Marvelous Moro Moro

Thursday afternoon I headed out with two of my MCC compañeras to Moro Moro, a 8-12 hour bus ride from the city of Santa Cruz, depending on the weather and the roads. We lucked out with a 9 hour trip, arriving in the quaint little town around midnight.

My compañeras were going to Moro Moro to give a library workshop so I had the privilege of increasing my knowledge of the Dewey system and getting to know the library directiva better as well as learning more about MCC Bolivia's rural programs that operate in Moro Moro and the surrounding area.

Moro Moro is a town of about 500 people and is nestled in the foothills of the Andes. It has that small town feel where everyone knows everyone and greets each other in the street - something I have come to greatly appreciate. The weather was dry and chilly, but pleasant in the sunshine. Night time in Moro Moro is delightful - the stars are amazingly bright and visible because of the absence of light pollution and the air is filled with the scent of burning wood, bringing with it all the good memories of campfires and wood stoves.

The climate varies between wet and dry seasons and I was fortunate to arrive just after the end of the wet season when the landscape is a quilt of varying shades of green, stitched with red dirt roads. However, as the dry season advances the green is gradually replaced by a desert like brown.

MCC rural programs in Moro Moro are working on helping small farmers develop systems to conserve water in the rainy season that they can then use during the dry season when water is hard to come by. We visited a family who MCC has been working with and had the opportunity to tour their orchard, which they can now water during the dry season with water collected in several "atajados" - large holes dug in the ground and then allowed to dry and harden for a year that then catch the rainfall in the wet season. A hose system transports the water to the orchard and also to a filtering system, then passing on to the family's residence.

Being able to increase the productivity of their fruit trees and the size of their orchard allows the family to grow fewer potatoes, which is a plus for the family because potatoes are a very labor intensive crop.

We left the orchard with our stomachs and pockets full of delicious apples and peaches and our hearts warmed by the generous spirit of the family who so willingly shared with us the fruit of their labor (literally) and their hope for a better future.

In addition to working with water, rural programs also works with building dry latrines and beekeeping. The organic honey produced by the project is known as the "oro (gold) of Moro Moro."

So after a refreshing weekend in the country, I'm now back in the big city ready for another week's challenges. Friday I will be leaving for our "viaje de orientación" (Orientation Trip) and will be traveling April 5-13. We are going to Sucre - considered to be one of the most beautiful cities in Bolivia, Potosí - the city with the highest altitude in the world, and the Salar de Uyuni (Salt Flats).

So you all can wait with great anticipation the pictures and stories from that :) For your current viewing pleasure, be sure to check out my picture of the cow nursing her calf and of Harold the adorable donkey I saw in Moro Moro!! (You donkey naysayers can just ignore this part - you know who you are). It goes without saying - I loved Moro Moro and felt very at home there :) A fin de cuentas, I am a farm girl at heart.