First visit to the group home

Well it's been a while since my last update so I will have to decide the most important things to write about.

The biggest thing that happened was on Saturday I visited a group home in El Alto for the first time.

The home is called Munasim Kullakita. It's one of the main places where we will be filming over the next couple months so we went to meet the girls and do a sort of introduction to what we will be doing. We went with Yasenia, the young theater teacher who will run the classes. It was pretty incredible to be there. It was also intensely sad. It made my heart hurt in a deep way that I can't even begin to explain. The girls were all so young, so full of life, so beautiful. But they have been through so much. More than I can even imagine. They are between 13 and 19 years old, the majority around 16 or 17. There are 16 girls living in the house right now and of those five have babies. Almost all of them have lived on the streets of El Alto for some amount of time and have been abused, addicted to drugs and alcohol, and many have worked as underage prostitutes.

When we first got there the girls were just coming back from a group outing. They ran up to us (some with their babies on their backs) and greeted us in typical Bolivian fashion, a cheek-to-cheek kiss. They introduced themselves and introduced their children, asked who I was, what I was doing, what that weird thing I was holding was (it was a boom pole and microphone). I immediately felt welcomed to the home, something I was definitely not expecting.

We went inside and talked for a while. Yasenia had them go around and introduce themselves and she talked to them about the theater classes and the plan for the program.

Yasenia. This young woman is absolutely inspiring. She is only 22 years old but absolutely commands the room. She is from El Alto and has been through her share of troubles but now works for Teatro Trono doing theater classes like ours and also working with the audio visual section of the group to teach video classes and help kids in different communities make documentaries. She is so wonderful with the girls and has an intelligence and a confidence much greater than her years. I was pretty amazed to watch her interact with the girls. We are lucky to have her helping us and as a character in our film.

Anyway, they were all pretty excited about the theater classes. One of the biggest reasons they wanted to participate was to help them forget. Forget all the horrible things that have happened to them.

Afterwards, we gave them some juice and mingled and talked a little bit. One of the girls knits wristwarmers (They're gloves with no fingers. Maybe they're called wristwarmers.). I asked if I could see them and told her I really liked them. They're quite well made, I was very impressed. She offered to make me a pair and then asked me what color I wanted. We settled on blue and white. She was so excited and happy that I actually wanted a pair of them. She wanted to make sure they were ready for the next time I visited which is not for a few weeks because I'm traveling. Her face fell a little when I told her that. These girls want affection, want affirmation, want love so badly. You can see it in their eyes when they look at you.

I asked her how long it takes her to make a pair of them. She told me she can make 3 pairs in a day, if she does it all day long. Then she told me sometimes she does. You see, she needs something to keep her hands and mind busy. When she doesn't have that, she remembers the horrible things her uncle and her father and other men did to her. And she gets sad, starts to cry. So she knits. And she's doing better.

When you meet a group of people, sometimes you really feel a connection with one of them right away. I felt that with this girl. I wanted to give her a hug, to help her in some way. But right now, there's nothing I can do. Hopefully I will see her again in a few weeks. And hopefully she will enjoy the theater classes, hopefully they will help her work through some of her past, be a sort of therapy for her. That's really all I can hope for right now.

And then a complete change in people, place, feelings.

That night I went out with my friend from Cochabamba who was visiting for the weekend. She likes gringos so we went to this crazy party hostel in La Paz. Sometimes I have trouble with this sudden turn; going from a place like the group home to a party hostel. This place was absolutely crazy. Absolutely full of men from all over the world with very few women. So, you know what that means. It doesn't matter what you look like, dress like, smell like... the men will swarm. It was overwhelming. Kinda neat to meet people from Brazil, Spain, Australia, the USA, England, and tons of other places. But when they started removing their clothing and dancing on the bar I was ready to head out.


I've been a little sick since the weekend. I have a cold and had an upset stomach (okay fine I admit it I ate some street food when I was drunk and I can probably pretty safely blame that). But I'm starting to feel better.

AND

I'm traveling for 2 weeks starting tomorrow! My friend from Northwestern came to Bolivia today. Tomorrow we leave for Copacabana, then head to Cusco to climb Macchu Pichu, then we're going to Salar de Uyuni, the biggest salt flats in the world. So that's all very exciting and I'm psyched for the trip.

So that's it!

They Say a Picture is Worth A Thousand Words...

...unfortunately today I did not bring my camera.


Today, January 6, was Reyes Magos. I am not Catholic and this whole idea was completely new to me. The first sign of the holiday I saw was when I was rushing back home from the gym at 9:08 to shower and get ready for my Spanish class at 9:30. I was haphazardly speed walking down the street, avoiding pedestrians, broken sidewalk, puddles, and minibuses, when I saw a small old woman carrying a little cradle with a fancy looking doll inside. (Please excuse my ignorance in these religious matters.) "That's funny," I thought. "I'm late!" I thought.

After my Spanish class I met up with my friend (yes, I have a friend) and we ate some salteñas before heading to the San Francisco Museum which happens to also be the San Francisco Church. We took a tour of the museum which was cool but pretty much your standard tour of an old monastery/church. (I also realized that I need to brush up on my Bolivian history. Does anyone have an old Bolivian history textbook?) One of the cool things was that since it was built on a hill, there is a garden in the middle of the second floor, the top of the hill. Then we went up to the bell tower and saw a really incredible view of the city. We were by no means in one of the highest buildings in the city but something about the silhouetted bells, the slanted red roof, and the stone walls with the city in the background made it all pretty amazing.

Anyway, back to Reyes Magos. The tradition here is that you bring your baby Jesus to church and pray. So people buy these very fancy looking baby Jesuses (according to to spell-check Jesuses is not a word so what's the plural of Jesus?) and little clothes and shoes and baskets and hats and blankets and all kinds of accessories and carry them very delicately through the streets to church. We were at the San Francisco Cathedral during Mass so the whole plaza surrounding it was full of waves of people carrying these baskets. And the streets nearby were lined with vendors selling these dolls and clothes and shoes; all different colors, different sizes... it was really incredible.

Next to the Cathedral is a street called Sagarnaga. It's the Witch Market, the part of La Paz where they sell the sacramental and religious items (such as dried llama fetuses and all sorts of ceremonial things that you burn like fake money, miniature food, and other symbolic items) as well as the touristy hats and bags and scarves that you have all seen before. Today, the street was overflowing with people selling the baby Jesuses as well as Indigenous shamans performing ceremonies, people burning incense and money and coca leaves... the smell and the smoke and the noise and the colors and the crowd was overwhelming and really amazing. The mix of the Catholic religion and the Indigenous traditions never fails to fascinate me.


And now some important important points from the past week where I did not post anything:

Today I also went to my friend's parents' house for lunch. It was in a place pretty far out in the Zona Sur, the southern part of La Paz. It was very nice of them to invite me and make me a nice (vegetarian) lunch. It was quiet there, away from the noise and the smog. It was a nice change.

People here are generally really really warm and welcoming and friendly. This is not only true about Tupac's family and friends and my direct contacts, but about many people I've met. They are quick to invite you for lunch (see above) and really try to help you out. I contacted a few friends of friends in order to meet people here and they are always very willing to talk to me and meet up, take me around the city. Much more so than I've ever encountered in the United States.

Last Thursday I went to a market in El Alto. WAIT I have a picture of the view from this one.

It was crazy. You can buy anything there. Clothes, sleeping bags, toys, books, pots and pans, food, plants, chickens, puppies, car parts, cameras, DVDs... I could go on. It's a maze of streets lined with tents where people are selling things. There was so much to see. I'll probably be back.

Pizza in La Paz: surprisingly awesome. 
Chinese food in La Paz: maybe skip it.

Last night I saw Hunger Games: Catching Fire (in Spanish it’s called Juegos de Hambre: En Llamas someone explain that one to me) for the second time, dubbed in Spanish, and it was still awesome. 

Speaking of which, I want to go watch a movie so I'm going to stop blogging now. 


Oh! New Years Update!
1. They really did dance all night long.
2. There was a couch.
3. When I woke up it was light out and they were still dancing.  

I have been eating a lot of cheese.

I have been eating a lot of cheese. Cheese for breakfast, for lunch, for snack, for dinner. I am not exaggerating. I don't mean just plain cheese. I mean cheese on bread, fried cheese on choclo (a kind of delicious not sweet corn with big kernels), potatoes, and fava beans (this is called Plato Paceño and is wonderful), cheese in empanadas or pastries, cheese on pizza, cheese in souffles. It's a damn good thing I like cheese.

There are a lot of traditions for New Years in Bolivia. One of these is to wear undergarments that are either yellow or red. Walking down the streets, especially near markets, you see vendors selling lacy underwear and bras as well as tight little boxers that are bright yellow and red. You wear yellow for wealth and money in the coming year and you wear red for love. I, however, do not have any yellow or red undergarments right now. Instead I am wearing underwear with whales on it. I don't know what that means for my future.

I live in a pretty awesome neighborhood. I can walk to almost anything I need. For example, I joined a gym that's around the corner. It's called Hammer Gym. It might be a bodybuilding gym. I do not have any interest in bodybuilding. Instead I go and run and run. Sometimes they look at me like I'm crazy because I'm a little foreign girl and when I run I turn bright red and sweat like a bodybuilder. (See what I did there?)

Cool story: This is something that happens to me fairly often. I am clearly not from Bolivia. Many times when I meet someone or am talking to someone in the elevator they ask me where I'm from. "Los Estados Unidos," I tell them. "But you speak Spanish so well!" they reply. This makes me want to do a happy dance. The truth is I don't speak Spanish all that well but I have a decent accent. It fools people into thinking I'm good at Spanish. It's a good trick.

I also started taking Spanish classes. The school is also walking distance from my apartment. I really like it. They even have tea, coffee, and drinking water. Drinking water is not a small thing in South America. Living in a country where they speak a language you have not yet mastered can get frustrating sometimes. I just want to be able to say what I want to say and not trip over my words. I'm super terrible at speaking Spanish on the phone. Today in my lesson I started learning the subjunctive tense for the fourth time. English doesn't have it. It's basically hypothetical, supposition, probability... a tense for things that aren't necessarily reality. I definitely learned it in high school, college, and last time I was in Bolivia. But it never seems to stick. I hope that I learn the subjunctive tense this time. Espero que aprenda el subjuntivo esta vez.

Tonight is New Years Eve. Feliz año nuevo, jokers. I'm going to a party. This is a party that a friend of Tupac is throwing. These people are a bit older than I am but I suspect their partying style may leave me in the dust. By dust I mean passed out on a sofa. I hope there are sofas at the party. It is scheduled to begin at 10 pm tonight and run until midday tomorrow. Again, I am not exaggerating. Another new years tradition in Bolivia involves eating a lot of pig meats. I do not eat this food. But I do know that there are 2 scheduled meals of pig meats at this party. And lots of alcohol. I can't plan for this. Start the year off with adventures.

Speaking of adventures, here's to 2014. That sure came up fast. I doubt 2014 can be any more insane than 2013 but who knows. I don't make new years resolutions because I think that if you want to change something about your life or do something better or stop doing something you should cut the crap, stop procrastinating, and do it now. Why wait for the new year? So none of that from me. But happy new year! At the beginning of 2013 I never would have guessed I would be starting the next year in Bolivia. But I'm super happy I am.

I guess the things you can take away from this post are: I have been eating a lot of cheese, I'm wearing underwear with whales on it, I joined a bodybuilding gym, I trick people into thinking I'm good at Spanish, and I'm not making any new years resolutions.

Charming.

The Last Days in Cochabamba (for now) With Some Important Side Notes

On Saturday, a friend of the family showed up for lunch. Claudia came with her fiancé and a huge smile on her face. We all prepared a huge delicious lunch and a fruit salad of pineapple and the most delicious mango ever. There were a lot of jokes and laughter and even though I definitely missed some of the humor due to my limited Spanish expertise, it was contagious.

Side note on fruit in Bolivia: It is delicious. I probably mentioned this last time I was here but it bears repeating. The thing about fruit in the United States of America is that it is all supposed to look aesthetically pleasing and be easy to ship. So it becomes bigger and brighter and harder and loses a lot of its flavor. But in Bolivia the fruit comes in fresh from the countryside. It doesn’t last as long, it has brown spots, it’s not perfectly shaped, but the flavor is so much better. So. Much. Better.

Anyway, Claudia invited the family to accompany them to her fiancé’s sister’s house about a half hour outside of Cochabamba, near a place called Tiquipaya. There are some waterfalls there that you can hike up to and wade in. As usual, I got to tag along.

Tagging along is not always easy. I do often feel like the outsider who is not actually supposed to be there but somehow managed to get herself an invitation. I have to remind myself that when I’m invited somewhere I am actually welcome. I was also designated the trip photographer so I took that job very seriously.

We arrived at the house and it was absolutely beautiful. It was surrounded by green and mountains and huge cacti and flowers. We hiked up along a manmade water trough that brings water down from the streams. It wasn’t a particularly difficult hike and the view was incredible.  On the side of the path we also saw a really cool map of Bolivia etched into the dirt, complete with pebble Andes Mountains. When we arrived at the waterfalls people immediately jumped in, splashing around, bathing in the cool clear water.

The Map

Ismael took it a bit more slowly due to his recent illness. He climbed down to the stream, sat on a rock, and meditated. The entire scene was pretty awesome. I had to put down my camera after a bit and just sit and take it all in. The waterfalls surrounded by mountains, Cochabamba in the distance, the family and friends, people of all ages playing in the water. 

Claudia and Feris

Ismael

Side note about that moment: It was first time I really felt a bit homesick since I’ve been in Bolivia. I didn’t have my family or friends there and I felt kind of like an observer. Part of that was probably because I separated myself from the scene with my camera lens but part of the reason I separated myself from the scene with my camera lens was because I felt that way.

After a while we headed back up to the house where a bunch of people gathered, family and friends and neighbors. They served us rum and coke, cookies, cakes, choclo (a type of corn with really big kernels of which I am quite a fan). Some people played music, the children ran around tormenting the dogs and an unfortunate kitten named Gatuna Matata (Gato means cat in Spanish. I thought the name was hilarious.) As it got dark the light filtering through the clouds was really beautiful creating shades of blue in the mountains. When we were leaving I could see fireflies all over the hillside.

Overall it was a pretty cool day. One of those unexpected things that just comes up sometimes and you go with it. That’s what life is all about. 

Five other things about my final few days in Cochabamba

In a list because the internet loves lists

1.     The Kickstarter campaign ended on Saturday. We ended up getting 106% of our goal. I am in awe of the incredible support we received. Seriously, thank you thank you thank you to everyone who contributed in any way.

2.     On Sunday I met up with a new friend I met last week. She knows I’m a filmmaker and we had talked a bit about Bolivian movies, none of which I had ever seen. So on Sunday when she knew I was leaving the next day, she gave me a going away gift: a film called Zona Sur, a Bolivian film about a family in La Paz. It was so nice of her and such a perfect gift. I can’t wait to watch it. Also, when I went to say goodbye to Lupe she gave me a ring. All of these people are so wonderful.

Side note about movies: I lost my entire DVD collection. It was in my suitcase on the way from the United States to Bolivia and when I got here it was gone. Either I misplaced it along the way or some Bolivian airport worker now has hours of great entertainment for himself and his children.

3.     I wanted to do something nice for the Saavedra family since I stayed with them for 10 days and ate their food and lived in their house and took advantage of their unbelievable hospitality. I initially thought of getting them a gift but could not think of anything to get them. So I decided to bake them a cake. There were a couple of challenges with this plan. First of all, there are a few vegans in the house. Second, baking at a higher altitude is different. Third, they have a really crazy professional baking oven thing that I have no idea how to use. The cake didn’t cook right. It was a puddingy mess. Luckily it was vegan so it was still edible. But I was so disappointed. I wanted to make them something super nice to let them know how grateful I was. They say it’s the thought that counts. By they I mean my parents and Eliana. Hey, I tried.

4.     On Sunday night I went to a friend’s house and watched a Bolivian movie called Quien mató la llamita blanca or Who Killed the White Llama. It’s a comedy. But all of the jokes are really Bolivian. So I understood some of them but so much of it went over my head. I’m just not Bolivian. Maybe in a few months I’ll understand more.

5.     There are some things in life that you have to take advantage of. One of those things is salteñas. Here’s the thing. I’ve been a vegetarian for a couple years now but when you’re faced with the option of eating salteñes you do not turn it down. No regrets. That’s all I’ll say about that.

Yesterday I flew to La Paz. I’m always pretty pleased with the efficiency of BoA, the Bolivian airline I’ve taken most often. They are very on time, professional, and pretty inexpensive. The flight is only about 25 minutes but they still manage to serve you a beverage and a snack. Impressive.

During the flight to La Paz I always feel like we’re pretty close to the ground. I guess this is because of the mountains. I also feel like take off and go up but never really go down very much; we just sort of land. Because of the altitude of La Paz. I could be completely wrong about all of this but either way I think it’s a really beautiful flight. 

Now I’m in La Paz and I’m pretty excited to be here, ready to explore a new city. It feels very different from Cochabamba, not only because of the shortness of breath you experience when you try to walk up a hill too fast at this altitude. It’s a big city, very busy, with people from all over the world, art, culture, life.

Last night Tupac and I went to the Witch Market, a maze of streets in La Paz that sells all sorts of things, very popular with the tourists. (I’ll be back there to buy souvenirs for all you all in a few months.) He wanted a new guitar so we only went to the guitar stores. The coolest one, and the one where he made his purchase, featured a guy who made his own guitars in the shop. There were guitars at all different levels of completeness and it was so cool to see. It made me want to learn guitar.

Side note about alcohol consumption and my personal Spanish proficiency: I am better at Spanish when I am slightly drunk.

Tonight is Christmas Eve. It’s pretty much my first Christmas Eve ever. I’ll let you know how that goes.

Big News for The Little Prince!

Today was (is) a big day for me.

The excitingest news that I have is that WE REACHED OUR GOAL! I woke up this morning, went upstairs to eat breakfast, and was greeted with "Felicidades!" from Lupe, the wonderful woman I'm living with and a former student of SIT, the study abroad program I did 3 years ago. Our Kickstarter was successful with more than 2 days to go. Of course, our work is only just beginning. But this is a huge step for us. And it means at least my flight here won't be paid for out of pocket.

Check out our KICKSTARTER

Thank you so so much to everyone who contributed in any way. I am humbled by the incredible support we received. I honestly wasn't sure it was possible to raise $20,000 in a month but I'm so glad I was wrong. 

The other big news is that yesterday we learned that The Little Prince of the Andes was accepted for fiscal sponsorship from the San Francisco Film Society! This will help us with fundraising, grants, and all of the little things that you need to keep track of while making a film. It will also be helpful once the film is completed. We are making such incredible progress on this project.

Tonight, Ismael is screening his life's work film for a group of very important Bolivians (VIBs?). It's about decolonization of oneself, a concept that's difficult to explain. Basically, the parts of the world that have been colonized have had foreign and often repressive ways of living, ways of seeing the world, and ways of being forced on them. This affects society and culture but also personal wellbeing. These cultures now need to find a way to decolonize themselves and return to their natural ways of life.

After the screening there is a discussion that I am helping to film. It should be very interesting.


Other cool things that happened this week: I made some new Cochabambino friends who I hope to return to see, I caught up with my SIT academic adviser Heidi who wants me and Tupac to come back to talk to the students next semester, I went for a nice run around a beautiful park nearby, I ate some really good food, I visited Casablanca (one of the restaurants I frequented in 2010) and drank half a bottle of wine, and today I had lunch in a place called Angostura on a little lake with Swan peddle boats and weird things floating in the water. (I ate a whole trout which is a very difficult thing for me and requires a lot of concentration to avoid the bones).

Lago del Eden, Angostura, Cochabamba, Bolivia

To be completely honest, I'm already looking for reasons to move back to Cochabamba for a while once I'm done with this project. I don't think I can stay away for another three years (sorry Mom and Dad).

The City of Eternal Spring: An Introduction

I am now in Cochabamba. After arriving in La Paz on Wednesday, I spent the day unpacking, trying not to pass out from exhaustion, and walking hopelessly up and down (I mean up and down literally) the streets of La Paz with no map trying fruitlessly to find a new battery for my cell phone.

That night we took a taxi to the airport. There was traffic and we arrived 30 minutes before our departure time. We checked in, paid the airport tax, went through security, (guys, you don't have to take your shoes off in Bolivia!) and were in line for boarding 15 minutes before departure. It was one of those, "this could never ever happen in the United States" moments.

I've been in Cochabamba since Wednesday night. I love this city. I really do.

At first it didn't really feel familiar; three years is a long time. But then I started to recognize different landmarks, streets, restaurants and the memories came flooding back. I got so excited when I saw some of the places I haven't seen in three years.

AND THE FOOD.

I'm staying with Tupac and his family. I feel pretty honored to be able to stay here for a while. His father is Ismael, one of my academic directors when I studied abroad here with SIT, someone who has been very inspiring to me ever since I met him. There is no way I can describe him in a way that does him justice. For now I'll just say that he knows how to live more than anyone else I've ever met. His wife, Lupe, is also incredible. There is a kind of energy in the house that is hard to describe. It's really beautiful. And there is so much I can learn from them.

Ismael and Lupe playing the gongs

We're here until the end of the Kickstarter campaign (we're in the final push, people, donate now! http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/53669993/the-little-prince-of-the-andes) and then we go back to La Paz. Honestly I wish I had a little bit more time here. I'll just have to come back.

I have a working cell phone now thanks to the patient help of Ismael's 13 year old son. I also spent a bit of time walking around Cochabamba, reacquainting myself with the extreme lack of cars-following-traffic-rules. Red lights are more like a guideline, anyway. If there are no cars coming towards you why should you wait? Really, just go.

I also went out the past couple nights with a friend from last time I was in Bolivia and reminiscing was really wonderful. I met people from all over the world. I love how I never know what will happen, who I will meet. There was also a meteor shower last night that I saw from a rooftop.

I keep saying that I'm happy to be here. I really am. I know there will be hard days; I will get homesick, I'll probably get regular sick. I will be uncomfortable, I will have trouble communicating, I will be lonely, I will be bored, I will be tired. But I'm okay with all of that. This is where I want to be right now.

Hey look, I'm going to Bolivia

Well, I guess it’s real. I’m sitting here in the Miami airport, eating a slice of pizza. My flight for La Paz, Bolivia leaves in three hours and forty minutes. I just called my bank to let them know I will be overseas and that they should not deactivate my account when activity shows up in South America.

I am absolutely exhausted (guys, the truth is I didn’t really sleep much last night) and my mind is kind of fuzzy from snoozing on and off on airplanes all day. This is an international terminal though, which is fascinating. I hear all different languages; see people from all over the world. You can never know where someone is coming from or where they’re going.

I’ve been preparing for this trip for the past few weeks- got my vaccinations, my visa, a shiny new Maglite… but it never really feels real until you arrive.

A summary of what I’m doing for the next 16 weeks of my life:

I am going to Bolivia with my friend and colleague Tupac Saavedra to work on a documentary called The Little Prince of the Andes. The film follows the journey of former street children in El Alto, Bolivia as they use theater to heal from drug addiction, abuse, and trauma. Theater therapy plays a crucial role in keeping these children off the streets.

It’s a story full of tragedy and adversity but also one of hope and inspiration as we watch these children overcome their challenges and teach us what it means to be human. 

And now a quick fundraising plug!

We are embarking on a crowd funding campaign, not only to complete production of the film but also to fund two years of theater classes. In addition to bringing the children's stories to audiences around the world we will provide the children a healthy space for healing.

In order raise the necessary funds we have launched a Kickstarter campaign. If you haven’t yet donated please consider supporting this important project. 

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/53669993/the-little-prince-of-the-andes

There are also many other ways that you can help the project. If you know any people or organizations that might be interested in this type of project we would love your help in promoting the film through social media, emails, and by word of mouth.

Tomorrow my plane will (hopefully) land in the Andes Mountains at 6:35 am. I will spend the day in La Paz before heading off to Cochabamba for a week. We will complete the preproduction and Kickstarter campaign and then go back to La Paz to begin working with the children and filming the documentary.

I don’t know what to expect, I don’t know what will happen. All I know is that this is an unbelievable opportunity. There will be wonderful times, there will be difficult times, and I will have an experience unlike anything I’ve ever done before.

Next time I talk to you it will be from below the equator.

And I should probably brush up on my Spanish.