Politrix

Well well well.....what have we here?

The political tensions in Bolivia have been taking a toll on people like me who would like to enter the country. Evo Morales, Bolivia's first ever fully indigenous president, has had some violent opposition from the eastern part of Bolivia where most of Bolivia's natural resources lie (esp. oil and gas).

President Morales claims that the US is supporting these militant groups. The US, of course, denies these claims (lets look at history: not too long ago the US supported many different contra groups, or counter-revolutionaries, in many different Latin American countries...El Salvador, Bolivia, Chile...the list goes on. See: Latin America in the Era of the Cuban Revolution, By Thomas C. Wright, for more info on American foreign policy and propaganda.)

What does this mean for my school program? A one week delay, flight rescheduling, and a close eye on the situation in Bolivia.

If you want to know a little more about what the situation is all about check out this link to a really good news source: http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0912/p99s05-duts.html

Well....I am going to unpack now, what a trip...ha.
It looks like a week of getting creosote in my eyes while cleaning chimneys is in the mix....maybe some good reading!

Adios,

Cory

Full Moon Arrival

¡Bienvenidos!
Welcome!

I am gearing up, materially and mentally, for three months of service and learning in Bolivia. I am leaving on Sunday, September 14. I'll have more than a days worth of flying and playing the waiting game in the airports...my favorite!

I will be staying with a host family, a widow and two of her four children, in Cochabamba, the third largest city in Bolivia. According to IMF and World Bank standards (ah yes, the judgment of the West), Bolivia is the second poorest country in the western hemisphere, behind Haiti. Bolivia also has the highest indigenous population of any country in the Americas. I am quite excited to spend some time with people who speak Quechua, the official adopted language of the Inca. It has some similarities to Spanish but is mostly very different.

I recently found out that one of my teachers will be meeting me in La Paz early Monday morning, right around the time that la luna (the moon) is full. La Paz is the highest capital city in the world at 11,942 feet (3,640 m). We will have breakfast and a small tour in La Paz, the administrative capital of Bolivia (the historical and judicial capital is in Sucre). Then we will fly to Cochabamba and I will begin to settle into my new giant cultural classroom.

Needless to say, I am getting muy emocionado (very excited)! I hope to be able to update the blog as often as is needed. Definitely post comments and feel free to e-mail me. I love communication.

"¡La unión es la fuerza!"
"Unity is strength!"

Cory