8 days to Chile!

Top 8 reasons why I look forward to my vacation to Chile:

1- Seeing/being with friends and Lucy.

2-The accent.

3- Oxygen.

4- Not being such a giant. 

5- Sunshine and summertime.

6-Rich's Hamburgers (among other tasty treats).

7-Fresh air. (i.e. more trees, less urine on the streets).

8-No one daily trying to sell me fossils or flashlights. 

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.  

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. 

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. 

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. 

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.  

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.

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.

cookie monster

Earlier this week I was walking home from work right behind an older gentleman, he must have been over seventy, when I saw him make a swift move to scoop a pack of cookies from a street stand and place them in his coat pocket.  At first I laughed at how sly he was, then I thought about confronting him. Then realized- maybe I should abstain from confronting locals for minor misdemeanors. 

I have been thinking of this man, how completely unsuspected he appeared.  How he would likely take the cookies home to his wife, or give them to his grandchild who would never suspect his grandad was a thief.  I am reminded how ineffective judging solely on appearance can be.  How often do we try to hide behind our stereotyped facades to make sure our wrongdoings are carefully hidden... But I am a pastor, I am a successful businessman, I am a straight A student, I volunteer, etc.  Case after case and life experience after life experience, have shown me time and again that the most beautiful and seemingly great people can be living with ugly hidden double lives.

I am currently working on translating a study guide, in which the idea that injustice at times is not in plane sight.  Yet that does not mean it does not exist. We tend take the saying "out of site, out of mind" and use it when we find convenient. If we do not see something  then it might as well not exist. Maybe we try to excuse our blinders because we know that when we do witness something horrific we feel a certain level of responsibility to act, to speak out, to help.  

When it comes to the most horrific things that occur on a daily if not hourly basis around the world such as forced labor, sexual slavery, child abuse, domestic violence, and abuse of power, we feel overwhelmed at what exactly we are to do and how exactly we are to react.  Since its not part of OUR lives what can we really do?  Yet in our silence we are acting, we are becoming complacent, we are shutting out reality, isolating ourselves under that nice facade of who we are supposed to be.  I personally feel that I will be held accountable for not only what I have witnessed, but also for what I know.  

We underestimate the power we truly have; as individuals, as small communities and even as the Church.  History tell us time and time again that change began with one person who spoke out. Spoke out against injustice he or she observed, who did not settle for the reality what he or she was experiencing or seeing, but desired to seek and see change. 

I don't want to seem like the pot speaking to the kettle, since I too failed to speak out to the man who unjustly stole the packet of cookies.  A lessoned learned and perhaps next time I will have more courage or know how to tactfully approach the situation. Nevertheless, I hope that silence would not be my continued response to injustice, however great or small.  That I would speak up, act out and confront those who knowingly are hurting others. 

On that note, I would like you to check out the new "rockumentary" CALL+RESPONSE in select theaters nationwide.  

p.s. 50,000 farmers and laborers are on their way to La Paz to block Congress. They are due in Monday.  If you read this before then please pray, hope, meditate, whatever you believe in, that the march would be peaceful as promised. I have my doubts since all schools have suspended classes for Monday so to not expose students to possible violence. Hmmm.

food

Thailand is a hard act to follow when it comes to the culinary world.  Bolivia isn't renowned for its variety of flavor, but it does have a plethora of potatoes. So far I cannot stake too many complaints in the food department.  Although this past week I had to use my creativity to hide/make disappear both a portion of cow tongue and a LARGE portion of cow stomach.  I successfully did not even try a bite of either, I do have my limits (and so does my stomach).  

Breakfast has been interesting. The lady I live with, Doña Lurdes, likes to wake up and make something for me.  I am very grateful for her cooking, but I sometimes can´t enjoy hamburger patties and salad that early in the morning. Today I finally made it to a proper grocery store (most people shop at open markets) to buy snacks for work and oatmeal for breakfast.  

For lunch I either go out with coworkers to local hole in the walls or share a salad in the office.  There are three lunch clicks at the office and I am trying hard not to be placed in any of them. I have dinner at home, which is where I get most of my Bolivian cuisine.   Usually lunch and dinner begin with soup and then there is a main course that usually has rice AND potatoes.  As I mentioned there is a wide variety of potatoes, I have probably tried up to five types.  I am a huge potato fan, which is a good thing, but have not found a liking for the chuño (dehydrated potato).  Tonight I had the nice surprise of a banana sautéed in what I think was balsamic vinegar. Don´t knock it till you try it!

On the sweet side, Bolivians are huge coke fans, perhaps due to the huge use of the coca leaf.  There are also tons of bakeries, coffee and ice cream shops around my office, which keep my sweet tooth quite satisfied. 

The best part of all, is that rarely are preservatives used and most of the vegetables are organic.  

bon appetite! 

a way better weekend.

This past weekend was a 180 from last. Friday I went out with four coworkers to dance the night away at a local disco.  My soul needed some cumbia dancing, it had been too long.  I think I surprised the locals with my invisible yet present Latin blood that allows me to blend right in on the dance floor. All the years I offered to compete at school dance competitions in Chile most certainly paid off.  Saturday I went with another coworker, Evelyn, to help out at her church’s youth group fundraiser. The organization, or might I say, lack there of, was expected and while hilarious, I really wanted to take charge and start handing out assignments. There were five of us working the snack stand and no one could decide how to price things.  Sunday I went with Evelyn on her fiancés church’s picnic.  It was great to spend time and get to know her and my other coworkers outside of the office.

 

After work today I went to the Bolivian version of Starbuck’s, Alexander’s, to write some postcards and have an after-work snack.  I began to think of all the things I love here…

publicly affectionate people, natural foods (in fact certain things are only sold until noon due to the lack of preservatives), being able to listen in on a stranger’s conversation and not look suspicious, being able to have a four course lunch for under three dollars, the availability of anything I could ever need/want sold on the street on my walk home, the fact that I can WALK home, the idea that cobble stone streets might outnumber the paved ones and that dirt roads for sure outnumber them all. That you can dance and not be scandalous, that a fully grown adult may only make it to my elbow, that bowler hats and wool leggings have been in style for about one hundred years and likely one hundred more.

 

So far Bolivia has treated me well, one month almost down and looking forward to many more to go.  

headed back.

The past 24 hours has made me 

a) Feel like little Alex on his horrible, terrible, very bad, no good, very bad day.

b) Realize how much a like routine.

c-) Wish I got married young and was expecting my first child (which might not have brought happiness, but it would have likely avoided this).

maybe this is an exaggeration, there were some Lima highlights, which include

a-) Oxygen

b-) Manjar ice cream

c-) a much needed hair cut

But all in all it has led me to be most excited to return to La Paz and get into the swing of things again. 

Thank you for your support.  Please continue to pray for peace in the political situation, that a solution might be found, and that people of both sides would not be at a place where they are willing to risk their lives and the lives of others to be heard. 

¡Feliz Diesiocho desde Perú!

I am currently sitting in a local coffee shop in Lima, Peru.  Yesterday we flew here just as a precaution to what is happening in Bolivia and its current tiff with the U.S.    There was a march of 8,000 people with the intent of burning the American embassy, but it police controlled the situation and it was unsuccessful.  There were also a couple protests that attacked local media buildings in La Paz.  For the most part these attacks are isolated to the locations of the building, on the day of these marches I went out to lunch and didn't even realize they were going on a few blocks away (well aside from the booms, but those sound everyday). Yet since things are a tad unstable it was decided that the Americans from the office should watch things unfold in Bolivia from the outside.

For now we are planing on returning to La Paz on Saturday. Hopefully things will have calmed down.  As for long-term, the country will continue to face challenges (including the passage of the new constitution) that are quite unpredictable and might mean another trip to a calmer neighbor.  I am fine, safe and learning a lot. Lima is way nicer than I had thought, very clean, lots of western and Chilean things and pretty much nothing like La Paz. 

taking it in

If you have watched the news, perhaps for a second across the bottom of your screen there was something about Bolivia.  In the past week there has been violence in the eastern provinces, road blocks and casualties.  Oh and the U.S. ambassador was ousted. Tonight they have declared martial law in one province where the violence escalated.

I am fine. La Paz is under no threat, which everyone here says is a surprise because usually the action is here.  I hope things will continue to settle and that the different factions will come into peaceful dialogue. 

In other news life here is swell. Right now I am taking it all in;  the people, the politics, the colder weather, the food (too much of it) and the beauty that lies in being in a new place. 

politics

So apparently when it comes to gas U.S. news sources cover Bolivia...

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/americas/09/09/bolivia.unrest/

I hope La Paz lives up to its name. Thus far its all in the east. 

Work

Bellow is a link that will provide you with an example of what the office here does. 

www.ijm.ca/bolivian%20conviction.html

dia dos

I have arrived and can now officially can La Paz home.  Tomorrow I am hoping to play tourist and take a bus around the city to check it out and become further acquainted with my surroundings.  I am staying at a house in the old center of town, a few blocks from San Francisco, for those into goggle maps. The area is pretty touristy, meaning I see a few other gringos when I walk around.  I am convenient to public transport, which consist of taxis, private taxies, mini-vans, and mini-buses.  So far mini-buses are the best bet, some people greet the other passengers, which I find quite friendly, especially since we are all going to be smooshed together anyway- why not make friends. (I was partially in me neighbors lap this morning).

La Paz is bowl shaped, I am right at the point where you begin to question your cereal to milk ratio. There are lots of ups and downs, which take the wind out of me due to the altitude/lack of oxygen.  I think if I built up endurance to run here I would be unstoppable elsewhere, the tragedy is that I would likely get run over trying.

Work is great, I mean seeing it has only been two days.  Not many details will be shared here due to confidentiality.  The important part is that everyone has been really welcoming and I will have plenty of interesting things to do during my months here. Hearing and understanding the political climate here will also keep me busy and entertained (and hopefully relatively safe). Oh, I had my first cup of coca tea upon arrival and had coca pasta for lunch yesterday. There are t-shirts here that have a coca leaf and then cola, pretty clever, I will for sure get you on Lucy. 

Just wanted you to know I am here and well. More on life in La Paz as it unfolds. 

Countdown.

I figured a pre-departure post was needed to dust the blog before the adventure begins.  Two weeks till I fly to La Paz. What I have learned from my many transitions is that the two weeks leading up and the two weeks after are usually the worst. Emotions are heightened; the dreaded goodbyes and the nervous ‘nice to meet you’s’ are just a few plane rides apart. Yet all the feelings affirm a real and great journey ahead. The rush one gets before jumping off the high dive or when the safety bar comes down on a roller coaster is half the reason we love and take these risks, the rest is pure fun- right?

My summer in L.A. has passed quickly.  I have been working two part-time jobs, which have taken fifty hours of me week.  My California tan is not quite up to par, but I will surely be grateful when I use the dollars earned to see old friends and make new ones as I travel.  I am hoping to fulfill my dream of traveling the length of Chile, Atacama to Patagonia.  Feel free to join in if you like, I can only offer free translator and tour guide services, all other expenses are yours to cover. 

I will be flying to MS the 28^th for a wedding and then from there I fly to La Paz September 2^nd.  I would appreciate your prayers, since those of you who know me know how much I hate being in an airplane, especially when a big move is in store. I’ll keep you posted on my transition. Thank you again for your love and support. 

Dear Friends,

As most of you know, soon after I graduated from Baylor University I moved to Bangkok, Thailand to serve as an English teacher. During my time in Bangkok and in my travels through South East Asia, the issue of justice continued to press my heart. Poverty, oppression, prostitution and forced labor are just a few of the abuses I witnessed during my time in the region. At times my heart felt overwhelmed, knowing that all I had to offer the victims were my prayers. These experiences confirmed my passion to seek justice in more practical means. This September I will begin a ten-month internship in La Paz, Bolivia with International Justice Mission (http://www.ijm.org/).

International Justice Mission is a human rights agency that secures justice for victims of slavery, sexual exploitation and other forms of violent oppression. IJM lawyers, investigators and aftercare professionals work with local officials to ensure immediate victim rescue and aftercare, to prosecute perpetrators and to promote functioning public justice systems. Since 2000 IJM has been working in Bolivia with cases involving the abuse of street children. Approximately 3,500 children live and work on the streets of the city of La Paz, many fleeing abuse at home. IJM has provided training courses for the Bolivian National Police, equipping them on handling street children cases. An IJM office was established in La Paz in 2005, continuing their work with local government officials to make sure justice is truly served.

As a field office intern, I will assist in office duties, translating documents and informing the local church of IJM’s work. I am eager to return to South America, having and to have a chance to use my “first language” to serve the people of Bolivia. I am certain that this opportunity will provide a greater scope of where the following years will take me.

I look forward to sharing the many experiences in Bolivia with you.