Casi un año

The days are perfect. Windows open at twilight and crickets chirping while the odd rooster crows. I arrived today on the bus from Vallegrande sitting next to six tourists on their way to La Higuera; they were snapping pictures and marveling at the valleys down below. Arriving in Pucará, a Belgian couple decided to walk to La Higuera, leaving their large backpacks in my house until their return; the others took a taxi on their journey west. It was a beautiful day to witness Pucará for the first time!
My work with the Mayor’s office is slow and frustrating. My presence is neither expected nor acknowledged- and without support from them, it has been near impossible to rally the community to form a tourism committee or even discuss the issue seriously. My computer classes have stopped; those who were interested have finished the course and that is that. Despite lack of “traditional” work, I still am in love with Pucará and its people. They are the reason I get up each morning (usually!) and make me feel like a pucareña.

I have formally organized a club de chicas; we have been hiking, baking, and reading books in English and Spanish together for a while now and I love spending time with these 8 girls. They are now helping me unwed and replant the greenhouse with fresh vegetables to sell on the plaza on Sundays. I am working on setting up a recycling project with them as well. My 7^th grade class in the school here has begun an exchange with a school in Iowa; we are learning about the Plains Indians and basic English and the 7^th graders in the U.S. are learning a bit of the Incas too. I also have been inquiring in Vallegrande to teach new guides about tourism and some English vocabulary… I am basically trying every outlet towards still working on tourism these days!

When I see experiences such as today with the tourists coming through Pucará, I wonder whether the pucareños aren’t right, and that maybe the level of tourism here is nearly sufficient; after all, most travelers to these parts are looking for the adventure, the hiking, and really experiencing the heart of the Bolivian countryside. Winter is almost over, and aside from a light snow and freeze two weeks ago, it has been uncharacteristically mild.At the end of August I am going south to the Grand Chaco region to visit another PCV, Andrew, in his site outside of Yacuiba where they hold an annual rodeo! Several of us will then venture a couple hours south into Argentina to visit the wineries of Salta. I have been here a year and realize I have chosen the best rollercoaster ride yet of my life!

Dia del Maestro a.k.a. "National Teacher Day"

Yesterday we left at daybreak, all huddled in a flatbed truck, down the mountain pass that goes past the school and various people’s estancias (ranches). From the valley we had to walk a kilometer up a mountain to our destination; having brought along stereo (and battery to play the stereo), cases of beer, buckets of corn, 10 kilos of meat, a grill, and charcoal; we were each trudging up like ants, going to have a picnic. We arrived at Prof. Nelson’s farm and were welcomed with cups of sweet, sweet coffee and warm cheese empanadas. As we ate breakfast and marveled at his location overlooking the mountains and cornfields that he owns, his wife pulled out piping hot zapallo (squash) from the adobe oven. We each took spoonfuls of squash and added warm milk to our bowls, almost like a type of cereal; it was surprisingly delicious and fun to eat! The men began to slip shots of singani into their coffee and the women were gathered in the room with the stove, talking about food and preparing “lunch.” Now, I can’t really say what “lunch” was, because we ate almost all day long. The director of the schools arrived on his atv and came walking up the mountain with cases of beer on his head. We were then ready to go to the cow pasture and enjoy Ambrosia (warm cow’s milk and cinnamon liquor shots). We took turns, and went from cow to cow until there was no more milk coming out of each one! Most of the teachers know that this is the only type of alcohol that I really enjoy, so they took advantage of invitaring me every other shot (or so it seemed!) we were so full by 10 o’clock, that we returned to the house and just lounged, peeling potatoes, yucca, and tomatoes for later. We jammed to cumbia and vallegrandino music. Prof. Nelson is what we call a bailador and asked everyone to dance at least 3 times during the course of the day. As we took off our dancing shoes, Hilda, Nelson’s wife, served us hot zapallo soup with pieces of campo cheese and potatoes. Maria, the director’s wife and I snuck a locoto pepper and added our own spice secretly, giving it an even stronger taste. Gaby, Marile, Adair, and Ivi (all sons and daughters of teachers present) were intrigued with my camera so we decided to go on a photo shoot; I captured funny faces and poses on the mountain; you could tell that even for them, this was the rural countryside compared to “urban” Pucará. I returned to the house after escaping the beginning of “invitaring” (you invite someone to drink after you, then you drink) of beer. Magaly, Nelson’s daughter passed around a plate of fresh cheese, to be eaten with moté (warm corn kernels).
The vallegrandino music switched to merengue and more cases of beer were brought out. The day was perfect, without a cloud in the sky; we went back and forth from sun to shade, talking about families, and food, and telling jokes on each other. The barbeque was being prepared, tomato-onion-locoto salad being made, and yucca boiling on the wood stove, all in preparation for our big “lunch.” At this point I didn’t think I could fit one more morsel of food in my stomach… but dancing to song after song helped me digest. Around 4 o’clock, the meat was finally ready, rice was cooked, potatoes were soft, and beer was running out. We ate heartily, enjoying the last hours of the day and knowing that we could fast tomorrow if only to enjoy one more piece of grilled steak and a little more yucca. The kids were getting cranky, and the teachers went around making speeches about the importance of an education and working for the future. It was an odd moment for me because I was included as if I were a teacher like them, Bolivian like them, in this little hamlet at the end of the world; and I guess for me it was enough to show that feeling of really being included in their celebrations, such as this “Day of the Teacher,” to show how accepting they are of having me in Pucará. No one treated me differently, I had to haul down a crate full of empty beer bottles and sit in the back of the truck like everyone else… and after such a glorious day, I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.

Chicha de Serrano

So i was invited to Villa Serrano with all of the primary school teachers last weekend. I was excited to be able to get to know them better as well as having the opportunity to see the two volunteers in that town, and as a bonus, check my email! We left after lunch on Friday, riding a camion (something between a pickup truck and semi trailer) through the mountains, down to the Rio Grande, across the Santa Rosa bridge and through the towns of El Oro, Achiras and Nuevo Mundo. The ride was bumpy at times, scary at times, and interminable at times, but I think it was probably one of my most favorite transport rides in Bolivia. With no roof the sky was the limit; I discovered trees, mountain tops, condors, parrots, and host of other wildlife and an ordinary car doesn’t permit you to see. We arrived in Serrano, famished and achy. The teachers at the primary school there greeted us with soda, chicha, and crackers.
Now, the chicha in Serrano is no ordinary chicha. “chicha” by definition is a fermented corn drink, that has the consistency of 0% milk, the color of cornmeal, and a rather interesting flavor. Serrano chicha is not just all of the above, but has 40 proof alcohol and sugar added to it (as if the fermentation process wasn’t enough to get you on the dance floor after one glass!)
Saturday arrived early and most of the men had come back to the alojamiento (named “misky life” which means “the sweet life”) at 5 a.m. from the Chicheria. They were too drunk to play the games which were scheduled for that day, so the women had to play. I put my best skills into a game of basketball (which we lost) and then fulbito (which we tied)… but it was a gorgeous day and fun to get out there and play with other women. The backdrop was a breathtaking view of the mountains surrounding Serrano and the weather was perfectly hot! That day I had a nice breakfast with Sarah, Melissa, and Andrea in Melissa’s new house and lunched at the Mayor’s house (where Sarah lives).
The afternoon was spent leisurely, chatting with the girls and catching up on the latest news. One of the teachers held a BBQ for us that evening, and we had good steak on the grill with moté and of course, chicha. We danced to a couple cumbia songs, some coplas, and then I excused myself to go watch a movie with the girls.
On Sunday I found Oso (bear in Spanish), my new puppy; the girls in my computer class named him, because he looks like a little bear. He accompanied me back to Pucará in the camion… along with the semi-unconscious bodies of the men in our group, who, stumbling into the truck insisted on bringing back some chicha for the ride! Ahhh.

Back to Pucará this week where we have had surprisingly good weather though the cold permeates my room each night and lowers it to a chilly 40°. Winter isn’t even on its way yet, but like many of the mysteries of Bolivia, fall and spring don’t really exist, just extended winter. We had a successful meeting on tourism services here in Pucará and people are getting excited about working on their houses; next step, finding funding for a series of courses that we will have here on hospitality, sanitation, and starting a bed and breakfast! Meanwhile, I am drawing a large map of the municipality and working on turning half of the library into a tourist information center.
Tomorrow I am teaching the 7^th grade class for the first time; part of a partnership with a classroom in the States, the program allows an interchange of information and ideas from students to volunteers abroad.

May 1^st is Bolivian Labor Day and the 3^rd is the Fiesta de la Cruz. Celebration time once more in Pucará! Hope you all are well, enjoy the beautiful spring weather for me!