October, 2009

Settling in to the “high” life

So many have asked about my apt here and roommates so I took some pics of both! Davide is from the south of Italy and is starting up the Bolivian office of an Italian NGO that works on reforestation and other environmental issues. Marisol is from Cochabamba, Bolivia, the nearest large city to La Paz, and works as a marketing and distribution manager for a Chilean company. We are three busy professionals!

As far as my apt goes, here is the inside finally. I am slowly getting some things on my walls so you’ll have to use your imagination since I took the pics beforehand. My closet is behind the mirrored doors but thought it looked cooler to use the mirrors to show the whole room. I really like my new pad! And for those of you who remember me doing my laundry in Nicaragua with a washboard, those days are over. This apt does have a washing machine and no need for dryers here. Life is dry enough this high up and stuff dries very quickly. Cooking however takes twice as long. It is true what they write on the back of those instant cake mixes, you really do have to adjust for altitude when cooking!

Safari animals? Really?

Yes, it’s true! I swear, there are zebras everywhere here. I know you're thinking, but she doesn’t live in Africa anymore. Well, luckily Bolivia has its quirks. Here in La Paz, zebras direct the traffic. Although it’s not India, crossing the street here can still be quite the feat given the pushy cab and minibus drivers, actually all the drivers, so the government introduced the zebras to help literally stop the traffic and give some space to the pedestrians. They picked the zebra because it is supposed to represent the crosswalk lines on the street (ie. black and white stripes). Everyone, maybe minus the drivers, here loves the zebras, and of course the kids. How could you not?

La Paz has a lot to offer…

Besides the usual ongoings in the city, like getting to know the fun local hot spots which I’m still discovering, I have also gotten to do some exploring on the outskirts. It has been a very busy couple of months as you will see from my pictures. The first place I went when I had been here just a few weeks is called the “Muela del Diablo” which means the Devil’s Tooth. You can see from the far away view (all the way to the right in the pic below), it looks just like a tooth sticking right up out of the rock. I went with my friend Martin, who was a trooper with me as the last bit of the climb was not easy and actually a bit scary due to the scree (broken rock fragments – very slippery!). But we made it and the views of course were incredible.

This past month I went with some friends to another nearby place (not nearly as trekky) but with equally amazing landscape, called the “Valle de la Luna,” meaning Moon Valley. It’s called this because of its unusual rock formations which mimic the surface of the moon. The pictures truly speak for themselves on this one.

Venturing further afield…

So many of you wonder what it is I actually do my job – and a good question at that! To some degree my job is constantly shaping and reshaping itself over time, but here is the gist of it. I work with the government quite a lot, mostly the Ministry of Education, to help them formalize national school feeding. At the moment, school feeding exists throughout the country, but with many different organizations implementing different programs with no standardization whatsoever. Bolivian children exhibit high malnutrition rates and in order to combat this, providing food at school gives kids a greater chance to improve their learning and achievement. I work with the government on things such as organizing and creating ways to measure national data/statistics on school feeding, coordinating efforts among the organizations that work on school feeding, and with creating legislation that will obligate local governments to provide food in all schools. I’m really enjoying the variety of areas that I get to focus on like nutrition levels and fortification of foods, finding ways to understand the impact on education, and watching (albeit slowly) policy-making in motion.

So for my job, one of the nice perks is travel! So far I have been on two work trips and will likely be going on a third in November. My first trip was to one of the most southern areas of Bolivia. I flew into Tarija which is a very pretty small city where most of Bolivia’s wine is grown (it’s pretty good although definitely on the sweet side). As you can imagine, it’s a pretty region. The schools and government offices we were visiting however were in Tupiza, and other surrounding towns, which is a 6 hour drive away, and shockingly desert-like. I’m talking cactus and really dry dust bowls everywhere. I really wondered if I wasn’t for a moment in Arizona, red rock and all. Since distances are so far there and there is little in between destinations, much of my trip was spent in the car going from place to place. However I did get to see a few interesting sites, like this amazing tunnel they managed to create amidst the rock. I did also enjoy of course visiting the schools and seeing what life is like there for the kids (see below, me with kids and in school garden).

My second trip, I arguably went to the capital, Sucre. Since Sucre many years ago was at one time the capital, if you go there, they will tell you that you don’t live in the capital even if you are from La Paz. It is quite the spirited friendly debate. Since the government seat is now in La Paz, they have a harder time backing up their argument. Having been the capital though, it is a beautiful colonial city known as the white city since many of the buildings are white. It’s a real student town and the people couldn’t be more friendly. Plus, what’s not to like, they make some of the country’s best chocolate! One of the more unusual sites in Sucre that I didn’t get a picture of, is a fountain that cost a half million USD to create, which has light and music shows at night (like in Vegas at the Bellagio but well, not quite that big). It was pretty impressive though. Just outside of Sucre is Tarabuco, which makes some of Bolivia’s finest and most detailed weavings. (pics below of view of Sucre and my colleagues.)

Just at the border as you leave Sucre is the now famous, about to be declared a UNESCO Heritage site, called the Parque Cretácito, meaning Cretaceous Park. It is a park with to-scale size dinosaurs that roamed through this area of Bolivia 68 million years ago, during the Cretaceous period. The park is interesting but the most amazing feature is the wall, once flat land that has become almost vertical due to the shifting of the tectonic plates, with tons of real dinosaur tracks on it (they estimate over 300 different dinosaurs). Many you can see with the naked eye, although they have telescopes if you don’t have a great zoom on your camera. I managed to get a few photos of the different types of tracks. It’s truly impressive.

Shake it, baby!

Lastly, dancing has been a very fun feature of my time so far in Bolivia, as I’ve taken up salsa. They offer classes here twice a week, they are not very formal and you can go as often as you want. They are extremely fun and I am slowly getting to know the group as it’s often many of the same people who attend. As most of them are Bolivian, since this is not a country of salsa dancers culturally, I have held my own so far!

I also had the pleasure of making a very quick trip to Quito, Ecuador for a weekend to attend my friends Siena and Alvaro’s wedding which was really a treat. I had such a good time, got to see some friends of hers that I already knew, as well as meeting some new ones. It was such a special ceremony as all of her in-laws participated in the wedding (various musical acts with some serious talent) and gave such forethought to everything. I was very glad to have gone and shared the day with them. And yes, there was some shaking it here to since the reception lasted about 12 hrs!

So needless to say it’s been a busy first few months getting my feet on the ground, but with many exciting endeavors and guaranteed many more to come. (For more pics, click on share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AcOGzNk0ZMmLnA).

Wishing you all well in all parts of the world!

August, 2009

Bolivia or bust!
Onto the next chapter of my life…La Paz, Bolivia! For those that don’t already know, I will be working here for the next year and a half with the World Food Programme (WFP), a U.N. organization focusing on alleviating hunger throughout the world. Although I can tell my specific responsibilities will develop overtime, my overall job will be to help expand the school feeding program to the north of Bolivia. I will be doing a lot of in-country travel (which will be a great way to get to know the country) and I have my first trip next week! First, here are some facts and info about Bolivia…

Physical characteristics: Bolivia is a landlocked country, just less than 3X the size of Montana, which borders Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, and Peru. Less than 3% of the land is arable and it shares Lake Titicaca with Peru, the world’s highest navigable lake. The La Paz airport sits at about 13,600ft, while the city is built into a canyon below at just over 12,000ft.

History and Government: Bolivia, named after independence fighter Simon Bolivar, broke away from Spanish rule in 1825. Since then, there have been nearly 200 coups and democratic civilian rule was established in 1982. In December 2005, Bolivians elected Movement Toward Socialism party leader Evo Morales president – his platform was based on empowering the nation's poor, indigenous majority. He has been a very controversial leader with strong anti-North American sentiments.

People: The population of Bolivia is approx. 9.7m, and just under 1m in La Paz city. 95% are Roman Catholic and 5% are Protestant (Evangelical Methodist). The Quechua, Aymara, and Guaraní indigenous ethnic groups comprise the majority of the population. Literacy is at 86.7%. Only 4.5% of the population is over 65 yrs of age and 60% of the country is below the poverty line (Bolivia being the poorest in S. America). [Indigenous flag, left]

Resources: Agricultural products include soybeans, coffee, coca, cotton, corn, sugarcane, rice, potatoes, and timber (*note – demand for timber is causing serious environmental issues). Industries include mining, smelting, petroleum, food and beverages, tobacco, handicrafts, and clothing.

Economy: Following a disastrous economic crisis during the early 1980s, reforms spurred private investment, stimulated economic growth, and cut poverty rates in the 1990s. The period 2003-05 was characterized by political instability, racial tensions, and violent protests against plans to export Bolivia's newly discovered natural gas reserves to large northern hemisphere markets, plans which were later abandoned. Private investment as a share of GDP, however, remains among the lowest in Latin America, and inflation remained at double-digit levels in 2008. The decline in commodity prices in late 2008, the lack of foreign investment in the mining and hydrocarbon sectors, and the suspension of trade benefits with the U.S. will pose challenges for the Bolivian economy in 2009.

Interesting tidbits…
· There are 1,009 airports in Bolivia, only 16 of which have paved runways.
· Bolivia is the world's third-largest cultivator of the coca plant (after Colombia and Peru).
· The Salar de Uyuni is the world's largest salt flat at 4,085 square miles, roughly 25X the size of the Bonneville Salt Flats in the U.S. It contains about 10 billion tons of salt, of which less than 25,000 tons is extracted annually. It also holds half of the world's reserves of lithium. There is currently no mining plant at the site and the Bolivian government doesn't want to allow exploitation by foreign corporations, but instead it intends to build its own pilot plant.

As for travel, I will be most often going to Cobija (the most north and western city in Bolivia, right on the border of Brazil and Peru) and to the area around Potosí, principally Tupiza (look south, near the border of Paraguay). Cobija is the amazon, so it’s really hot and very different culturally. Potosí is the highest city in the world topping out at about 3,900m = over 13,000ft! My boss is Bolivian and the Director of WFP is Mozambican so I have already exercised many Spanish and Portuguese muscles. They both seem very practical-minded which bodes well. More details to come…(once I do some real work!).



So far, La Paz is a very interesting city. Much like San Francisco, you have really steep streets and given the altitude, it makes for some really good exercise. Plus most of the sidewalks are made of stone and having been worn down, they are somewhat slippery both up and down. Rubber soles are important! The nice thing is that it is a very walkable city as long as your cardio side can keep up with your legs. People are generally very helpful and extremely polite, except maybe some of the drivers, but that’s to be expected. The views as you can see from my pics are amazing. It’s a city literally built into rocky, dry mountains.

Some surprising observations…shockingly unlike Central America, you can literally find anything you want to buy here. Life in general is quite cheap, but of course imported stuff is not, although I can buy anything from Classico tomato sauce to Pantene shampoo to Ziploc bags. Dairy and chocolate products are really good here (I know you’re all relieved to know) and there are quite a few good bakeries and restaurants. I’m constantly am amazed at how South America, considering this is the poorest country in the region, is so much farther ahead than Central America. Also, smoking unfortunately is a popular activity by both foreigners and locals. Only some restaurants have designated areas and bars are unlikely too. I guess I am spoiled by all those U.S. states that finally banned it!

I managed to find a great apt (below, the greenish one) – it’s in an ideal location, 10 min walk to work and just a block or so from two supermarkets and a fruit and vegetable market. I wasn’t expecting to be in a high rise, but it’s nice to have the views and more space in the apt. Transportationwise, most people take radio taxis (ones that you call) or trufis to get around once it’s dark unless you are going very nearby. A trufi (pronounced true-fee) is a like a minivan that has a particular route and makes stops all along the way so they are quite safe as long as you know where they are going (I haven’t quite mastered them yet). Generally, regular taxis are discouraged as there is less security with them. Since radio taxis and trufis are very reasonably priced, there’s no need to take a regular taxi. Buses are dirt cheap but the time you’ll spend is never worth the hassle. In general though, La Paz is pretty safe.

I’ve met some nice people so far, both professionally and personally, and I share my apt at the moment with an Italian guy and a Bolivian woman, both in their 30’s. (Don’t anyone get any ideas, he’s married!) Both are really nice and pretty chill about apt stuff, although I admit I haven’t had roommates in a long time. We all three travel so it will be interesting to see how often we’re all in La Paz.

This past weekend I went to a bbq (which are apparently quite popular here) at my boss’ country house, which really did feel a world away from La Paz, and was about a 45 min ride. I went with some friends to hear some live jazz at a bar a few blocks from my house on Sat night and then to a huge book fair on Sunday. It was so crowded, I couldn’t believe it and we were sweating, which really shows you how crowded it was since it’s pretty much fall weather here all the time, although midday does warm up a bit. It was nice to see so many people really valuing reading and books.

Well, if you’ve gotten this far, I commend your dedication. I’m sure there are more stories to come as I get settled here. I hope you’re all enjoying the end of summer and have gotten in a bit of relaxation! Miss you all lots and oh, in case I didn’t mention…VISITORS WELCOME!

May 16, 2009

Adventurous to say the least…
After finding out I have a new job starting in July, I decided to treat myself to a trip to India, both to travel and to see my good friend and former roommate Jaeda! So after having a nice 3 days in each of London and France, I made it to India! I have been here about 5 days and already in about 4 cities. Jaeda and I made our way up (if you are interested in following on a map) from Mumbai (Bombay) to Delhi, then onto Dehra Dun and we are now in Mussoorie.

In general India is so amazing and crazy and definitely overstimulating. I actually don't mind the very loud traffic, the crazy drivers and the funny techniques one must use in risking their life in crossing the street. Fortunately I think my NYC training pays off there so as others find that intimidating, not so bad for me. I will say though that getting places is truly an endeavor, and I mean anywhere. There are so many logistics to work out and most people's English is very broken and hard to understand them, and them me.

The food, very spicy! I like spice but I will say that Indian food in the U.S. is for sure dumbed down. A lot of the food is very good and I'm trying tons of stuff (with Jaeda's guidance) and learning a few Hindi words in the process. Jaeda has some basic Hindi which is helpful at least most times. I do like listening to the rhythm of the language and people in general are very nice and helpful when they understand what you're asking.

Distances are far. We took an 18hr train, first time I ever slept in a train, from Mumbai to Delhi and it was actually really comfortable, food included. Transportation is cheap, as is food, as are hotels. We've stayed mostly in budget places but have been more than fine, even hot water up here in the mountains where we are now. Trust me, in Mumbai and Dehli you sooooo don't want hot water. Delhi was really brutal and Mumbai is no slouch right now in the heat dept either. I think 5 days at the end of my trip to the more touristy areas like the Taj Mahal where it's in the 110s degrees will be a challenge! Lots of water is key. But we're doing well.

In Delhi, we just had an afternoon stopping over but went to see the Red Fort which is from the Mughal era, really beautiful architecture (pics to follow upon my return). We stayed in Dehra Dun on our way to the mountains (honestly, kind of a shitty commercial gritty place, excuse my direct impression), so we cut out earlier in the day and head off to Mussoorie.

The ride up to the mountains many of you might not have liked, tons of switchbacks and given that the guidebook said 1.5 hrs and we got here in 1 hr, Jaeda and I agree our driver was definitely overzealous with the accelerator. I got my land legs back once we got here and today we're off on a hike where we hope to see our first glimpse of the Himalayas (albeit in the distance). The town is great though, amazing views everywhere and very cute shops and more of a big town feeling than most of the cities.

Oh and one last thing to mention is that about 2 blocks from Jaeda's house are an entire group of water buffalo (and she lives in a suburb but not rural) where she gets from fresh yogurt from. If you want to follow on our trip, from here we go to Haridwar (meant to be really nice with an offering made by the Buddhists to the river at night), then to Almora and hopefully to Kausani (the ride up to these mountains is supposed to be much worse but totally worth it). Oh and fyi, if you're having trouble finding any of these on a map, its in the state of Uttarakhand which is just west of Nepal. More to come from the next cyber cafe.


May 28, 2009

Magical mountains
Well, I think Jaeda and I were overly ambitious in some of our travels since I think we ended up spending more time getting to places than being in them. The tradeoff of course is that we have so many different things and that has been great. Fortunately my two trips up to mountain towns went well (ie, no getting sick on the bus, which happened to many others, I'll spare you the details). The second trip I mentioned to a place called Kausani, which hands down has been the most magical of all. And yes, both days we were there we did get a pretty good glimpse at the awe-inspiring and majestic 367km of Himalayan Mountains. We really felt like we could have stayed there for quite some time, like forever. It was just so beautiful words do not describe and since it's a town of 250 people, needless to say the townsfolk were wonderfully nice (when they understood our English or limited Hindi). We also got to go to a Tea Factory and gardens there, also really beautiful. We are lucky (sort of) that the rains have just started. Often we get caught in them but it really cools things off.

We also spent time in a mountain town called Nainital (not quite as high) that shockingly is centered around a fairly large lake (which you really don't expect to see in the mountains). It was much more touristy than many of the other places we have been, but regardless, we have been just about the only foreign tourists as it's holiday/vacation time in India.

Although there are so many other things we've done and seen which I will elaborate on in person, Jaeda is in Delhi on her way back to Mumbai and I'm now in Agra, my hotel is about 500 yds from the Taj Mahal where I will be going in about an hour. I've seen views from a fort I visited this morning and went to a factory where they show you how they inlay the shells/stones into the marble in the style the Taj Mahal is built in (excuse the dangling participle for those of you grammarians). And yes, since I've descended from the mountains it's really hot, well over 100, not sure I want to know how much more, but I keep my head covered mostly and drink a ton. I seriously think half of the money I have spent on this trip goes to water!

Well, I think I'm going to have a rest before heading to the biggest site on my list. I am going for the sunset which is supposed to be a great time. Much love to you all and thank you for those that did drop me a note, always nice to get a quick hello when so far away. Thinking of you all and can't wait to show you all pics and what life is like here, really not something one can imagine.


June 3, 2009

Wonder of the world…
My last week in India was really different than my first couple weeks. I have since found out that its about 115 degrees here on any given day – ouch! But aside from the difference in climate, the culture in Rajasthan and the nearby areas is very different from the northern mountain towns. You hear a lot more English, more touristy, but again, Indians are always so friendly and you meet a lot of wonderful genuine souls here.

How does one sum up the Taj Mahal? Besides its rich history as a mausoleum (not a religious building), the stonework is amazing, but the part that is hardest to understand without being here is the scale and size of this building. It’s really an architectural marvel that is worth the trip. The upside of the ridiculous heat is that so I’m told the crowds are not too bad, although any place in India is extremely well populated. I hope you enjoy my pictures and that I did this wonder of the world justice.

Great story…so for those of you who are familiar with the U.S. show “The Amazing Race”, well apparently Spanish TV has a version of their own. I found this out actually in Agra, the city where the Taj Mahal is, by bumping into 2 contestants who sadly were really struggling with their English. At first I thought it was a news crew because of the camera and wanted no part but then volunteered to help them when I realized they could barely communicate. Their version gives each couple 1 Euro/day and they have to find food and housing for that. Even in India that’s kind of insane. Since I spent the day with a tour group who had kindly adopted me, we all chipped in and got them a room in our hotel. After many discussions and fun questions, I will apparently be on episode 9. Here are the details if you would like to watch or follow. The show starts in September, not sure exactly what date, and episode 9 should be in November sometime. If interested, go to www.cuatro.com, and the show is called Pekín Express (since theirs started in Peking). But yes, it will all be in Spanish so either you can laugh at me in ignorance or get someone to translate! It was a very funny experience though as I’m not big on being on camera.

After Agra, I headed on to Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan. I have to say it came with good recommendations and I wasn’t a huge fan. It was such a crowded city, yes more than others which in India is saying a lot. I did get to go to a place called the Amber Fort which was really interesting (and saw elephants on the way there). And I went to a place where they have centographs, another place where they like to really dress things up for important people who have passed away. This one was done with Italian marble and was really an amazing find. Although I did like some of the sites, and I had treated myself to a really nice hotel there, I decided to high tail it out of there and onto my last stop, Udaipur.

Udaipur, like many places in Rajasthan, was sleepy since it was not the tourist season for this state. And despite the fact that Udaipur is known for its majestic lake and palace that sits in the middle of it, there has not been water in the lake since 2006. Nevertheless, it was a really nice city, much smaller feel, and many artsy things to do and see. Food was very good there and I met some really nice people there too traveling on my own.

Last stop was Mumbai and Jaeda and her husband Seth took me Juhu beach, which really was a synthesis of everything I’d seen. Crowded didn’t do it justice but we sat at a restaurant, on the coast, and had a lovely evening of yummy treats and drinks while watching many Indians play carnival games, enjoy swimming in the water and a beautiful skyline. Wonderful memories I will have forever…

For all those that have been waiting patiently to see my photos, go to share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AcOGzNk0ZMmLjQ and enjoy!