Two Weeks? Bo town, down.

I don't have a more imaginative title, I'm sorry.
I know it's late also to be writing a blog, but hey. Better late than never?
I have a lot of things rolling around in my head, and lots of amazing experiences that I've just had though, so I thought it would 'vale la pena' (be worth it) to write some downnn.
Because I'm realizing that unlike the faithful bloggers this year, I won't have millions of blogs to read and remember when I'm sitting bundled up in hoodies beside an electric heater next winter.
I mean, I do have journals full of stuff, and pictures, but those don't really count.
ANYWAYS. continuing on.
first of all - hello all. Just over 3 weeks til I touch down in Winnipeg. What an intense feeling.
I'm left with the typical end of year emotions - sadness, stupid excitement, more sadness, more excitement over opening the fridge when I get home, more sadness as my kids start telling me 'no vaya profeeeeeeeee' (dont gooo), and then more excitement again and I think of all the things that are waiting for me at home. BUT, then sadness to leave this heat, culture, colours, micro rides.. ok. thats enough. the point has been made.
I think we're all reaching the point though where.. we've been starting to have our 'despedidas' - goodbye parties.. our families are realizing we're leaving.. our workplaces.. it's just getting to be enough. There's a point of knowing that you're leaving and saying so many goodbyes thats just sad and draining - it's just about time to go.
But, a few last things to take care of before we go.
SUCH AS.
buying thingssss. If anyone has last requests for Bolivian 'things' let me know. I'll be loading up on touques, mitts, legwarmers, fabric, sweaters, etc before I leave. Mostly for me, but hey. Send a request, it's yours. But not fo free! Cmon, I've been volunteering all year and am broke - I ain't no sucka! ha.
OK, moving on once again.
This past weekend I finally got to go to the small town where my mom grew up, and it was one of the coolest experiences I've got to have here so far. More than anything it was a great way to say goodybe to the mountains, tropical rainforests, flocks of wild peacocks and parrots..
but more than that it was just a great last experience with a Bolivian family. Just getting there.. the town is such a typical small bolivian town.. colour, andian tiles, cobblestone and dust, in the middle of the tropical mountains.
The house there too is a very typical old Bolivian house. One that has been added on and on over the years, and has an open setting. Walk in off the street through rooms, go outside and about 50 feet to the kitchen, turn the corner through my grandpas workshop, past the clothes lines of hanging meet to make 'charcas' or jerky, up the stairs to where the bedrooms are. Or should I say two bedrooms where about 20 of us slept.
It's a house that I would have loved to grow up in as a kid. So much to do, huge hiding spaces, you can walk on the multiple roofs, really close to the market. It was just a really cool place.
And my grandma had baked soo much bread, and meat and food.
Anyways, my mom and I arrived late the Friday night after the most awkward bus ride I've had yet. 7 hours of people packed completely in. In the aisles, kids under my feet, chairs that have no recline. My mom is a very funny person and was openly complaining, but mostly for me. I find it very endearing how protective my mom gets over me when she can tell that I'm in discomfort. "EXCUSE ME, you're arms are pinning down her hair. EXCUSE me, you're all over her arm rest." It's a little embarrasing, especially when I don't mind - but shes such a fiesty wonder tiny woman, that I just can't help but laugh and find her terribly endearing.
So anyways, went to bed after a late meal with the WHOLE family that was rolling in at different times during the night, and woke up bright and early Saturday morning to go out to the 'estancia' or i suppose, farm for the annual cow branding, ear cutting.. time. lol.
I love how Bolivians do things though. It could have been a boring event with 3 guys lasso'ing and cutting and branding..
but noooooooooooooooo.
We get there at about 9 probably.. and immediatly are invited for a drink that I completely forget the name of.
BASICALLY, it's a shot of vodka mixed with cinnamon and sugar, and then we went up to one of the workers sitting beside a cow, who squirts milk straight out of the cow into your glass. Bottoms up.
It was actually super super good, frothy and tasty. But apparently you're supposed to have ALOT of alcohol in your first drink to kill all the things in the milk - and then apparently you're 'fine' after that. But my mom was dead set against me having a hearty glass of vodka.. as was I. I was still waking up. So needless to say, I was sick for the rest of the weekend.
But anyways, after drinking my glass - and laugihng around as many others drank manny a glass, they started with the cow branding and ear cutting. They invited me to try, but I just couldn't bring myself to sprint from an open pit of fire with a questionably hot rod 50 feet over to a bulging eyed calf and push it as long as it took to stick onto his back. AYE. lol.
Anyways, lots of the women were outside of the cow area (theres probably a more ranch term for that, but I can't find it) preparing a calf that had been killed, and mote (which is basically corn).
So about an hour later we had a pre-meal of 'pica' or just a variety of things. Cheese, meat, corn, hotsauce. But... once again, the meat was really tasty, but had probably been out for awhile - and even though my stomach has gotten so much tougher, it still didn't hold up super well later to all of what I was eating. But whatever, I didn't think about that at the time. That meat was good.
Thennnnnnnnnnn the chicha came out. Oh, chicha. It's basically the Bolivian moonshine drink I would say? Some carbonated grape wine type drink I suppose you can call it. I don't really know what's all in it. I know for a fact that this stuff was so much better than the stuff we all tried in cochabumba. That stuff we all ran away from as countless people tried to 'invitar' us.
This stuff, I definitely had a second glass. It was hot outside, and it was good.
Anyways, after that I wen't with some of the cousins to a lagoon while they continued on lasooing the 70 odd calves that had to be done. The lagoon was really cool, filled with flocks of parrots and so much wildlife. And cow crap, since that's where they drink.
AFTER that we came back, and they all started up around the guitar, singing I suppose you could call 'mariachi' type songs, although Bolivians would kill me for that because it's very Bolivian styled. Very traditional lyrics, often about a smuck trying to get a hot girl, or lost loves, or a drunk man who falls in love with a girl, or about the beauty of Bolivia. My family is blessed with amazing voices though, from my grandma down to Carla (my sister) so I just sat there watching cows get branded, soaking in the sun, and listening to four part harmony racious mariahi. I shouldn't saw racious, I just mean that they sing with passion. pride. fuerte. (strong). they have strong voices.
It was just another one of those moments, and I knew probably one of the last of the moments I had here where I just felt.. in a corny/cliche way - perfect? Out of body. watching a culture just living. It was amazing to see the joy in my family too. Most of them have now moved to Santa Cruz, the big industrial booming city where I live. But it was amazing to see how happy and rejuvinated they were, back in the country, all together, singing and just being.
I don't know, I think it's cool in any family to see everyone get together - all the joy it brings being in the places you grew up.. etc. It was just really cool to see that side of my family, get a different perspective on where they came from - other than the lives they now lead in Santa Cruz.
It was also just so peaceful there. There's so much noise in this city. So many cars, people everywhere, selling everything, micros, taxi's. There's always so much going on. It made me miss my home in lockport. Just hearing quiet, feeling peace.
Anyways I'll stop. Just sitting there, watching/laughign with the rest of my faily at my great aunt trying to lassoo a cow after a few two many cups of chicha and telling everyone how they used to do it in the old days is something I will remember for a while. Oh, and she's mean with that lassoo. Seriously, it was impressive.
Ok, moving on. Then we had a huge churasco (meat, a special rice, salad, yuca) for my grandpas birthday at night with a huge cake. I got to be with all the woman in the family preparing the meal, making the cake, eating the left overs with the cousins - it was great. It once again made me miss my family. Laughing with my mom in the kitchen.
THEN, on Sunday. OK, this once again just made me laugh. Oh, Bolivians.
I told my mom that I had to be back sometime in the afternoon because I did a big money report for MCC that I by-accidently (sp?) deleted on the Friday right before we left.. (typical) and I had to do it for that sunday, before Monday work day hit.
My mom told me the night before, "ok we have the tickets for the bus, we're going at 11"
They my aunt told her, no no, we can give you a ride home in the afternoon. "Ok kathleen, we're giong wtih the aunt" "ok."
Wake up, and my mom says "kathleen you ahve to get up! we have to go to the market to get stuff for the bus" "Oh, so we're going on the bus?" "Of course! we have tickets" "Ok."
go to the market, get apples, and a bunch of veggies because its so much cheaper.. and because they think everything in Comarapa (the town) is the best tasting in Bolivia.
Head back to the house, I go upstairs, come back down with my bag ready in a rush...
"Oh, kathleen, we're going with the aunt now." ".. (mentally, haha) Ok."

And then, they were indignant because I wasn't going to see the "Laguna verde" the green lagoon thats famous there.. so they were like "Ok well we'll just go there a sec, I promise you wont be home that late." "Ok."
Hit the road out to this place, we stop along the way... finally get out there. Tour around, see the lagoon that was gorgoues.. head back. Stop to visit my grandpas mill where they make do all the flour for the community.. they took time to show me how everything works, made the workers turn it on for me to see, took pictures with me with it.. etc.
Finally leave after cutting plants to take.. etc and get home at like 3 in the afternoon. Have a late lunch, and hit the road at about 4. Stopped about 3 or 4 times for food.. twice at peoples houses.. got home at about 10:30 at night.
It was just so funny and typical.. and a liitttllee frustrating. But i've gotten so used to the relaxed pace, that I juts kind of laugh now, and make it work. I was falling asleep over my money sheet though as I drank coffee and cranked it out until like midnight.
That kind of stuff though is good for my North American self. We get frustrated if people are dallying for 15 minutes.. we make plans for what we're doing days in advance.. we get upset when things don't go our way. Everything is about time, and how much we can squeeze into it. I'm glad I've learned how to make plans on the fly now, staying calm and relaxed, stopping to chat with people and eat with them if we run into people. It's been a hard thing to learn, but such a good thing to learn.

Ok, so that was basically my trip in a large nutshell. Sorry if I went into huge detail, it's maybe a ltitle selfish of me, but like I was saying. I want to be able to read these things when I get home and remember a bit.
Anyways. So now! Getting everything ready to go home.. last minute stresses and saying goodbyes to host families etc.
We're kind of in the calm before the storm. The storm hits next Friday as we leave work, have the 50th anniversary of MCC Bolivia which is going to be huge, leave our host familys the following Tuesday and are gone to the states that Friday the 17th.
So, I'm trying to enjoy the calm. Be chill, get things knocked off my list - buying things, saying goodbyes, visiting places, etc.
I'm nto looking forward to saying goodybe to my kids, or my host family, but I'm looking foward to having that done. Putting those goodbyes behind me, and being able to move on.
Change always excites me. Whatever it is. It brings new challenges.. new anything. I'm so excited to come home.
So anyways, it's late.. I'm going to go crash into bed.
Theres lot's more to say, but I'm home in a few weeks - so I'll jsut be able to TALK to pepole soon.
love you all, see you SOON.
kathleen
ps i'm not reading this over - so please excuse run on sentances and bad grammer and horrible punctuation. kthanks.