A year ago, eating my turkey sandwich at a subway in Bangkok, I could not have guessed that I would be in La Paz today. Today I cannot begin to guess where I will be in a year (I could guess, but I know it will most like be inaccurate). I am most thankful for the now, and for knowing in my deepest of deep that it is right. God's consistency through highs and lows, God's consistency in my most inconsistent hour. I am thankful for God's security amidst my many insecurities. For reminding me to embrace the now, to love the present and to rejoice in the living, not in the planning, nor in regret, nor in memories. To surrender and know this is right where I am to be on this Thanksgiving.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
thankful
These past few days and weeks haven't been the easiest, so it is nice to have a holiday that reminds me to reflect and be thankful.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Mini Buses
Words cannot quite measure up to the experience of a mini bus. I tend to assume things as normal or o.k. when first in country, then my mind catches up and I begin to observe reality. Mini buses are one of those things that at first were fine and now are daily either hilarious or horrible.
The Bolivian mini bus is the most common means of transportation around the city. Most are 6 to 12 (cramming 18-20) passenger mini vans, that I believe were chosen to fit the small streets. The only problem is that there are too many so congestion is still an issue. If I could statistically predict a way I could be injured here it would be by a mini bus.
Two people usually work these "mobilizations", the driver (who never speaks unless asked for change) and the assistant (usually his wife or an adolescent boy). The assistants role is to yell out the window to pedestrians to inform them of where the bus is headed. It sounds something like a cattle call with one or two words you can actually understand. Something like "6deagostoarcesanmiguelachumanicalocoto." The yell out even when the vehicle is moving way to fast for anyone, besides its passengers to hear (which gets annoying). They are also in charge of collecting the money. Heaven forbid one does not have the correct change. I break out in cold sweat when I have a 10bs bill ($1.40) and its 1bs. They give evil looks and make you feel like you are asking the world of them to break it. Sometimes they will hold you money till the last minute to give you change, or wait for you to ask for it. I exchanged some words with a young man assistant the other day when he already overcharged me and then gave me incorrect change. He gave me my 1bs and I tried not to think about how I was fighting over less than 20 cents. It's the principal of the matter, I refused to pay 1bs for the use of the bathroom in Rurre bc they all of a sudden decided to charge us in the national park which we already paid like $20 to get in to. That is another tiff.
Mini buses also have a distinct smell. It's like playing the lottery every time you get on one. You might get a man with nice cologne, or you might get...well smells that make me a bit nauseous. Today I was on a bus where I small child began to throw up. No, they did not stop the bus, they simply stuck her head out of the window.
Taxies exist, and you might be asking me why I don't take those. Well, they tend to be pretty sketchy (as in they kidnap people) and 10 times the price. But I do take them when possible or when with others.
My greatest mini bus experience took place last week, when Michael Jackson's greatest hits album was blaring and the man next me new all the lyrics to Thriller.
Just a spoon full of my daily life here in the L.P.
007
I just got home from watching the new James Bond, filmed in Chile and set in Bolivia (neither party is happy about that fact).
A few comments:
I think it made La Paz seem more tropical than it is, I mean it's not tropical in the least and no one wears t-shirts at night. In general it was a pretty good sketch, especially the "cholitas" in the background and in a few scenes. There is FOR SURE no hotel that resembles the one in the movie, if there was I would have snuck in there by now. [ Side note: I did sneak into the nice hotel in town this weekend, but I did have a friend who had a room and she invited us to the the pool. I became an expert on faking a hotel stay, room number an all during my time in Bangkok.]
I don't think that another movie portraying U.S. involvement in propping up dictators in other countries, namely Bolivia, is the greatest idea. I kind of wanted to hide my face/skin tone and all around physical features during that part of the film. Most people believe movies to be all truth and I wouldn't be surprised if the movie does not catalyze another march to burn down the U.S. embassy.
On my mini bus (which will soon get it's own entry) home the helper (the person who yells out the window where the bus is going, collects the money and opens/shuts the door) began breast feeding her baby. Moments like these give me a nice dose of reality, the reality that yes in fact I am living in Bolivia.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Sex Ed.
For the past two weeks, I have been going to El Alto to help with sex education workshops in local schools. The idea is to use sex education as a preventative tool for sexual abuse. In most cases, especially in El Alto, few schools provide adequate sex ed. or any at all. As in most places its still a taboo subject. With younger kids we start out talking/singing (yes, its back to Bangkok basics) about emotions, then go into talking about their bodies and lastly we do the preventative part or connecting emotions, touch and bodies; what is appropriate and what is not. Giving them knowledge about their bodies and allowing them to realize their value. We do get parental consent before we go into the school, if not it could be really bad. Have I mentioned that they linch people here? Oh yes.
Last week we were teaching a group of 9 to 11 year olds, using a puzzle that created the body of a girl and boy, we were asking them to name the body parts as they put it together. There is always much hesitation when it gets down to the genitals, a hush comes across the classroom and the child with the main body piece blushes and passes off the piece to the child next to them. Sometimes it takes a good 15 minutes to get anyone to give any name they may know for the part that differentiates a boy from a girl. The best response so far is "partes nobles" or "noble parts" for boys. It was cuter and funnier coming from an eight year old Bolivian boy. Everyone usually giggles and then eventually they know all the parts that make up their bodies.
Presenting kids with knowledges and appreciation for their bodies gives them more authority when it comes to taking care of themselves. I have realized how silly it is that we teach children the correct names for most part of their bodies, but make up nicknames or don't even mention the names of genitals. Some kids in our classes said they knew the name, but they said it was a bad word and they couldn't say it aloud. How sad is it that we devalue part of our bodies? All the more when it is the part that gives life? I realize that this isn't just an issue in Bolivia, but across the board. There is fear in providing correct information, what are we fearful of? A child knowing how to correctly name her/his body parts? The is fear in the unknown, but once its known the fear tends to fade. Children shouldn't have to feel uncomfortable about how God made them.
If I have a child, he/she will likely be like the little boy on Kindergarden Cop, "boys have penises and girls have vaginas."
one month vacation.
Officially a month until I meet Lucy in Santiago de Chile and we embark on a fantastic trip in our homeland! The other day on the mini bus (which are loosing their appeal each time I ride), I began daydreaming of all the wonder Chile will offer me. I might pull a Pope and kiss the ground when I land.
Not to say that Bolivia doesn't have its charm. This past month I have been able to see the extreme beauty that this country has to offer. From the jungles in Rurrenabaque to the salt flats and colored lakes in Uyuni. La Paz is a bit of a crazy city, and I am so thankful I have been able to take trips to see other sites and sounds. I am also thankful that I get a nice break of r&r to see and be in Chile.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Zebras
After many travels it takes a lot to surprise me. Yet sometimes the simplest of differences make my day. La Paz is a chaotic city to say the least. Cars and busses do their own thing as long as 90% of them are actually on the road, direction, speed, sense of distant... are all irrelevant. People tend to cross like deer- no offense Bolivians, but they do, they look wide eyed and scamper across not really taking into account that the mini van that they saw was a few feet away. For this reason the city has started a zebra campaign. Young people are paid (most likely a less than a dollar an hour) to wear a zebra outfit and stand at... you guessed it zebra crossings to "teach" people where to cross. They are a huge hit, as in people think they are cute, but don't really seem to get the message.
This weekend I was delighted to see, along with the usual zebra, a person dressed up as a donkey, i.e. burro i.e. idiot. I believe this was a counter campaign to better visualize the "idiots" crossing in between cars. So while the zebra crossed at the designated corner crossing, the donkey crossed in between cars.
I mean really, its stuff like this that becomes normal to me and when I go back to the U.S. or any other developed country, I expect this ridiculousness and become disappointed at the lack of entertaining social behavior.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
some info (could be a bit of an overload)
The following is a research project I worked over human trafficking in Latin America. Be informed. I was. I warn that it is quite long.
100,000 women and children are trafficked across Latin America, 500,000 girls under the age of 16 are prostituted in northeast Argentina, 35,000 Columbian women were sold within one year into the international sex industry, the U.S. CIA estimates that approximately 50,000 persons are trafficked into slavery in the United States annually, 15,000 of those enslaved each year are Latin Americans.
Each number seem overwhelming, the equivalent of university campuses, football stadiums and entire communities. Yet we must remember that each number is made up of individuals; men, women and children who have their own story of deception, abuse and devastation. Imagine, if you can, being the eldest daughter in search for an honest way to help your parents provide for your younger siblings, you are told of a waitressing job in a tourist area in a neighboring country. You leave with your parents blessing, accompanied by an acquaintance, but soon find yourself abused, sexually and physically, far from home without any means to return. Imagine being a young boy on your way to school when you are offered a ride from a family friend, you never knew this man would hand you off to another man, and another and another until you found yourself half way across the continent. Imagine you are a father, a skilled laborer, who dreams of better opportunities for your children. An office offering work in Russia that will pay four times that amount you make each month, all that is required is for you to pay for the plane ticket upfront and visa work. The promise of getting refunded and paid the due amount soon fades when you find yourself cooking, eating and sleeping in the same small space, where you also share two restrooms with 200 other compatriots who have lost hope. These are the stories that make up the numbers.
Human trafficking in Latin America was documented at the brink of World War I by the League of Nations which conducted a three year investigation on the issue. The investigation concluded that “Latin America is the traffic market of the world.” Today the region follows Asia to be the second largest global source of enslaved women. Trafficking has become a lucrative business, third in line after drug and arm trade. Disguising humans to cross borders with false documents is much easier and less risky than narcotics or weapons. $500 million dollars is the estimated annual income for the Columbian trafficking market. Approximately 35,000 women are trafficked out of Colombia into the international prostitution market, averaging over $14,000 per trafficked person.
Men, women and children are trafficked throughout the region and internationally with the ends of sexual exploitation, bonded labor and illegal organ sales. In many cases the victims of trafficking travel willingly, following the promise and prospect of better opportunities abroad. Commonly one thinks of workers who willingly moving from their homeland to another nation in search of better wages and opportunities as migrants. However in many cases those who intend to be migrants end up in the web of trafficking. Knowing the difference between migration and trafficking is key to understanding the problems victims may face when moved from one location to another. Migration is the move of one place, country or location to another. People migrate with the basis to find better land, climate or job opportunities. For the most part, those who choose to migrate can also choose to return to their place of origin. On the other hand the U.N. defines trafficking as… “the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation.”
The difference between these two terms is the use of force, be this mental or physical, to move a person from one location to another. Victims of trafficking might not initially suspect any foul play. Many times the victims are willing participant in the move. A common example in Latin America is young women who “fall in love” with a man who promises them a better life and employment opportunities abroad. They travel with the man, many times with the consent of relatives, and soon find themselves working at brothel, humiliated, with no means to return home. A case in September found 3 Bolivian women between the ages of 15-17 who traveled to Tierra del Fuego, Argentina with “boyfriends”, men over the age of 30, who promised them jobs. The girls left with their parents consent and soon found themselves forced into sexual labor. Hundreds of Bolivian women are also taken to La Rinconada de Puno, a Peruvian mining town, with similar promises and outcomes. In 2006 only 2 out of over 200 young women were rescued from one of the approximately 180 brothels in this town. This year 23 women were repatriated from Puno, but charges are pending to the perpetrators. Government agencies rarely have the means to take on cases abroad, even in neighboring nations.
While the issue of trafficking has been around for decades, only in recent years have government agencies and authorities began to address the issue publicly. In Latin America the legal system of each country has its own terminology and conditions which determine the crime and punishment for traffickers. Records of human trafficking are not commonly kept within the region, leading government leaders and the general to believe that the situation is not a serious reality. Since they may not see or know of trafficked victims, they assume it does not occur, therefore not making it a pertinent issue to address in the public or private sector. The records that are kept along with surveys held by international institutions prove that the reality is serious and must be addressed. With the continued growth of facilitated international travel, traffickers have endless options on how to move persons and where to take them.
Trafficking can occur in stages, as is the case of Guatemala’s border with Mexico at Tecun Uman. Here men, women and children travel from throughout Central America in order to cross over and make their way through Mexico to the U.S. or Canada. Many come in the hands of trafficker or simply by their own means. If one unsuccessfully crosses the border, he or she is returned to the Guatemalan side and not to his or her home country. In order to cross again, a person will need funds to pay for documentation or help to cross. At Tecum Uman women and children become most vulnerable; many are forced into prostitution in order to pay debt that got them to the border or to pay fees to cross. There is a high demand for prostitution due to the amount of male immigrants. Many women who dreamed of arriving to the United States to be a domestic worker will never cross into Mexico and will spend their days and nights in brothels.
Border towns have long held the reputation for locations of commercial sexual exploitation. The tri-border of Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil is no different, and has been deemed the Bangkok of South America by the director of the International Organization for Migration (IOM). Sex tourists are now turning to this region as alternate options to past sex-vacation destinations which are now more carefully monitored by authorities. One local agency was aware of 700 cases of child trafficking, but only reported 40 to authorities in the past 3 years. Here the issues of rightful authority allows for trafficking incidences’ to go underreported, while leaving government officials to believe the problem is under surveillance. Currently there are five security institutions that work at the Argentine border and while communication between these might be difficult, communication with Paraguayan and Brazilian counterparts is all the more complex. Security institutions are also better trained and prepared to combat narcotic smuggling and might not be aware of the ties between drug and human trafficking.
You might be asking yourself, with a problem so grave and widespread, what can actually be done to aid the victims and institutions in Latin America? There are several existing organizations based throughout Latin America that are working with authorities to prevent and try trafficking cases, as well as assist victims. IJM has offices in Guatemala and Bolivia, with affiliate offices in Peru and Honduras. Each office takes on case depending on the specific mission the office has in its country. In Bolivia abuse cases of minors are taken from the city of La Paz and El Alto. Training seminars on victim assistance have been provided for the local police force and other public officials. Seminars and workshops are also offered to local church leaders, congregations and the general public in order to raise awareness on the issue of domestic violence and sexual abuse of minors.
100,000 women and children are trafficked across Latin America, 500,000 girls under the age of 16 are prostituted in northeast Argentina, 35,000 Columbian women were sold within one year into the international sex industry, the U.S. CIA estimates that approximately 50,000 persons are trafficked into slavery in the United States annually, 15,000 of those enslaved each year are Latin Americans.
Each number seem overwhelming, the equivalent of university campuses, football stadiums and entire communities. Yet we must remember that each number is made up of individuals; men, women and children who have their own story of deception, abuse and devastation. Imagine, if you can, being the eldest daughter in search for an honest way to help your parents provide for your younger siblings, you are told of a waitressing job in a tourist area in a neighboring country. You leave with your parents blessing, accompanied by an acquaintance, but soon find yourself abused, sexually and physically, far from home without any means to return. Imagine being a young boy on your way to school when you are offered a ride from a family friend, you never knew this man would hand you off to another man, and another and another until you found yourself half way across the continent. Imagine you are a father, a skilled laborer, who dreams of better opportunities for your children. An office offering work in Russia that will pay four times that amount you make each month, all that is required is for you to pay for the plane ticket upfront and visa work. The promise of getting refunded and paid the due amount soon fades when you find yourself cooking, eating and sleeping in the same small space, where you also share two restrooms with 200 other compatriots who have lost hope. These are the stories that make up the numbers.
Human trafficking in Latin America was documented at the brink of World War I by the League of Nations which conducted a three year investigation on the issue. The investigation concluded that “Latin America is the traffic market of the world.” Today the region follows Asia to be the second largest global source of enslaved women. Trafficking has become a lucrative business, third in line after drug and arm trade. Disguising humans to cross borders with false documents is much easier and less risky than narcotics or weapons. $500 million dollars is the estimated annual income for the Columbian trafficking market. Approximately 35,000 women are trafficked out of Colombia into the international prostitution market, averaging over $14,000 per trafficked person.
Men, women and children are trafficked throughout the region and internationally with the ends of sexual exploitation, bonded labor and illegal organ sales. In many cases the victims of trafficking travel willingly, following the promise and prospect of better opportunities abroad. Commonly one thinks of workers who willingly moving from their homeland to another nation in search of better wages and opportunities as migrants. However in many cases those who intend to be migrants end up in the web of trafficking. Knowing the difference between migration and trafficking is key to understanding the problems victims may face when moved from one location to another. Migration is the move of one place, country or location to another. People migrate with the basis to find better land, climate or job opportunities. For the most part, those who choose to migrate can also choose to return to their place of origin. On the other hand the U.N. defines trafficking as… “the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation.”
The difference between these two terms is the use of force, be this mental or physical, to move a person from one location to another. Victims of trafficking might not initially suspect any foul play. Many times the victims are willing participant in the move. A common example in Latin America is young women who “fall in love” with a man who promises them a better life and employment opportunities abroad. They travel with the man, many times with the consent of relatives, and soon find themselves working at brothel, humiliated, with no means to return home. A case in September found 3 Bolivian women between the ages of 15-17 who traveled to Tierra del Fuego, Argentina with “boyfriends”, men over the age of 30, who promised them jobs. The girls left with their parents consent and soon found themselves forced into sexual labor. Hundreds of Bolivian women are also taken to La Rinconada de Puno, a Peruvian mining town, with similar promises and outcomes. In 2006 only 2 out of over 200 young women were rescued from one of the approximately 180 brothels in this town. This year 23 women were repatriated from Puno, but charges are pending to the perpetrators. Government agencies rarely have the means to take on cases abroad, even in neighboring nations.
While the issue of trafficking has been around for decades, only in recent years have government agencies and authorities began to address the issue publicly. In Latin America the legal system of each country has its own terminology and conditions which determine the crime and punishment for traffickers. Records of human trafficking are not commonly kept within the region, leading government leaders and the general to believe that the situation is not a serious reality. Since they may not see or know of trafficked victims, they assume it does not occur, therefore not making it a pertinent issue to address in the public or private sector. The records that are kept along with surveys held by international institutions prove that the reality is serious and must be addressed. With the continued growth of facilitated international travel, traffickers have endless options on how to move persons and where to take them.
Trafficking can occur in stages, as is the case of Guatemala’s border with Mexico at Tecun Uman. Here men, women and children travel from throughout Central America in order to cross over and make their way through Mexico to the U.S. or Canada. Many come in the hands of trafficker or simply by their own means. If one unsuccessfully crosses the border, he or she is returned to the Guatemalan side and not to his or her home country. In order to cross again, a person will need funds to pay for documentation or help to cross. At Tecum Uman women and children become most vulnerable; many are forced into prostitution in order to pay debt that got them to the border or to pay fees to cross. There is a high demand for prostitution due to the amount of male immigrants. Many women who dreamed of arriving to the United States to be a domestic worker will never cross into Mexico and will spend their days and nights in brothels.
Border towns have long held the reputation for locations of commercial sexual exploitation. The tri-border of Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil is no different, and has been deemed the Bangkok of South America by the director of the International Organization for Migration (IOM). Sex tourists are now turning to this region as alternate options to past sex-vacation destinations which are now more carefully monitored by authorities. One local agency was aware of 700 cases of child trafficking, but only reported 40 to authorities in the past 3 years. Here the issues of rightful authority allows for trafficking incidences’ to go underreported, while leaving government officials to believe the problem is under surveillance. Currently there are five security institutions that work at the Argentine border and while communication between these might be difficult, communication with Paraguayan and Brazilian counterparts is all the more complex. Security institutions are also better trained and prepared to combat narcotic smuggling and might not be aware of the ties between drug and human trafficking.
You might be asking yourself, with a problem so grave and widespread, what can actually be done to aid the victims and institutions in Latin America? There are several existing organizations based throughout Latin America that are working with authorities to prevent and try trafficking cases, as well as assist victims. IJM has offices in Guatemala and Bolivia, with affiliate offices in Peru and Honduras. Each office takes on case depending on the specific mission the office has in its country. In Bolivia abuse cases of minors are taken from the city of La Paz and El Alto. Training seminars on victim assistance have been provided for the local police force and other public officials. Seminars and workshops are also offered to local church leaders, congregations and the general public in order to raise awareness on the issue of domestic violence and sexual abuse of minors.
Rurre
Greetings.
I keep going back and forth on new topics to post. So the next series of entries might be quite disconnected to most readers, but I believe best represent me...a 23 year old hogpoge of ideas, thoughts and experiences.
This past weekend I traveled to Rurrenabaque. A small town 15 hours north of La Paz or a 40 hour tiny plane ride. Surprisingly I opted for the later, even thought flying ofter terrifies me. The 17 passanger plane wasn't so bad, even though landing felt like a nose dive and I could see duck tape holding something together on the control panel. Oh and yes, I could see through the cockpits window from the last set.
Rurre was great, it surprisingly reminded me a lot of Thailand. Humid, hot, motorbikes, and even the people looke different from those in La Paz. We (meaning me and 3 Canadians I met in La Paz), took a 2 day tour of the Pampas. We rode a boat most of the time through a river FILLED with alligators, crocodilles and caymands. I mean they were EVERYWHERE, as in 200 in the first hour of our tour. We swam with fresh water dolfins, fished for piranas and went out on a night search of gators. That was probably the creapiest, most non-safe tourist thing I have ever done.
The trip was a great break from the city, nice to meet and make new friends and see more of Bolivia.
I keep going back and forth on new topics to post. So the next series of entries might be quite disconnected to most readers, but I believe best represent me...a 23 year old hogpoge of ideas, thoughts and experiences.
This past weekend I traveled to Rurrenabaque. A small town 15 hours north of La Paz or a 40 hour tiny plane ride. Surprisingly I opted for the later, even thought flying ofter terrifies me. The 17 passanger plane wasn't so bad, even though landing felt like a nose dive and I could see duck tape holding something together on the control panel. Oh and yes, I could see through the cockpits window from the last set.
Rurre was great, it surprisingly reminded me a lot of Thailand. Humid, hot, motorbikes, and even the people looke different from those in La Paz. We (meaning me and 3 Canadians I met in La Paz), took a 2 day tour of the Pampas. We rode a boat most of the time through a river FILLED with alligators, crocodilles and caymands. I mean they were EVERYWHERE, as in 200 in the first hour of our tour. We swam with fresh water dolfins, fished for piranas and went out on a night search of gators. That was probably the creapiest, most non-safe tourist thing I have ever done.
The trip was a great break from the city, nice to meet and make new friends and see more of Bolivia.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)