Carnavowwwwwww

Feliz carnaval a todos!

Well I just got back from a day spent visiting a real site outside of Cochabamba. It was really great to see what the volunteers life is like in the flesh, as opposed to the stories I´ve been compiling since I arrived. The PC picked all of us up around seven this morning and we set out in the brand new peace corps mini-van-thing which we dubbed Moby Dick. At first I was really pumped about the new auto, but we REALLY REALLY stick out. It is big, new, and white, quite different from the neon colored, refurbished and refurbished again busses that fill te streets here, donning names like Miguelito, Kevincito, and my personal favorite, I LOVE YOU. That is really something I admire about people in general here-everything is used and reused until it falls to pieces. The car bodies are all old and unique, while the trucks and other parts are all new. Its really quite a lesson in reduce-reuse-recycle. Furthermore, the busses (called micros) pick pèople up until they are busting at the seams. We, on the contrary, bump along the countryside, not stopping for even the little boys who ask for a lift, thinking we`re a micro. I know that this is alright and normal and I AM grateful and all, I just find it distasteful at times.

Ok well back to the story of the day. We went to this volunteers site, helped some kids he works with sow seeds in their gardens, and generally enjoyed ourselves. We climbed a fig tree and picked some real fresh ones, walked down overgrown railroad tracks lined with eucalyptus, and were chased through town by boys with super soakers. I also had the opportunity to buy three much needed things: gardening gloves, treezers, and a mirror. I have realized that having a mirror does not have to be a vanity thing, and furthermore for one Boliviano (about 12 cents) who could say no? Then when we came back in town I saw my first funeral procession. We were coming around a corner in Moby Dick and saw a huge group of people walking, dressed in black, after a hurse. It was breathtaking and somber and I felt priveñledged to even see it.

Ah there is a whole heck of a lot to write about so I´ll try to narrow it down to a few favorites. Number one: bees! We started working with bees this week in our tech training classes. I love it. We work with africanized bees (the so called killer ones, but ours are nice killer bees and forthermore the whole killer thing is largely sensationalized. Theyre just a little bit more defensive!) and I feel super cool pulling on my white keeping suit and orange work gloves. We use smoke to keep them calm, which makes me smell like smoke a whole heck of a lot, which makes me feel liek one of those temptresses from a Garcia Marquez novel. The smoke thing is really neat. It works be interrupting their attack desire when you open the lid of the colony by making them thing the hive is on fire. They then go back in the hive to suck up as much homey as possible to save the hive. THEN when they are all full of honey they cant sting you because their thoraxes cant really bend. Its genius! Gosh Iove learning about bees-they are magnificent and I REALLY hope they will be at my site, wherever it may be.

I should be getting on my way. My donas have made chicha for carnaval and killed two pigs to make chicharron, and I want to be part of the celebration. A lot of my fellow trainees families are going to buy from us too. They are such strong ladies with so many skills, I just have so much to learn.

Things will basically shut down for Carnaval from tomorow until Wednesday, so you won't be hearing from me for a bit. Until then, take care and keep in touch.


Yakelyn