Pachamama and the Pavement

I apologize for not having any new blog posts in awhile...this is because nothing much new has happened. I have settled into a routine here in Cochabamba, but yesterday I made some (hopefully) fantastic plans that will upset my routine just a bit! But first, I'll talk a little about Pachamama's presence in the city.

Recently I felt like I got used to how terrifying the streets of Cochabamba are, but then I stumbled onto a street that looked like this:



Yes, this is a full grown tree erupting from the middle of a paved road. I've seen this scene repeated on cobblestone streets and sidewalks, and every time it amazes me. It's not a romantic vision of nature refusing to be tamed by human civilization, but rather more akin to how the sidewalk can end without warning, leaving you walking through 50 meters or so of mud before you can return to a paved, though still perilous, surface. If nature is trying to peek through the pavement of this city, it will also have to reach through a fair amount of trash that litters the parks and open spaces first. Trees growing out of place seems to be an example of the general disarray of government, not any especial respect for nature. It's strange beacuse the native Andean culture pays its respects to Pachamama, or Mother Earth, but they mostly do it in the form of llama baby offerings. The name Cochabamba comes from the Quechua word for "lake," shown below for your viewing pleasure.


Nature is not necessarily winning.

Not to say that there aren't beautiful places here. People often decorate their portion of the street with flowering trees that overflow the wall dividing their yard from the street (every house is walled). I've noticed that if someone doesn't have a flowering tree overflowing their wall, they have barbed wire or crushed glass bottles instead, so perhaps the trees are a more beautiful way of keeping intruders out.


This picture is a great example of walls adorned with vegetation, but also an excellent example of sidewalks abruptly ending, probably because some trees happened to start growing there.

Sometimes the government does clean things! Last night, a rainstorm toppled a tree into the road, and by 7:50 this morning, someone was already out with a chain saw and traffic cones so traffic could eventually get by. Rodrigo was surprised, saying that that never happens in Bolivia! People don't clean up messes right away! He thought perhaps it had to do with the large and majestic Mormon church across the street. Did you know there were Mormons in South America? Well, there are. They don't let non-Mormons into their church, however.


Very grand Mormon church on the way up to my house!

My host father, Gonzalo, involves himself in many varied business ventures, including, at some point, a concrete factory in Oruro. This particular factory was shipped down in pieces from California, where the same factory was shut down due to environmental violations. The exact same factory was reassembled in Bolivia, and needed only one new part! So, now you know what happens to our old or unusable stuff: it goes to Bolivia! I mentioned this is passing before, but a similar thing happened to cars that got flooded in New Orleans during Katrina. Refurbished, they were then sent here. My host family has one, and they say it was a very good deal and the car has lasted surprisingly well.

Anyways, here are some updates about my routine here in Cochabamba. I said in my last post that I started volunteering at a school in the mornings. This is turning out to be very rewarding! I am helping four students learn English, and also helping their teacher by separating them from the class for a couple periods. Their school is entirely in English, and these students are really not able to keep up in class, so I feel like I have a concrete goal to accomplish with them. They are very cute. It's fun to teach them. I like teaching.

On Monday, I went to the library with my four kids and was just starting the class, when some man walks in with a suit, tie, and sunglasses, and asks to speak with me. I was very nervous that I was in trouble with the Bolivian government, but, as it turned out, I didn't have to worry. (I had heard some stories about how the Bolivian administration was putting pressure on International schools to have fewer American teachers, so I had some reason to be worried). He just wanted me to tutor his daughter twice a week. 40 Bolivianos an hour! That's 6 dollars! Still, by Bolivian standards, that's very good.

Yesterday I talked to a friend of Ximena, Arturo, who studies amphibians. We made plans to go to Lake Titicaca next week to examine an endangered frog that lives in the lake! Hopefully this pans out, because I am excited to visit the lake, and potentially snorkel in it, though apparently the lake is very cold and the last time I snorkeled I almost drowned. Wish me luck!


Street gangs of Cochabamba.