Wednesday, April 30, 2008

A Hymnsing Hotfudge kind of Night

Wednesday nights are a fun time here at the MCC compound (and yes, we are our own compound) when all the gringos come together (in an even more intentional way than usual) to eat and chat and sing. Technically, we call it "la cena de inglés" or English Potluck, but actually we speak a mix of Spangleman bajo - which is a mix of English, Spanish and Aleman Bajo (low German) - whatever it takes for us to communicate.

Tonight I made hot fudge cake...mmm fudge...mmm hymn sing even better than fudge. There is nothing quite as beautiful as the harmony of a well-sung hymn. "Sweetly Resting" (In the rifted rock I'm resting) is quickly becoming one of my favorites and was particularly meaningful to me after the past week.

I'm looking forward to the long rest tomorrow's holiday will bring (May 1 is Labor Day here!!). May 2 is my sister Lynn's birthday - so happy birthday to the best and only sister I have! I love you and miss you :) And May 4 is the vote for regional Autonomía here in Santa Cruz...If you would like to know what that's all about let me know and I will write you the condensed version of the loooooooooooooong explanation.

Monday, April 28, 2008

Another Update

I am happy to report that my staph infection is nearly healed. The swelling and redness and oozing puss have greatly decreased and now there's just a little hole in my leg that needs to heal.

This past week has been crazy with visitors and translating and work, work, work. So I'm hoping for some R&R this week if at all possible. I'm still struggling with a bit of fatigue and unfortunately I'm coming down with a cold, but all and all I'm sana y salva (alive and well). Plus a cool breeze came in over night, which is a blessed relief from the unseasonably hot temperatures we've been having the past week :)

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Puchichi, pain and packages

Ok so here's an update on my health status. I have a staff infection on my leg, apparently from a mosquito bite that I itched with dirty fingernails - or so tells me the doctor. Fortunately there are very good, very cheap health clinics here so the cost was 30 Bs (about $4US) for the consultation and 105 Bs (about $15 US) for the meds (and good gracious I have 3 different ones to take!!). Ironically the health clinic, Prosalud, is funded by USAID (that's right we can fund universal health care in other countries, just not our own - and yes I am bitter about that!!!!).

My leg still hurts, but I am already feeling considerably better. However, the doctor was not convinced that the fatigue I've been feeling could be attributed to the staff infection so if I'm not feeling up to par in the next week I will need to get some blood tests done. But I'm hopeful that won't be necessary.

On a different note, the package you wonderful PV folks sent me arrived safe and sound today =) Thanks so much for your encouragement and your support. I treasure you all as friends and members of my church family. Blessings, Laura

Monday, April 21, 2008

Not so fun fatigue

The past week or so since coming back from free travel I have been feeling especially tired. I thought I was just using the amazing Starbucks coffee as an excuse to drink more coffee, but the truth is I need the 3 cups I drink a day just to keep me going. I probably could sleep more than I do, but I wake up feeling tired. In talking with my fellow MCCers we've concluded that I'm most likely anemic so I'm working on increasing my intake of green leafy vegetables, black beans and peanut butter. Hopefully I will be feeling my normal energetic perky self soon =) The good news is that I'm in good spirits. The bad news is this funky bug bite I have that keeps growing...I don't think that's normal...

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

A tribute to the Smucker Women

I have been blessed to be a part of a family of beautiful, feisty women. They are fantastic cooks, comics and scrabble players, each with her own unique gifts and styles.

My grandmother, Hazel Smucker, is a rambunctious young lady with a contagious laugh that makes her easy to find even before you spot her. She is a fantastic cook whose recipes have never failed me, regardless of what country I'm in. Her scrabble prowess is well renowned as is her quick witt. She's in better shape than I am and a true inspiration to young and old alike.

Like my grandma, my aunts and cousins have also been a special blessing to me - always supportive and loving, willing to lend a hand or a shoulder. My aunts Jane and Nancy are two of the kindest most giving people you will ever meet and are always willing to help - whether it be a trip to the airport, the mall, or just to get a bite to eat.

Lori and Krissy, my cousins and fellow Office fanatics, are some of the most fun people to hang out with. I can't count the hours we have spent playing scrabble, and watching the Office together or how many ribs I've knocked out of place because they've made me laugh so hard!

These are memories I will always cherish and every time I make one of grandma's recipes, use my shuffle, see my custom made Office calendar or a really cute bag, I think of these wonderful women and am inspired to be the best, feistiest Smucker woman I can =)

Sunday, April 13, 2008

Quite a Trip

After 10 days of travel it's good to be back in warm Santa Cruz. I will try to sum up my trip in a somewhat concise manner.

Last Friday 8 of us (7 MCCers and a friend visiting from the states) left Santa Cruz for Sucre, the constitutional capital of Bolivia known as "la Ciudad Blanca" (the white city) and the most beautiful city in the country.

Despite the 16 hour bus trip and a much chillier climate, the city of Sucre did not disappoint. We did some sight-seeing, visited a local indigenous textile museum, and ate in the local market (a cheap and authentic option) and also met with a representative of the "Constituyente"- the body responsible for the development of a new Bolivian constitution, which has been, to say the least, controversial.

This meeting was a good opportunity for those of us living in the eastern part of the country to have contact with the west and to understand how the orient is seen through their eyes. The media here, as in most countries, manipulates the facts and often completely different versions of the "truth" are broadcast in the various regions of the country, contributing further to the present east-west antagonism.

The representative clearly had her own agenda, but she did a good job of explaining the constitution and what it is and isn't and I think it was an informative meeting for our group and I hope it was informative for her as well. I'm convinced these encounters with the "other" are essential for mutual humanization, or in other words essential for avoiding the dehumanization of the other that is prerequisite to violent conflict.

After enjoying the charm and chocolate (yes, that's right - Chocolates Para are the famous chocolates made in Sucre - and they are amazing - especially the coconut ones!!) of Sucre we moved on to Potosí - the world's city with the highest altitude.

Potosí is famous for its silver mine in the Cerro Rico and was once one of, if not the, most important cities of the Spanish conquest. Now it is a working class miner's town with a dry, bone-chilling cold climate. The city reflects its colonial history and its once great importance, boasting the largest building left behind by the colonizers in all of South America - La Casa de la Moneda (the Mint), which cost $29 million to construct - the equivalent of the worth of the silver extracted from Cerro Rico in one year during the colonial period.

Potosí also is home to a variety of colonial churches and monasteries and makes a mean cup of cinnamon vanilla hot chocolate! However, the altitude sickness makes you lose your appetite and your dinner.

After Potosí it was on to Uyuni to visit the famous salt fields. El Salar de Uyuni is one of the strangest places I have ever seen. It is a surreal world of white salt (no that isn't snow for you all from Ohio), blinding sunshine, and blue skies.

The salar also boasts cactus covered islands, volcanoes, and majestic mountains bordering it on all sides. The salt fields were once a sea, as evidenced by the sea shells and corals left behind. It is a strange sensation to be driving though a water-less ocean. We were blessed to have a fabulous guide with an ample selection of classic 80s rock to add to the already lively and adventures salt-safari.

Although the desert sounds hot, Uyuni becomes an incredibly dry, cold and inhospitable place when the sun ducks below the horizon. Fortunately we were able to stay in a hotel constructed of salt bricks (no joke) and were up before the sun to see the sunrise over the mountains.

So 10 days of sketchy bathrooms, shower deprivation, and long bus rides later - I find myself with a deeper appreciation for my fellow MCCers and for this beautiful country I have the privilege to be serving in.