In July I joined the Woodlands Community Garden as a member. For $20 a year, and with a commitment to 2/3rds of the cleanup days I was in. Lucky for me too that I know the garden coordinator. I have half a plot that I share with another resident from West Philadelphia and I have begun to grow.

In August 2010. 3 types of Basil and Rosemary plant started from mini plants. Seeds planted, Carrots, lettuce, beets, peas, turnips for Fall Harvest.

In September. Seedlings beginning to poke through.

In Early October. Things are really alive and

healthy. Still a ways till I can pull from the earth

to eat, but certainly some happy plants. My new babies. :)

Summer 2009

My job started with the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia in March 2009. Since then I have continued to advocate for bicycle safety and increased ridership in Philadelphia and beyond.

This is a foto from our annual fundraiser - Bike Philly - held yearly in September. Over 3,000 riders this year and growing. An amazing day.

For more info on what the Bicycle Coalition is up to check out their website: www.bicyclecoalition.org

(Also: Don't forget to use those new bike lanes on Spruce/Pine Streets between the Schuylkill and Delaware Rivers. This is a pilot project, so if our traffic counts look good to city hall during the 2009 autumn months- then a bicycle blvd (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle_boulevard) will be constructed next year! :) )

Even though I love living in Philadelphia, I also really enjoy getting out of the city every once in awhile. My first epic vacation/ride this summer was a century (100+miles) ride to the Jersey Shore with a colleague of mine. We made it in one piece and celebrated like rock stars once we got there. Next year my goal is to compete in a sprint triathlon.

Keen Lake, PA, August 2009

Family camping trip lakeside. Each year it gets better and better. My niece and nephew, Madalyn and Louis, have become professional fisher-people after a short one week.

After the completion of my seasonal Bicycle Ambassador job I headed west to visit some of the best of friends, whom recently had a baby! Congrats Amanda and Tom and welcome to the world baby Oliver ;) Thanks for showing me an awesome time along the southern coastline of California. :)

foto circa Santa Monica Beach - September 2009

And, the biggest personal news of all for this summer/fall of 2009 is our recent engagement!

October 8, 2009 : after an entire day of joy: great job interview, delicious dinner at "Pumpkin" and a hilarious - yet touching one man show "700 Sundays - Billy Crystal", Kenny proposed in Rittenhouse Park. I love that man :)

No specific dates have been set, but we are talking about a celebration for the fall of 2011. Stay tuned for more...

Plateau Mountain, Catskill NY - January 2009

Fact: I experienced three consecutive winter seasons in one year, beginning in the northern hemisphere, second one in the southern hemisphere and the third back in the northern hemisphere yet again.

The northeast winter of 2009 has finally transitioned to Spring. For me, it was a winter of comfort and reunion. In January a few friends and I explored the familiar woods of the Catskills. During this time I filled my hours painting, job searching and bartending. When February rolled around, I headed south for about a week to Washington D.C. A job fair awaited me, which was really the guise to reunite with some good friends from Peace Corps.

We are spelling HOPE, Washington, D.C. - February 2009

The first week of March Ken and I flew out to San Francisco to visit some friends and family. We checked out Muir Woods and Sonoma Valley for the first time.

A couple of Redwoods in Muir Woods, San Francisco, March 2009

On my return from San Francisco I started my new job with the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia. This May through September you may spot me cruising the streets of Philadelphia on a nice Fuji Tour bike, promoting safe bicycle transit while encouraging 'share the road' ideals with motorists and bicyclist alike. For more information about our program check out our page: http://www.bicyclecoalition.org/resources/ambassadors

Yup, that's me all right. I'll be one of the poster children in the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia's new info booklet!

Look for it.

Quito, Ecuador

The end of my trip in the southern hemisphere was a whirlwind of a time, time absolutely flew. From Thanksgiving on I was traveling solo and meeting up with friends who had transferred to new sites in both Peru and Ecuador. Along the way I met some wonderful people from all over the world and saw sites off the beaten track that were awesome, in the true form of the word.

Susudel, Ecuador (Garrett's new site)

Susudel, Ecuador

Megan washing off her tevas in the waterfall in National Park Podocarpus (near Megan's new site), Ecuador

trees that look like dinosaurs, Ecuador

National Park Podocarpus, the park where we overnighted unintentionally - Ecuador

Lebo and I on our waterfall hike - Peru

Canchaque, Peru ( northern Peru, Lebo's new site)

I have now returned to the states and am living in west Philadelphia. In less then a week our new President will be sworn into office and a new era will begin. The year 2009 is now, here's to wishing you all, where-ever you may be in the world, a great one!

Paz.

We crossed the border of Bolivia, tired, yet wide - eyed, and ready to be back in the country. A country I for many weeks had been dreaming about returning to. It was just as I left it, with the colorful cholitas asking me to buy from them, the little kids starring, the smell of wood in the distance and dogs barking at each other... I was back and it still feels so good.

Our first stop was to Tupiza, the town also known for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance kid. A good friend of mine had recently moved there so we were able to catch up, do some crazy Bolivian style horseback riding (through the Canyon of the Incas, el Puente del Diablo and the Montes de los machos), and began our tour of the Salar. Several other Peace Corps Bolivia volunteers had returned to Bolivia as well, so together we made six on our journey through the vast high desert plains of the Salar (SW corridor of Bolivia). A four day tour, spanning 900 miles in a Toyota Landcruiser with 6 good companions and vistas that just blow your mind- the trip just could not have been better. It felt like we were on a completely different planet with the colors of the tierra, barely any human inhabitants, many vicuñas, llamas, alpacas, altitudes reaching over 5,000 meters (approx. 16,000 ft.) and pink flamingos that perch in Lagunas that are colored reds, greens and blues from the natural minerals of the earth. An incredible time... (for fotos check out my friends blogs tomanna and whereshelen).

Despues, fuimos a Sucre, la ciudad blanca de Bolivia. A beautiful city where even more Peace Corps friends had returned to. We relaxed, ate great food, made incredible tshirts, washed some clothes, and saw the US of A change in front of our eyes. It was an incredible feeling... I was crying with joy walking back to our abode after the speeches of both candidates. It was a great week shared with even more beautiful people. After a solid 4 days of rest we ventured towards the city of Potosi. The most important historical city of Bolivia, for its mines pues. Potosi lies at over 4,000 meters and is about 2 hours west of Sucre. Fortunately for us, we arrived during their feriada weekend, el dia de Potosi, 78 years of libertad. Therefore, though many touristy spots were not open, (including la Casa de Monedas) an array of Potosiños from all over came into the city to celebrate this big weekend and to see Evo Morales (whom we too got to see). We were able to take a tour of one of the working mines in el Cerro Rico, which was quite the intense experience. All geared up, climbing through cavernous tunnels which rank of arsenic, asbestos and other minerals and very little oxygen - it was quite a long 4 hour tour followed by exploding dynamite we bought in the miners market. I was personally happy not to see the actual workers working, thanks to the holiday, because it is such a depressing reality that people still work in these conditions for such unjust pay. (Life expectancy for the men and women that work in the mines pushes just over 40, there are 10,000 workers in the 420 mines in el Cerro Rico). However, at the same time, it was important for me to see this reality and experience this rawness since it still plays such an important role in so many Bolivian families lives.

From Potosi we took an overnight bus to La Paz (7 hours) and immediately hopped into an express taxi to Rurrenabaque (14 hours), en el departamento de Beni. We met up with the same people we went on the Salar tour with and had an incredible 4 day tour of the pampas. Beni is the northern lowlands of Bolivia, casi Amazon basin (altitude = sea level). Visiting the pampas during the dry season gave us the opportunity to see dozens of different species flocking to the river to rest and drink in harmony. We saw Capiberas, alligators, caymans, storks, hawks, kingfishers, pink river dolphins, etc. living side by side, sipping on that same bit of water which will soon be too powerful for tourists to boat down. It was an awesome, hot and muggy ride through the river, a drastic difference from the Altiplano of Bolivia. Despues, we returned to La Paz and embarked north to Lago Titikaka (in Aymara, Titi Khar´ka means Puma rock, which is one of the power animals of the Quechua and Aymara cultures). We spent 1 night on the north side of the Isla del Sol, in the town of Challapampa, visiting the ruins known as the Palacio del Inca, a labrynth of sorts, as well as the Mesa Ceremonial (which historically was used to sacrifice life to the gods), and finally the rock that looks like a crouching puma. We saw the sun enter the earth on the island of the sun in the midst of the palacio and I woke for the sun exiting the earth at the port of Challapampa-Isla del Sol = the birthplace of the sun and moon gods. The north side of the island had such intense energy, I was moved spiritually everywhere I went. The following night Helen and I spent the night in Yumani, the south side. We hopped off the boat and remembered that this is where indeed the Inca Stairs lie.... after our vertical hike up the stairs we decided to be a bit lazy and just sip on some beers while watching the sun set for the second time. This part of Bolivia has such intense energy... the lake itself is immense, Bolivians call it their sea and indeed at times it feels like it. The heavy winds of the Altiplano blow the water creating the sounds that one would hear at the beach, yet truthfully it is fresh water and landlocked.

Currently I am back in Oruro, my regional city during my Peace Corps service. Yesterday I played tour guide and showed Helen around. It feels so good to be back in a place that I know so well. I´ve decided to take today as an admin. day to just relax, walk around, write this blog and feel at home. Tomorrow I plan to return to La Paz, this time for several days to see the sites and do some much needed artesania shopping. By Thanksgiving I hope to be in Peru. My time in Bolivia has been incredible and I am so happy and feel so lucky that I got the chance to return to her to see the beautiful, unique places I for so long was planning on visiting during my service. I recommend visiting this gem in the rough to all who wish to travel to South America. Tal vez you too will fall in love with her.

Cerro Aconcagua, Argentina6,959 meters (on la frontera de Chile and Argentina!)

Traveling with no real time limits makes for some fun surprises.

Chile was fun, fulfilling both my Pacific Ocean craving and Altiplano longing.

Arica, the border town to Peru, was a small but fun town. The highlight was definitely the 12 mile bike ride southward along the coast with my new found friends. (People whom I met on the border town, Tacna, in Peru (all coincidentally from North Carolina)). The other highlight had to be the fried empanadas, oh man were they good, stuffed with mariscos! We stayed at a nice homey hostel, owned by a Kiwi (New Zealander) and Chilean, literally about 150 meters between both the bus terminal and beach. Tranquilo. But, not as tranquilo as San Pedro de Atacama. A reminiscent taste of Bolivia, which I am anxious to return to. Situated in the Altiplano, and surrounded by salt flats, inactive volcanos, and some of the most incredible sunsets, San Pedro de Atacama entertained my bohemian side. I wound up staying a bit longer than I had anticipated, partially due to the lack of mobility into Argentina and partially because I loved this town so much. I partook in a early morning geyser tour, known as El Tatio, followed by hot natural springs on the second day and basically just sat back, read and relaxed until my bus left 2 days later. Did you know that there are 5 locations with major geyser activity in the world.... and San Pedro is one of them. (the other four are located in New Zealand, Russia, USA and Iceland) Our last evening in San Pedro we decided to splurge and go out for dinner and listen to some live folkloric music. Who do we run into and meet over dinner and music???...... Elijah Wood. I am not kidding you, I shook Frodo Baggins hand! Afterwards we were invited to party it up a bit with the band and being that it was my last evening in San Pedro we took them up on the offer. The next day I was off to Argentina, crossing over the Andes on what I think may have been the most scenic bus trip I have ever been on. I was only in Salta for about 12 hours before Helen and I made our way east to Buenos Aires. Buenos Aires is a great city, full of life. A city that reminded me a bit of Madrid, NYC and San Francisco all mixed together. Sunday was the day of the marathon and also the biggest open market day in the neighborhood of San Telmo. We were fortunately able to catch up with our three friends who were running in the marathon over some delicious dinner-lunch before they moved on to their next destination. The taxis are supposedly an uber expensive way to travel around town, so we walked and maneuvered the SUBTE (subway) the whole time. We had a fantastic time wandering, tasting delicious wine and eating incredible food, but were also very ready to move on after three full days of big city life.

We spontaneously decided to hop on a ferry to Uruguay after three full days of B.A., to a small town known as Colonia de Sacramento. A gem of a place, located on the delta of the Rio Plata and giving off a small, quaint town feel with cobble stone, canopy-tree lined streets, friendly people and pleasant weather. So worth a visit! I met an older man in the hostel we stayed at, Antonio - who is the brother of the hostel owner in Colonia de Sacramento, probably in his mid 60s who offered me a job; driving him to the campo, where he runs a dairy farm and also working with his cousin who runs a hostel-restaurant. I told him I´d keep him posted and consider it if nothing comes through stateside. ;) The wine in Uruguay is also a hidden treasure. Their version of the Malbec grape is called the Tannant and is absolutely delightful. It has a very nice body and smooth. Totally recommend seeking out the label Don Pascual if ever in a international wine store.

Friday morning we took the 5:30am ferry back to B.A., spent the morning and early afternoon wandering around San Telmo and splitting a bottle of wine over lunch before boarding our overnight bus to Mendoza. Two of our friends met us in Mendoza and we had some fantastic times testing the local wines, eating delicious meat and walking the clean and colonial style streets. You can purchase a hunk of meat here for about $6, a nice cut that would probably go for something like $40 in the states. Incredible! Our last full day in Mendoza we decided to go on the bike tour of the Maipu wine region outside of Mendoza city. So we boarded a local transit bus for 1.80 pesos and off we went. We stopped at two bodegas, La Familia Di Tomasso and Carinae, one olive farm-factory and a delightful chocolate factory, filling all of our savoury needs for under $40. It was a beautiful and delicious day. Mendoza is Malbec country, one of the BEST grapes turned to wine in the world, or at least in my opinion, tal vez my new favorite wine. However, the Tannant grape which is also grown in Argentina, but better known in Uruguay is also very tasty!

On Ryan´s 28th birthday, Helen, Ryan and I decided to continue heading west towards the town of Uspallata. This town is known more recently for the film, Seven Years in Tibet, which starred Brad Pitt. We stayed about 6 km outside of town at a Hostel International, with an incredible view. Day two we decided to board a local bus for 8 pesos, which took us nearly to the frontera of Chile and Argentina, to the Parque Aconcagua. Known for the tallest mountain in the western hemisphere Cerro Aconcagua lies at 6,959 meters, which is just pushing 23,000 ft. This place has defintely been the highlight of my Argentina tour. Pero, in the future I hope to get myself back here and give some time to explore the southern part of Argentina, como Patagonia pues.

From Uspallata, Helen and I parted ways with Ryan and we boarded a bus to Cordoba. Cordoba is a smaller version of BA in my opinion, very metropolitan and fashion driven. Neither of us were really feeling it, so we only decided to stay for a night and 2 full days. On our second day we took a local bus out to Alta Gracia, which is where Ernesto ¨Che¨Guevarra grew up. His childhood home was turned into a beautiful museum, so we took advantage of our rainy Saturday to learn a bit more of the history of this great revolutionary.

Last night we took the overnight bus back to Salta, Argentina, where we now rest. Sunday most everything is closed, so we are catching up on our blogs and readings. Coincidentally as we were exiting the grocery store, we passed a parade of Bolivians dancing a traditional Caporales dance for the Virgin of Urqupiña. It felt just a bit more like home today. Tuesday we head north to BOLIVIA - and I cannot wait!

After an arduous week of paperwork and many hard decisions, we have begun our various treks around the world. All 113 Bolivian volunteers can now be found in most parts of Latin America and scattered throughout the rest of the world.

I have decided to stick around South America and have begun my adventures heading south of Lima, Peru. On the 23rd of September Helen, Sarah, Erika, Russ and I made our way to Paracas, Peru; known for its many islands full of peguins and turqouise waters. We had our fill of ceviche the first day and putzed around till morning. On the 24th Helen, Russ and I decided to steer away from the tourist track and hiked 11km around the area, finding ourselves where the desert meets the Pacific Ocean; in a little place known as Lagunillas. We braked for lunch, for some more ceviche, and hopped on a tour bus back to our hostel. The next day we took a 2 hour bus ride down to Huacachina, where the immense sand dunes, which look to have come out of the Middle East, overwhelm the landscape. Rocking out in sand buggies and sandsurfing we tired our bodies out for our overnight busride to Arequipa. Arequipa, known as the ´White City¨(la ciudad Blanca) is also the second largest city in Peru. Lucky for us we stumbled across an incredible landlady who offered us her 1st floor apartment for only $5/per person/per day. We stuck around for 2 days before heading east to Chivay and Colca Canyon. Colca Canyon; known for its intense Canyon hikes, vistas and natural baths, certainly entertained and tired us all out after a short 3 days. Day one was spent with a PC Peru volunteer in Chivay, who welcomed us warmly and tipped us off on some great treks for the following days. Day two we arrived in Cabanaconde, after a brief stopover at the Condor Lookout. Unfortunately Helen´s ankle was still busted from a few days before and Sarah was still under the weather, so it was just Russ and I who hiked 5k down to Sangalle; a steep canyon hike leading to a small village along the river (about a 1,500 meter difference from top to bottom) with natural pools and bungalows. The 2 hour walk down was nothing compared to what it took us to get back up.... a long 4 hour hike up a vertical, rocky mountain, under the blazing sun. My body is still aching. Our last day in the Canyons we took advantage of the medicinal thermal baths just outside of Chivay and headed back to Arequipa. Tomorrow I begin my trek further south towards Arica, Chile. I plan on spending a few days at the beach there, before heading east to San Pedro de la Atacama, and from there I will reunite with Helen in Salta, Argentina. From there we will make our way overnight to Buenos Aires and chill out for about a week, in time to cheer on a few of our friends who are running in the B.A. marathon. The vuelta will consist of Mendoza, Argentina (wine country) and Cordoba. From there the path is still unclear.... surprises and adventures around every corner. Peace and Love.

As some of you may have read or heard over the news the Peace Corps Volunteers of Bolivia have been evacuated to Peru and our program has been temporarily suspended. http://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=resources.media.press.view&news_id=1377

All 113 volunteers that were serving in Bolivia are now in Peru and have been given the option to COS (close of service) on good standing or transfer to another country. It has been an emotional few days and I feel quite cheated. An experience cut way too short.

Just when things were really starting to get good in site, life was comfortable and making sense. But things happen for a reason. And though this was all out of the control of our hands I think PC made a good decision to evacuate. In parts of the country, known as the media luna, violent protests were escalating and lives were taken. People are still blockading in some regions and the shortage of gas has started to affect many lives. Though my site and region were far from these events, the political instability was present and some fear that an increased anti -american sentiment will continue and escalate.

I have decided to COS and travel for a few months in the beautiful lands of South America. I plan on returning to Philadelphia around Christmas time.

So I will see many of you much sooner than originally planned.

Love and Peace to you all.

Cholitas de La Paz

Campesinos del Municipio

Mis amigos en sitio

Garrett and his dance crew

The little girls in my community

The masses

Both the month of July and August have flown by… my short visit home for my brother’s wedding was a whirlwind. The memories shared during that trip I carry with me daily here. People in Sacaca ask about what a traditional North American wedding is like and I explain to them our customs while sharing some of the photos that I’ve gotten printed out. I cannot say enough about my trip home, being able to see nearly all of my loved ones. It made the second time around, saying ‘see yous all later’ much harder. How easy it is sometimes to think about quitting and going home and how hard it is to stay satisfied on a regular basis here. Fortunately I arrived to, what PCV’s from Bolivia are calling it, “Summer Camp”. For the Bolivian referendum PC put us up in a shwanky hotel where work was done, but to be surrounded by such beauty, activities, and familiar English speaking faces, the times shared in Santa Cruz seemed more like play time. I hadn’t realized how much I have missed organized sports; I played my heart out in soccer, volleyball, tennis and ultimate Frisbee that week. I finally arrived back in site on August 17th thinking that in one short week I’d be turning around yet again to partake in some obligatory meetings where we were to bring our work partners. Yet again, to experience more delays and postponements; making it ever the more frustrating for me to build patience and understanding with bureaucracy and politics here in Bolivia. The good part of the story is that because all these meetings were pushed back I was able to partake in the biggest fiesta of the year here in Sacaca: the Festival de San Luis (A French saint). Unfortunately I was too late in coordinating with a dance troupe, but boy what a show. The festival begins with the entrada the night of the 24th, where the many dance troupes’ parade from the gates of town to the main plaza. Sacaca is not that big, but the parade lasted for nearly 3 hours. From everywhere in town you could hear the beating of the familiar drum beats, trumpets, wind pipes and charangos. The vibrant colors the dance troupes wore reminded me of looking at a national geographic magazine or travel guide and thinking how beautiful but different this is to me. Now to be here, to live it and to know this beautiful magic is quite the alternative experience. After the parade, nighttime now, the fogatas (fires) are prepared around the plaza with the many bands playing yards away from each other, fighting to win passersby’s attention to stay and dance to their beats. The drinking begins, of the traditional chicha (which is like a home made beer but with a much different taste), puro (which is like rubbing alcohol mixed with a colorante), and or beer. That evening I was actually pretty beat, so I made it a short night for myself. I was swayed to sleep by the laughter and dancing of the Sacacenas/os. The following day another parade takes place, this time the campesinos join in making it seem like Carnaval here in Sacaca. I’m told that indeed Sacaca’s fiesta is much like the Carnaval of Oruro only a 10th of the size. I’d say there was somewhere around 4,000 people here celebrating. By the beginning of the second day, some people were already drunk, but most were enjoying the wonderful dances and costumes and street food. I was able to take some footage but am unable to upload it here in town, so yet again I will try when I’m in the city. The 25th is the biggest day of the fiesta, where the dances last all day and then everyone goes out to dance in the evening. That afternoon I shared a meal with my Bolivian friends, many of whom work in the Mayor’s office. Later on we passed by a home where the people of J’ankoyo, a community about an hour away from Sacaca, fused to dance their own private dance and drink their own homemade chicha. That evening I continued to dance the night away and fell asleep easily. The third day of the festival I was awoken by my landlords, to share a meal with them; chicharron, which typically is a very fried pork or llama meat concoction. But my dueña made it with beef of toro, mixed with papas and a hard boiled egg. We ate and drank and chatted the morning away. By the early afternoon I was convinced to join them in yet another festivity a few blocks away where more dancing and drinking was to be had. The party just continued for what seemed like too many days. It is very hard to refuse an invitation for a drink, so therefore I found myself a bit tipsy on the last day. By sometime near nightfall I found myself running home and falling asleep for the entire rest of the day/night. This week my boss from PC came for his first site visit since I’ve been here. He and the third year volunteer, who coincidentally spent her service here in Sacaca, came and met my counterparts and professors whom I’ve been coordinating with. Though the Distrital was not around, my supervisor was able to visit the school I plan on working with for the majority of my service and offered many ideas and suggestions for future projects and ways of soliciting money from outside funding. For example projects like the reforestation project we are planning for the month of November with the organization, Voserdem. All in all it was a very motivational visit and now I feel much more at ease after hearing his observations. Just found out today, that we lost yet another volunteer in the Altiplano, our small family has now shrunk to a meager 6. Fortunately, he is still in country, but we have lost him to the jungles of Bolivia. In other regards, I finally got skype!!! And this technology is absolutely fabulous. I highly recommend it. My screen name is diana.owens1 and I plan on utilizing this amazing form of communication every time I get myself into the city. Until the next time my friends, much love.

Heavy winds have been cascading west through the Cordilleras over the past few days, creating these immense clouds of dust throughout the horizon. As you walk, one must squint and hurriedly get to your destination. The cold continues as well, though the winds have seemingly made it feel cooler than it actually is. The sun continues to shine with bright blue skies and fortunately I have a mini thermometer, thanks to Karena, which I recently placed on my windowsill, that reads 40 degrees F at 9am and 90 degrees F at 1:22pm, 60 degrees F at 4:30pm. Quite the dramatic difference, no ve? School is finally back in session, after what was originally supposed to be two weeks off, and turned into a month, thanks to the Department of Education saying it was too cold for the kids to return to their classrooms. Which indeed, I will admit that though this sounds ridiculous, it is brutally cold in those poorly insulated plaster and adobe schoolrooms. The gusts of wind and lack of natural sunlight really create a freeze-box of sorts. Since classes have started up again I have taught a few courses on environmental contamination, global warming and linking math, specifically geometry, with waste. The last three months at site have gone tremendously fast, especially this past month of July. I can’t believe it is already the 23rd and soon I will be making my way home for a quick visit. Within the next few weeks the Nacional Revocatorio will be taking place nation wide in Bolivia. On August 10th Bolivia has a referendum planned for all prefects (like governors) and Evo Morales, the President of Bolivia. While they are predicting Evo Morales to stay in power as a result of the referendum, it could still be a source of political unrest. Therefore, as a mode of precaution we will be heading to a ‘safer’ setting, for fear of tumultuous upheaval in the more populated areas of the country for nearly two weeks. Who knows perhaps we will even be evacuated to Paraguay. Ha – now that would be interesting! Life in Sacaca becomes more and more comfortable. Just the other day I mentioned to Garrett how it feels like home. Those little things, people beginning to know my name and greeting me on the street, or having those 5 minute conversations with the delightful tienda grandmas that just make you giggle. Work begins to make more sense and my daily cuisine of rice and beans, or pasta and potatoes, has become comforting. I no longer leave my site as frequently as I was in the beginning. Now it seems like its every 15 days I head into town to restock and recharge. However, next week begins my travels for 3 weeks….eeks the longest I have been away from my site, since being here. Though to be completely honest with you, I cannot wait to begin the trip and to be able to eat such delicious food! So my brother, the closest to me in age, is getting married in less then 2 weeks, to a woman that I adore! I couldn’t be happier for the two of them. And I’m ecstatic that I will be able to return back to the states to celebrate this extraordinary day with them! Soon I will be the last Owens child unmarried. What an interesting pensamiento. But no worries, I am in no rush. I’ve got big plans ahead; that is if we remain in this beautiful country for the next two years. (there is always the threat of all US org.’s being kicked out of Bolivia, most of the branches of USAid in Bolivia is gone already). For those of you I have yet to mention this too, post service I plan on taking the long road back; meaning buses, sailboats, and whatever means possible, besides airplanes, north. So, for those of you interested in escaping for a few days or weeks and aren’t interested in visiting this incredible country that I live in currently, don’t worry I do have plans of trekking through many more if you wish to coordinate. Not too much more news, things were slow for about a month here… the town was nearly empty and I think I read about 7 books in 2 weeks. The mayor’s office reopened last week along with the school and now the town is bumping again, or as bumping as a town of about 2,000 people can be. I will finish up my week here teaching and head to Cochabamba next Tuesday to begin my travels. Hasta la proxima!

Hiking in Altiplano

Noche de San Juan, 23 de Junio. Lots of small bonfires everywhere in town.

A wonderful Quechuan family who invited Garrett and I to a watia during our hike to Fundicion. Watia is a traditional way of cooking in the earth, typically potatoes. Delicious!

Miriam, my counterpart, and I on my birthday.

cutting veggies during site visit, April 2008, in what is now my room.

Last week I experienced several of my first transportation predicaments in Bolivia. On my way out to Oruro, after having left at 5am from Sacaca, our bus, along with several others, was stopped at 6:30 am by several campesinos from Layumpampa (a community that is part of Sacaca’s Municipality). We find out that they are blockading because of the horrendous hours that the three bus companies choose to leave on a weekly basis. These hours typically fall between 4am – 5am, which means several of the campesinos must leave their communities sometimes at the hour of 1am to walk to the main road to be able to get picked up by one of these three buses. Ironically, all of the buses leave at exactly the same time. Who knows why for sure, but that morning I felt both frustration and admiration for these campesinos. It’s true these hours are horrendous, and something should be done to change them. However, being on that bus, first in line, to be stopped by the blockade for god knows how long, was maddening to say the least. I slept for probably an hour more, to wake up to the same mess. So I along with a few other passengers decided to get off the bus and walk the 2+ hour distance to the next town to hopefully catch some mobility to Oruro. It turned out to be a very pleasant morning. Although those two + hours of walking turned into a very sore back and hungry belly later. We arrived in Bolivar sometime around 10am and sat in the plaza to wait and find out news about the next mobilidad. A taxi passes us during our waiting period, and three of us miss out on that ride. No one believes in lines here. Pero se la vi, fortunately we were to find a bus that was leaving at 3pm to Oruro. Score! We buy tickets and are slowly making our way there. Perhaps one of the slowest bus drivers I have come to ride with so far here in Bolivia, ….. what a painful ride. Well….what should have normally taken us 4 hours to get to Oruro, took us 14 that day. Last week I was invited to help out a Peace Corps friend with her Feria de medio ambiente (Environmental Fair), which surprisingly turned out to be quite the success. The fair took place in the plaza of Huari, also known for its brewery here in Bolivia. Three schools got involved and all of the students that were asked to give presentations did. A sight I wasn’t half expecting, but was pleasantly surprised by. It was an all day event, beginning around 9am and going till about 2pm. It was fun, but even better it gave great ideas for future events I may want to put into action here in Sacaca. Two days were spent in Huari. I returned to Oruro to find out that transportation strikes and bloqueos were expected for nearly the entire week all over the country, primarily in Cochabamba, Oruro, Potosi, La Paz, and Chuquisaca. So there I was stuck in Oruro for a week because the transportation union was on strike for most likely pay reasons. But you know me, I made the best of it…. Preparing for the many classes I had lined up for the following week, and taking advantage of all the food options! Because of Sacaca’s random departure times, I was stuck in Oruro until that following Sunday, a full week in the city! It was actually quite fabulous. The weekend was full of fun, I got to experience my first live Bolivian band (Octavia) at a new club and was able to fully rest up for what I was expecting to be a very intense teaching week. On my ride home from Oruro, I experienced my first flat tire on a bus. Surprisingly it only put us back an hour. This week started off fairly well, with classes Monday. However, I chose to eat some campo cheese on a fried egg sandwich for lunch that afternoon, and by the end of the night I was hurting with stomach pains and bowel problems: my second sickness since living in Sacaca. Both Tuesday and Wednesday I was out of commission, only able to sleep and get up to take a bit of water and go to the bathroom. 48 hours passed and all I could throw back was my favorite hot beverage, warm instant milk with sugar, and a buttered loaf of bread. It surprisingly however was a fast two days. Today I awoke ready to get back on schedule. I walked up to the San Luis school, a campo school that is technically in the Sacaca town boundaries, to teach a 3rd grade class on the human body. And to my semi-surprise the school was closed. There has been talk about a nation wide teachers strike due to teachers’ salaries and what not. I’m not entirely certain what the strike is about. A strike that has rumors of lasting indefinitely, meaning until their winter break begins – the month of July, but may only last 72 hours. So what was expected of being an intense teaching week turns out to be a week of sickness and ‘strike’ days (almost like a snow day - Speaking of snow, yesterday we got a little dusting). Perhaps next week I’ll have better luck. Next week will be my two month mark in Sacaca. The second month has not only gone by much faster but has seemed to be a much more productive one. I now seem to know several of the teachers in the community, who no longer hold back in asking me about coordinating classes. I have begun to build up a personal supply of teaching materials, like posters and games that have so far gone over very well, and have even started to feel semi comfortable teaching. Only a month left until I get to see all my B47 buddies and then fly home for my brothers wedding! Life is looking pretty, pretty good.

Here´s that picture! Me pealing all the good chicken meat! mmmm delicious

The Team Zero crew, as us altiplano volunteers are known as, plus some Bolivian friends celebrating Brandon´s 27th! Pretty cold up here.

Ironically on my one month marker here in Sacaca I experienced my first great Bolivian Day. It is common for Volunteers to have bad and good Bolivian Days, but to have my great Bolivian Day come so soon was a pleasant surprise. Last Friday I decided to get all my paperwork together, like my cronograma, proposal and a few other things to present to the Director. I had been avoiding his office since the last visit where he asked me to sign in everyday and wasn’t even sure if he would be in his office the day after a national holiday – Corpus Christi. He was there, and he and I chatted for what seemed like a good 10 – 15 minutes. He perceived to be thoroughly impressed with my organization, independent collaboration with other professors, and interest in volunteering. I guess he wasn’t sure of my intentions and objectives from the beginning? Nevertheless, I left his office fulfilled and refreshed and ready to take on a new day. That same day I hit a turning point with the owners of my room. I offered them a fresh banana cake I had made and they wouldn’t stop talking about it all weekend. They no longer are super awkward every time I enter the house. To top this all off, Garrett and I made the best recipe ever that night; homemade chicken broth and delicious lentil and garlic soup. The only picture this time is of me breaking off the good meat from the whole chicken (1.8K) we bought for 23Bs. (but it didn´t work to upload so just imagine it) Thought I’d share this brief but excellent news since my last post was so down. I’ll be in the city this weekend for those who would like to try and chat via phone. Things are on the up!

A friend of mine, state- side, asked me recently what I miss the most from back home besides the obvious, family and friends. Well to be perfectly honest with you there are some commodities that cannot be found here. Things I didn’t really take into consideration during the first three months, probably because I was so busy all the time, and now that I have ‘some’ free time on my hands I tend to daydream or just think about the goods that are so hard or impossible to find here. Things like good chocolate, pretzels, options of opti-free that aren’t ridiculously overpriced, micro-brews, cream cheese, and just cheese in general. Don’t get me wrong I am living comfortably, let’s just say I have become much more of McGyver here (you know that guy that could do or make anything out of nothing). An example, I have decided not to purchase a mini oven of sorts, even though I would love to make cookies every once in awhile. Instead, I stick to the Dutch oven. For those of you who have never tried, do it! It’s incredible what you can do with a pot, a layer of sand, and a tuna can. My site mate and I have made some pretty tasty banana cakes, and are experimenting weekly with new ingredients. I think I might try some cayote (squash) bread sometime in the near future. Still no friends, or at least that close girlfriend I can shoot the shit with. Thank god for Garrett is all I can say, I don’t know how I would deal without someone to hang out with over dinner. It gets lonely sometimes, especially since there is no clear, defined path of work. True I was assigned with the Superintendent of this municipality but he is new in his position and has a hard time understanding my role as a Peace Corps volunteer. My work partner, who is super nice, is so busy that she doesn’t care what I do. So I’ve been doing my own thing, walking around, presenting myself, finding those professors or NGOs who want to collaborate with me. Work is different here. The education system is different. The teaching styles are different. The difference is sometimes super frustrating because it’s so inefficient. For instance, the superintendent wants me to hand in a cronograma, a schedule, of my whereabouts and what-abouts, which is hard to design because I don’t have a steady schedule at the moment, and probably won’t for the first few months. I tried explaining this to him, but no matter, he wants something to refer to. To back the cronograma up I have to write out Actas de Visitas or Trabajo, which basically state that indeed I was where I was supposed to be and then it is stamped by the professor or whomever I am working with - more paperwork. Last week he stopped me and told me he wants me to sign in everyday at 8am like his employees. Which I am refusing to do because I am a volunteer, I have a role that is unpaid by this municipality. It is such bullshit. Can you tell I have been frustrated lately? This week marks my one month here in Sacaca and I can still honestly say I have no idea what I am supposed to be doing here yet. I know to work within Environmental Education, but the idea wasn’t for me to teach, it was for me to facilitate and support the teachers. Today I have come to the conclusion that indeed I am going to be teaching. I grew some news balls yesterday and walked up to a new school and blindly introduced myself and what I am doing here and made dates to go and help teach next week. One of the classes is teaching English and the other is in Natural Sciences. Vamos a ver. This past weekend all of the 12 volunteers in the Altiplano got together in Huari, along with some Bolivian friends from Oruro, to commemorate two birthdays. We prepared my first P’ampaku, which is a Quechua tradition of cooking in the earth, while we celebrated by bonfire overlooking Lake Poopo and its beautiful sunset. It was so awesome! My times away from my site are more exciting than my times here. I hope that changes soon, because it’s pretty depressing to not want to return to site. I am having no problem living here, the town is beautiful and the locals are friendly enough, but it takes a toll on the happiness level to not have friends and to have no direction in work. Supposedly this is the norm for the first three months. Does that mean I have two more to go until I get it? I’ve decided to buy a guitar soon. Perhaps picking up an instrument will give me some structure that I’m lacking in my life. I’ve gone back to making lists, thanks to some good recommendations from other volunteers who too find that work is the hardest part of being a Peace Corps Volunteer. I’ve also gone back to writing real letters; however I only get to mail them out those days I am in the city. I get in usually every other week. But I do have a mailbox, so any of you who would like to be my pen pal, feel free to begin writing me at: Casilla 585

Oruro

Bolivia

South America *In case of packages, please do not send packages over 4 pounds please, because the post office charges out of the wazoo… and it would be good to write ‘cosas religiosas’ on the mailing so as not to have any pirates try and pry open your goods. I end with you knowing that I am still happy to be in Bolivia and hopeful that work in Sacaca will come.

My site mate Garrett. Yes we live in the Andes. This is looking NE from where we live.

Picture of Sacaca from the northside looking south. Check out the plaza with all the trees, several cottonwoods. Makes it feel like autumn here.

Entering week two in Sacaca and I feel a bit inadequate. Daily I try and make friends and get involved with meetings or events, but it is a lot harder than I had initially imagined. People are friendly here, but to make friends is quite another story. For one thing, it is way colder in this part of the country then others, therefore, once the sun goes down everyone ‘normal’ is inside. During the weekdays, most people are working, and as far as I can tell the people I will eventually get to know and share time with will be those that work with the Alcaldia (mayor) and the Distrital (Superintendent). Poco a poco supongo. (Little by little I suppose)

My life here thus far has consisted of ample free time. During the week I try and make myself present wherever I can. Though the school system has a structure to it, which one would think might make it easier to get started; it takes time to build trust and confidence among the professors and directors. Therefore, and as I was told, the first three months are to get to know the community and to perform a diagnostic, as they say in PC terms. So poco a poco I make myself known in my community and hopefully, sooner than later, there will be projects that sprout up. Entonces, those times where I cannot present myself further I find myself reading, writing, sleeping and eating. I have been here only two weeks and already I have completed two books: “the Omnivore’s Dilemma” and “The Unbearable Lightness of Being”, and tonight I am about to start my third: “The Kite Runner”.

This weekend I got sick for the first time since being in Bolivia. Not really sure what caused the stomach pains, unfortunate lack of hunger, and nasty bowel movements, but I can assure you it was a rough 72 hours spent mostly sleeping. Fortunately it was the weekend. Sunday I awoke quite ready to take the day on. I was still hesitant to throw anything down my throat but managed to swallow some cayote soup (which is like a squash), that I made the other night prior to getting sick. Afterwards I was determined to go for a hike with my site mate. We walked nearly 3 miles, to the neighboring town through the most beautiful terrain imaginable. I really think we have the most beautiful site in Bolivia, give or take a few. The walk rejuvenated me and when I returned home I was able to eat! What a successful day.

Today is looking to be a great Monday! I have presented myself to two different educational communities and have a meeting this afternoon with several professors, in hopes to start coordinating future projects. Manana I am off to two outside communities, parte del municipio de Sacaca, with one of the NGO´s in town.

B47 official volunteers!

My new home: Sacaca

My last full day’s with the Fuentes family was an absolute treat. Pique Macho was prepared twice, which happens to be one of my favorite plates here; consisting of beef, chorizo, onion, hard boiled egg, rice, french fries and hot peppers. It also happened to be my host brothers 22nd birthday, so a combined despedida was enjoyed by all in the family. I have become very comfortable here, Bolivia in general, with my host family specifically. The Fuentes’ have opened up their home and arms to me and have really made it such a warm experience. Daily I was asked/told ‘no te vayas Dianita’ (don’t leave little Diana). And my response was always, voy a visitarles mucho (I am going to visit you guys a lot). I chose not to say goodbye, but rather ‘hasta Julio’ (see you in July). For our last few days in Cochabamba, Peace Corps put us all up in a fancy hotel. It was entertaining to spend the last 3 days of training together to say the least. With the anticipation of moving to site and the termination of a long drawn out training; being in such close proximities to one another called for some really great times. Swear in was a bit anticlimactic, it went fast and sort of felt like a graduation. It felt real good to be sworn in as an official peace corps volunteer, finally - a long awaited moment for us all. My girl Helen gave the best speech during the ceremony and truly has been such an inspiration to me. This journey has been challenging but with people like Helen it makes the hard times easier and the happy times even better. That last day and night with my close crew of B47 was a bit odd. It was strange to have to say, “see you guys in three months”, to people I have grown so close to. We are all so ready to be in our sites, yet it is a bit overwhelming and scary at the same time. We all split ways either Saturday or Sunday to go to our hub cities to purchase the necessary items to live; such as a mattress, stove top, gas tank, etc. If only I could have satellite images of us all loading up our buses with our stuff, haha what a site that must’ve been. My site mate and I arrived in Sacaca on Wednesday the 23rd. Already I am running around, being introduced to people, attending meetings, participating in el Dia del Campo with the kiddies (which is like a field day), setting up my home, etc. I am filled with emotions, the majority of which are fantastically good, but I do have those pangs of ‘wow – what have I really gotten myself into’. And believe it or not I actually miss some of the comforts of Cochabamba. It feels like fall here, the leaves are falling off the trees in the plaza and the temperature drops dramatically at night. However, June is the cold month, or so I have been told: the water freezes and sometimes hail will fall. Thus far, people have been super friendly and the kids extremely curious. It is not out of the ordinary to walk down the street with hundreds of eyes staring. It is a bit strange indeed, but I am getting used to that fact. Garrett and I are the only gringos in site for miles. How strange we must look indeed. I am happy to disprove all of those who said that the people of the Altiplano were frigid and hard to get to know. So far people have been very inviting and friendly as I pass by. It is a strange feeling to think about how far away we live from the city, and how isolated we are here in Sacaca. Yet when I walk through the streets and look into the horizon my reflections become awestruck by what I see around me; rolling mountains, a constant crisp breeze under the blazing sun, cholitas tending their potatos fields and the scattered livestock sprinkled into the scenery as if it were a fairy tale. It truly is such a gift to live in simplicity. A shakr song sung by my buddies, Andrew, Helen and Ben during swear in: “Tis a gift to be simple, tis a gift to be free, tis a gift to come down where we ought to be, but when we find ourselves in the place just right, to be in the valley of love and delight. When true simplicity is gained, to vow and to bend we will not be ashamed. To turn, turn, will be our delight, to by turning, turning, we come round right.”

Great news!!!! Uploading a video actually works in the hotel that I am staying in for the next three days! It is a bit late, meaning I made this clip about 2 months ago, but better late then never right?! Also, since I am taking advantage of this awesome, free, fast, wireless I have uploaded a bunch of fotos onto a web album. So here is the link for those of you inclined to check out some fun shots from the past three months. http://picasaweb.google.com/diana.owens/BoliviaTrainingCamp

We have one more full day of training. Friday we swear in as volunteers. Next week we all move into our new sites and begin life as PCV's!!! Much love to you all. :)

My first visit to my new site has finally arrived but quickly passed. And what a trip it was. Sacaca is absolutely incredible. It lies southwest of Cochabamba taking about 6 hours on the direct road, and about 7 hours if I was to go from Coch. to Oruro to Sacaca. But all the roads into and out of Sacaca are anything but comfortable. Beautiful and breathtaking yes, but incredibly serpent-like, uneven, narrow and possibly the scariest roads I have ever been on. And yet, this isn’t even “the most scariest road in the world”, which is located a couple of hundred kilometers north of where I will be living. The mountain range is magnificent, resting at 12,000 ft. in Sacaca and taller in some places. You can see wild llamas, sheep, potato, haba, and wheat fields. The town has about 2,000 residents and gives off very good vibes. The center of town is the plaza which is beautiful, surrounded by tiendas, the mayors office, superintendents office, a church, police station, Entel office, a hotel and some homes. It technically is considered part of the Altiplano, however it is way different then the majority of the Altiplano which means high and flat. It rests in a semi valley like area and has quite a bit of green to it. It is one of the largest municipalities in the department of Potosi with 183 communities, 78 schools and 9 nucleos (schools with principals). It is definitely cold, and we are entering winter here so my first purchase will be about 5 warm blankets. There are three languages spoken within Sacaca proper; Quechua, Aymara, and Spanish. Several of the schools I will be working with will definitely be a challenge for that reason. Fortunately for me teachers here are required to teach in Spanish, but my goal is to learn at least the basics of both Quechua and Aymara so I can play with the kids and kick it with the seniors. My new boss is the Director of the Districtal, (his position is like a superintendent in the states) and he has asked me to focus my work on supporting environmental education in three of the nucleos. There are many NGOs that work in this town, two of which have already reached out asking for help over the next two years in both Environmental Education and in Natural Resources. There is definitely interest and motivation in this community and more than enough work for both my site mate Garrett and I to carry out. My site mate and I are fortunate enough to be taking over a site where there was a previous volunteer; so our week in the Altiplano was filled with loads of helpful information and comfortable presentations, thanks to her. I will be living in the room where the previous volunteer was living, which is a nice size and costs about $12 a month! The living situation is sort of like studios in a boarding house; there are several rooms that are rented out, we all share a bathroom and we all cook in our own personal rooms. I think I will be cooking a lot here since I only noticed one restaurant in town. I have yet to meet the owners of the house, who only live there on the weekends since they are both professors who work out in the campo during the week. But I hear they are nice. I am so happy to be moving to the Altiplano!!!

My transportation hub, which is the nearest city to my site, is Oruro. I get cell phone service there and we have a PO Box, so I will probably be dropping in a couple of times a month. (Volunteers are limited to 5 days a month). This city is popularly known for its Carnaval during February and is awesome! It is one of the older cities in Bolivia and has such vibrant energy. However, public transportation from my site to Oruro is limited; we have 3 bus companies in town that leave Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays all at 4am. A bit odd eh? So Garrett and I left Friday morning and spent our last day and half in Oruro. The two of us, plus two other new volunteers in my group met up with 3 of the other 11 volunteers who live in the region and had a great time. It was so nice to finally feel like a volunteer and not a trainee. Only two more weeks until that is actually our reality.

I am back in Cochabamba now and have exactly a week left with my wonderful host family. Next Wednesday we move out and spend the last 4 nights in a hotel in the center of town. It is absolutely insane that we are already in the middle of April and that swear in is less then 2 weeks away. I am more than ready to be done with training and cannot stop thinking about my new site. No pics this time around, but I hope to get a web album up with all my training shots sometime in the near future. Peace

*I will add more fotos soon. Until then enjoy these! ;)Helen y Yo en Camiri

Eco club of Camiri with the group

Bloqueo

Matt, Helen, Matt, Yolanda y Erika

Getting ready for our charla

I am back in Cochabamba after our 10 day ‘Tech Week’ in the Chaco. Tech week, also known as semana tecnica, consists of traveling through different parts of Bolivia and putting into practice the various technical skills we have learned thus far in training. It also involves visiting current volunteers and sites to develop a larger perspective on what our new lifestyles will be like for the next two years.

The Chaco is a region in Bolivia that cuts through the Chuquisaca, Santa Cruz, and Tarija Departments and rests on the northern part of Paraguay. It is a huge landscape with a variety of ecosystems. Our journey started with the high altitudes (8,500 ft) of the Cochabamba valleys, into the pristine rainforest known as the Chapare, and ended with the low altitudes, rolling hills, savannahs and deserts of the Chaco. The Chaco is an interesting place, with a completely different culture. People are for the most part tranquilo and very friendly, however the entire place is extremely HOT. We were lucky to have visited during the wet season, but the temperatures still reached up to 32 degrees Celsius during the day (close to 90 F). The nights were lovely, reminding me of a summer time beach night, except without the beach. This region is definitely a place I would love to visit again.

Ironically our trip started and ended with car problems, and lucky for me I was able to be a part of both events. The first incident happened on our way down the mountains through the Chapare. Our brakes failed so we had to wait a few hours until another driver from the Cochabamba office could reach us and swap cars. The second episode happened on our way back to Cochabamba. The other car was having acceleration problems, which we were briefly told was most likely due to the filter or gas tank. Nevertheless, we put - putted to a stop, once again in the Chapare about 2 hours east of Cochabamba, where we waiting for 6 hours until the PC mechanic assisted us. These experiences I can only laugh at because I am sure I will be living many more of them.

During tech week we were very lucky to experience another road block, but this time it was in the small town of Cuevo (less then 500 people) which lies just outside of Camiri (4 hours south of Santa Cruz city). We were scheduled to do a charla (presentation) on reforestation in the campo school, but were unable to get there because the taxistas (taxi drivers) were blocking our path. That day there was a bloqueo because they were trying to get attention for their roads which are in pretty bad shape. We were so lucky though, because had we not been blocked in I would not have been off-roading through the Chaco. What a morning – it was what I was envisioning the Peace Corps experience to be: Off-roading in landcruisers for the better half of the day through dusty dirt roads that twist in an out of these intense low lying ridgelines. Scattered towns of what seem to have a population size of 20 with tons of cows, goats, and pigs. I cannot even imagine what this cowboy land must be like in the dry season.

The worst part about the Chaco is the bichos (insects). They have these yellow gnat like bugs, known as Mariwees (not sure if that is spelled right) that you don’t even know are biting you until after they have taken a good portion of your blood and left a large bulls-eye on your skin. This mark lasts for about a week and is extremely itchy. All I can say is thank god the Chaco was not my first choice for site placement. Oh yea and did I mention that there are tarantulas here too? We saw some intense webs on this trip.

Our charlas (presentations) and tallers (workshops) throughout the week went great considering that yet again our scheduled plans changed last minute. We traveled through the towns of Camiri, Salinas, Cuevo, Boyuibe, Guttierez, and Ipita discussing environmental issues on recycling, waste management, battery disposal, reforestation, and water use. The majority of the time we worked with school kids from the different communities, but we also got the chance to discuss implementing environmental education curriculum with some private school professors in Camiri and introduced different methods of compost and bio-fertilizers to the tiny community of Salinas. It was a very busy week filled with great practice, incredible landscape, and tons of laughter. I feel very lucky to be here in Bolivia and extremely fortunate to work with a group of people who get along great and really complement one another’s working styles and personalities.

Hands down the best part of the trip was in Boyuibe, where we got to go on the air after a long morning in the back country of the Chaco. One of the current volunteers’ jobs is hosting a radio station on environmental issues, every MWF for an hour… and coincidentally it was one of our birthdays in the group, so we all sang happy birthday to Yolanda and capped the night off with some Bolivian beers and cake. Some dulce de leche cake with some slammin’ honey flavored icing. ;) The following day in Boyuibe we did some more back country traveling to several different campo communities to collect batteries, what a different world. Super small towns filled with so much life.

During tech week the seven of us in Environmental Education had our second interview with our APCD regarding site placement, and fortunately for us all we chose 7 different sites. I requested the only site in the Altiplano, which lies at 3600 meters, which is about 11,000 ft. and is a 7 hour bus ride from Cochabamba. Today I found out that indeed I will be heading there, my new home will be Sacaca and I will be one of three Environmental Educators in the Altiplano. Next week we will all be traveling to our new sites to finally meet our communities. In the meantime I plan to start Quechua classes and enjoy my last few weeks with my wonderful host family.

Before arriving in Bolivia I envisioned myself working in the Andes and now I am finally making my way there.

Near where I live

THE Environmental Edu.Crew

Perhaps some of you fellow travelers have come across towns or cities that shut down at odd hours? Cochabamba is a city that is very quiet on the weekends. There are very few restaurants, bars and stores that are open during the day on Saturday and nearly everything is closed on Sunday. At night things open up, but if one wanted to cruise around, go to an internet café and then grab a beer afterwards, mid –day on the weekend, it would be nearly impossible. It seems to be a very late-night kind of place, which I unfortunately or fortunately have yet to experience. Our curfew right now is midnight, but my bed time typically falls between the hours of 10 and 11pm. About a week and a half ago, (on a Wednesday – a night after a day of classes at the training center, which is an hour southeast from where our communities are), I went into the city to eat dinner with some friends, and to my surprise found the city to be hopping. Everything was open: galleries, restaurants, bars, stores…. And I had my first taste of Mexican food in weeks, it was grand! It’s too bad that the only substantial free time I have right now is during the weekend when most things are closed.

Last weekend I had my first taste of good cheese. My friend Helen and I decided to pick up a snack at the IC norte, which is the large supermarket here. We decided on some blue cheese and Guava jam…..wow was it good. The cheese here, known as quesillo, is your typical central/south American white cheese. Depending on whom you buy it from the better the flavor. My family gets our quesillo from our neighbor who makes it and we eat it between bread for breakfast or drizzle it on dough when making bread. It sort of has a consistency that is a cross between ricotta and mozzarella but with a very bland taste. You either love it or hate it, and I fortunately have grown to love it.

Last weekend I was also attempting to upload my first video in Bolivia, but unfortunately after 3 hours at a café with wireless I gave up. The bandwidth here is very small. My plan B is to create a cd with videos on it over the course of the next few months and then send it to one of you reliable folks to upload it for me from the states. So until that time comes please enjoy the still shots.

I bought a cell phone, so for those of you interested in calling me, drop me a line over email and I’ll send you the number. Yes, cell phones exist here and actually the majority of people have them. There are three major phone servers, Entel, Tigo and Viva. I am on the Viva chip, which I am told is one of the better signals. I don’t know how reliable the service will be once I’m out in the campo, but for the time being I am connected. Feel free to call me whenever.

Speaking of sites… This week we were given the list of sites with their descriptions… so we are all getting excited about that next step in the Peace Corps experience. Out of seven sites that were designated for Environmental Education, there are three that are on my list of – “wow that town/job description sounds awesome”. The other four were either in areas way too hot for my liking or were too close to the city, so vamos a ver. The three that I’m interested in are in different departments, Santa Cruz, Chuquisaca and Potosi, and they all have extremely different climates. Two of three towns speak a lot of Quechua. Site placement works like this… the APCD (assistant Peace Corps director – program specific) receives calls from different Alcaldias (which are our equivalent to Mayors of the town) who wish to have a Peace Corps volunteer work in their town. The APCD then makes several visits to the towns (on average 3) to find a good work counterpart and to be make sure that it’s a valid request. The trainees are then given the list of sites to read and get excited about mid way through training. We then have another interview with the APCD during Tech Week, to explain which of the 7 sites we are interested in and why. However, the APCD has the final say in deciding where he wants to send us, based on our skills, personalities, flexibility, etc. Vamos a ver… March 24th I’ll have the word. Can you tell I’m excited???!!!! J Next week we are all on our tech week. Each program tours different communities where current volunteers are working to help out with some projects and get some more hands on experience. Our tech week will be in the Santa Cruz department, so we’ll get to see 7 different HOT sites, 2 of which are sites that have been selected for 2 people in my group. The last week of March I’ll be back in Cochabamba for a week more of class, and then the first week of April I’ll be in my new site, feeling it out for a week. I’ll be turning a year older in my new home. We then return back to Cochabamba for about 2 and a half more weeks for more classes and swearing in. And finally we move to our new sites on the 20th of April. El tiempo esta volando. (Time is flying)

This week we presented our first Charla. A charla is basically a presentation that can last anywhere between 15 minutes up to an hour or longer. My group of three presented our charla on Organic and Inorganic Trash to a class of about 35 sixth graders and we did our thing for about an hour. It was quite the experience. I would say half of it went really well and the other half definitely could use some improvement. It’s tough controlling that many students especially when it is the last period of the day, and in another language. But considering the odds I’d say it was a small success.

Good evening and good night to you all!

Sumaj p’unchaj - Sumaj Tuta – in Quecha

Diana on the job

El 23 de Febrero de 2008

The environmental education groups’ first trip outside of Cochabamba consisted of visiting two towns, Toco and Cliza, about a 55 minute drive SE from our communities. It began with an interesting start, with several roadblocks barricading the major highways. The major mode of public transportation here: Micros and Trufis, which are mini buses and minivans, protesting against the toll fees. Toll fees in which are meant to maintain the highways, and I guess which have yet to be used in this way? In any event it took us a little longer to get to our destination then expected. We started out at a nursery, known here as a vivero, where we got a tour of how to make good soil from sand, compost, and rice grains. It was a brief visit at the vivero followed by a great cenar (dinner). That night we were told that our original plans, planting trees with the Tozo Collegio (high school) 11th and 12th grade classes, had been cancelled. Instead we were destined to scramble up some lesson plans for a two hour visit with the same school and age group. Our group of 7 in environmental education decided to prepare lesson plans on composting and recycling/reuse. It wound up working out great, considering the lack of time and materials we had, and I even learned how to crotchet in the process. We taught the kids in the recycling group how to crotchet with plastic bags and how to reuse 2 liter bottles into upside down ‘tippy tops’ which is a very basic device to wash your hands where there is no sink or potable water. Entonces, this scramble of changes in the original plans to creating something last minute with very few resources was a great introduction to what we should be prepared for here in Bolivia, or so we are told.

Last Sunday I helped, my mom and brother, make my first 100+ loaves of bread. Of which I will be helping with again this Sunday. Prices of vegetables, rice, bread, meat and pretty much everything here in Bolivia has increased dramatically over the past 6 months. I am told it is because of the flooding this year and also because of Evo. So my pictures this time around are my first introduction to this experience. As you can see we bake our bread in an outside oven made of adobe. There is an oven in our house but supposedly the taste from this oven is much nicer.

It is now week 4 in Bolivia. I am getting the hang of the public transportation and the Bolivian way more and more day by day. My days are still jammed packed with classes and time is flying. In the next 3 weeks our EE (Environmental Edu.) group will be heading to the Santa Cruz department where we will be spending 1 week touring 4 different sites with current Volunteers who are nearing their end of service, followed by another week out in our site to be with our new counterpart to be. It is pretty insane to think that soon all this scheduled, time restricted training will be over and that we will soon all be in our new sites working alongside yet another very different lifestyle and culture here in Bolivia. We will most likely be placed in the campo (countryside), and it looks like we will either be placed in areas where the majority of people speak Guarani or Quechua. I look forward to it more and more. However I know I will miss the comfortableness that is/was training here in Cochabamba with the other 30 trainees.

My health has been fantastic thus far, considering that several of my companeros (colleagues) have been struggling with their bowels and the food. I am growing fonder of the meals here and am hungry at every sitting. Today I plan on playing some futbol with some of the other trainees and then hope to get some laundry done, since it takes a good hour to wash by hand. I do hope to get a video up soon, so hopefully by the next entry there will be some footage of the landscape and some verbage from the one and only moi. Until then, much love to you all.

El 6 de Febrero - 2008

We are known as B-47 in PC (Peace Corps) acronyms: B stands for Bolivia, 47 is our group number. We are also known as PCT’s (Peace Corps Trainees), which we will be known as until April 18th (date of swearing in) when we become PCV’s (Peace Corps Volunteers. There are 31 of us from all over the U.S. in this group of three series: Natural Resources, Environmental Education, and Agricultural Extension. I fall under the Environmental Education program and have just recently begun my training, therefore I will hold off on the details of classes/training until later.

I have been here for just over a week now and the Bolivian way of life has become my way of living. I wake up early, absorb loads of information, observe/live in a tranquilo culture that is distinctly Bolivian, and rest early. The Bolivian way of life is full of colors: men and women who work very hard, rest hard, and play hard. This past week we were lucky to have enjoyed Carnaval, which consists of several of the larger cities enjoying an extended weekend for la cha’lla and k’oa, (Quechuan traditions). Each of the larger cities has their own distinct weekends/weeks, Cochabamba beginning on the second Monday in February and ending on Saturday. The Quechua traditions of la cha’lla and k’oa entail burning of eucalyptus bark (which is plentiful here in Cochabamba) and knickknacks, in either the yard of your home, business or farm (sometimes all three). Many here drink chicha (which is the traditional alcoholic drink made from corn) and cerveza while pouring some out onto the earth to thank Pachamama (mother earth) for the goodness she has brought throughout the year. My family partook in la cha’lla, in our yard at the house, with one liter of cerveza that was shared between three. We also decorated all of our fruit trees with confetti. However, what Carnaval is most known for is its water fights. Everywhere you walk you are bound to return drenched from globos (balloons) filled with water (I have been told that in some parts of the country kids fill the balloons with paint, dirty water, and sometimes urine as well – fortunately for me I have yet to be hit with one of these :P ). Because my family is not very big on drinking in the locales/chicharias (bars or restaurants of a sort that primarily serve alcoholic drinks) I chose to stay in the compound with them for the majority of the ‘big days’ during Carnaval for bonding purposes but also so as not to be bombarded by groups of kids with water guns and balloons.

My family is fantastic. I live in a castle here. I have my own private room with a balcony overlooking many eucalyptus trees that are homes to many different species of birds that sing as I wake and all throughout the day. I share a home with a wonderful mother who has three kids; two sons who are 24 and 21 and a daughter who is 16. During the summer vacations (December through February) she also hosts her mother (mi abuela, who speaks primarily Quechua and who is unfortunately blind) and her two nieces who are 16 and 14. The family owns three geese, 4 turkeys, 4 dogs, and 2 cats – all live outside and think they are guards of the home. The comida here is very carbohydrate heavy. Every day I eat three meals which typically consist of bread, potatoes, rice, pasta, meat, vegetables, and sometimes a fried egg. It is remarkable to observe and be a part of this particular society outside of Cochabamba… my home is humongous compared to many of the other homes where the 30 other trainees are staying. I am fortunate to have a flush toilet and a luke-warm shower. We have many animals, but the majority of the families in this community have more, typically several cows, pigs, and guinea pigs as well. And of course the dogs….. there are thousands!

Cochabamba is a beautiful city. It is in a valley, with an altitude of about 8,500ft, between the Tunari mountain range (which I have a great view of from the top of my house). The first few days I would find myself up on the roof/third floor of our house to sit and knit and stare at the beauty that surrounds me. But now with training I find less and less time to do so. Our weeks are now very full with classes M-F from 8:30am to usually 6pm (4 hours of language class per day, and afternoons full of technical, diagnostic and cultural training). There are many wonderful people in this program and I feel very lucky to be here. But, it is also very overwhelming; there is so much information to absorb in only 11 weeks.

The challenge is on and I am ready - until the next time.

(Foto: a shot of Tunari from the training center)

PS: we were able to watch the Superbowl here, via Fox Mexico! Go G-MEN! J

A practice run through of what my camcorder can do.

Last Thursday was the last day of the best job I have ever had (thus far anyway). A year ago, almost to the day, I began the peace corps application, which initiated my pursuit of working as an intern for the Environment, Stewardship and Education Division of the Fairmount Park. Over the past 7 months not only have I realized what it means to be truly happy 'working' but I have developed a passion. I can sum it up with two reasons: 1) To be surrounded by so many enthused individuals who strive to beautify our local environment; and 2) To see and feel the gratitude of not only the volunteers and community but the physical growth and restoration of park land. This has truly been such an inspirational experience. Shout outs to everyone I have worked with in the Fairmount Park! You beautiful people are part of why I wish to continue working in the environmental sector. You all will be missed!:) I am so grateful that my life path has taken me here - This is "what was meant to be"....

I have finally received information regarding my staging event. I will be reporting to a hotel in Arlington, Va. with the rest of the Peace Corps trainees on Sunday, January 27th for our first meeting at 1:30pm. After a very brief orientation the group as a whole will leave from DC to Miami to La Paz to finally arrive in La Paz, Bolivia in the early morning on January 30th.

So the countdown truly begins, 32 days.