 Lauren plucks her first chicken |
Lauren - Bolivia, Summer 2000
I spent eight weeks in the Summer of 2000 in Bolivia. In short,
it was amazing!
Along
with two other volunteers, one from San Francisco and the other
from Seattle, I lived inside a local school in the small town
of Zanja Honda. We were approximately an hour south of the city
of Santa Cruz. Our village consisted of approximatley 500 families.
We took our meals on a rotating schedule, eating with a new
family each day.
AMIGOS
encouraged us to work with the local people to determine a project
that best suited their needs. In Zanja Honda, it was the need
for garbage collection and a land fill. We acquired " turrils"
( oil barrels) for distribution throughout the town turning
them into colorful basureros and the men dug a deep land fill
for depositing the town's trash. Another project was planting
seeds in the " huerto escolar" (school yard garden).
All the children and teachers pitched in to make it a success.
The
Bolivianos also taught us a few things! I plucked my first chicken
and drank milk fresh from the cow. The women gave us cooking
lessons and I tried my hand at making empanadas.
While
I was there, we celecrated Bolivan Independence Day (August
6) with the community. For our farewell the students put on
a special program of dances and songs. They also have a custom
on birthdays. You must stick your face in the cake before eating
it. When they made us a farewell cake, guess what?
The
people were welcoming and exceptionally nice. The three of us
lived, laughed, and worked with the community. When we weren't
picking up trash with the children, we held English classes
and talked about public helath issues. I left Bolivia with a
feeling of accomplishment and many new friendships. Last Updated |