A final thank you/Merci/Gracias ! :)

Now that I am back home, safe and sound, and settling in I wanted to write one final post. This one is for all of you, the readers and family and friends. Its for everyone who has helped me, encouraged me and then said "I told you so", donated, taught me something, given me a smile when I was having a tough day, read my blog.. whatever you did. I want to thank you all. It is because of all of you that I was able to have this incredible experience, and learn everything that I did. I am so happy that I went on this Canada World Youth program, and I have no regrets about what I did with my GAP year.
So I can only hope that you understand how much I appreciate everything, and all of you. Your support was great, and it made me happy to see that people (though I didn't know who) were reading my blog. I hope that I did a good enough job of sharing my adventure, and what I've learned. If anyone has any questions or comments (about the program, Bolivia, anything!), please feel free to ask me. Though I don't think the comments on my blog are working.. so contact me any other way!
Thanks for reading, you all rock!

THANK YOU! MERCI! GRACIAS! :)

La Marcha "Ponete en Sus Zapatos"

On March 5th (the day before we left) we finally had the march "Ponete en Sus Zapatos", which we have been planning and organizing for the past two months. It was the equivalent of Put yourself in Her Shoes marches in Canada. The march was from the Palacia de Justicia to the Plaza in Santa Cruz. Men were asked to wear heels, and everyone brought posters and banners. It was in support of equality and the fight against violence against women.
My group, along with a group of youth from Casa de la Mujer, planned, publicized, and organized the march. This type of thing isn't done in Bolivia, so it was the first one of its kind and somewhat controversial. We weren't sure how big the turnout would be, since it is controversial, but we were surprised with a large turnout of at least 200 people. The march was covered on the news and newspapers all over the country, and a few other South American countries as well.
All in all, it was a great success, and a good way to end our work in Bolivia!

Here are two links to newspaper articles on the march:
http://www.la-razon.com/sociedad/Hombres-tacones-marchan-violencia-mujeres_0_1791420852.html

http://www.eldeber.com.bo/marcha-de-tacones-contra-la-violencia/130305221716

The most controversial signs....

Goodbye to Bolivia

Wednesday we left Santa Cruz, Bolivia and headed to Canada. It was our final day with all of the Bolivians, and the host families, and it was VERY sad. 

After six months of being together in a group with these people I have become very close with all of them. With each one I have formed a special relationship, and I will miss them all so much. 

I came to Bolivia to volunteer. I didn't know anything about the country, the people, the culture, or the language. But I am leaving after having learned so much, and fallen in love. I fell in love with Bolivia; the dancing, the Spanish, the people, Santa Cruz, the crazy and busy and passionate lifestyle. All of it. 

I cannot thank the people I have met enough. They were incredible, and generous, and they are the ones who taught me everything I have learned. The bolivians in my group; Danitza, Mateo, Luis, Alvaro, Melany, Nicole, and Franco, my work placement, my extremely generous host family, and the many, many others cannot be thanked enough. It made saying goodbye to them even harder, and it was a day full of a lot of tears.

The night before leaving we had a "despedida" which is like a goodbye party. It was with all of the families, and some of the friends of the group. It was really nice to have a final time all together to look at pictures, talk about great memories, and begin saying goodbyes. We also did "Paper Plate Awards", which are awards for something special or original of each person. I made them for the group, and they seemed to be a big hit! :)

All in all, saying goodbye was hard, but I will forever remember the amazing memories and lessons I have learned here! It is not goodbye, it is only a "until next time, Bolivia"! 

The end of my work at Plataforma Solidaria! :(

Thursday February 28th was the last day at my work placement; Plataforma Solidaria. Mateo, Alvaro, and I said our goodbyes to all the incredible staff, and wonderful kids with a little goodbye celebration in one of the back rooms and a letter of gratitude to the center. For Mateo and Alvaro it wasn't a permanent goodbye, since they both live in Santa Cruz and are planning on returning to volunteer. But for me, it was a goodbye until some unknown time farther in the future.
It was hard to say goodbye to the place I have worked at daily for the past three months. I have fallen in love with Plataforma, the amazing people there and the wonderful work they do. Working at Plataforma Solidaria was one of the most challenging yet rewarding, educational, eye-opening things I have done in my life. I probably learned more in my three months working here in Bolivia, than any school could teach me in years. Not only have I learned SO MUCH, but I am also leaving with a new sense of appreciation for what I have. My friends, my family, my socio-economic state, my country, my opportunities.. all of it was under-appreciated by me before coming to Bolivia. But after seeing and working with people who literally have nothing I have realized how incredibly fortunate I am. This lesson was not only learned here though, it began in my work at the Meridien 74 in Saint-Jerome, and just continued to grow once I came to Bolivia.
I cannot express my gratitude enough to Plataforma Solidaria for everything they have done for me by giving me the opportunity to work there for the past three months. They have taught me, they have confirmed that I want to work in International Development, they have given me opportunities to work and learn from some of the most incredible people, and they have welcomed me into their family. Looking back on my very first day of work, when my boss Julian welcomed us and told us that we were now a part of the Plataforma Family, I never actually thought I would feel like part of a family. But after saying my goodbyes I realize that Julian is right, Plataforma Solidaria has a family and they brought me into it with open arms. I cannot thank them enough, for what they have done for me or what they do every single day for the kids and people in that community.
If you ever make it to Bolivia, all I can do is recommend you make a stop at Plataforma Solidaria in Santa Cruz de la Sierra. It is entirely worth it, and amazing the see the life-changing work they do daily!
Gracias Plataforma Solidaria! :)

"No a la violencia" Mural Painting

This week we ran an activity of education and mural painting at the Centro Cultural San Isidro! We prepared, designed, and painted a section of wall in the Barrio San Isidro, as well as visited a school to talk with students. On Tuesday we went to one of the local public high schools, and visited classrooms to talk about no violence against women and invite them to help us paint the mural Wednesday. Our group split up into five groups, and each group visited two classrooms. We spoke with students about our mural painting event Wednesday, and also educated them on the topic of violence against women.
I was surprised to hear the opinions on violence against women from the students. I found it especially interesting to listen to the students when we asked them about street harassment  which there is A LOT of in Bolivia. A lot of the boys said that they did it because the girls like it, and because it is a compliment. At this comment, a lot of the girls disagreed, but the boys didn't seem to take them seriously.
Street harassment is so common, and so upfront in Bolivia that men actually approach you, look you in the eye, and make comments or whistle. It is also very usual, so usual that boys in the high school actually whistled at me from class, without any reaction from anyone else. I'm pretty sure that no matter how long I stay in Bolivia I will never get comfortable with the amount of street harassment here.
Then today, Wednesday, we designed and painted murals promoting "No a la Violencia a la Mujer" with some of the kids! We worked all afternoon, and ended up with these murals:
There is also the one at the top of the page! :)

Plataforma Solidaria; la guarderia

For the last two weeks the daycare at my work, Plataforma Solidaria, has been open. There are three classes of about 15 kids each, but unfortunately there are only two teachers. So... Alvaro, Mateo, and I have been teaching a pre-kindergarden class!
It is so much fun! The kids all have an incredible amount of energy, which can get exhausting, but they are all really nice and good-hearted. I have done a lot of work with children through my jobs at camps, babysitting, and as a hockey referee, but this is the most work I have done with kids this young. I now know how to stop a crying three year old in SPANISH in about 5 seconds flat.. win.

The kids are all great, but they are also part of one of the most challenging things I have experienced in this program. My work placement is in a really rough area of Santa Cruz de la Sierra. It is full of poverty, sickness, drugs, and abuse. The kids come to the daycare since it is often the only option since many of the parents need to work long hours to try and help take care of their families. But some of the kids have a parent at home who, ideally, could take care of them. But due to drugs, or violence, they can't be left with them. One of the girls in my class is at the daycare because her mother doesn't trust her father to take care of her and her sister. This is the same girl who told me all about how her dad beats her mom. This girl, who is no more than four, knows all the details of her father's abuse against her mother. She told me about where and when her dad beats her mom, and she even knew the "why". In her eyes, as she had been told by her dad, her mom had done something to deserve it and that was why he beats her.
Listening to this child tell me about the horror in her home, and knowing that there was absolutely nothing I could do to help was one of the hardest things I have ever done.
Unfortunately, she wasn't alone. Most of the kids at my work have some kind of awful story. A mother of one of the children I worked with has a 5 pound tumor in her stomach that is so large she looks pregnant. They cannot afford healthcare, so she will almost certainly die.
Another lives in a very small house, with three generations of family. When I asked them how many people they cook for I was told that at every meal they serve between 30 and 35 family members, depending on who is home. Since they all live in such close proximity when one of them gets sick, it quickly passes throughout the entire house. Once again, this is a family that cannot afford medical care.
These are just a few of the many stories I have learned since working here. They are also what has made it so hard at times, knowing all of these awful things and not being able to do anything to help.
All I can do is make the best of the time with the kids at Plataforma, and hope that it over shines anything negative that happens!
Here are some pictures from my work:

One of the little boys decided he fit perfectly in Alvaro's shoes.. :)

The kids loved hanging onto Mateo's feet and seeing how many of them it took until he couldn't walk anymore!

I really love my work at Plataforma Solidaria, and I am so appreciative of this opportunity and the many things I am learning!

Marcha "Basta de Violencia" y "Contra la feminicidia"

On Tuesday the 19th we participated in a march in the Plaza and downtown area. The event was a HUGE success, and there was probably every news source in the city there. I'm not kidding.. I have never seen that many cameras and reporters together at once!
The march was against violence against women, and to encourage justice in the names of victims. It was planned to co-ordinate with an informative event on feminicidio that our group had planned, but it turned into a lot more, really fast.
The day before the march one of the major new reporters in Santa Cruz was killed by her husband. This caused a lot more people to come out to the event than expected, and it probably attributed to a lot of the news coverage as well.
The event began with a lot of speeches from public figures, victims, families of victims, and other people involved in the cause. It went with a march around the downtown plaza area, and then finished with a number of interviews.

Our group made a lot of posters, as well as an "exhibit" of sorts. We made body bags, with what looked like bodies inside of them and labeled them "Mujer; 2013". Then we set them out with a cross sign, that said "La justicia se olvido de ellas" (justice forgot about them). We also traced the shape of bodies on the ground with chalk, like the body outline at a crime scene, and wrote some other sayings on the ground with chalk. 

The march was really successful, and my sign and I ended up in a very large photo on the front page of one of Santa Cruz's newspapers! :)

This isn't the photo, but it was with this sign!

Las Cuevas

 

On our way back from Carnaval we got to stop at las Cuevas, (waterfalls) and swim! Las Cuevas is made up of a lower pool, with a small waterfall, and then if you follow the river up the mountain there is a larger pool with two big waterfalls. We went right up to the bigger pool, and had a super fun time swimming in the waterfalls. Since I brought a waterproof
camera I was able to take some pictures to share :)

Virgen de la Candelaria; Samaipata celebration

On the weekend of February second I went to Samaipata with my host family and counterparts. This was the same weekend as the celebration for the Virgen de la Candelaria (which is officially February 2nd).
There were a lot of stuff happening in the downtown, and with the church. We got to watch one of the main processions from the church, and it was really interesting to see! I was able to film a part of it to share with you all, but it won't upload. :( I will continue trying to upload it though! Here are a few photos I took of the celebration;

On this same trip Sophie and I had the lovely (not at all) opportunity of encountering the biggest spider I have ever seen. I mean this thing was HUGE, and it was in our bedroom. Unfortunately when we found it Sophie and I were home alone.. this was not fun. We spent about an hour with the spider; 45 minutes staring at it scared it would move, and 15 minutes actually getting it out of the house. We finally got the giant spider (it was actually larger than my hand) out by covering it with a big popcorn bowl, sliding a place mat between it and the wall, running out of the house as fast as possible, and throwing it into the yard. Let's just call it a learning experience.. one I never ever want to repeat again! Here is the spider:

I survived Carnaval!

I am very proud to say I have now survived my very first Bolivian Carnaval! I am also proud to say I made it out without getting my hair dyed! Yaaaaay! :)
I now understand what Carnaval is, and though it is kind of hard to explain I will summarize it the best I can. It is basically a four day, country-wide water, paint, foam, and ink fight, with a lot of dancing and music! During the four days of Carnaval anyone and everyone is fair game. You are only safe inside houses or certain buildings.
All the girls have to braid their hair into a lot of little braids, and soak them in baby oil to help keep the paint from staining. I also went the extra step of covering my hair in a scarf since I'm a blonde, and the ink would NOT come out of my hair. Everyone wears special Carnaval shirts, white shorts, and Tom-like shoes. Also, since cars are often attacked when they are being driven, most people cover their car in mud so that it won't get stained.

We spent Carnaval as a group in Samaipata, the same pueblo where my host family has their cottage, so it was a little bit calmer than Santa Cruz. It was still A LOT of fun though!
Carnaval started Saturday night with the Curso, which we were in Santa Cruz for. El Curso is like a giant parade to open Carnaval. It has a lot of dancers and performance groups, each with a live band walking along with them. Then at the end of it is all the Carnaval Queen's, on their HUGE floats, with a dance group in front of each one. It was really incredible to see it all! El Curso is also when I got my first taste of the real Carnaval.. I got covered in foam, water, and paint from everyone walking by us!
Sunday morning we left Santa Cruz (at the ridiculously early hour of 6AM) on a rented micro to Samaipata. Our group was staying in a hostel, and we got there and got set up just before lunch. In the afternoon we ventured out, all dressed up in our Carnaval gear, and went to the Plaza. The Plaza is the center square, that almost all city's have and it is where the main Carnaval celebrations were going on.
That was where we joined the other groups in a giant water, foam, and paint fight! There was also live music and a lot of dancing. It was a lot of fun, and we all came home exhausted and soaking wet.
The rest of the trip was basically the same; a lot of dancing and water, paint, and foam fights!

When we returned to Santa Cruz Tuesday night the drive home on the micro was spent attacking the people we passed with water balloons. We also had to be careful though because all the towns we went through had swarms of kids and people who would attack the micros with buckets of water, water balloons, or shoot it with paint and ink from water guns. It meant keeping your eyes peeled and your windows firmly closed!
All in all, Carnaval is a really, really great time and cool experience to have. I would definitely recommend Carnaval in Bolivia to anyone! I loved it! :)