A Time of Transition

Since I finished my language studies at the Instituto de Idiomas in June, I have been in a period of transition and orientation to mission work here in Cochabamba. I'm no longer living with a Bolivian family...but have moved into an apartment with a fellow missioner, Ann Kennedy. I'm learning to navigate the Bolivian system of bill paying, shopping and local public transportation...all very different from the U.S. All this "acculturation" means I am being forced to use my new Spanish language skills...at time frustrating, at times humorous, at times even bordering on reciprocal communication!

During this period of transition, I travelled with the entire group of Bolivian MKLM lay missioners (10 adults and three children) to La Paz for a week of reflection and community building. To prepare for the change in altitude in La Paz, I took a "soroche" pill before taking my flight from Cochabamba. The capital city of La Paz is literally breath-taking...at 3660 meters...it is one of the highest cities in the world. Interestingly, most of the city is carved like a bowl out of the Andes mountains and buildings cling to the sides of the canyons surrounding the city. In some ways La Paz reminded me of San Francisco with its narrow, steep streets and colonial, turn of the century architecture....but La Paz has it's very own character...a colorful mix of modern and indigenous (Amaryan) co-existing in a spectacular natural setting!

Our group of ten missioners stayed at the Maryknoll House within the city of La Paz. This timeworn home has been in the Maryknoll family for more than fifty years...serving as a base for priests and brothers who have worked and lived in the region and as a "hostel" for missioners, friends and families when they visit the city. Father Mike, who has served the region of La Paz for many years, was our host and historian. The house is large and spacious but like many Bolivian structures has no central heating. So as Cochabambinos, we all had to layer on clothing to adjust to the very cool "indoor" temperature! Nighttime temps in La Paz can dip into the 20s...so fortunately our individual rooms had space heaters and electric blankets.

Part of our community building experience included a day trip to El Alto, which is a fast growing city of immigrants "above" La Paz....yes...even higher in altitude than La Paz! So to prevent any possible recurring symptoms of altitude sickness...I took another soroche pill. Many of the new arrivals in El Alto  have immigrated from the altiplano to find work. Everywhere across the barren landscape was new construction and the faces and culture of the Amaryan people. In the past, several MKLM missioners had lived and worked in El Alto, so the group visited the sites of their missions and spoke with the Bolivians who are continuing these projects in health and education. We were warmly received by our hosts and given a very positive reflection of the lasting benefits of our cross cultural efforts.

As a group of ten we had several days of workshops on discolonization and racism, discussions about diversity and collaboration and special times of reflection and prayer. However, we were also able to treat ourselves to several outings in the city. One of the more fascinating was our visit to the "artesanal" street markets where vendedoras sell everything from dried llama fetuses for indigenous ceremonial use to intricately woven "aguayos" (blankets) made of alpaca wool. The sites, smells and sounds of the street markets were overwhelming at times...each tiny market stall was filled to overflowing with merchandise in a rainbow of colors. I couldn't resist the temptation to purchase something...so I choose a beautifully woven scarf.

Upon returning to Cochabamba...our winter weather has been so warm and beauiful that I have only worn my new scarf once on a cold morning...but my memories of my week in La Paz linger and I realize that just one visit to La Paz is not enough. Next time I hope to explore more of the city and  take excursions in the altiplano region to Lake Titicaca and the ruins at Tiwanaku. More to come....

On Top of the World

It's been some time since I last posted a blog entry. I have to admit I have been busy finishing my spanish language studies at the Maryknoll Instituto de Idiomas, and I can proudly say that I completed the "basico" course on June 9th! But I want to go back to the month of May to share an adventure I had with some other language students climbing Mt. Tunari near Cochabamba.
Mt. Tunari at 16,519 ft is the highest peak in Parque Tunari, a Bolivian national park and preserve. Areas of the park contain a protected and fragile ecosystem while other areas are populated by indigenous farmers who live in isolated pueblos growing quinoa, wheat and choclo (corn) on terraced slopes. The area has been referred to as the Nepal of Bolivia due to the similarity of terrain and jagged mountain peaks.

Along with a group of 20 language students plus a guide, I left by bus for the Parque Tunari early on a Saturday morning. I made the mistake of taking a window seat...(what was I thinking?)...so I unfortunatly had the treacherous view "below" as the bus snaked along the very narrow mountain road. Most of us had taken altitude sickness pills and were drinking "mate de coca" (tea) but I was surprised as I stepped off the bus after the 2 hour thrill ride, that the air was already very thin at @12,500 ft and my breathing was immediately very labored.
Some of the younger students decided to challenge the summit but I opted to stay with a small group only going midway to the summit. We took a path along a crystal clear "lago" (lake) sheltered by huge boulders. It was difficult climbing in the high altitude but the vistas were breathtaking.

After about an hour we stopped to rest and decided to stay at this point and eat lunch. We were joined by some grazing llamas and overhead we could see condors gliding and swooping around the snow covered peaks.The air smelled of wet earth...there was very little vegetation, only a few plants nestled in the crevices of the rocky landscape. Beneath our feet was a type of prickly moss...so we sat on our jackets!

After lunch the three children in the group played a game of parachute toss and we all took shorts catnaps before beginning our decent. As we walked slowly along the rocky path, we could feel the air turning colder and the clouds beginning to hide some of the lower peaks. The views descending were even more spectacular. Perhaps it was the time of day but the mountains just seemed to be framed in a "rosado" glow...an unforgettable image!

The hike ended as we greeted our more "athletic partners" at the bus and after a group photo...began the long bus ride back to Cochabamba. Not having had any previous experience hiking over 10,000feet, I can honestly say that it was a physical challenge, but the rewards of being at that altitude were truly amazing...the attached pictures can't do justice to this top of the world experience!