You went to BOLIVIA?! Why Bolivia!!

Recently, I returned from a humanitarian trip to Bolivia. Despite my delay in posting about this experience, it was a time that will be cherished for a lifetime. Many people have asked me why Bolivia?

Bolivia is considered to be the poorest country in South America and the expedition of which I took part encompassed many aspects of humanitarian work. I was involved with the construction of a school, planting gardens for families, participating in a health clinic, dispersing clothing, soccer balls, and hygiene kits to families, school kits for students, and a fundraising event to further the work in this country. I thoroughly enjoyed my time there. Here are some pics so you can get an idea of what I was involved with.



What have I learned...

This trip primarily taught me one thing. It is important to take care of one another.

1) Take care of your family
2) Take care of your community
3) Take care when you recognize there is a need
4) Take care of US as a human race, to treat people humanely, to be more kind, to be more loving, to be more generous, to be more grateful, to be more compassionate and give to those that need it without judgement.

Many people that I interacted with were struggling with providing the BASICS for their family. We really have it so good. Some didn't have bathrooms. Some children's only clothes were the uniform to wear to school, and it was ratty at best. Some couldn't afford toothpaste. Others in the same community were better off. Yet during the time I was in Bolivia, I saw this community reach out knowing that certain items needed to go to specific people because they were more in need. They wanted to take care of their own...but unselfishly wanted to make sure that others were taken care of, too.

What were the moments that touched me most:

1) Giving a little girl named Elizabeth (7 yrs old) a used kids soccer uniform donated by my friends. Her response: She litterally jumped and leapt into my arms, squeeled, and gave me a monster velcro hug surpased by none. She said thank you a million times with the biggest smile you can give. This reaction typifies the most joy, most gratitude, most unhibited love I have ever seen. Anyone that saw this experience was brought to tears. She is one of those children that has one outfit (a school uniform.) To my friends that helped me with dontation of soccer jerseys...Thank you, thank you, thank you.

2)Planting gardens with Bolivian women. We knocked out a ton of gardens one day and it felt so good to know that mothers can soon provide a healthy meal for their family. It was so humbling to know in a short amount of time, their children don't have to rely on the "snack" they get at school for the only meal for the day.

3) Choosing glasses for those that participated in the health clinic. After getting their eyes checked, the patients came to me with their vision prescription. If any needed help, we wrote a thank you letter for the opportunity to get new glasses. Then, we shuffled through and selected glasses that would work. I was able to place them on their face. It was rewarding see and hear their reaction to the newly discovered better vision. One woman told me that my face was the first clear face she had seen in 80 years. I was a goofy girl that required glasses by age 3 and have a daughter that required glasses before age 3. I can appreciate the importance of this work.

4)Some of my favorite gifts exchanges.. a boy without an eye received the nicest pair of shoes. New uniform pants and glasses given to a boy who was frequently teased. (He had cross-eyes and hand me down school pants which were so big that, despite an elastic band, had to constantly have one hand around the waistbant to try and keep them up.) Backpacks stuffed with school supplies given to the top students of the school. In exchange, the little students proudly and loudly sang their national and city athems. They ran to our bus chanting gringo and anxiously (and sometimes over-anxiously) greeted us with large smiles and warm hugs.

5) Our hotel was located in the high hills of a jungle. The views were absolutely breathtaking. It was one of the most beautiful places I've ever been to in my life.

6) My time in Bolivia quickly reminded me of my time and experiences in Brazil from about ten years ago. Both are really meaningful to me. On my last day, i was able to chitty chat with two brazillian women that walked 3 miles to get their eyes checked. Talking with them in portuguese was a little piece of heaven.

7) Bolivian food.. yum.

Funny experiences...
1) The children at the elementary provided a program for us the last day. The grand finale dance was performed by four girls (two dressed like a boy and two dressed like a girl). This dance was entirely surrounded around "sneeking peeks." The song begins with a boy singing that he wants to lift up the skirt of a girl (while the 2 boy dancers try to lift up the 2 girl's dancers skirt). The girls laughingly push their skirt back down while singing "no." The girl sings if you try to do this then pull down your pants (while she tries to pull down his pants). Need I say more? cookoo!!!
2) The teens in my group toilet papered my room. They were so awesome and we had such a great laugh over it.
3) Day one, we have a new uninvited roommate in our house, a frog.
4) I saw Miss Bolivia perform at a fundraising event with a really famous Bolivian Band. I was seated at a table located in front of center stage. I nearly gave my napkin to the hoards of men that left their tables to come up (some with a camera) to stare and drool and stare and drool and stare and drool during her flirtatious performance with the lead singer.
5) There was a teenager (who perfectly impersonated Napolean Dynamite and Nacho Libre the entire trip) that is vehemently against drinking anything with caffeine in it. Since we could only drink bottled water, most locals and restaraunts offered soda to drink. Coke is a staple in Bolivia. It became ridiculous when a variety of bottled soda was ordered or offered that somehow a coke ALWAYS ended up in front of this kid. He always freaked out. At the school performance, the community wanted to give us something to drink...they whip out a tall bottle of coke and the most wimpy plastic cups. I just busted up.
6) Our hotel was in the thick of a jungle. On my first night, I heard the loudest racket just outside my window. Of course I am alone in the bed freaking because I wonder what kind of animal is sniffing me out as prey. I am thinking that it is wrestling with its latest victim and I am next on the list. Could it possibly be a python, a bear, or some weird monster? After about a half hour, I hear a moo. Yes, a lonely cow got out of a nearby pasture and was roaming around. Yes, I had the same question...Why in the HECK is a cow pasture near our 5 star hotel in the middle of the jungle? That's Bolivia. :)

Now what? For those that live in SLC, there will be a GALA fundraising event for Ascend in late September. I was assigned to purchase 40 items from Bolivia for this event to auction off. There is some cool stuff. I will post more details about this when it gets closer.