This week there were three things that shouted at me to be shared with
everyone following us:
First, we are
living in the Cloud Forest. This means that we will see animals, birds, snakes,
and insects that just aren’t seen at home. This was pointed out to me yesterday
by the visit of a giant beetle with really long antennae. I will post a still
image of the beast, but make sure that you also watch the video here: http://youtu.be/pBz56uXTw2Q. A German
shepherd pup approached, but was smart enough to not tangle with it. Yes, that is a normal-sized popsicle stick under his belly for size comparison.
On a more somber
note, I had to go into Coroico for some grocery shopping on Wednesday and I saw
something that I thought I would pass along to everyone following us. On the
way into town, we passed a funeral procession. That isn't so strange. What was
different from funerals back home was that most of the people in the procession
were on foot. From little children with squirt guns (it is Carnival here) to
ancient Bolivianos bent with age. The coffin was carried in the open back of a
minivan, wrapped in white muslin fabric and then surrounded with flowers and
two gentlemen to hold it in the back. Everyone that was walking had already
walked up from the valley floor around 2500 feet down in the sunny and 80
degree weather. The women were wearing their finest shawls and their bowler
hats, and the men were in their fedoras and Sunday best. There were a few
people crying, but for the most part, everyone was stoic. At first I thought
that they were burying a child, and then I remembered the size difference, and
realized it was probably an adult. I was just really touched by the physical
approach to a funeral. Back home, people bundle into cars and run the a/c or
heat (depending on season). Only the people coming from out of town arrived in
vehicles, and even they got out and waited in the heat to pay final respects. I
was just really touched by the fact that they put themselves through harsh
conditions to say farewell, when their entire lives have been in harsh
conditions. Life here has not been, and is not easy. People live, and people
die, and still life goes on. I pray that each and every one of us live lives as
fully as these people do.
Finally, the
English Department uses CD players to play audio clips for class and tests. Each campus has 1 working CD player. These are the same CD players that I cobbled
together from non-working ones, to make the working CD players they do have. These
CD players run anywhere from 299 b’s to 450 b’s. We have been looking into alternative ways to
deliver the audio and have come up with a workable solution. USB players are
VERY big here. On average, these players run around 140 b’s, and can be used
with a simple flash drive. These USB flash drives cost around 70 b’s, for a
grand total of 210 b’s (enjoy the math Charles!) What we are looking for now is
funding to get at the minimum 1 player for each campus. We will gladly get more
if the funds are there. Please let us know If you can help, and thanks for your
support!
Happy Carnaval
everyone! We hope you enjoy the pictures we took of the parade and the crowd today
in La Paz. Sorry there aren't more, but we were afraid for our camera under the constant bombardment of water guns, water balloons, spray foam and spray confetti! Here’s a link to some great pictures of La Paz and a couple of Carnaval: http://tinyurl.com/nayoxmc
It’s a bit
insane here, kind of like Mardi Gras on steroids, or maybe a combination of
Halloween, the 4th of July and a really wild wedding reception… We
have heard that Oruro is the place to be, and have been able to watch some of
the festivities on TV at a couple of places today. We are there in spirit.
Steph and Judith stay out of the kitchen on Tuesday. Brian and all of the men
folk, I will be with you in spirit, and cooking pancakes for my ladies down
here. Have some sausage for me!
La Paz ,
Jeff
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