*I will add more fotos soon. Until then enjoy these! ;)
Helen y Yo en Camiri
Eco club of Camiri with the group
Bloqueo
Matt, Helen, Matt, Yolanda y Erika
Getting ready for our charla
I am back in Cochabamba after our 10 day ‘Tech Week’ in the Chaco. Tech week, also known as semana tecnica, consists of traveling through different parts of Bolivia and putting into practice the various technical skills we have learned thus far in training. It also involves visiting current volunteers and sites to develop a larger perspective on what our new lifestyles will be like for the next two years.
The Chaco is a region in Bolivia that cuts through the Chuquisaca, Santa Cruz, and Tarija Departments and rests on the northern part of Paraguay. It is a huge landscape with a variety of ecosystems. Our journey started with the high altitudes (8,500 ft) of the Cochabamba valleys, into the pristine rainforest known as the Chapare, and ended with the low altitudes, rolling hills, savannahs and deserts of the Chaco. The Chaco is an interesting place, with a completely different culture. People are for the most part tranquilo and very friendly, however the entire place is extremely HOT. We were lucky to have visited during the wet season, but the temperatures still reached up to 32 degrees Celsius during the day (close to 90 F). The nights were lovely, reminding me of a summer time beach night, except without the beach. This region is definitely a place I would love to visit again.
Ironically our trip started and ended with car problems, and lucky for me I was able to be a part of both events. The first incident happened on our way down the mountains through the Chapare. Our brakes failed so we had to wait a few hours until another driver from the Cochabamba office could reach us and swap cars. The second episode happened on our way back to Cochabamba. The other car was having acceleration problems, which we were briefly told was most likely due to the filter or gas tank. Nevertheless, we put - putted to a stop, once again in the Chapare about 2 hours east of Cochabamba, where we waiting for 6 hours until the PC mechanic assisted us. These experiences I can only laugh at because I am sure I will be living many more of them.
During tech week we were very lucky to experience another road block, but this time it was in the small town of Cuevo (less then 500 people) which lies just outside of Camiri (4 hours south of Santa Cruz city). We were scheduled to do a charla (presentation) on reforestation in the campo school, but were unable to get there because the taxistas (taxi drivers) were blocking our path. That day there was a bloqueo because they were trying to get attention for their roads which are in pretty bad shape. We were so lucky though, because had we not been blocked in I would not have been off-roading through the Chaco. What a morning – it was what I was envisioning the Peace Corps experience to be: Off-roading in landcruisers for the better half of the day through dusty dirt roads that twist in an out of these intense low lying ridgelines. Scattered towns of what seem to have a population size of 20 with tons of cows, goats, and pigs. I cannot even imagine what this cowboy land must be like in the dry season.
The worst part about the Chaco is the bichos (insects). They have these yellow gnat like bugs, known as Mariwees (not sure if that is spelled right) that you don’t even know are biting you until after they have taken a good portion of your blood and left a large bulls-eye on your skin. This mark lasts for about a week and is extremely itchy. All I can say is thank god the Chaco was not my first choice for site placement. Oh yea and did I mention that there are tarantulas here too? We saw some intense webs on this trip.
Our charlas (presentations) and tallers (workshops) throughout the week went great considering that yet again our scheduled plans changed last minute. We traveled through the towns of Camiri, Salinas, Cuevo, Boyuibe, Guttierez, and Ipita discussing environmental issues on recycling, waste management, battery disposal, reforestation, and water use. The majority of the time we worked with school kids from the different communities, but we also got the chance to discuss implementing environmental education curriculum with some private school professors in Camiri and introduced different methods of compost and bio-fertilizers to the tiny community of Salinas. It was a very busy week filled with great practice, incredible landscape, and tons of laughter. I feel very lucky to be here in Bolivia and extremely fortunate to work with a group of people who get along great and really complement one another’s working styles and personalities.
Hands down the best part of the trip was in Boyuibe, where we got to go on the air after a long morning in the back country of the Chaco. One of the current volunteers’ jobs is hosting a radio station on environmental issues, every MWF for an hour… and coincidentally it was one of our birthdays in the group, so we all sang happy birthday to Yolanda and capped the night off with some Bolivian beers and cake. Some dulce de leche cake with some slammin’ honey flavored icing. ;) The following day in Boyuibe we did some more back country traveling to several different campo communities to collect batteries, what a different world. Super small towns filled with so much life.
During tech week the seven of us in Environmental Education had our second interview with our APCD regarding site placement, and fortunately for us all we chose 7 different sites. I requested the only site in the Altiplano, which lies at 3600 meters, which is about 11,000 ft. and is a 7 hour bus ride from Cochabamba. Today I found out that indeed I will be heading there, my new home will be Sacaca and I will be one of three Environmental Educators in the Altiplano. Next week we will all be traveling to our new sites to finally meet our communities. In the meantime I plan to start Quechua classes and enjoy my last few weeks with my wonderful host family.
Before arriving in Bolivia I envisioned myself working in the Andes and now I am finally making my way there.
The Chaco is a region in Bolivia that cuts through the Chuquisaca, Santa Cruz, and Tarija Departments and rests on the northern part of Paraguay. It is a huge landscape with a variety of ecosystems. Our journey started with the high altitudes (8,500 ft) of the Cochabamba valleys, into the pristine rainforest known as the Chapare, and ended with the low altitudes, rolling hills, savannahs and deserts of the Chaco. The Chaco is an interesting place, with a completely different culture. People are for the most part tranquilo and very friendly, however the entire place is extremely HOT. We were lucky to have visited during the wet season, but the temperatures still reached up to 32 degrees Celsius during the day (close to 90 F). The nights were lovely, reminding me of a summer time beach night, except without the beach. This region is definitely a place I would love to visit again.
Ironically our trip started and ended with car problems, and lucky for me I was able to be a part of both events. The first incident happened on our way down the mountains through the Chapare. Our brakes failed so we had to wait a few hours until another driver from the Cochabamba office could reach us and swap cars. The second episode happened on our way back to Cochabamba. The other car was having acceleration problems, which we were briefly told was most likely due to the filter or gas tank. Nevertheless, we put - putted to a stop, once again in the Chapare about 2 hours east of Cochabamba, where we waiting for 6 hours until the PC mechanic assisted us. These experiences I can only laugh at because I am sure I will be living many more of them.
During tech week we were very lucky to experience another road block, but this time it was in the small town of Cuevo (less then 500 people) which lies just outside of Camiri (4 hours south of Santa Cruz city). We were scheduled to do a charla (presentation) on reforestation in the campo school, but were unable to get there because the taxistas (taxi drivers) were blocking our path. That day there was a bloqueo because they were trying to get attention for their roads which are in pretty bad shape. We were so lucky though, because had we not been blocked in I would not have been off-roading through the Chaco. What a morning – it was what I was envisioning the Peace Corps experience to be: Off-roading in landcruisers for the better half of the day through dusty dirt roads that twist in an out of these intense low lying ridgelines. Scattered towns of what seem to have a population size of 20 with tons of cows, goats, and pigs. I cannot even imagine what this cowboy land must be like in the dry season.
The worst part about the Chaco is the bichos (insects). They have these yellow gnat like bugs, known as Mariwees (not sure if that is spelled right) that you don’t even know are biting you until after they have taken a good portion of your blood and left a large bulls-eye on your skin. This mark lasts for about a week and is extremely itchy. All I can say is thank god the Chaco was not my first choice for site placement. Oh yea and did I mention that there are tarantulas here too? We saw some intense webs on this trip.
Our charlas (presentations) and tallers (workshops) throughout the week went great considering that yet again our scheduled plans changed last minute. We traveled through the towns of Camiri, Salinas, Cuevo, Boyuibe, Guttierez, and Ipita discussing environmental issues on recycling, waste management, battery disposal, reforestation, and water use. The majority of the time we worked with school kids from the different communities, but we also got the chance to discuss implementing environmental education curriculum with some private school professors in Camiri and introduced different methods of compost and bio-fertilizers to the tiny community of Salinas. It was a very busy week filled with great practice, incredible landscape, and tons of laughter. I feel very lucky to be here in Bolivia and extremely fortunate to work with a group of people who get along great and really complement one another’s working styles and personalities.
Hands down the best part of the trip was in Boyuibe, where we got to go on the air after a long morning in the back country of the Chaco. One of the current volunteers’ jobs is hosting a radio station on environmental issues, every MWF for an hour… and coincidentally it was one of our birthdays in the group, so we all sang happy birthday to Yolanda and capped the night off with some Bolivian beers and cake. Some dulce de leche cake with some slammin’ honey flavored icing. ;) The following day in Boyuibe we did some more back country traveling to several different campo communities to collect batteries, what a different world. Super small towns filled with so much life.
During tech week the seven of us in Environmental Education had our second interview with our APCD regarding site placement, and fortunately for us all we chose 7 different sites. I requested the only site in the Altiplano, which lies at 3600 meters, which is about 11,000 ft. and is a 7 hour bus ride from Cochabamba. Today I found out that indeed I will be heading there, my new home will be Sacaca and I will be one of three Environmental Educators in the Altiplano. Next week we will all be traveling to our new sites to finally meet our communities. In the meantime I plan to start Quechua classes and enjoy my last few weeks with my wonderful host family.
Before arriving in Bolivia I envisioned myself working in the Andes and now I am finally making my way there.
3 comments:
So happy to hear about your placement...Sacaca it is! Now you don't have to worry about the tarantulas, right?
I tried to call you today to wish you a happy birthday, but alas, you are in the mountains of Sacaca and we did not connect. I hope you are having a wonderful day and you and I both know it's going to be a great year for you! Happy birthday my sweet!
Diana! I am sitting here reading your log notes to Eric. I picture you in these off-road adventures and your smile is fantastic. So wide and breathtaking. And what a pleasure it is to hear how well the pieces are fitting together-your working with the environment. And I can see the Spanish in your mouth! Hooray. Much love and big dreams, Erin
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