Wednesday 18 June 2008

Hola Sud America

After leaving the relative safety of New Zealand and many friends, I knew I was on my way to my most challenging part of the year. Crossing the international date line, gaining 15 hours and taking 4 flights in 4 days certainly took it´s toll on my body and it took me a few days to acclimatise. My Spanish phrasebook proved invaluable for the first few days in Chile and Bolivia as noone speaks English but I have now spent almost a month studying Spanish at a school in Sucre, the judicial capital of Bolivia, and can now understand slightly more than ´what is your name and where do you come from?´. The altitude has also had an effect on my body (La Paz is the highest capital city in the world at 3660m) and although I am far from fit, I´m sure I don´t normally lose my breath so quickly. Apparently one of the remedies here is chewing cocoa leaves but I have yet to sample that delight.
Bolivia is a fascinating country, the hemisphere´s highest and most isolated, the poorest in South America and also the most indigenous with over 60% of the population claiming indigenous heritage. The one thing that Bolivia lacks is beaches, having lost it´s coastline to Chile during the War of the Pacific in 1879-83, leaving the country landlocked. I have spent most of my time here in and around Sucre but am looking forward to exploring more in the coming weeks.
The political situation in Bolivia at present is unstable and I am yet to meet any local who has anything positive to say about their first indigenous president, Evo Morales. Protests and marches are a favourite pastime of the Bolivianos as I discovered on my way from the airport as we dodged fires and debris on the roads. Blockades are a way of life and many travellers find themselves trapped and unable to leave certain areas. The difficult relationship with the Chileans is also evident and a 2-0 defeat in a football match at the weekend only increased the tension. But the locals certainly know how to party, I´ve witnessed numerous fiestas with unbelievable traditional costumes and dances.
I have also been fortunate enough to live with a local family since I arrived here in Sucre and although it was somewhat of a challenge when I first moved in, I have benefited hugely from immersing myself into their culture which is so incredibly different from life in England. The family is terribly important and it´s not unusual to have more than 3 generations living under the same roof. Lunch is the main meal of the day and I enjoy sitting around the table with my family discussing as much as possible to practice my language skills.
After a few months of packing my bag every day and moving fairly quickly through different countries, it´s a luxury to stay in one place for some time and I now feel very at home in Sucre. I start work at the orphanage next Monday and hope to continue with my Spanish classes so I look forward to the next month in Bolivia.
 
 



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