I'm sure your thinking "It's about time". Yes I know it's been almost 2months since we posted anything on the blog. I apologize, what can I say.... life happens. We are down to our last two weeks here in Bolivia and it's crazy to even think this year is almost over. We said our first goodbye on the 19th of May to Emigdio and Gladys and it will be a steady stream of goodbyes till we leave. As we are learning there's many comings and goings in the missionary community and this is a hard and sad reality to deal with. The kids finished their school year this past Friday and we are all rejoicing in that. It's been a tough year for the kids and the stress level was definately high this last few weeks. Brian and I wrapped up our spanish classes and are greatful for the opportunity to learn this last year. Unfortunately there's is still a long way to go before we call ourselves fluent but at least we can muttle our way through (most days anyway). This last week we were able to take part in a class given by Rene Padilla from Argentina on the topic off Integral Mission. It was a great opportunity for us to hear from a world class theologion.
We plan to spend the next 14days day tripping around the Cochabamba area, packing and getting in our last days at the Casa de la Amistad. This last Thursday (May 27th) was Mother's day here in Bolivia and on friday the Casa had a party for the Mothers of the kids in the program. The kids presented a program which included dances, special songs and some choreography from the older kids. I printed out 160 different photos of all the kids in the program and gave them out to all the mothers. They all seamed very pleased as many may never have a printed picture of their child.
We are sad to leave as our hearts are very tied to this country and to many people here. It will be hard to say goodbye to our friends and collegues and yet we are excited to come home and see all our family and friends back home.
Please pray for us as we journey once again through a time of transition and that God would continue to bless those around us in this process.
Thanks for all your love and care,
Norma
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
The Top Ten List - Take 2
Well here we are. With less than 3 months to go, I am more than overdue on updating my top ten good and bad things about Bolivia. So here they are:
Top Ten Things I will miss:
1) Fresh fruit- Wow, this country is blessed. Fresh and cheap. For a guy who wasn’t a big fan of fruit, Bolivia has changed my mind and expanded my horizons.
2) The kids at the casa- About once a week and without warning I am subjected to a hug ambush and that never gets old....ever.
3) The work at the casa- There is so much to do and they could use so much help. It is hard to leave somewhere where you can use your meagre abilities for good.
4) Cheap Transportation- Taking a break from driving has been easy when cabs are cheap and buses are plentiful and fast.
5) The diversity of Bolivia – What other country can you visit the jungle and go mountain climbing on the same day? Three hours in any direction is a different world. I love prairie skies but change is good.
6) Spanish – This is a tough one. Right now the lessons are hard and progress is painfully slow but I know I will miss it soon after my return. I have a whole new appreciation for those that speak two or three or four languages. It is not easy.
7) Community – We have developed close relationships with many of the missionaries here and we see each other regularly. It is a relationship built on necessity and frequency. It will be hard to say goodbye.
8) A view of the mountains – I am a prairie boy and I will always be but I have become accustomed to looking out to the mountains from our apartment window.
9) Cheap Travel- Transportation is so cheap in Bolivia, you can jump on a bus for $4 and be in La Paz or in the jungle of Chapare. Hotels are equally cheap and so is food. Getting out of town for the weekend won’t be the same in Canada.
10) Bolivian Food – Many of the newsletters talk about food and that is perhaps because the love of food is a common denominator for many. There are many amazing dishes in Cochabamba that just can’t be replicated in Canada. The joke amongst our Bolivian friends is that we need to open a Bolivian restaurant in Canada. I don’t think we would do it justice. They are definitely proud of their food and rightfully so. The craving for Saleñas have started already and we haven’t left.
Ten Things I Won’t Miss
1) A Lack of Standards – I thought I would never say this after spending 10 years at CSA learning to hate standards and the endless quest for perfection but living in a land seemingly devoid of any type of standard is getting frustrating.
2) Hot Weather-Now I know you are all saying, “ya right” but really cooler is better. You can take off the jacket but hot is hot and you cannot escape.
3) Drivers that don’t follow the rules of the road- at first we thought it was a free for all here but we now realize there are rules but they are either not followed on purpose or out of ignorance. Either way, I won’t be reminding our kids on how to cross the street in Canada. Look both ways while running just doesn’t have the same ring.
4) Slow Internet – Still on the list and still incredible what the charge for slow internet here but at least it is available.
5) Real Roads – Although travel is cheap, it is not easy. A 150km trip can take 6 hours and the invigorating massage is free. Yes Edmonton roads are bad and some highways aren’t great but believe me it can be much worse.
6) Dogs – Packs of stray dogs, fighting dogs, dogs barking all night long, dog poop on every street and much more. I have a whole new appreciation for the SPCA. Animal control is a good thing.
7) Businesses without a schedule – Words cannot describe the joy of going to a store (the only store, you know that has what you need) by bus, across town, between the hours of 9-12 or 2-5 only to find that they are not open because it’s the owner’s cousin’s brother’s nephew’s birthday or some other arbitrary reason. Oh for 7-11 or Walmart, i.e., never closed. I am almost ready to stand in a long line for bad service at Zellers....I said almost.
8) Water from a bottle- Please go to the tap after you read this and pour a nice big glass of water and drink it down knowing you won’t get giardia, or some other intestinal bacterial. Canada is truly blessed and Edmonton in particular. Lots of clean water and no big jugs of water to carry around.
9) Noisy neighbours – Living in our apartment has been a blessing but we now have new neighbours who chain-smoke with their doors and windows open and have loud conversations on the patio in Chinese (yes Chinese) at 2:00am. Between them and the incessant barking dog next door and the lack of a yard, we will be happy to be back in our home sweet home with fire truck sirens and noisy motorcycles. Oh the joy of home.
10) Not understanding – Our Spanish is good but we have a very long way to go. It is frustrating to us and now to others when we just can’t understand. Every week, or lately everyday, there seems to be someone who opens their mouth and says something, and I cannot understand one word of what they just said. Not all that surprising for me put increasing frustrating for those who know we can speak and understand Spanish.
Dios Te Bendiga,
Brian
Top Ten Things I will miss:
1) Fresh fruit- Wow, this country is blessed. Fresh and cheap. For a guy who wasn’t a big fan of fruit, Bolivia has changed my mind and expanded my horizons.
2) The kids at the casa- About once a week and without warning I am subjected to a hug ambush and that never gets old....ever.
3) The work at the casa- There is so much to do and they could use so much help. It is hard to leave somewhere where you can use your meagre abilities for good.
4) Cheap Transportation- Taking a break from driving has been easy when cabs are cheap and buses are plentiful and fast.
5) The diversity of Bolivia – What other country can you visit the jungle and go mountain climbing on the same day? Three hours in any direction is a different world. I love prairie skies but change is good.
6) Spanish – This is a tough one. Right now the lessons are hard and progress is painfully slow but I know I will miss it soon after my return. I have a whole new appreciation for those that speak two or three or four languages. It is not easy.
7) Community – We have developed close relationships with many of the missionaries here and we see each other regularly. It is a relationship built on necessity and frequency. It will be hard to say goodbye.
8) A view of the mountains – I am a prairie boy and I will always be but I have become accustomed to looking out to the mountains from our apartment window.
9) Cheap Travel- Transportation is so cheap in Bolivia, you can jump on a bus for $4 and be in La Paz or in the jungle of Chapare. Hotels are equally cheap and so is food. Getting out of town for the weekend won’t be the same in Canada.
10) Bolivian Food – Many of the newsletters talk about food and that is perhaps because the love of food is a common denominator for many. There are many amazing dishes in Cochabamba that just can’t be replicated in Canada. The joke amongst our Bolivian friends is that we need to open a Bolivian restaurant in Canada. I don’t think we would do it justice. They are definitely proud of their food and rightfully so. The craving for Saleñas have started already and we haven’t left.
Ten Things I Won’t Miss
1) A Lack of Standards – I thought I would never say this after spending 10 years at CSA learning to hate standards and the endless quest for perfection but living in a land seemingly devoid of any type of standard is getting frustrating.
2) Hot Weather-Now I know you are all saying, “ya right” but really cooler is better. You can take off the jacket but hot is hot and you cannot escape.
3) Drivers that don’t follow the rules of the road- at first we thought it was a free for all here but we now realize there are rules but they are either not followed on purpose or out of ignorance. Either way, I won’t be reminding our kids on how to cross the street in Canada. Look both ways while running just doesn’t have the same ring.
4) Slow Internet – Still on the list and still incredible what the charge for slow internet here but at least it is available.
5) Real Roads – Although travel is cheap, it is not easy. A 150km trip can take 6 hours and the invigorating massage is free. Yes Edmonton roads are bad and some highways aren’t great but believe me it can be much worse.
6) Dogs – Packs of stray dogs, fighting dogs, dogs barking all night long, dog poop on every street and much more. I have a whole new appreciation for the SPCA. Animal control is a good thing.
7) Businesses without a schedule – Words cannot describe the joy of going to a store (the only store, you know that has what you need) by bus, across town, between the hours of 9-12 or 2-5 only to find that they are not open because it’s the owner’s cousin’s brother’s nephew’s birthday or some other arbitrary reason. Oh for 7-11 or Walmart, i.e., never closed. I am almost ready to stand in a long line for bad service at Zellers....I said almost.
8) Water from a bottle- Please go to the tap after you read this and pour a nice big glass of water and drink it down knowing you won’t get giardia, or some other intestinal bacterial. Canada is truly blessed and Edmonton in particular. Lots of clean water and no big jugs of water to carry around.
9) Noisy neighbours – Living in our apartment has been a blessing but we now have new neighbours who chain-smoke with their doors and windows open and have loud conversations on the patio in Chinese (yes Chinese) at 2:00am. Between them and the incessant barking dog next door and the lack of a yard, we will be happy to be back in our home sweet home with fire truck sirens and noisy motorcycles. Oh the joy of home.
10) Not understanding – Our Spanish is good but we have a very long way to go. It is frustrating to us and now to others when we just can’t understand. Every week, or lately everyday, there seems to be someone who opens their mouth and says something, and I cannot understand one word of what they just said. Not all that surprising for me put increasing frustrating for those who know we can speak and understand Spanish.
Dios Te Bendiga,
Brian
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
What a Weekend!
We've just come through a crazy weekend. Friday night the kids school Carachipampa had Palooza highlighting the arts. Students were invited to enter artwork, poems, writing, culinary works and or music pieces. The evening displayed the works and musical numbers were presents for the audience. Our very own Sarah sang a solo and her poem one 2nd place in the elementary category. It was a great evening enjoying the gifts and talents of the students. Saturday we finally got to the baby wash. Every Saturday in the main city plaza a group of people come for 1 hour with baby tubs, large garbage bins with water, food and new clothes. There are many people here in Bolivia that don't have access to water. Ladies carry their babies on their backs for hours a day and children don't have places to be washed. At the baby wash the little ones and stripped downed and cleaned head to toe and then given a new outfit to wear. The other children can have their hair washed over the large garbage bins. Then they sit and get their hair combed out and are given a barrette or ponytail or braids. There are also girls there willing to paint little girls fingernails. Everybody that comes to the babywash ( parents and kids) are given a drink and a bun.
Sunday we visited one of the other Baptist churches here in Bolivia that our friends attend along with a couple from Canada who had just arrived with a team on Friday. The team had split up and visited 3 different churches. After church we all ( team Bolivia and team from Canada) went out for a fabulous lunch. Later in the afternoon everyone descended on our house for the Gold Medal hockey game. We have close to 30 people in our apartment, 11 of those being children.
Duane Guthrie invited another family who are missionaries here from the US. They arrived with a plastic US flag tablecloth to boost the rivalry. Most everyone gathered around our 20" TV and watched the game of course with Spanish commentators. Great Fun was had by all.
Oh and did I mention that I did all this with a sprained ankle. Thursday morning during a torrential downpour, as we were running out of the market I fell in a hole in the street and twisted my ankle. Luckily I didn't break it as I thought I might have.
All in all it was a crazy but exciting weekend.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
What Does This Party Mean
So we've just come through carnival weekend only to find another day of festivities going on in the market beside us. We were told that today the party is for the Andean goddess pachamama. The 2 indigenous groups here in Bolivia, the Aymaran and the Quechuan have some very distinct spiritual rituals which include monthly sacrifices which are burnt the first Friday of every month. It took us a few months to figure out what was going on as we were noticing that every month out on the street in front of our market there were these craft like items to buy as well as small bags of carbon and grills. After asking some of our Bolivian Christian friends they explained the purpose and to whom it was for. Tonight I decided to hit Google and find out more. I've included the info from the Internet to help you understand some of the beliefs and practices here in Bolivia. Brian and I both found it interesting that tonight's party for pachamama falls on the first day of lent. Perhaps this could be because many of the Catholic beliefs here are a mix of Catholicism and indigenous spirituality. Please pray for God's presence to reveal the truth here in Bolivia.
Norma
Pachamama
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
For the film distributor, see Pachamama Cine.
Pachamama is a goddess revered by the indigenous people of the Andes. Pachamama is usually translated as "Mother Earth" but a more literal translation would be "Mother world" (in Aymara and Quechua mama = mother / pacha = world or land; and later spread fairly modern as the cosmos or the universe).[1] Pachamama and Inti are the most benevolent deities and are worshiped in parts of the Andean mountain ranges, also known as Tawantinsuyu (stretching from present day Ecuador to Chile and Argentina).
In Inca mythology, Mama Pacha or Pachamama is a fertility goddess who presides over planting and harvesting. She causes earthquakes. Her husband was either Pacha Camac or Inti, depending on the source. Llamas are sacrificed to her. After conquest by Catholic Spain her image was masked by the Virgin Mary, behind whom she is invoked and worshiped in the Indian ritual, in some parts of Argentina, Chile, Bolivia and Peru (Merlino y Rabey 1992).[2]
Since Pachamama is a "good mother", people usually toast to her honor before every meeting or festivity, in some regions by spilling a small amount of chicha on the floor, before drinking the rest. This toast is called "challa" and it's made almost everyday. Pachamama has a special worship day called "Martes de challa" (Challa's Tuesday) where people bury food, throw candies, burn incense. In some cases, celebrants assist traditional priests, known as "yatiris" in Aymara, in performing ancient rites to bring good luck or the good will of the goddess, such as sacrificing guinea pigs or burning llama fetuses (although these last two are no longer very common). The festival coincides with Shrove Tuesday.
Contents[hide]
1 Ritual
2 See also
3 References
4 External links
//
[edit] Ritual
The central ritual to Pachamama is the Challa or Pago (Payment). It is carried out during all the month of August, and in many places also the first Friday of each month. Other ceremonies are carried out in special times, as upon leaving for a trip or upon passing an apacheta. According to Mario Rabey and Rodolfo Merlino, Argentine anthropologists who studied the Andean culture from the 1970s to the '90s, "the most important ritual is the challaco. Challaco is a deformation of the quechua words 'ch'allay' and 'ch'allakuy', that refer to the action to insistently sprinkle.[1] In the current language of the campesinos of the southern Central Andes, the word 'challar' is used like a synonym of 'to feed and to give drink to the land'. The challaco, just as is practiced in the studied area,[3] covers a complex series of ritual steps that begin in the family dwellings the night of the eve, during which cooks a special food, the tijtincha, and that culminate in an eye of water or the beginning of a ditch where is carried out the main ritual to the Mother Earth, with a series of tributes that include food, beverage, leaves of Coca and cigars."[4]
The religion centered in the Pachamama is practiced currently in parallel form to the Christianity, to the point that many families are simultaneously Christian and pachamamistas.[3] Pachamama is sometimes syncretized the Virgin of Candelaria.[5]
Norma
Pachamama
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
For the film distributor, see Pachamama Cine.
Pachamama is a goddess revered by the indigenous people of the Andes. Pachamama is usually translated as "Mother Earth" but a more literal translation would be "Mother world" (in Aymara and Quechua mama = mother / pacha = world or land; and later spread fairly modern as the cosmos or the universe).[1] Pachamama and Inti are the most benevolent deities and are worshiped in parts of the Andean mountain ranges, also known as Tawantinsuyu (stretching from present day Ecuador to Chile and Argentina).
In Inca mythology, Mama Pacha or Pachamama is a fertility goddess who presides over planting and harvesting. She causes earthquakes. Her husband was either Pacha Camac or Inti, depending on the source. Llamas are sacrificed to her. After conquest by Catholic Spain her image was masked by the Virgin Mary, behind whom she is invoked and worshiped in the Indian ritual, in some parts of Argentina, Chile, Bolivia and Peru (Merlino y Rabey 1992).[2]
Since Pachamama is a "good mother", people usually toast to her honor before every meeting or festivity, in some regions by spilling a small amount of chicha on the floor, before drinking the rest. This toast is called "challa" and it's made almost everyday. Pachamama has a special worship day called "Martes de challa" (Challa's Tuesday) where people bury food, throw candies, burn incense. In some cases, celebrants assist traditional priests, known as "yatiris" in Aymara, in performing ancient rites to bring good luck or the good will of the goddess, such as sacrificing guinea pigs or burning llama fetuses (although these last two are no longer very common). The festival coincides with Shrove Tuesday.
Contents[hide]
1 Ritual
2 See also
3 References
4 External links
//
[edit] Ritual
The central ritual to Pachamama is the Challa or Pago (Payment). It is carried out during all the month of August, and in many places also the first Friday of each month. Other ceremonies are carried out in special times, as upon leaving for a trip or upon passing an apacheta. According to Mario Rabey and Rodolfo Merlino, Argentine anthropologists who studied the Andean culture from the 1970s to the '90s, "the most important ritual is the challaco. Challaco is a deformation of the quechua words 'ch'allay' and 'ch'allakuy', that refer to the action to insistently sprinkle.[1] In the current language of the campesinos of the southern Central Andes, the word 'challar' is used like a synonym of 'to feed and to give drink to the land'. The challaco, just as is practiced in the studied area,[3] covers a complex series of ritual steps that begin in the family dwellings the night of the eve, during which cooks a special food, the tijtincha, and that culminate in an eye of water or the beginning of a ditch where is carried out the main ritual to the Mother Earth, with a series of tributes that include food, beverage, leaves of Coca and cigars."[4]
The religion centered in the Pachamama is practiced currently in parallel form to the Christianity, to the point that many families are simultaneously Christian and pachamamistas.[3] Pachamama is sometimes syncretized the Virgin of Candelaria.[5]
Thursday, February 11, 2010
A Day to Remember
A year ago today I said goodbye to a special women and dear friend Eileen Spillett. In recent days I've thought a lot about her. We started out in a family group together because of our geographical locations but I can see that God brought us together for so much more. You always gave 150% to see your girls succeed in school. In the early years I thought you were crazy at how much you gave and gave. Now as I'm in those same years of school with my son I finally get it. You shared some of your deepest struggles with me and the level of trust you had is still so admirable. Eileen you walked through cancer a fighter. You researched and sought out different treatments and wouldn't accept no for an answer. When you had to go for chemo you asked me to go wig shopping with you. You never knew how important that was to me. You were never afraid to ask for help, for meals, for pray. I will never forget the night our family group got together and you shaved all the men's head. As you came to family group and threw off your wig I knew there was a level of trust and intimacy that we so rarely experience and for that I say thanks. I'm sorry I wasn't brave enough to come visit you more in the hospital. I've always been so horrible at saying goodbye but now I see that I was so wrong. You blessed us when you were alive and blessed us through your death. Your memorial fund allowed us to come and spend this year here in Bolivia. I must confess I still struggle with this idea, that I'm here because you are not but I am comforted in the knowledge of the depth of your love for me and my family. I look forward some day to seeing you again and sharing all that God did in this year in Bolivia. So if I haven't said it clearly enough thank you for your friendship, thank you for your wisdom, thank you for your trust and vulnerability, thank you for your blessing and thank you for you love.
Love Norma
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