La gringita (do there waterballoons?)

So I realize that it would be more effecient to write these entries ahead of time instead of when sitting in an internet cafe because the clock is running and my thoughts get all discombobulated and I forget things. I just have so much I want to tell you all and it´s so hard to be forced to use this very impersonal outlet. But rest assured if you send me an email or leave me a comment I will respond (eventually.) I want to know what´s going on in your lives too!

With that said let me talk about some of the stuff I didn´t get to the last time around the old blogosphere. Carnival continued in full force. We had a water war at Lebo´s house up the road which was actually fun because we could defend ourselves a bit with waterballoons (globos) and water guns. It´s fine when it´s just water, but there was a roving ¨gang¨of kids who had water with red tint- not cool! Anyway, I was walking home afterwards and was almost even dry when one of the boys from the corner started spraying me with his water gun. This really pissed me off because we had been going back and forth with these kids all day, they had buckets and water guns while we mostly had globos, and walking home I had nothing. I was completely unarmed and I feel like the rules of war dictate that you can´t attack me when I´ve conceded the victory and have stopped fighting. Then there were these other kids close to my house and the mom says to her kids ¨la gringita¨so they all start shooting their water guns at me, like only 2 feet from my own house. So what could I do except use this 3 year old boy as a human shield. That was hilarious and maybe bad form on my part, but obviously during Carnival in Bolivia no rules really apply and they were laughing too so I think it was all right. Being an outsider for this holiday just made it so much less enjoyable for us, because as a gringa no matter how wet you are EVERYONE wantes to get you wet or spray you with foam so it´s a never ending onslaught and when you just want to walk somewhere or watch a parade, you can´t.

We went to Cochabamba on Saturday to see the corso de corsos which is like this giant parade with all these dancers from all over Bolivia in awesome costumes. The military guys all dress as women (the closest thing to a drag show that I´ll get in Bolivia.) When we got to El Prado we were just bombarded with globos, waterguns, foam (it´s kind of like shaving cream that they spray on you.) It didn´t matter if we were near restaurants or vendors, they launched everything they could at us. They nailed this mom who was eating ice cream at a restaurant right in the head, but they were aiming for us. A few of us bought bags of globos, it´s always more fun when you can get in on the action and defend yourself a little. Amy was a baseball player and her aim was dead on. But it was way too much for us, we finally took shelter at a restaurant called señor plato and had some beers, talked loudly, used the nastiest bathrooms ever and paid the 12 year old looking waiter/host/pro-beer opener. We headed to the PC office where a bus was picking us up. We went down a side street where we finally got to see the parade. There were still globos but it was a bit calmer. The dancers all wear these amazing outfits, more suited for NY´s best drag queens. I´m talkig knee high platform boots with bling, sparkle and flash. I´m talking purple, lime green, hot pink, gold and silver poofed out mini skirts and corsets, crowns and septers. The guys wear these really heavy outfits that are ridiculously boxy. The guys from Coch. wore tight black pants with gold trim and they all carried whips. I must find out where in Coch. these guys hang out. So yeah, that was Carnival. A crazy water war and a parade. It was fun at times but I´m glad it´s over and I´m glad they don´t celebrate all their holidays with waterballoons.

Going way back now, I forgot to talk about the big American Superbowl party we had at Pat´s house. His mom hosted nearly all the volunteers and her daughter cooked. It was great, not so much for the football but because it had been a whole day since we had all been together and everyone wanteed to know all about the families, what we were eating, what huge cultural mis-steps we had made. We´re all living with Bolivian families and it´s very different so getting together with other volunteers to talk is so important because you realize that our experiences are actually normal. Every little misunderstanding, horrible stomach problem, or culture shock moment suddenly becomes hilarious when you share it with your fellow gringos. I´ll admit I was worried about connecting with my fellow volunteers at first, I feel like in DC there was this uptight feel to staging and nobody could just be themselves. Now we´re down here in these communities and having each other is really improtant, laughing at ourselves is really important. With Carnival finished we are getting down to business. Four hours of Spanish class in the morning, four hours of technical class in the afternoon. We´re starting our projects, preparing to give a presentation and write a paper by the end of this training session (11 weeks.) We´re getting more books, manuals and papers to read everyday. It´s all really exciting and overwhelming at the same time. The great thing about not having TV and internet all the time is that you discover there are so many more hours in the day. I´m working hard to talk with my family, spend time with the kids who are awesome, and integrate a bit into the community, but when all is said and done I don´t mind being la gringita, at times it´s a term of endearment. Oh, and in case you are wondering I am not an international spy.

paz