Christmas in Bolivia

Christmas greetings to all on this fine summer day!

Well, it's summer here in Bolivia, anyway... :) Warm, sunny mornings and afternoon showers and thunderstorms are the pattern for our weather this week. Unfortunately, this means that our power and Internet have been even more on-and-off than usual, so we apologize if you haven't heard from us when you hoped to.

It's very pleasantly cool in the evenings, when it usually clears off and we can see every star in the sky. Seems like it, anyway! Very little light pollution here makes for fantastic stargazing. We hear our friends and family in Iowa had a snowy Christmas -- we miss you all! We never thought we would miss snow, but Delaney in particular has had trouble "feeling Christmas-y" with no snow. She is definitely an Iowan.

Our Christmas was delightful here. You'll have to forgive me if I double up on some of what has happened, but our posts have been hard to get out with the Internet being on the frizt so much this past couple of weeks. We walked down below to spend the night, then spent a little while filling the flour, sugar and rice bags for the village families. Then we hung out and ate yummy homemade pizza for supper before the Christmas Eve mass -- we have to thank Ursula, the current volunteer from Germany, for the pizza. She says she used to make it for youth group stuff for her kids all the time, so she got pretty good at it. It was delicious! Then we went over to the chapel to wait for mass to start, and I realized I knew a Christmas carol in German, so Ursula, Delaney and I spent a wonderful few minutes singing Stille Nacht. Once mass started, there were village children all dressed up who marched and danced up front in the traditional style. It was a nice start to the evening. Then we had our mass, led by the local seminarian, Fr. Alejandro. He did a good job for his first time, although he was visibly nervous. He was smiling by the end, though!

We all went back to the guest house and had a great time playing cards and singing carols in several languages. Cookies, fruitcake, leftover wine and Jeff's homemade Bailey's were all served, and it was a fun night for us all. We got up fairly early on Christmas morning. Delaney did have a couple of presents to open (thanks to Nana and Sally for sending those!!), so she did that over Hugh's Christmas bread, more fruitcake and leftover pizza. A little bit later Delaney and I made Christmas cookies by rolling sugar cookie dough balls in chopped Brazil nuts, then pressing them flat and sprinkling little candy Christmas trees on the tops. Everyone liked them, and we left a big plate when we went home after lunch. Lunch was prepared by the students who stayed on campus, it was a yummy traditional meal with potatoes, chicken pieces, bananas, etc.

We hung around playing games and socializing after lunch, then eventually Hugh loaded us up in the campus SUV and gave us a ride home. It was nice not to have to carry our stuff back up -- thanks Hugh! We did receive a wonderful Christmas gift the next morning -- Sr. Cris, Hugh, and some students showed up with our new fridge! The Volunteer House had a newer, bigger one donated, so we got the one they had before. It will be very nice to have all that extra space, since it is twice the size of the little dorm fridge we had before. We are very thankful.

The rest of this week has been quiet, as we are gearing up for our trip to the Bolivian Amazon, which will probably happen next week. Thanks again to St. Andrew's for the wonderful Christmas gift, and we love and miss you all ---

Susan

Merry Christmas to all

Well, as promised, this time I will tell you a bit about what the Christmas season has been like for us so far. The first thing to tell you about is that the seasons have definitely changed here! Most of November was dry and sunny and warm -- beautiful weather in the 80s every day, very much like April or May back in Iowa. Last week, the weather changed. The rainy season is upon us -- it rains every day and every night. Not all the time, but enough that it is hard to find a time to hang laundry or bake bread (at this elevation, it is hard enough to get bread to rise properly. Add a cool, rainy day and it's nearly impossible!) The good news is that it is still warm in the afternoons, so you don't really mind having to go out in the rain too much.

I think we have mentioned before that they don't have the big Christmas shopping season that we have in the States. That is not to say that there isn't one, however. A couple of weeks ago, a few decorations began popping up in the shops of Coroico and we began to see the festive red boxes of fruitcake (the local version is more like a golden spongecake with candied fruit baked in) stacked in many shops and at the kiosks of many street vendors. As a matter of fact, the San Gabriel fruitcake boxes are probably the most visible sign of Christmas in Bolivia! LOL

Seriously, though, a few places are decorated a little bit. It was a little different in La Paz when we were there earlier this week -- there are towering artificial trees in every plaza and along the main boulevards in town. Many businesses are decorated, and Christmas music of various origins plays in some shops and restaurants. It is not as saturated as in the States, but it was nice to remember that Christmas is near.

Christmas trees are not unknown here, but they are not something most people have in their house. Most people in our area do not even decorate. We felt the need to have something, so we bought a string of Christmas lights and put them up on nails in the shape of a Christmas tree on a wall in our apartment. Cookie, our cat, promptly bit the plug off the cord, so the lights don't work, but it is still a nice wall hanging.

Most of the students and many staff members here at the UAC are gone now, home to family or on vacation (yes, this is the summer vacation from school). Some will stay, and there are events next week that I will tell you about next time we post. The staff party was last Thursday -- we had a nice Advent mass in the little chapel here on the upper campus (Padre Freddy's message was about really caring about the answer when we greet someone by asking how they are, and about how we should use this as a tool to share the love of Christ with others, and this isn't something we should just do at this time of year. Sound familiar to anyone? Suzanne's Christmas People Throughout the Year sermon came to mind...)

The mass was followed by a delicious Bolivian meal (a bowl of fragrant mildly spiced broth, cut up pieces of chicken and beef with the bone still in, carrots, two different kinds of potatoes and onions) that was shared with the students still present and the Bishop. Then the staff retired to a meeting room and exchanged gifts in the Secret Santa style. When it was your turn, you stood in the center of the circle and described the person you were giving the gift to, so that people could maybe guess, then revealed the name as you went to them to give them their gift. It was fun! We gave a pliers set to the Sister who manages maintenance, some small files to the carpenter, and a set of decorative candles to our friend Hugh (with a reminder that he was a light in the lives of so many). We received a fancy scarf, a Corocio coffee mug, and a Coroico knit cap. Plus, the UAC gave away a San Gabriel fruitcake and a nice bottle of table wine to each staffer/volunteer. It was a fun party, and we really enjoyed it.

St. Andrew's, our home church, was very generous in their Christmas gifts this week. They raised enough money to buy the entire list of tools that Jeff posted, plus a nice monetary gift for us that we will use to travel to the Bolivian Amazon in a couple of weeks. We are so grateful for their financial support, and for the love and prayers that they and many others have shared with us during our time here. Thank you so much, all of you, for your caring support. We know you are all here with us in Spirit, and we thank you for sharing that with us.

Christmas blessings and peace to all, and stay tuned for more news from Bolivia!

Susan

12-14-2013

Well, it is officially Summer Break here now. Some students are still making up homework and final exams, but for the most part, the campus is getting quiet. (Yeah!)

Some folks have requested more financial information about the students here at the UAC-CP. Tuition for students is set at 1500 b’s or $215 per semester while the actual cost to educate a student is around $1000 per semester. For the meal plan of 3 meals per day, students pay 160 b’s and the UAC-CP contributes 100 b’s for a total of 260 b‘s or around $37 per month, or around 1300 b’s or $187 per semester. These prices cover the basic needs, but do not include any extras like school supplies or bus fares to town or home. The bus fare to Coroico is 5 b’s each way. I will leave it to the Godly Play Instructor to remove the American dollar amounts to give a budding accountant the opportunity to practice math skills!

Students of the UAC-CP come from all walks of life. We have students from the big city of La Paz, to students born and raised right here in Carmen Pampa, and every size town in between. It is kind of fun watching the students interact from their various backgrounds. Watching the students from the city get their hands dirty, and the rural students getting dressed up for their presentation of the thesis project shows a transformation that can only come through education. I am just proud and humbled to be here assisting them in getting that education.

I would like to congratulate 4 people in my post today. First, I would like to send a BIG HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my grandson Diego! Sorry it couldn’t have been on your birthday! He is a whopping 7 years old as of yesterday!!! Second, our upstairs neighbor Gladys Rivera successfully defended her thesis this past week. She is officially an Agronomy Engineer now. Third and fourth, my oldest brother Fred Cornforth was recently married to his beautiful bride, Jill Middag Cornforth. Welcome to the family Jill, and CONGRATS to both of you!

Delaney has started her own blog (finally! :) )The web address for that blog is: murmersfrombolivia.wordpress.com. Check it out and let her know what you think!

 I think I will end for now so I can try to upload this post. The Internet for the campus has been down since earlier yesterday, due to rain.  I will add some more tool prices from things that are useful and needed here later this week.

Remember to smile at someone, if for no other reason than to make them wonder what you are up too! Also, remember that we should be Christmas People throughout the year!

God’s Peace to each and every one of you!

Jeff

Here are some additional items: I will continue gathering items and their costs!

The abbreviation of Bolivianos is simply “b’s”

Electrical Lineman’s Pliers: 28 b’s

Toilet Plunger: 15 b’s

Soldering Iron: 28 b’s

Extension Cords

Short: 14 b’s

Long: Around 100 b’s (I don’t have an exact amount)

Door Knob Sets: 75 b’s

Electrical Tape: 14 b’s

Peace!

Jeff

Below is a partial list of materials and tools that would be helpful. As I come upon other needs, I will add to the list:

Roughly, $1 is equal to 7 Bolivianos

All purpose screws: 3 per 1 Bolivianos

All purpose nails: 3 per 1 Bolivianos

PVC Pipe threader: 25 Bolivianos, different sizes available for slightly different costs.

Hammer: 75 Bolivianos

All purpose saw: 50 Bolivianos

Non electric Hand drill: 45 Bolivianos

Bits for drill: 15-50 Bolivianos depending on selection

Electric tools

Circular saw: 380 Bolivianos

Drill, Corded: 170 Bolivianos

Drill, Cordless: 370 Bolivianos

Bits for drill: 15-50 Bolivianos depending on selection

I thank God each day for all of you in our lives.

Peace,

Jeff

Imagine, if you will, the cost of doing business for 650 students. Providing for 50 students more wouldn't require much of an increase in supplies. Now imagine planning for 700 students, but losing funding of 50 scholarships, for a loss of $100,000. That is what happened to the UAC when Bolivian President Evo Morales, kicked USAID out of Bolivia earlier this year. USAID provided the funds to cover those 50 scholarships, plus funding for other projects including building dormitories, and other building projects, as well as the supplies to maintain those projects and buildings. The financial hardship spreads to other areas as well. Next semester, the English department has to cut their monthly contribution to the room and board of the 4 volunteer teachers to $25, down from $50. This may not seem like much, but for our family that is a week’s worth of groceries. When you depend on funds from donors for your survival, personally and institutionally, losing a major funding source like USAID is painful. Please pray that our two governments can find a way to get along. The people of Bolivia need places like the UAC to help themselves. It’s true what they say, that if you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day, but if you teach him how to fish, you feed him for a lifetime. (Unless you fish like Delaney… J)

On the bright side, the students are doing very well. Smiles and “Hola”s are always fruitful walking around campus. My plan to blend in hasn't gone too well. When you are my size, that doesn't happen! Bus drivers, cabbies, even the newspaper guy in Coroico wave and beep horns or shout “Buenos dias!” For this, and so many other things, I am thankful. Friends, family, brothers in arms, even friends I have yet to meet, you are in my thoughts and prayers.

From the 3 of us to everyone out there, Happy Thanksgiving to one and all!

Jeff

Someone mentioned to us (Susan, Delaney, and me), that we have been posting “having fun, wish you were here” blogs and not explaining the needs and conditions here. The needs of these people are great still. The help is still necessary. Susan, Delaney, and I are more of a “make the most of it” kind of people, we apologize for glossing over some of the more unpleasant details. On the maintenance front, jobs are too numerous to mention. Each job that comes up has to wait for supplies. For example, the most recent task I was given required a bag of plaster, or “estucco.” A bag of plaster costs 28 Bolivianos, or about $4. I ended up waiting for 3 weeks for a bag of plaster. Normally, I would have just gone and purchased this, but we are not being paid to be here. We still have our “normal bills” at home, so we end up short at the end of each month, stretching our food budget until rice and beans look like gourmet food. I end up buying most of the tools that I use for the different projects. I will leave these tools when I am done here, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t more tools that are needed. Supplies are needed, skilled labor is needed, and tools are needed. In short, we are needed.

Earlier today, a friend of mine asked how she could come and do what we are doing. She wondered how hard it was to get down here, so I told her. The process of being accepted as a volunteer is not hard; the visa process is not hard. What is hard is leaving behind technology. Leaving behind reliable power/internet/phone service, easy access to convenience food… in short, our way of life. I have been off the Internet quite a bit recently due to computer issues, so I have been “cut off”. Little things, like finding peanut butter, become a success. Taking CD players apart, and making 1 working one from 3 broken ones, become a success. Finding a decently made tool, for a reasonable price, becomes a success. Having a friend ask how he/she can help becomes a success. Finding a teacher for the UAC is a HUGE success, and an even bigger success is finding the $50 a month to pay the room/board for that teacher(hint, hint). Next semester, every English teacher will have to fund half of their salary themselves($25), because the funding just isn't there right now. Now $25 a month doesn't sound like much, but consider the fact that that teacher is already here volunteering, not back home with a steady paycheck. The UAC can’t afford to pay $200 a month for four teachers, that’s the unfortunate downside to having four volunteers willing to teach. But thank God there will be four – there is certainly a need for them. For the first time, the UAC will be able to offer an English 3 class for students not in the Tourism program. J

I apologize for making things sound better off than they are here. For those that know me personally, you probably expected this. From here on out, I will try to temper my updates and mix the needs and the enjoyment of doing good works. No matter how hard things might get here, I wouldn’t change a thing. Seeing Delaney blossom in her library is worth all of the dental problems. Seeing Susan’s students respond to her teaching is worth all of the walking. Seeing plants appear slowly in my “gutter planter“ project makes up for the sweat and blood my many projects have cost me.

Next blog, I will try to list some tools that I could use here, and their prices. That way, if you feel moved by the spirit, you can donate to specific tools. For example, a manually operated hand drill (looks like an old fashioned hand crank egg beater) runs about $8. Many times my jobs don’t include power, so this would be helpful.

On a lighter note, we have spotted more unique wildlife this last week. Susan spotted a Capuchin Monkey at the local market, along with a Toucan bird in the wild, and I have spotted a large Spider Monkey in the wild as well as an Avocado tree!

I wish you all God’s Peace in this holiday season. It doesn’t feel like Thanksgiving yet, and there won’t be a tv on with football at the guest house while we gather to eat our meal on the 30th. Be thankful for what you have, be generous to strangers and friends alike. Cause someone to smile, without expecting anything in return. Smile at people you pass on the sidewalk, and always give thanks.

Bendicion!

Jeff