Nourish and the Bolivia Orphanage Project

Writing a blog in Bolivia is harder that it would seem.  The ability to simply do something else is so prevalent that even getting the conviction to get a substantial amount of sleep is a rare occurrence.

Anyway, Bolivia is treating us well... and not so well.  In short, don't drink the water.  If you do, prepare to experience some outrageous biological behavior.  Your body will undergo some terribly undesirable sensations.  Pack drugs.

The last week we have been both frantically busy, as well as useless.  Most of our busy days have been spent buying parts for our projects and working on them.  We  installed a water system to the building that will be used as a community room (intended to involve the orphans with the community).  We have yet to connect it to the local pump, so we are currently hauling water up to the ceiling every time we need some.  We will begin working on connecting the pump to the orphanage building next week.

The days of which we were rendered useless were due to either sickness or civil protests.  Apparently, if you ever need to protest something in Bolivia, make road blocks.  On Wednesday, our 20 minute trip to the orphanage grounds became an off road adventure.  Winding through the rural rock and dust made roads, we bounced and bumped for two hours.  Thursday, the protesters had further organized and there was not even a dirt path without a blockade (we readily accepted it as a day off).

Last Sunday, we were fortunate enough to make it out to a soccer game.  Real Potosi vs. Aurora.  Though Aurora was quick to score with a clutch shot in between the keeper an his post, the previous year's champs were quick to take a dominate position.  A beautiful through-ball resulting in a goal, an own goal, a chip, and a 30 yard ripper sent Aurora packing with a Real Potosi 4-1 victory.  Though the game was exciting, it was insignificant to the intensity of the fans.  Bolivians take football (soccer) more seriously than Americans take fried chicken (bold statement, understood).  There was rarely a five minute period of which a hail of 2 liter bottles and ice cream cones did not come down with the intention of injuring the referees.  Riot police, fully clad in Kevlar, riot shields, batons, and guns were there for every time the refs made a call or got on or off the pitch.

The children at the orphanage, currently, are not orphans.  While we have been working on the orphanage, local kids have come to play and socialize.   It will take some time before we can actual move orphans in as the legal process for and orphanage in Bolivia contains more red tape than Home Depot.  Though the children we have been playing with have parents (or some form of guardian), they still are living in poverty.  Many of them had pink eye.  I say had because on Tuesday we brought eye drops and by Friday most of the pink eye cases had disappeared.  In the next two weeks we have set aside a few days to teach regular hygiene.  We will be teaching them about teeth brushing and hand washing.

Hopefully this blog will experience a more frequent update routine.  As I write that, I am off to do something simply more interesting.  Ciao.