Christmas in Tapacarí

Here's some of the stuff we've been up to for Christmas-
At the health clinic in Aramasí we had a Christmas BBQ. It was the most delicious meat I have ever tasted. Probably because I was really hungry and ate it with my hands straight off the grill. Putting meat on a plate is already taking something away from it's charm. After eating our fill, we chewed some coca and toasted with rum and coke, until it started raining on us.
That's the bag of coca and Boivian rum there on the table. And just to clarify, coca IS the raw ingredient in cocaine, BUT it takes lots of other chemicals and processes to turn 1,000 kilos of coca into 1 kilo of cocaine. 1 kilo of coca is about the size of a grocery bag, stuffed full, you can see the bag on the table, more than enough for all of us, is quite small. We had to Jerry-rig a grill from a stove-top and a oven rack propped up on an adobe brick, a couple rocks and a red brick. And since we got back late from our days' activities, a flashlight was necessary for monitoring the meat. All the Bolivians loaded their meat with salt and wanted it on the grill till it was cooked grey all the way through. I kept taking the meat off the grill, they would put it on their plate, cut into it with their knife and fork, taste it and say, "Diego! This meat is raw!" And I would pick it up, take a bite and say, "No way, it's perfect!" We had some good laughs. Also, I made them try BBQ sauce and sauerkraut with the sausages. They loved it.

Previous to the BBQ we were in Katariri, Bombeo, and Huaynakasa. The medical staff had invited me along for vaccinations, basic health check-ups, pregnancy and new-born check-ups and gift distribution. We made a lot of kids cry with needles, but I think they forgot all about the needles when they received a toy and a hug from a nurse with a warm smile. The kids were really timid at first, but after an hour of exchanging smiles and some toy distribution, they came out of their shells.
























After the kids in Katariri, we went to tend a case of tuberculosis in Huaynakasa. The landscape was mind-blowing, we were another strata higher, and the vegetation was completely distinct. Knarlled and rugged and dense. All the low, bushy plants had tiny leaves. And we found Muña, which is a minty-basil type flavor, delicious to put over soups, like cilantro. So I brought some back to Aramasí.



The day before, we had a Health workshop focusing on women. It's always fun to see all the women from the isolated communities dress-up in their best polleras and make the effort to come to Aramasí to learn about nutrition, first-aide, treating sicknesses, domestic health etc.
And to eat free food.





And on Christmas Eve, we had a little party at Villa Amistad. Santa came with a goofy plastic nose and an Italian accent with bags for all the kids. Then all the staff exchanged secret Santa gifts and received "Canastas" (plastic tubs full of things you can eat, from stuffed green olives, instant coffee, sparkling cider, to good ol' fruit bread).






Even Pope John Paul II got a little carried away at the Christmas parties.