THIS BLOG HAS MOVED

http://greeneyesopening.blogspot.com

I am not closing this blog, nor am I deleting any posts.  But because I have officially left El Centro de Amistad, I think it would be best to change the name/address of my blog.  From here on out, I will be posting frequent updates (I already posted 2!) on my new blog.  

Please update your bookmarks and links. 

I'm so sorry for the inconvenience!

Thanks, 

Amy

Furlough

I'm finding that the missionaries/volunteers who have the most productive ministries and healthy lives down here make a short trip back to their home country once a year.  It's good for keeping supporting churches, friends, and family up to date on all the projects and ministries going on in Bolivia.  And personally, because I live down here by myself, I need to see my family.   So I'm planning to make a trip back to the States this coming summer.  I'm hoping to share about the projects I am involved in down here, visit my supporters, and spend some time at Risen Savior, my sending church in Chicago.  I'm also going to make time for a week-long vacation in northern Minnesota with my family and FBS (my kind of extended family).  

I'm actually going to be in the US for about 8 weeks because part of what I need to do is make a trip to D.C. and figure out my visa issue with the Bolivian consulate.  I don't have any news, but as far as I know, I'm still illegal.  I'm meeting with the travel agent to book my flight back to the States either today or tomorrow, so hopefully I can find out more info about the current state of my visa and where in the country my passport is.  

So sometime around June 25 or 26, I should land in Chicago - just in time for my friends' wedding.  After a few days at Cornerstone with FBS (how could I be in the US and not go to Cornerstone!?), I'll spend July and part of August visiting supporters and churches.  Hopefully by then I'll have a documentary video to bring with me that Ninos con Valor is getting put together right now.  Then, during the first week of August, I'm going on that big family vacation/reunion to Minnesota.  I'm also hoping to spend a week or two in Chicago with my church during my trip and then head back down to Bolivia (with my visa) in August.  

(Blogs are always better with links and photos.)

Christa, Mallory, Ryan, and me in Garrison, Minnesota in 2005

Niños

Saturday was Children's Day here in Cochabamba, and we celebrated our kids at the center with a carnival (sort of).  All the kids who come to the weekday afternoon activities earn tickets which they can spend at a carnival at the end of 4 months.  This was our first go at the carnival idea, and it went over pretty well.  With their tickets, the kids could buy things like toys, candy, and food, or play games and earn prizes, or get their faces painted.  I put together a basketball game, a ring toss, and a bucket toss and recruited Kim and Ruth to help run the stands.  The games sound cooler than they actually were, but the kids liked them.  If you are interested, I posted some photos on my web gallery.

Next Saturday, it's back to normal at the center, and we'll continue with our theme: "Clean, Inside & Out."  I'll have to figure out a way to pass out tickets so that the kids who can only come on Saturdays can be involved in the next carnival at the end of July.

And then, on Sunday the 27th, the teen girls and I are having a pizza-making party!  

I'm pleased about the open door for weekend activities and outreaches at the center, but I'm resigning myself to the fact that other doors have been closed.  As in all ministries, changes in leadership mean changes in direction and vision.  It's normal, and there is room for many different types of ministries in the Kingdom of God.  And so, as some doors close for me at El Centro de Amistad, God has been opening other doors in other areas of ministry in Cochabamba.  

Since the end of March, I've been spending 3 mornings a week volunteering with another foundation called Ninos con Valor.  Right now, I am just observing/helping out where I can in their project for street girls and women at risk as well as spending some time with the girls in their girls' home.  I hope to get more involved as I cut back on my Spanish classes in the coming weeks.  I'm praying that ITeams will want to partner with them, as they have with so many other ministries in Latin America.  Check out their website, if you get a chance.  Hopefully, I'll get some photos posted online in a few days.

A review of the weekend's activities

We [finally] kicked off the Saturday afternoon activities at the center this past Saturday, and it was awesome.  I have Ruth (a local university student) and Kim (a missionary friend) helping me out, and they are both really excited about the ministry.  

We only had about 20 kids show up, but they had a great time and word should get around before next week.  They played really well, listened attentively, and participated in everything from the organized games to the object lesson.  

The theme for the month is "Clean, Inside & Out."  I put together an object lesson that compared dirt and germs on our hands to sin in our hearts.  We taught the kids how to properly wash their hands and passed out scented bars of soap.  Repetition is key, and so next week we'll repeat the same concept but talk about our teeth and cavities.  Kim is putting together a puppet show to go along with the lesson.  I already picked up toothbrushes to pass out to all the kids after we teach them how to properly brush their teeth and why they need to do so.  Bless 'em, they all have terrible, broken teeth and tons of cavities.  Maybe we can just help prevent them from getting more. 

I also went up the center yesterday to see if I could round up some of the teenage girls in the neighborhood to hang out and talk about activities we can do as a group.  I found 3 girls, and we ended up hanging out for about an hour and a half.  I taught them how to play "Spoons" (if you don't know this card game, you're missing out), and we talked a lot.  They're going to pass the word around that we're planning to get together again this coming Sunday at the center.  We'll probably bake cookies or do something equally girly, and they'll love it.    

If you know me all,  then you know that I am not a domestic goddess.  When I was trying to make Rice Krispie treats a couple of years ago, I started a fire in my kitchen and completely ruined a wok (I know, a wok?).  But if I don't bake cookies with these girls, nobody will.  So here goes nothing!

Summing up the past few weeks...

The past few weeks can be summed up in two words: RAIN and SPANISH.

The rainy season lasted all the way into mid-March this year, and was - in my opinion - pure torture.  This past week was the first time we've had clear, blue skies and sunshine in what seems like months.  But thanks to all that rain, the mountains are green and the city is full of flowers and trees.  The forecast from now until November is pretty much 77 degrees and sunny.  I love Cochabamba!

I started an intense Spanish study the second week of February that will continue on through April.  It became painfully clear in January that I couldn't juggle both full-time ministry and Spanish study.  And since I'm going to be living here for at least 2 years, I need to be able to communicate and express myself well.  So with the support of ITeams and Risen Savior, my sending church, I started focusing on Spanish full-time and put my work at El Centro on pause. I've not cut myself off from the ministry.  I still pop in during the week when my class schedule allows it, but I don't have any planning/teaching responsibilities during the weekly afternoon program.  

In the meantime, I've been busy planning out some new Saturday afternoon activities at El Centro that I'm starting on April 5.  David has activities on Saturday nights for the teenage boys, but there is nothing on the weekends for kids of all ages.  The afternoon program centers around classes and lessons, so my hope is that the activities on Saturdays will be fun, exciting, and special with puppet shows, skits, songs, games, and crafts.

My Spanish tutor's younger sister, Ruth, is going to help me with the kids on Saturdays.  She's in university here in Cochabamba and wants to get involved in a ministry on the side.  We met for sodas last week to talk it over, and I think she'll be a great help.

I'm also hoping to get my Bolivian friend Betty to work with me on Saturdays.  She used to live a couple doors down from the center, so she and her 3 kids would come and hang out everyday.  After a couple of months, Julie hired her to make the snack and run the kitchen.  She came to know the Lord a few months later, and Julie set her up with a Bolivian woman to help disciple her.  Betty worked with us until early 2007 when her abusive and horribly controlling husband put his foot down and said that she needs to be at home during the day.  

Me and Betty in 2004

Betty's kids in my living room: Karen, Alejandro, and Andrea

Since then, she and her family have moved from their tiny, abode house up near the center into another tiny 2-room house not too far from where I live.  We stay in touch.  In fact, I just had her and her 3 kids over 2 weeks ago to watch The Incredibles in Spanish, munch on popcorn, and drink an ungodly amount of Coke.  

Betty doesn't go to church or have any Christian influence in her life except for me at the moment.  We've tried to meet and go to church together on Sundays, but she never shows up (I blame her husband).  She's really interested in doing a Bible study together, which we can hopefully start in the next few weeks.  Needless to say, I'd love to have her with me every Saturday, and I may have to go ask her husband for his permission.  

I hate that she is stuck in an abusive relationship with a horrible man and that she has zero hope of changing things.  In this culture, women still have very little value.  Feminism and women's rights have never made it down here.  Women marry young because they exist only to be wives and mothers.  Physical abuse is acceptable and normal.   And men are free to cheat with other women whenever they want to.  

I could rant and rave for a while about the role of women in Bolivia, but I'll save that for another post.

I was very excited to finally track down Juanda, a little girl who was in my class in 2004.  She lived at El Centro with her aunt, who was our caretaker in 2004.  Apparently, during the past couple of years, Juanda was dumped at girls' home when her aunt and uncle took off for Argentina in attempt to find better paying jobs.  I was able to go visit her during Carnival while all the kids were off school, and I'm hoping to make regular trips out there.  I meet her 2 sisters, who live in the orphanage with her, and was told about her 3 brothers who live in an all-boys orphanage.  

The home where she lives is pretty lousy.  It's right on the main highway (literally just a few feet off the roadway) between Cochabamba and La Paz.  There are 31 girls who live there, share all their clothes, sleep in bunk beds in a room with a concrete floor, and play in a garden that could fit in my living room.  However, the women that run the home really do care about the girls, and Jaunda is happy that she's finally living with her sisters.  So it's not all bad.  

I want to visit her on a regular basis so that she'll know that she has not been forgotten by the world and that her life matters to somebody.  

People need hope.  So many of the people here - like Juanda and Betty - live in hopelessness because they believe that there is nothing they can do to change their circumstances.  And unfortunately, in this country, that's often the way it is.  I think sometimes the best thing we can do is give them hope...hope that this isn't all there is and this isn't how the world is supposed to be.

It's Carnaval in Cochabamba (and Amy's hiding out in her house)

Carnaval spontaneously erupted in Cochabamba two weeks ago with public water balloon wara and drive-by super soakings.  Little Quechua women have set up camp on the street corners selling coolers full of pre-made water balloons for just a few cents.  Anyone is a target, but no one gets angry because it's just a big, wet party.  

Nothing is worse than being a blonde gringa this time of year because you become everybody's favorite target. I've managed to avoid most of it by taking taxis and buses everywhere, but that's made for an expensive few weeks. Needless to say, I'm not too festive, and I'm so glad that it'll all be over with by Wednesday. For a really good blog on what it's like for a gringa during Carnaval, check the Democracy Center's Blog from Bolivia.

Today is the big day - the parade, with hours of traditional dancing, elaborate costumes, and folk music.  It's really quite an event, but I'm skipping the whole thing.  I arrived in Bolivia just in time to catch the parade back in 2004 and ended up with bruises all over my body from [frozen] water balloons (who does that?!) and a terrible sunburn.  I'm hiding out in my house, and then heading up to the center for our regular Saturday night activities.

This youtube video shows some highlights of the parade up in Oruro (THE parade in Bolivia).  At least watch the first minute so you can see the devil's dance.

Carnaval in Cochabamba has its roots in the ancient Andean religions. It's believed that after the Day of the Dead in November, the spirits of the deceased make their way up to Pachamama (a Mother Earth figure in the Andean religion) in the heavens and ask for rain. Hence, the rainy season starts at the end of November. By the end of January/early February, Cochabamba has been flooded by rain, and the people celebrate the abundance and thank Pachamama by throwing water. Good Catholics will tell you it has something to do with the approaching Easter season, but it wasn't until the Conquistadors arrived that the holiday had that dual meanings. So the spiritual happenings are intense this time of year, and I can feel it like a chill down my spine and a nervous feeling that keeps me awake at night. 

Spanish

The fact that my blog posts are few and far between should be a clue to how busy I've been this month...too busy.  I feel like I need to step back a bit and focus on my Spanish studies during February and March because I will never have an effective ministry without the ability to communicate well.  I'll explain all that in an upcoming blog, but in the meantime I was just reminded of this video.  It's hilarious...if you understand a little Spanish.

La Hoja de Coca no es Droga

The trip to La Paz was fabulous, and we made it home safe and sound.  

Photos are posted on my web gallery, and I should get some more up soon.  

I've not traveled much in Bolivia because I've always been working, but from my experiences, going by flota (long distance bus) is the best way to travel around this beautiful, fascinating country.  It can be a bit terrifying as the buses tend fly along the narrow mountain roads ignoring the edges that steeply drop thousands of feet down to the bottom of the mountain.  But the views are breathtaking and the prices can't be beat.  We used the two better bus lines for our trips to and from La Paz and spent a total of $11 on the journey.  Brilliant!  

We couldn't get a bus on Wednesday morning because, for some reason or another, they just weren't running.  It turned out to be the grace of God.  Apparently, we just missed a bunch of sleet and ice that caused several deadly accidents, which were still in clean-up stages when our bus drove past.  Once again, God's timing is always perfect.  

This was actually my second trip to La Paz, but unfortunately, I spent most of my first visit sick as a dog in my hotel room.  Thankfully, this time I felt great!  That is, after I adjusted to La Paz's 12,500 altitude as much as possible.  

Our Creator God helped make that acclimatization possible by creating the coca plant and commanding it to grow all over the Andes mountains.  The common cure for altitude sickness is coca mate, which is just coca leaves steeped in hot water like a tea.  It's a life saver, and it's quite tasty.  It increases the absorption of oxygen by the blood which helps altitude sickness and digestion.  No, it is not the same as cocaine.  It's just illegal in the US because we can't get past it's connection to cocaine.  It takes 500 grams of coca leaves to make 1 gram of cocaine.  And besides all that, the US Embassy in La Paz serves coca mate.  Kim and I drank it at every meal, and it made a huge difference!

We explored the city, literally walking EVERYWHERE.  I'm a nerd, so I was interested in seeing all the old architecture and museums. We did lots of shopping in the artisan markets and on the streets.  And thanks to my handy, dandy Lonely Planet guidebook (a.k.a. the backpacker's Bible), we ate LOTS of good food.  I even found a Middle Eastern restaurant that serves falafel, hummus, and all sorts of delicious food that I'm suffering without in Cochabamba.  

We were constantly amused by all the backpackers with LP guidebooks wandering all over the city.  ALL the tourists go to La Paz.  

On Friday night, Kim crashed early and I went out with a friend of mine who lives in La Paz.  We went to a cafe/pub on the south side of the city.  As we were leaving, we noticed that sitting in the center table was the Vice President of Bolivia with a hot, young date!  The table next to him was full of bodyguards, or else I would have made a beeline in his direction.

So it was a good trip, and I'm definitely heading back that way sometime soon.  It's worth the trip to get some good falafel.  

Travels

Thanks to some Christmas cash from my family, I am off to La Paz for a few days with my friend Kim. And we're traveling in style, too. We spent a whole $6 for bus fare, and the hotel is setting us back $14 a night. Classy. We had hoped to leave early this morning, but the 4pm bus was the first one that was available. FYI, holidays in Bolivia tend to throw the entire week off.