Hello all, Merry Christmas!
I hope you all had a wonderful white Christmas. I had the hottest and strangest Christmas of my life. We arrived in Santa Cruz on Tuesday morning at 9 from La Paz. We looked around a bit and then found our Bolivians waiting for us. We weren´t too sure of the plan but it was all cleared up for us. We got bus tickets and all of us but Allan headed to Camiri for Christmas. The bus ride here was beautiful. We are really in the jungle here and the view from the bus was really green and lush. The earth is also very red just like PEI so the contrast is very striking. We saw the lights of Camiri from a ways away and it reminded me a bit of coming into Cochrane from Calgary. Gustavo met us at the bus with his mini bus and we loaded all our stuff in. We drove around for a bit and then went for Pollo Sucre, the best chicken in Bolivia. It was pretty delicious and it was so good to see the Bolivians again. Lauren and I are staying at Brendas house so we got all settled in there and then went out to the bar for a bit. The next day was Christmas Eve which is the big celebration day here. We went to the pool because it was boiling hot. Then we had Christmas dinner with Brenda´s family. We had a whole pig and chicken and corn and a bunch of other things. The strange part was that they have dinner at midnight on Christmas Eve and then set off a whole bunch of fireworks. It was like the whole town was exploding. After that we went out to the bar again! We got there at around 2 (arrived in the torrential tropical downpour) and stayed until... 7 in the morning when they ran out of beer! The next day was pretty short because of the not going to bed until 7inthemorning. And then came yesterday. We decided to make ice cream cake because it is ridiculously hot here (like 30 to 40 degrees every day and humid) but the freezer is not very powerful so it took forever. We went to Sergio´s house to watch Little Miss Sunshine and then to the square. To explain what we did in the square you have to understand a little bit about the Camireños I know. They drink every day, and when there are holidays they drink even more. Also you need to understand the Plaza. Everyone goes to the plaza. There are no laws against drinking in the streets here so people go every night to the plaza to drink and dance and fight. There are different sections of the plaza for different groups of people. We were at the corner for all the kids who went to private school and Enna (one of the girls from the program) her brother was having a party to announce his New Years party. He had a cooler full of ice and lemon juice and liquor and sugar. This drink is from Brazil and is very sneaky. This is because it has a lot of alcohol but tastes really good and is really refreshing. They have a few cups and just keep filling them up. One of Dennis´friends Diana would keep taking our glasses, filling them up and saying "fifty fifty, I´ll drink half if you drink half" Even if you don´t want to drink, it is really hard not to. Anyways, we stayed for a while and then went home to sleep. Today the plan is to go up to a waterfall and hopefully go swimming. There is another party tonight but I am not going to drink until New Years. I have also been having some problems with my malaria meds cause they are making me feel really sick. I´m trying to figure out what to do about it and I think I´m going to go find a doctor. If anybody has any advice on Doxycyclin let me know cause it is knocking me out! I think the plan is to stay here until the 2nd and then to go to Santa Cruz for a couple of days. Then I´m heading to Uruguay to see my loverly friends there. I love and miss you all and I´ll see some of you pretty soon!
Anna
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Traveling South
The last few days have been a bit of a blur. The program ended on Saturday morning and we had to say goodbye to Colin and Candice. We spent the day in Quito getting ready for our big trip. We had dinner with the other groups who were still there and then headed out on the night bus (9 hours) to Cuanca. It was a good bus but a bit hard to sleep especially because we didn´t get very much sleep the few nights before. I woke up Sunday morning to the mistyest most beautiful sunrise I have ever seen. We got into Cuanca at about 7 or 8 and found a place to store our bags. We went on a breakfast hunt downtown. Unforutnately it was a Sunday morning and nothing was open except for church. We thought about oging and taking communion a few times but we found a restaurant eventually. The food was delicious and the waiter was my favourite so far. He was very sweet but was terrible at his job. He brought us bread which we ate and then asked us what kind of jam we wanted. He forgot to ask what kind of eggs we wanted and the chef had to come out to take our order. He was hilarious. We then wandered Cuanca until 4 when we got on another bus to Loja. This was a 6 hour and was probably the scariest bus I have ever been on. It was like the Trout Lake road with a cliff on one side and a cliff on the other. The road was very narrow and we were in a huge bus. We would pass other busses on corners and eventually I just gave up on the idea that we would survive the experience. We arrived in Loja ok and checked in at the first hostel we saw. We slept so well that night and got up the next morning to the beautiful weather. As we get farther south the weather gets warmer and warmer. Yesterday we travelled from Loja here to Vilcabamba. We are staying in the Madre Tierra hostel which is the most beautiful place I have ever been. We are surrounded by fruit trees, banana, mango, mandarin. There are flowers everywhere and an outdoor pool. We have all turned into puddles of relaxation. The food is delicious too but today we have to leave to cross into Peru. We are going to take another night bus tonight and cross the border at 4 in the morning. The bus doesn´t actually cross the border, we have to take the bus to the border, cross on a bridge and get a bus on the other side. We then start our multi-day trek by bus to the south of Peru and the border crossing into Bolivia. We will hopefully arrive in Santa Cruz on the 23rd of Dec. I am sending all my love and I apologize for not calling the people I should be calling. Phone access is few and far between. I´ll try to update this a little more often from now on.
Lots of love,
Anna
Lots of love,
Anna
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
The Last Week in Peguche
It has come to the last week in Peguche. We leave here on the 9th and head back to Quito for some program debreifing and we all leave Quito on the 13th, some to go home but Sheena, Allan, Lauren, Humza, Raphael and I are heading off on an adventure. We are going to Santa Cruz, Bolivia for just after Christmas. We are going to stay there until just after New Years. Then we are heading back through Bolivia, to Peru. (the plan is to hike into Machu Pichu, to spend about a week on the beach in Peru just hanging out and hopefully surfing and then I catch a plane from Lima to Buenos Aires. I´ll be there for about 10 days and then I´ll head to Quito and then home. It is pretty exciting although I´m going to really miss Candice and Colin who aren´t going to come with us.
Now a little more about here. Work at the school has been good. I am ajusting to Ecuadorian child minding standards which are very different from Canadian ones. We have had some interesting food experiences including little beetles fried with salt and lemon (they just tasted like salt and lemon and were very crunchy) and on Saturday we went to a housewarming party and had sheeps blood soup. It was good except for the blood part. The party was interesting though. It is traditional at housewarming parties to bring some sort of alcohol and eggs. There was a lot of dancing and a lot of drunk people. We aren´t allowed to drink on the program and it was probably a good thing. People just go around with a bottle of beer/wine/hard alcohol/moonshine and pour shots. I was approached with alcohol approximately every 2 minutes. If I had accepted I wouldn´t have been able to walk home.
Otherwise things are going very well although I´m tired. I´m sure that once we get going on this big adventure I´ll get my energy back. I love you all and I´m going to try to put some pictures up. It is pretty slow though.
Love,
Anna
Now a little more about here. Work at the school has been good. I am ajusting to Ecuadorian child minding standards which are very different from Canadian ones. We have had some interesting food experiences including little beetles fried with salt and lemon (they just tasted like salt and lemon and were very crunchy) and on Saturday we went to a housewarming party and had sheeps blood soup. It was good except for the blood part. The party was interesting though. It is traditional at housewarming parties to bring some sort of alcohol and eggs. There was a lot of dancing and a lot of drunk people. We aren´t allowed to drink on the program and it was probably a good thing. People just go around with a bottle of beer/wine/hard alcohol/moonshine and pour shots. I was approached with alcohol approximately every 2 minutes. If I had accepted I wouldn´t have been able to walk home.
Otherwise things are going very well although I´m tired. I´m sure that once we get going on this big adventure I´ll get my energy back. I love you all and I´m going to try to put some pictures up. It is pretty slow though.
Love,
Anna
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Living Life in Peguche, Ecuador
It has been a while since I have updated here. So many things have happened that I´m not going to be able to cover them all. The overwhelming feeling I have here though is that it is not so different from Canada. There are the blatant differences but those don´t make that much of a difference when it comes down to it. I don´t feel like I´m thousands of miles away from home.
The people here are for Ecuadorian standards fairly well off. Peguche is near to Otavalo where a lot of tourists come to shop in the huge market there. I am working with a group of indigenous women here who want to start a community tourism business. There idea is that groups of women from other parts of the world will come and stay in their houses and take spanish lessons, artisanal lessons, and tour around. The most important part of the experience will be that they will live and see how indigenous women live in Peguche which has a very strong indigenous community to the extent that most people speak Kitchwa as well as Spanish. We are going to be putting together a package for womens groups to look at and hopefully setting up a web page.
Spanish is going well and I can communicate quite well with most people. It does get quite exhausting though.
We went to quite a few tourist places on Saturday with all three groups. We saw people rapelling down through the waterfall in Peguche which looked like a lot of fun. We then went on the most terrifying bus ride of my life. Up the switchbacks on the mountain. It was like driving the Trout Lake road in a Greyhound bus but in a moderately populated area with kids and dogs and houses and other cars all over the place. We went to the Condor Park where they rescue and rehabilitate birds of prey. If you haven´t seen a condor they are huge. They have a wingspan of 3 meters. I would not want to meet one in a hang glider some day. From the Condor park we went to Cotacatchi which is a leather producing city and then to Cuicocha Lake where we had a tour. 4 of us went on one boat and the rest went on the other. I was one of four people on the boat with PANDA, the only social group for gay people in Quito. It was a riot! It was mostly gay guys and they wanted to know all about Canada. They were dancing all over the place. I guess it is one of the few places that they feel safe, because being gay in Ecuador is a no-no. They were in a big group so they were really comfortable. Anyways, my internet time is running out. I´m still figuring out my post program plans but I´ll let y´all know when I know. I love you all and miss you. I wish you could all see this beautiful country,
Anna
The people here are for Ecuadorian standards fairly well off. Peguche is near to Otavalo where a lot of tourists come to shop in the huge market there. I am working with a group of indigenous women here who want to start a community tourism business. There idea is that groups of women from other parts of the world will come and stay in their houses and take spanish lessons, artisanal lessons, and tour around. The most important part of the experience will be that they will live and see how indigenous women live in Peguche which has a very strong indigenous community to the extent that most people speak Kitchwa as well as Spanish. We are going to be putting together a package for womens groups to look at and hopefully setting up a web page.
Spanish is going well and I can communicate quite well with most people. It does get quite exhausting though.
We went to quite a few tourist places on Saturday with all three groups. We saw people rapelling down through the waterfall in Peguche which looked like a lot of fun. We then went on the most terrifying bus ride of my life. Up the switchbacks on the mountain. It was like driving the Trout Lake road in a Greyhound bus but in a moderately populated area with kids and dogs and houses and other cars all over the place. We went to the Condor Park where they rescue and rehabilitate birds of prey. If you haven´t seen a condor they are huge. They have a wingspan of 3 meters. I would not want to meet one in a hang glider some day. From the Condor park we went to Cotacatchi which is a leather producing city and then to Cuicocha Lake where we had a tour. 4 of us went on one boat and the rest went on the other. I was one of four people on the boat with PANDA, the only social group for gay people in Quito. It was a riot! It was mostly gay guys and they wanted to know all about Canada. They were dancing all over the place. I guess it is one of the few places that they feel safe, because being gay in Ecuador is a no-no. They were in a big group so they were really comfortable. Anyways, my internet time is running out. I´m still figuring out my post program plans but I´ll let y´all know when I know. I love you all and miss you. I wish you could all see this beautiful country,
Anna
Monday, November 10, 2008
Peguche!
Hey everyone,
We arrived friday to our host community of Peguche. We spent a couple of days in Iluman which is one of the other host communities. It was pretty amazing there and we had a chance to get accustomed to the food and the weather.
Peguche is absolutely beautiful. It is in a valley with Otavalo, Iluman and several other small communities. We are right in the shadow of Imbabura, a dormant volcano. We are going to climb up next weekend to a sacred site on Imbabura.
My family here is wonderful. Candice and I are living with Consuelo and her sister Marisol who has a two week old baby boy. Next door live her grandparents and across the yard lives her uncle Jesus. Jesus´ sister Luz Marina lives up the street with her husband Marcelo and their daughter Shelley. Luz Marina and Marcelo are the host family for Allan and Raphael so we see eachother all the time. Most days we eat with Consuelo and Jesus and Abuelito (which is what we call Consuelo´s grandfather.
The Spanish is coming along nicely but I still can´t communicate all the ideas that I want to. We started work today but there wasn´t much for us to do because it is the 10th anniversary of the school that we are working in. There was a presentation that took forever and then the kids and parents had soccer and volleyball tournaments. We made friends with some girls from the school and they helped Candice with her Spanish homework.
Overall my impressions here are good. Peguche is a beautiful town and the people are very friendly. It is very safe here and the people really look out for eachother. The food is really good too. Lots of corn and potatoes. We have fresh juice every morning for breakfast. Melon or blackberry or tomate de arbol (a kind of sweet tree tomato.) I have to leave it at that. I love you all!
Anna
We arrived friday to our host community of Peguche. We spent a couple of days in Iluman which is one of the other host communities. It was pretty amazing there and we had a chance to get accustomed to the food and the weather.
Peguche is absolutely beautiful. It is in a valley with Otavalo, Iluman and several other small communities. We are right in the shadow of Imbabura, a dormant volcano. We are going to climb up next weekend to a sacred site on Imbabura.
My family here is wonderful. Candice and I are living with Consuelo and her sister Marisol who has a two week old baby boy. Next door live her grandparents and across the yard lives her uncle Jesus. Jesus´ sister Luz Marina lives up the street with her husband Marcelo and their daughter Shelley. Luz Marina and Marcelo are the host family for Allan and Raphael so we see eachother all the time. Most days we eat with Consuelo and Jesus and Abuelito (which is what we call Consuelo´s grandfather.
The Spanish is coming along nicely but I still can´t communicate all the ideas that I want to. We started work today but there wasn´t much for us to do because it is the 10th anniversary of the school that we are working in. There was a presentation that took forever and then the kids and parents had soccer and volleyball tournaments. We made friends with some girls from the school and they helped Candice with her Spanish homework.
Overall my impressions here are good. Peguche is a beautiful town and the people are very friendly. It is very safe here and the people really look out for eachother. The food is really good too. Lots of corn and potatoes. We have fresh juice every morning for breakfast. Melon or blackberry or tomate de arbol (a kind of sweet tree tomato.) I have to leave it at that. I love you all!
Anna
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Hola from Quito
Hey everyone.
We all got to the hotel in Toronto alright and left Monday morning at 7 for the airport. We arrived in in Quito last night at around midnight after standing in lines all day!!! We are staying in a beautiful little hostel in what is affectionately called "Gringolandia." It is the part of Quito where most of the foreigners live. We are really well taken care of. The juice here is amazing, i have tried Tomates del arbol and blackberry so far. I´ve got to be careful though cause I´m not sure where the water they use comes from.
We are going to Lluman tomorrow for our orientation camp with the two other groups and were pretty excited.
Coming back to the group was pretty good. I felt like I was coming back into my own skin. We are in a pretty overwhelming environment though. In the old part of Quito today there were street vendors everywhere. People were also selling everything from candy to shoeshines to umbrellas to lottery tickets. There were a lot of police around keeping an eye on everything. We were all standing in a group at one point and a kid who was probably 10 years old started to walk up to us. The police officer who was watching blew her whistle because I guess she thought he was a pick pocket.
The city is pretty beautiful. It is packed tightly up and down the hills and has some of the steepest streets I´ve ever seen. I´m looking foreward to being in our host community where it is not so busy. I feel like a great big tourist here. Not having a connection with the people other than those supervisors connected with the program. I´ll keep you all updated as often as I can.
Love love love,
Anna
We all got to the hotel in Toronto alright and left Monday morning at 7 for the airport. We arrived in in Quito last night at around midnight after standing in lines all day!!! We are staying in a beautiful little hostel in what is affectionately called "Gringolandia." It is the part of Quito where most of the foreigners live. We are really well taken care of. The juice here is amazing, i have tried Tomates del arbol and blackberry so far. I´ve got to be careful though cause I´m not sure where the water they use comes from.
We are going to Lluman tomorrow for our orientation camp with the two other groups and were pretty excited.
Coming back to the group was pretty good. I felt like I was coming back into my own skin. We are in a pretty overwhelming environment though. In the old part of Quito today there were street vendors everywhere. People were also selling everything from candy to shoeshines to umbrellas to lottery tickets. There were a lot of police around keeping an eye on everything. We were all standing in a group at one point and a kid who was probably 10 years old started to walk up to us. The police officer who was watching blew her whistle because I guess she thought he was a pick pocket.
The city is pretty beautiful. It is packed tightly up and down the hills and has some of the steepest streets I´ve ever seen. I´m looking foreward to being in our host community where it is not so busy. I feel like a great big tourist here. Not having a connection with the people other than those supervisors connected with the program. I´ll keep you all updated as often as I can.
Love love love,
Anna
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
home again, home again
I arrived home last night at around 8:30. We left Cochrane and the Bolivians at around 11 and it was so hard. Even though we are going to see them in two months it is still hard to say goodbye.
I'm in Salmon Arm for two weeks and then we are flying to Toronto to all meet up and then to Quito where we will meet up with Carrie, our supervisor.
We have found out a bit about our host community in Ecuador. It has a population of around 500 and is mostly made up of indigenous and mestizo people. The Quechua people are a very politically strong group and speak their indigenous language as well as Spanish. We will not have hot water, internet, telephones, or maybe electricity in all of our homes. I'm really looking forward to it. I think it will be a pretty amazing experience.
For now though I am here in Salmon Arm preparing to go!
I'm in Salmon Arm for two weeks and then we are flying to Toronto to all meet up and then to Quito where we will meet up with Carrie, our supervisor.
We have found out a bit about our host community in Ecuador. It has a population of around 500 and is mostly made up of indigenous and mestizo people. The Quechua people are a very politically strong group and speak their indigenous language as well as Spanish. We will not have hot water, internet, telephones, or maybe electricity in all of our homes. I'm really looking forward to it. I think it will be a pretty amazing experience.
For now though I am here in Salmon Arm preparing to go!
Monday, October 6, 2008
Big News
The big news of the week is... We aren't going. The problems in Bolivia have made it impossible for CWY to send us there. We found out last Wednesday and we are kind of shakey on what is going to happen next. What I do know is that the group is being split up, the Bolivians are going home on the 21st of October and so are we. The Canadians are going home for around 10 days and then we are going to Ecuador for 6 weeks. We will have host families and work placements but no counterparts. It should be an interesting experience. I think I will be ok in terms of Spanish but there are some people in the group who are going to have a hard time without their counterparts to translate. Anyways, post me questions and I'll answer them when I can!
love love love,
Anna
love love love,
Anna
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
A Second Summer
We are having a second summer here in Cochrane. The weather has heated up and it has been around 20 degrees all this week. We are winding down our work places (only 4 days left at the library and two days left at Sustainability Resources) We leave (hopefully) in 21 days for Bolivia! We will find out on Thursday or Friday wheter we will be going and what the alternative plan for the Canadians. There is no alternative for the Bolivians. They would just have to go home. It's pretty hard to have that kind of uncertainty. Otherwise things are going really well. We are super busy with all sorts of things. Ana Paola and I have our Educational Activity Day this Friday so we have to organize all sorts of things. It should be pretty good though. That same night we have the Second Hand Clothes stores Fashion Show. It is organized by Ana Paola and Sheena at their work placement. We are all modelling for them so it should be pretty fun. Our Project Co-ordinators are coming on that day as well and will be coming to both events. That adds a little bit of pressure on us cause we have to put together a killer EAD.
I'm really enjoying spending time with the group though. We get along pretty well. The more I get to know them, the more eccentricities I find which is fantastic. We went to Cowboys, a cowboy bar in Calgary last weekend and we all had an awesome time. I will update again as soon as I know where we are going, be it to Bolivia or to some other Latin American country. We will soon see. I love and miss you all. If I talk to you in the next little while please do not tell me about all the wonderful squash/apples/plums/garlic/onions/pears you are harvesting from your garden. I don't want to hear it. I miss the BC harvest time like crazy. One of the many reasons I can't live anywhere else....
Love love love
Anna
I'm really enjoying spending time with the group though. We get along pretty well. The more I get to know them, the more eccentricities I find which is fantastic. We went to Cowboys, a cowboy bar in Calgary last weekend and we all had an awesome time. I will update again as soon as I know where we are going, be it to Bolivia or to some other Latin American country. We will soon see. I love and miss you all. If I talk to you in the next little while please do not tell me about all the wonderful squash/apples/plums/garlic/onions/pears you are harvesting from your garden. I don't want to hear it. I miss the BC harvest time like crazy. One of the many reasons I can't live anywhere else....
Love love love
Anna
Sunday, September 14, 2008
It's fall and time for uncertainty
Sorry for the long delay in posting. Things have gotten pretty crazy in the last little while here.
My work has gotten quite busy, we are getting ready to do our first business audits the week after next. We also just did a presentation in the Library about Bolivia and Canada World Youth which was pretty cool. Both Dennis and I are sick though so it was a pretty hoarse presentation.
We are settling into school and a new routine and also getting ready to leave. We only have five more weeks in Cochrane and are getting ready for Bolivia. I don't know how much you have heard about the situation in Bolivia but it is pretty bad right now which has me a bit worried. Flights are being cancelled and the borders are all blockaded. The road from Santa Cruz to Camiri is blocked too so even if we do get there we couldn't get to Camiri. The political situation is pretty bad with the military occupying various areas and protests in the streets. Ana Paola told me that her mother is having a hard time sleeping because there are protests and sirens all the time in the downtown of Santa Cruz. We are waiting to hear whether or not we will be able to go. A lot depends on whether or not the situation improves in the next couple of weeks. If we were leaving today, we couldn't go but hopefully things will calm down. The uncertainty is pretty stressful though.
On a lighter note, we celebrated Kim's birthday yesterday with a pirate party! The whole group and a bunch of Kim's friends dressed up as pirates and we danced and ate cake and hung out. Today is group bowling which I am excited for. I've got to leave soon to meet people there.
We are having a gorgeous end of summer day but I miss BC like crazy. The other day I was walking to a friends house and imagining what the air would smell like if I was in Victoria or Salmon Arm. I listened to a Vinyl Cafe program broadcast from Saltspring Island and just about came home. I hope all is well
Love,
Anna
My work has gotten quite busy, we are getting ready to do our first business audits the week after next. We also just did a presentation in the Library about Bolivia and Canada World Youth which was pretty cool. Both Dennis and I are sick though so it was a pretty hoarse presentation.
We are settling into school and a new routine and also getting ready to leave. We only have five more weeks in Cochrane and are getting ready for Bolivia. I don't know how much you have heard about the situation in Bolivia but it is pretty bad right now which has me a bit worried. Flights are being cancelled and the borders are all blockaded. The road from Santa Cruz to Camiri is blocked too so even if we do get there we couldn't get to Camiri. The political situation is pretty bad with the military occupying various areas and protests in the streets. Ana Paola told me that her mother is having a hard time sleeping because there are protests and sirens all the time in the downtown of Santa Cruz. We are waiting to hear whether or not we will be able to go. A lot depends on whether or not the situation improves in the next couple of weeks. If we were leaving today, we couldn't go but hopefully things will calm down. The uncertainty is pretty stressful though.
On a lighter note, we celebrated Kim's birthday yesterday with a pirate party! The whole group and a bunch of Kim's friends dressed up as pirates and we danced and ate cake and hung out. Today is group bowling which I am excited for. I've got to leave soon to meet people there.
We are having a gorgeous end of summer day but I miss BC like crazy. The other day I was walking to a friends house and imagining what the air would smell like if I was in Victoria or Salmon Arm. I listened to a Vinyl Cafe program broadcast from Saltspring Island and just about came home. I hope all is well
Love,
Anna
Monday, August 25, 2008
Winter in Cochrane
It has been wintery here! Not winter in the rest of Canada but definitely winter in Victoria. We were wearing sweaters and jackets for a while. It has heated up again though.
I have been so busy lately with group stuff and family stuff and work stuff. I have gotten myself onto an extra committee so now I'm organizing a group trip to Morley for the Powow next weekend. It should be pretty good. Last week we had our first Spanish lesson which was fun. It was on the same day as my host mom and Sheena's birthdays. Then this last weekend we went into Calgary for the Latin Festival. It was pretty fun although there was very little Bolivia stuff there. There was one band from Bolivia but they were pretty stereotypical and represented a really limited view of Bolivia. From what I understood it was like having a show by Bob and Doug Mackenzie except with a whole lot of panflute.
Then on Sunday we had a volunteer day at the Old Tyme Country Fair at the old Arena. It was like the Salmon Arm Fair except really small. Lauren and I were at the milking and butter making station. The kids milked a fake cow and got to make some butter out of cream. They got stamps for both activities. Parents are really funny about stuff like that. The kids don't really care but the parents can be militant about it. They should give parents prizes too. I now have the ability to describe all of the stages in butter making though.
My Spanish is ever increasing. I now know how to say "maybe" and "teeny tiny" but I keep on calling shoes (zapatos) Zapatistos which doesn't make much sense at all. Anywho, I have to finish a report for work. It is a whole lot of work. I'll write a whole entry on my work one day.
Love to you all,
Anita
I have been so busy lately with group stuff and family stuff and work stuff. I have gotten myself onto an extra committee so now I'm organizing a group trip to Morley for the Powow next weekend. It should be pretty good. Last week we had our first Spanish lesson which was fun. It was on the same day as my host mom and Sheena's birthdays. Then this last weekend we went into Calgary for the Latin Festival. It was pretty fun although there was very little Bolivia stuff there. There was one band from Bolivia but they were pretty stereotypical and represented a really limited view of Bolivia. From what I understood it was like having a show by Bob and Doug Mackenzie except with a whole lot of panflute.
Then on Sunday we had a volunteer day at the Old Tyme Country Fair at the old Arena. It was like the Salmon Arm Fair except really small. Lauren and I were at the milking and butter making station. The kids milked a fake cow and got to make some butter out of cream. They got stamps for both activities. Parents are really funny about stuff like that. The kids don't really care but the parents can be militant about it. They should give parents prizes too. I now have the ability to describe all of the stages in butter making though.
My Spanish is ever increasing. I now know how to say "maybe" and "teeny tiny" but I keep on calling shoes (zapatos) Zapatistos which doesn't make much sense at all. Anywho, I have to finish a report for work. It is a whole lot of work. I'll write a whole entry on my work one day.
Love to you all,
Anita
Monday, August 11, 2008
A Political Weekend
This last Sunday was referendum day in Bolivia. It was a vote of confidence for the president Evo Morales, and for all the departmental governments (departments in Bolivia are like provinces in Canada.) Evo was elected a couple of years ago with just over 50% of the popular vote. The province that I am going to and that all of the Bolivians here are from is Santa Cruz. Most of Santa Cruz does not like Evo and in the department of Santa Cruz he lost. Over all he won with 62% of the vote. Today I had a political discussion with my work counterpart Dennis and I will share some of that with you. I found it interesting that most of the information and news that I have found in English on the internet was from a very different point of view than that of my Bolivian friends.
One of the big issues for Santa Cruz department is departmental control over natural resources. The Bolivian government has control over all the natural resources in Bolivia which means that Santa Cruz has no control over it's resources and some people are very poor. What I have been told is that all the money was taken to La Paz and now there is none left to support the people of Santa Cruz. I'm not really sure how things would change if they gained control over the resources. What Dennis told me is that Evo Morales' political party is framing this movement for control over natural resources as a movement to separate from Bolivia. There are so many more issues in Bolivian politics right now and if you want to know more look it up but be careful. There are a lot of biases in international reporting as I have discovered.
Life in Cochrane is good though. My host sister and I just finished making some pretty delicious Chocolate Banana Muffins. They all get eaten up pretty quick though so we have to hide them. They are keeping us busy with a barbeque on Wednesday and some cleanup work with the Cochrane Environmental Action Committee on Saturday. We should start some language lessions soon too.
The Bolivians are learning English fast but most of the Canadians are pretty limited in Spanish. We struggle a lot with the difference between "muy" (very) and "mucho" (a lot) and "mas" (more.) We end up saying things like "a lot pretty" or "a little very please." My favourite so far was when my counterpart and I were talking about superlatives and how you can add "er" or "est" on to things. She then said something along the lines of "I will speak the goodest English!" and then asked me why I was laughing so hard.
All in all we are having an awesome time. I've almost been here 4 weeks which is a bit scary. Time is passing quickly!
Love to you all,
Anna
One of the big issues for Santa Cruz department is departmental control over natural resources. The Bolivian government has control over all the natural resources in Bolivia which means that Santa Cruz has no control over it's resources and some people are very poor. What I have been told is that all the money was taken to La Paz and now there is none left to support the people of Santa Cruz. I'm not really sure how things would change if they gained control over the resources. What Dennis told me is that Evo Morales' political party is framing this movement for control over natural resources as a movement to separate from Bolivia. There are so many more issues in Bolivian politics right now and if you want to know more look it up but be careful. There are a lot of biases in international reporting as I have discovered.
Life in Cochrane is good though. My host sister and I just finished making some pretty delicious Chocolate Banana Muffins. They all get eaten up pretty quick though so we have to hide them. They are keeping us busy with a barbeque on Wednesday and some cleanup work with the Cochrane Environmental Action Committee on Saturday. We should start some language lessions soon too.
The Bolivians are learning English fast but most of the Canadians are pretty limited in Spanish. We struggle a lot with the difference between "muy" (very) and "mucho" (a lot) and "mas" (more.) We end up saying things like "a lot pretty" or "a little very please." My favourite so far was when my counterpart and I were talking about superlatives and how you can add "er" or "est" on to things. She then said something along the lines of "I will speak the goodest English!" and then asked me why I was laughing so hard.
All in all we are having an awesome time. I've almost been here 4 weeks which is a bit scary. Time is passing quickly!
Love to you all,
Anna
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Cochrane Summer
Cochrane is a dry place!
We have been kept busy with all sorts of activities/work/spending time with host families and I haven't really had a spare second.
This last week my work counterpart Denis and I worked at a place called Sustainability Resources doing research on Monday then over to the Library for Tuesday. We got everything ready for the afternoon kids program and then started sorting out the library's huge collection of posters. This was when Denis learned the phrase "What the hell is this!" (if anyone is in need of 40 informational posters on West Nile Virus or some racist Thanksgiving posters I know a library that is getting rid of them!) We also found some fake eyeballs, hula hoops and juice boxes that expired at least 5 years ago. There are a bunch of us who all work downtown so we all meet up for lunch at what is lovingly called "the chicken lady." Cochrane has two statues honouring the pioneers. The Man of Vision is a bronze statue of a man on a horse that is up on the hill, and the Chicken Lady (she has an actual name but I don't remember it) is in the square. It is good to be able to see other people from the group every day and it gives me a chance to practice my Spanish. Most of the time I can understand what the Bolivians are saying. (they have to be carefull not to say things they don't want translated!)
We went to Calgary on Wednesday to meet with a group of people from Ghost River Discovery. They have been travelling all around Alberta and BC meeting with and learning about aboriginal people and culture. We had a potluck with them so we got to make and taste a whole bunch of traditional food from Bolivia and from Canada. I learned how to make empanadas con queso which is a traditional Bolivian snack. It is kind of like a pizza pocked but it is made of dough with cheese inside and then deep-fried and sprinkled with icing sugar. So delicious!
Tomorrow we have more activities planned. We are going out to the Cochrane Environmental Institute where they breed endangered species of foxes. We are going to build a straw-bale wall and turn it into a living mural with places for birds to build nests and plants planted around the bottom. It should be pretty cool. My host dad wanted to go so much that he promised to drywall today and Monday so he could go.
Anyways, I will try to get some pictures up on the blog so you can see the beautiful town of Cochrane.
Love you all,
Anna
We have been kept busy with all sorts of activities/work/spending time with host families and I haven't really had a spare second.
This last week my work counterpart Denis and I worked at a place called Sustainability Resources doing research on Monday then over to the Library for Tuesday. We got everything ready for the afternoon kids program and then started sorting out the library's huge collection of posters. This was when Denis learned the phrase "What the hell is this!" (if anyone is in need of 40 informational posters on West Nile Virus or some racist Thanksgiving posters I know a library that is getting rid of them!) We also found some fake eyeballs, hula hoops and juice boxes that expired at least 5 years ago. There are a bunch of us who all work downtown so we all meet up for lunch at what is lovingly called "the chicken lady." Cochrane has two statues honouring the pioneers. The Man of Vision is a bronze statue of a man on a horse that is up on the hill, and the Chicken Lady (she has an actual name but I don't remember it) is in the square. It is good to be able to see other people from the group every day and it gives me a chance to practice my Spanish. Most of the time I can understand what the Bolivians are saying. (they have to be carefull not to say things they don't want translated!)
We went to Calgary on Wednesday to meet with a group of people from Ghost River Discovery. They have been travelling all around Alberta and BC meeting with and learning about aboriginal people and culture. We had a potluck with them so we got to make and taste a whole bunch of traditional food from Bolivia and from Canada. I learned how to make empanadas con queso which is a traditional Bolivian snack. It is kind of like a pizza pocked but it is made of dough with cheese inside and then deep-fried and sprinkled with icing sugar. So delicious!
Tomorrow we have more activities planned. We are going out to the Cochrane Environmental Institute where they breed endangered species of foxes. We are going to build a straw-bale wall and turn it into a living mural with places for birds to build nests and plants planted around the bottom. It should be pretty cool. My host dad wanted to go so much that he promised to drywall today and Monday so he could go.
Anyways, I will try to get some pictures up on the blog so you can see the beautiful town of Cochrane.
Love you all,
Anna
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
So much to cover
A whole lot has happened in the week since I wrote last!
I now have:
-a counterpart
-a host family
-a work placement
-a group of 17 other people from all across Canada and Bolivia
-2 project supervisors
-less sleep than I should have
I met the group in the Edmonton Airport and we waited for the Bolivians to arrive. They got a little bit held up and for some reason their project supervisors got stuck in Toronto, but they arrived. Then we got paired up and got on busses to go to Morris Meadows, a camp in Alix Alberta. Morris Meadows is a big farm/hotel-like-place. They are currently trying to become the wedding capital of Canada so if you want to get married in Alix... there you go. While we were there we sorted out questions of counterparts, host families and work placements. We were there from Tuesday to Saturday when the Drayton Valley/Montero group went to Drayton Valley and we came to Cochrane and met our host families.
I now have:
-a counterpart
-a host family
-a work placement
-a group of 17 other people from all across Canada and Bolivia
-2 project supervisors
-less sleep than I should have
I met the group in the Edmonton Airport and we waited for the Bolivians to arrive. They got a little bit held up and for some reason their project supervisors got stuck in Toronto, but they arrived. Then we got paired up and got on busses to go to Morris Meadows, a camp in Alix Alberta. Morris Meadows is a big farm/hotel-like-place. They are currently trying to become the wedding capital of Canada so if you want to get married in Alix... there you go. While we were there we sorted out questions of counterparts, host families and work placements. We were there from Tuesday to Saturday when the Drayton Valley/Montero group went to Drayton Valley and we came to Cochrane and met our host families.
I am now living with the Geise family... Maryanne is a Montesorri preschool teacher originally from Ontario (her parents make maple syrup) Tim is a chemist and a very involved community member. I have two host siblings, Kim was on the program in China last year and Geoff, her younger brother. They are pretty wonderful and have helped us cover the house with bilingual sticky notes to help me learn Spanish and Ana Paola learn English.
Because Tim is the chair of the Cochrane Environmental Action Committee, Ana and I got to going the whole committee on an interpreted float down the Bow river on Sunday afternoon. The river was beautiful and there was a breeze so we didn't roast. The water was probably only 10 or 13 degrees so only the bravest of us (not me) went swimming. It was probably the best way to spend our first day in Cochrane.
We started community orientation on Monday and have been doing that ever since. We have had all sorts of guest speakers and lots of fun times. We have gotten pretty used to translating but not all of the speakers have so the Bolivians sometimes go a long time without understanding much. The language barrier makes for some funny jokes too. Ana and I had a whole conversation about the difference between "chicken" and "kitchen" and then "cena" and "cine." I am learning a lot of Spanish though. I can usually understand what other people are saying if they speak clearly.
Tomorrow is my first day of work at the Library. I will be working there for two days per week and at the Sustainability Resource Centre. I'm working with Sergio Denis who is from Camiri. I'm pretty excited because it was my first choice for work placement and Denis is going to be pretty fun to work with.
The other fantastic thing about Cochrane is that I can ride my (borrowed) bike everywhere. I really want to ride at night when there is no one on the road. I'm kind of afraid of the guys who drive big trucks here. I worry about all the people who don't wear helmets (it isn't the law here) I really don't want them to get crushed by trucks.
Well I think I am beginning to babel. Love to you all!
Anna
p.s. Check out http://www.cochranetimes.com/ for an article on our group!
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Take Off
So it is 20 after 5 in the morning and I am just leaving the house for the airport. My morning typing skills aren't up for a full blog entry but here it is.... the start of the program!
Love to you all,
Anna
Love to you all,
Anna
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Closing in on Departure.
So today it was at least 40 degrees out at one point. I am not acclimatized yet so it was pretty brutal. A good laundry day though cause everything dried in about two seconds. Anyways, I guess I better get acclimatized pretty quick to prepare for the whole alberta summer-bit of alberta fall-bolivia summer thing.
Well the fundraising is over! Thanks to everyone who came out to the coffeehouse on the 28th. The night completed my epic quest for funds plus some. The garage sale also went very well and all funds were donated to the Get-Jesse-to-Ireland Fund.
I have been packing...and un-packing...and re-packing. I am such a manic packer. I just get worried that I won't have what I need when I get there.
I also spoke to my project leader on the phone the other day. She is getting things in Cochrane organized for our arrival. She has all our work placements lined up and is just getting the last few host families lined up. She sounds pretty cool and she has led CWY groups before. It was also just good to talk to someone who I'm going to be spending the next little while with.
Well, it is time to set up fans all over the house and try to get rid of this heat. If you would like me to send you a postcard, just leave me your address. I've still got a bunch of unclaimed postcards.
Cheers,
Anna
p.s. I'll put up some pictures of the coffeehouse soon so you can all see them!
Well the fundraising is over! Thanks to everyone who came out to the coffeehouse on the 28th. The night completed my epic quest for funds plus some. The garage sale also went very well and all funds were donated to the Get-Jesse-to-Ireland Fund.
I have been packing...and un-packing...and re-packing. I am such a manic packer. I just get worried that I won't have what I need when I get there.
I also spoke to my project leader on the phone the other day. She is getting things in Cochrane organized for our arrival. She has all our work placements lined up and is just getting the last few host families lined up. She sounds pretty cool and she has led CWY groups before. It was also just good to talk to someone who I'm going to be spending the next little while with.
Well, it is time to set up fans all over the house and try to get rid of this heat. If you would like me to send you a postcard, just leave me your address. I've still got a bunch of unclaimed postcards.
Cheers,
Anna
p.s. I'll put up some pictures of the coffeehouse soon so you can all see them!
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Only A Month Away
A month from today I will be heading off on a plane at 8:00 in the morning to Edmonton! I pretty much can't believe it.
The fundraising is going really well. I am half-way there already. I want to thank everyone who has donated or given their time to help me out. You have no idea how much I appreciate it.
The coffeehouse is coming along nicely and will be happening on Sunday the 22nd of June at 7pm in the SAGA Art Gallery. I have some wonderful performances lined up as well as some goodies and drinks, some stellar silent auction items and door prizes. I hope to see a bunch of people come out.
I also have a garage sale in the works for the 28th of June. If anyone has donations for the sale please let me know. Also feel free to drop by my dad's house the morning of the 28th cause we are going to have some pretty cool stuff.
Now I am into the packing stage of the preparation. I am trying to figure out how I am going to fit all the things I need for Alberta and Bolivia for 7 months into the baggage restrictions of WestJet. If you have any packing tips let me know cause I am trying not to leave it to the last minute :D (like I always do)
Thank you to everyone and send me addresses if you want me to send you a postcard!!!
Love,
Anna
The fundraising is going really well. I am half-way there already. I want to thank everyone who has donated or given their time to help me out. You have no idea how much I appreciate it.
The coffeehouse is coming along nicely and will be happening on Sunday the 22nd of June at 7pm in the SAGA Art Gallery. I have some wonderful performances lined up as well as some goodies and drinks, some stellar silent auction items and door prizes. I hope to see a bunch of people come out.
I also have a garage sale in the works for the 28th of June. If anyone has donations for the sale please let me know. Also feel free to drop by my dad's house the morning of the 28th cause we are going to have some pretty cool stuff.
Now I am into the packing stage of the preparation. I am trying to figure out how I am going to fit all the things I need for Alberta and Bolivia for 7 months into the baggage restrictions of WestJet. If you have any packing tips let me know cause I am trying not to leave it to the last minute :D (like I always do)
Thank you to everyone and send me addresses if you want me to send you a postcard!!!
Love,
Anna
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
And it all comes together!!
42 days until take-off!
I got an e-mail from my project leader the other day introducing herself and letting me know that I will be going to Camiri in Bolivia. I also got a list of all the other Canadian participants in my group. We are a pretty small group (only 7 from each country) but it is pretty cool to e-mail back and forth with the people I will be getting to know over the next 7 months.
So I have been on the fundraising trail for a while now and I'm getting there! I'm 1/4 of the way there and have several awesome events planned. I'll give you the running talley:
-$530 in donations (thank you everyone who has donated)
-various silent auction/raffle items (two weekend passes to the Roots and Blues festival, a thermos from BDO Dunwoody etc.)
-The art gallery booked for the 22nd of June!!!!! COFFEEHOUSE
-a garage sale planned for the ??28th???
I'm pretty excited about all of these things and I'm hoping they will all go off beautifully. If anyone wants to help in any capacity give me a call. I'm always looking for help. I especially don't like asking people for money so if anyone likes doing that please let me know. I will give you an ice-cream cone or a hug or something...
Also I am putting together pictures and music to take with me. If you have any photo's or songs that are particularly 'canadian' or 'british columbian' or you just think I should take with, guve me a shout!
love to you all,
Anna
I got an e-mail from my project leader the other day introducing herself and letting me know that I will be going to Camiri in Bolivia. I also got a list of all the other Canadian participants in my group. We are a pretty small group (only 7 from each country) but it is pretty cool to e-mail back and forth with the people I will be getting to know over the next 7 months.
So I have been on the fundraising trail for a while now and I'm getting there! I'm 1/4 of the way there and have several awesome events planned. I'll give you the running talley:
-$530 in donations (thank you everyone who has donated)
-various silent auction/raffle items (two weekend passes to the Roots and Blues festival, a thermos from BDO Dunwoody etc.)
-The art gallery booked for the 22nd of June!!!!! COFFEEHOUSE
-a garage sale planned for the ??28th???
I'm pretty excited about all of these things and I'm hoping they will all go off beautifully. If anyone wants to help in any capacity give me a call. I'm always looking for help. I especially don't like asking people for money so if anyone likes doing that please let me know. I will give you an ice-cream cone or a hug or something...
Also I am putting together pictures and music to take with me. If you have any photo's or songs that are particularly 'canadian' or 'british columbian' or you just think I should take with, guve me a shout!
love to you all,
Anna
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
I am a fundraising machine!
So my fundraising campaign began yesterday. Unfortunately it got off to a slow start on account of the pouring rain. The scooter is just not that fun to ride in the rain. Today was a bit better and I managed to distribute letters far and wide. I also have started with organizing a coffee-house fundraiser. The tentative date is the 20th of June. I'm hoping to hold it in the Ross Street Plaza if they let me use it for free.
So far, my running tally is:
-$20
-around 60 handmade postcards
-2 nights in Bill and Laurie's guest house
-Lorraine Ellens' organizing skills
- around 50 requests for money or things to go in a silent auction
I also went in to get vaccinated today. Wow, now I will not get typhoid, yellow fever or hepatitis A. I still don't know where in Bolivia I'm going to be so I may have to take malaria tablets while I'm there too! Well at least the vaccinations aren't as bad as the diseases.
I am now heading off to Vancouver for a couple of days. If anyone wants to help out with the coffeehouse give me a shout. I don't mean just performers, we are going to need set up, take down, dessert bakers, money collectors, sound technicians, poster creators, poster putter-uppers, and a whole host of other wonderful people. I also expect I will need someone to follow me around and tell me it will all work out OK :P Anyways, take care all
Anna
So far, my running tally is:
-$20
-around 60 handmade postcards
-2 nights in Bill and Laurie's guest house
-Lorraine Ellens' organizing skills
- around 50 requests for money or things to go in a silent auction
I also went in to get vaccinated today. Wow, now I will not get typhoid, yellow fever or hepatitis A. I still don't know where in Bolivia I'm going to be so I may have to take malaria tablets while I'm there too! Well at least the vaccinations aren't as bad as the diseases.
I am now heading off to Vancouver for a couple of days. If anyone wants to help out with the coffeehouse give me a shout. I don't mean just performers, we are going to need set up, take down, dessert bakers, money collectors, sound technicians, poster creators, poster putter-uppers, and a whole host of other wonderful people. I also expect I will need someone to follow me around and tell me it will all work out OK :P Anyways, take care all
Anna
Thursday, May 15, 2008
The Adventure Begins
I found my self in the Ganges Community Library last Friday, staring at an e-mail from Canada World Youth informing that I will be starting the Canadian phase of my Canada World Youth project on the 17th of July. I was pretty stunned and after wandering around Ganges with a shocked look on my face and after I was told repeatedly by my encouraging friend Graeme "You have to go! I'm so jealous, you have to go!" I decided that I had to go.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with the program, check out the website at www.cwy-jcm.org. There is a tonne of information there but I can give you the quick run-down of the program as it pertains to me.
My group will be made up of around 10 Canadians and 10 Bolivians between the ages of 17 and 24. The participants come from all over Canada and Bolivia and we will meet up somewhere in Alberta for our orientation camp. We will be paired up (Canadian with Bolivian) and assigned a host family in our host community (Cochrane, Alberta.) We will then have interviews with various work placements. We will live in Cochrane for 3 1/2 months before we leave to do the same thing in Bolivia. There are other components but I won't get into that.
So now I commence fundraising! Part of the requirements for the program is for each participant to raise $2100 for Canada World Youth through their community. I have various fundraising ideas swimming around in my head and will keep you all informed of those. If you would like to make a donation or have any ideas for fundraisers, please e-mail or phone me. Also if you have been to or have any stories about Bolivia or Canada World Youth please let me know, I would love to hear them!
Love and hugs,
Anna
For those of you who are unfamiliar with the program, check out the website at www.cwy-jcm.org. There is a tonne of information there but I can give you the quick run-down of the program as it pertains to me.
My group will be made up of around 10 Canadians and 10 Bolivians between the ages of 17 and 24. The participants come from all over Canada and Bolivia and we will meet up somewhere in Alberta for our orientation camp. We will be paired up (Canadian with Bolivian) and assigned a host family in our host community (Cochrane, Alberta.) We will then have interviews with various work placements. We will live in Cochrane for 3 1/2 months before we leave to do the same thing in Bolivia. There are other components but I won't get into that.
So now I commence fundraising! Part of the requirements for the program is for each participant to raise $2100 for Canada World Youth through their community. I have various fundraising ideas swimming around in my head and will keep you all informed of those. If you would like to make a donation or have any ideas for fundraisers, please e-mail or phone me. Also if you have been to or have any stories about Bolivia or Canada World Youth please let me know, I would love to hear them!
Love and hugs,
Anna
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