bolivia and more than happy about that.

We all meet as planned at Gardermoen, except Kaja, her flight from Bergen the day before was canceled because of snowing and she didnt arrive at Gardermoen before our flight to Heatrow had left. Luckily she come in time for the next flight to Heatrow and after running through that airport, she got on our Miami flight. Then we all finally was together and could just "enjoy" the next many hours.
When we flew our the East Coast of US I was looking out of the window and it gave me the feeling of 'deja vu', was so strange to look down there again. I almost believed it was August sometimes.
In Miami we had 5 hours waiting until our Santa Cruz flight. That time we spent in the company of US costum, more lines and then some more lines before we could relax at our gate. I was looking forward to boarding the next flight and then go to sleep. However, the next flight had not he standard i hoped for in a long distance flight, but i anyway got some bad neck, sleeping feets, pain in the ass sleeping time.
We landed in La Paz, before we left for Santa Cruz, and the mountains around La Paz was nice, i think i like them, and i got the feeling of breathing in thin air. Then around 9am local time, 3pm Norway time on monday we finally reached Santa Cruz. There was humidity, palms, flowers and so goood. We was meet by our two coordinators, Jose and Reidun, and then we was driving in to the city and Jose's house where we will stay until Saturday.
When we was driving to the city i had my head out the window, looking around and it was an amazing feeling. I was looking forward to a chill day just doing nothing. But Jose and Reidun had different planes, after a late breakfast there we started with preparation, again, until 8pm. There was so many tired faces and i am not sure what the last guy, a doctor from Cuba talked about.
After that i whent to bed, at 8pm and it was sweet, until i realized there is still like 40 degrees when the window is open, i was for some reason believing that there be a nice norwegian winter breeze in my room. However unrealistic that sounds. Anyway i feel asleep and this morning i feel new born and ready:)

Old home and new home

This was the ocean outside my house a couple of days before i left for Bolivia. My hope was to go ice skating but the ice was not good for that, so i just walked a little.

Now I am sitting in in Santa Cruz and tropical weather. Strangely enough i been sleeping good even if there is to warm at night and no wind. I most admit that I prefer to sleep in a cold room, with a lot of fresh air.

Today we was told where we will stay and what families we will live with. I will be in Yapacani, a small town around 2 hours driving southeast of Santa Cruz. Its between 20 000 - 40 000 innhabitants. My family is a 7, 14 and 22 year old boy and there parents. The oldest one is very active and works with organizing young people. Around 20min outside the city Andrea will live. She will have three little sisters, where the oldest is 20 year old and also very active in a feminist organization. Us 4 will work much togetter with different projects.
So i will work with organizing young people, hopfully through sport and other activites. Incourage women and families to grow some of there own food, since so many have an small area that would make good gardens, and in that way make them less dependent on import of food. To give women small jobs so they can earn some money by them self. That is through a project that will pay for recycling and composting of waste and garbage. The last project is on motivating, make young people aware and interested in taking higher education.
I am Andrea will work a little on all these projects . I am very excited and happy. I also like that both me and Andrea speak little to no spanish and then we will learn together. If I been with one of those already speaking I would rely and recieve help all the time, now bot of us most solve the problems together.
We will leave for Yapacani on tuesday and on sunday we will have the day off. OLALALLAL and on Friday we will have a goodbye fiesta and welcome fiesta, depends how you look on it.
By the way, the name of the organization is Propuesta.

My first blogg!!!

I am sitting home, in my couch, slowly preparing for Bolivia. It's 3 days until I leave and I feel very excited. At the same time I have no idea how my next 6 months will be. A new language, new culture, new norms, new nature and many new challenges, both personal and external.
I been told a lot from people who done similar things, read about Bolivia and created a picture in my head about how it can be. However, that picture is based on imagination and others adventures, so I end up sitting here trying to describe something I don't even know myself.
At the same time that is what I am seeking and looking for, the unknown future that can bring the greatest pleasures and the biggest sorrows. The search for something out the that will 'sweep me off my feets, give my life meaning. It probably ends in disappointment, but I am young enough to follow some dreams. To sum up, I am very excited and are ready for something I dont know about so far.