SLHello friends and family,
It's just Lucy this time, writing from the city of Cochabamba in Bolivia. I will be here for three and half months, studying with a program through the institution SIT. The theme of the program is multiculturalism and social change, which means we will mostly be studying the processes of cultural transformation that are ocurring in the country though classes, excursions to other regions, homestays and independent research projects.
After a hectic day of traveling - it's hard enough to fly with a bike in a box when there are two of us, let alone by myself! - I arrived at the Cochabamba airport and headed to the hotel where we are having four days of orientation. Thankfully I met someone from the program on my first flight, and she helped me move all my stuff around. I think I am the first student to bring a bike to the program, but it's worth it so that Adie and I can tour in South America afterward! And I met a young woman today who mountain bikes here, so I already have plans to go riding with her!
The hardest thing to adjust to so far is the vigilance with which we have to approach food and water. Our academic director, Heidi, told us that we should think of tap water as "diluted shit", which unfortunately is not much of an exaggeration. So it is only bottled or boiled water for the whole semester. Similarly, raw vegetables and fruits might as well be covered in shit, so salads and fresh fruit juices are out for the semester! This is particularly difficult because there are women with food carts all over the streets, offering juicy pineapple, fresh squeezed orange juice, and many other strange and delicious-looking treats. Too bad for our weak North American stomachs! I am struggling to adjust to eating meat twice a day after being vegetarian for many years. And though I have seen quinoa, amaranth, flax and other traditional items in the markets, at the hotel we have only been served white rice, white potatoes and white pasta. This is the legacy of US food aid after WWII, when we flooded Bolivia with cheap US wheat and hybridized crops, thus pushing out many of the traditional Bolivian products. They are starting to recover, but it is still common to eat mostly processed, inported grains here. Hopefully I can ask my host family for some quinoa! If I'm not going to get enough fresh produce, except for well-boiled veggies, the least I can hope for are some nutritious carbs.
Speaking of my host family, I will be meeting and moving in with them on Saturday! I will write more about them once we've met, but I know that I will have a mama, Ginez, her sister and her daughter. So a casa de mujeres! They are artists.
Tomorrow, we will go on a walking art tour through the city. I am excited for this, as there is a ton of street art and graffiti, much of which offer powerful messages of hope for social change. One I saw today said "the only things I hope to be removed from my city are fear and insecurity". The Bolivian people are demanding major change in their country, and I am excited to learn more about it.
Una cosita de cultura: here, when you get up from the table after a meal, you say Buen Provecho, and the others at the table respond with Gracias. It's sort of like saying Bon Appetit, except that it is after eating and is more a wish for good digestion and that your food gives you good energy and health. Also, when you enter or leave a group of people, you greet or say farewell to each person individually. It would be rude to say a general hello to the group and not recognize each person present. This custom is a way of demonstrating your connection to each person and reinforcing your relationships.
Hasta pronto,
Lucy
P.S. I will start taking photos tomorrow and post some soon!
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