the fighting winds

(this picture is from a butterfly garden where we visited a few months ago and has nothing to do with the rest of this entry, I just thought I'd keep up with the picture posting!)
Greetings from chilly Santa Cruz! And when I say chilly, I mean 60 degrees. Yes, I have been here long enough that 60 degrees feels chilly to me, and, like everyone else, I put on a long-sleeve shirt, a jean jacket and sometimes even a hat. The summer here in the lowlands goes between 80+ degree days and below 60 degree days (I think it’s gotten down to around 40 while we’ve been here…it’s been considered a cold winter). It’s said that the whole season is a fight between the north winds and the south winds. The north winds bring a dry hot bluster that makes you feel like you’re in the middle of the desert. The southern winds are humid (thus making 60 degrees seem particularly brutal) and, as locals refer to it, “it gets into your bones.” Last week we passed through several days of north windy days (which is particularly ugly in our neighborhood since all the streets are filled with a dirty sand) when in the middle of the night, I woke up to a sweet breeze coming through the window…then not too long afterwards it began to rain! It only lasted about twenty minutes, but it was enough to wet down the dirt roads for a more plesant day the following morning. Bolivians tend to dislike the winter. Some say that babies are in danger of dying when they’re born in the winter (imagine a 40 degree night in a shack with gaping holes and no source of heat). With such drastic changes in temperature, it tends to drive people with allergies crazy, as well as bring on colds to those of us whose immune systems are not working at their best. But for me, it is a welcome respite from the scorching hot that one experiences about 9 months out of the year.

Mujeres Sin Limites

On Friday we spent the day in Montero (a little town an hour north of Santa Cruz) with the group of women “Mujeres Sin Limites” (women without limits). This is a group that MCC (Mennonite Central Committee, the Non-Governmental Organization that we’re working with) has worked with for the past three years. The group makes beautiful bags and accessories out of “aguayo” (a type of cloth made (and mostly used) by indigenous folks in the highlands). There we work along with a kid’s soup kitchen. After working to feed children for about 5 years, the project decided they wanted to create some sort of long term change, so they began providing classes for the mothers of the children. This was the first group that graduated. MCC (David and Danitza, our former cowokers) worked at challenging the women with the hard task of pricing (measuring fabric, calculating rent, wear and tear on machines etc), as well as other dynamics of setting up the business (ie. Should people be paid for the hours they work, or by the piece of each thing they make?)
This group is an incredible mix of women. They have had many struggles in the last year, and they continue with many questions of how to survive in a very competitive economy, but overall their willingness to stick together as a group is impressive. On Friday we worked on creating a label for their products (we’re working on marketing right now, searching for ways to help their work stick out in a flood of similar (less quality and less expensive) goods. Here are some pictures (did I mention they are excellent sales ladies?)

el 6 de agosto

Today Bolivia celebrates Independence Day! And Chris and I complete six months of being here!!! There is a parade going on outside of our house as I write. Here are some sweet photos. In the past two weeks, we've heard a lot of drums, seen baton twirlers in their lawns and talked with mothers frantically sewing costumes all for this big day. There seem to be no lack of holidays here as tomorrow is Flag Day and Armed Forces Day (it isn't uncommon here for one day to have multiple meanings. September 21 for example (which happens to be my birthday) is the first day of spring, student day and friendship day all in one) and Thursday was Indigenous Day.
These three holidays have created a lot of political chatter here in windy Santa Cruz. To explain, I suppose we should give a little background. There are often conflicts between the local (city and departmental (like state or provincial)) government and the national government. Basically, the local government wants more power to make its own decisions about its economy, natural resources, and political process. The word “autonomia” (autonomy) is written in some way on just about every street corner of the city. Because the Andean Mountains cut right through Bolivia, the reigons are divided physically which has caused a history of a lack of travel/communication (the capital city, La Paz is situated right in the middle of this mountain range). Because of this, both the highlands and the lowlands have very distinct food, dress, language etc. In the last ten to fifteen years, however, there has been a huge migration of highlanders to the lowlands. Santa Cruz, being the richest department, has received hundreds of thousands of newcomers during this time. So, to say the least, Santa Cruz is a very interesting place to be, especially during national holidays. Well, I guess that was a very simple start to a very complicated dynamic here, more to follow later. Enjoy the pictures! Happy 6 de agosto!