Vacation and what's ahead

24 June
These pics are from Sam's Throne Arkansas, yesterday. Julian Carrier, my childhood neighbor from Kirkwood, MO is featured. We used to play together EVERY DAY, but we haven't seen each other in 20 years! Turns out we've got some things in common...
I feel like this blog is supposed to be about Aramasí, but I'm not there right now and don't really have anything to write about it.
But I can say this; I have been talking constantly about what I've been 'doing' in Bolivia and explaining in simple terms what my purpose is, and it's helped crystallize my vision. I have come to terms with the necessity of my time in Aramasí and Cochabamba without accomplishing anything measurable. There were some personal issues I had to work through, for one, but also, I had to establish myself as a normal guy, an average human that people can understand and relate to and laugh at with no ulterior motives. So now that I'm known as I am, I can start working, as me, not an agent for Amistad or the USA or anything else. Just Diego doing what he came to do for the community. Anyway, that's what I am hoping.
So the next part is going to be a lot of work. I will stop by the home of Father William, the founder of Amistad, to have a chat about it's inception and vision and purpose and reflections on how that went, is going, could have been better. I will research and write a brief history of the organization's 26 years of work. I also will survey and interview the folks in Aramasí and the surrounding communities affected by Amistad (as well as a 'normal' community not affected by Amistad) interview the staff in Aramasí and the administration, write an evaluation, and finally a projection of the time and steps it will take for Aramasí to achieve sustainable independence from Amistad. Whooph. That's what I've got on my mind. And being here helps me gain a broader view of the process and work before me. It's all set-up, now it's just gotta get done.

So, I have been on the road for four days straight, driving south and west from Summit, NJ. It took two full days before I was really in the zone. My rout took me to Washington D.C., Greenville SC, Nashville and Memphis TN, and finally, Lampe MO. I stayed with friends and friends of friends my three nights on the road. When I got to our lake house in Lampe, I met up with my childhood neighbor who had come down from St. Louis. The next day, we went out to Sam's Throne, my favorite climbing spot. These pictures are from Sam's. We had a good time, topped our a few routs, took unnecessary risks, and ate tons of wild blueberries.
I start work at summer camp tomorrow. I'm a little nervous, but I'm sure I'll get into the swing of things in no time; Summer camp style.

Just Pictures

Well, it's 7:30 and about time to start closing up at my little cafe corner in the YMCA of Summit NJ. But I might as well take advantage of the internet and upload some pics.
Holy moly, that took about 15 seconds, and in Bolivia it takes at least 5 minutes.
This is my surrogate family on calle Ayacucho, dowtown Cochabamba. Antonio is the adorable old man, Orjito the cute little kid and the dog's name is Toby. They are the ones that shamelessly barge into my apartment, look in the windows, call on me through the walls and generally violate my privacy. But I don't mind, it makes me feel more at home.

Below is my Aramasí family in front of our communal home, the Amistad Health Clinic. Only José is missing, I think he was last minute watering.














Above is a prime example of the quality craftsmanship of the altiplano. These are the adobe bricks that are used in every construction out here. Keeps you cool in the heat and warm in the cold.
A happy beneficiary of Amistad's health service in the community of Huayujo. The one in the goofy hat to the left is the head nurse, Freddy.











José is practicing the ch'alla before partaking in some delicious, homemade chicha. The ch'alla is when you spill some of your drink on the ground for the pachamama before you have any. You can see some of the chicha spilling out of the top of the tutuma in José's hand. Lucky shot on my part. The other gents are community leaders Don Dionisio and Don Felix. This was our welcome on arriving from Bombeo by foot. Not bad.
Community meeting on the topic of irrigation and dam water management.














This was on our way down from Bombeo. The reservoir behind the dam was quite a sight after a few hours of sunbleached hills. Bombeo, by the way is the word for pump. The place, Bombeo is called such because it is way high up and an important pipe and road intersection so the traffic and gas and oil all get "pumped" through the spot. It's also the place we hitchhike to before legging it down to Aramasí if there's no ride.



Yes, I did. I had to.
José didn't know how I stayed afloat without being able to touch the bottom. I told him I would swim. And then he asked the same question again. I think we have a misunderstanding about what swimming is. He thought I was going to drown. Ha.




This is what we do for fun in Cocha. This was once a garage, now it's a hang-out for climbers. Free to all, known to few.







Self-portrait outside of Ahuri. I already look forward to being back out there.

The next few blogs will take place in the USA. Maybe not so boring, though.