Becoming Fluent

Our receptionist, Denisse, just got my attention. "Amy," she said, and then very deliberately, "It's raining cats and dogs." Then she looked at me expectantly. I laughed and said, "You are absolutely right! it IS raining cats and dogs!" So she said, "so that's a real expression?" Yes, I told her. She was very proud to have used it correctly.

Denisse's English is excellent, much better than my Spanish is. Occasionally she confuses verbs, or other minor things, but in general, it's really good. And it's her third language too - her second is French.

This also made me think of a conversation I had with Alejandro on Saturday. He was an exchange student for a while in California, where he grew to love Sprite, Ranch dressing, and KFC. As part of his language experience, he also apparently learned a full repertoire of "momma jokes," which he proceeded to share with me, giggling after he delivered each joke.

People often ask me if I'm fluent in Spanish. I don't think I am. Or rather, maybe I have a certain level of functional fluency, but to be truly fluent, you have to be able to add in idiomatic expressions or use local humor, or even use sarcasm in another language. I can do some of this, but not frequently enough. To these fluency requirements, I might also add that you have to be able to argue in the language, and really argue your point. Because to do that requires that you understand 100% of what the other person is saying. I think my level of understanding usually hovers around 80%. Not great for arguing with someone.

Not that 80% is too shabby, considering I haven't spent years living in a Spanish speaking country and I don't use the language on a day to day basis. People understand me, and I understand them. I get around just fine and I can do my job. But it still contributes to my end-of-the-day exhaustion because sometimes I really have to focus and think hard about what's being said or what I'm trying to say. My brain translates some of the more simple day to day conversations automatically, but not everything comes that easy.

Maybe Alejandro will teach me the "momma joke" equivalent in Spanish before I leave. :-)

Pictures Up

That's all I have to say. See the link to the right - when asked for a password, use my last name. If you don't know my last name, you shouldn't be reading my blog anyway! ;-)

I went out to lunch today with Denisse and her family. We were going to go to the Lake, but her husband hurt his foot playing soccer yesterday so he can't drive long distances. But I swear, if someone takes me to any more of these huge "tipica" meals, I'm going to gain weight while I'm here. Ugh.

I have to admit, for the record, I'm really disappointed in the Lonely Planet Bolivia guide. I have the 2004 version of it and so far I have been taken to tons of places (either for eating or shopping) that aren't even listed. They don't even have a map of the Zona Sur, where San Miguel is. Maybe I'm reading it wrong or missing something. Anyway, disappointing. I'm trying to keep lots of notes.

Dia del turismo

Today was a big day. I went to visit the markets on Sagarnaga Street, which is in central La Paz, an area referred to as El Prado. It's the main shopping area in La Paz for artesania. It rained a little bit in the morning, but not for very long. In general the weather has been GREAT here. I was under the impression that it would be really rainy, but it has been warm (relatively speaking, since it's probably about the same temperature as DC is now) and dry. The church in the picture is Iglesia de San Francisco. It's pretty run down but looks like it's being renovated.

After doing some shopping (I may have mentioned this, but because I get home the weekend before Christmas, I feel like I should take advantage of the time and do my shopping here) at the market with my colleague, Elsa, we went to meet a friend of her's and her son, Alejandro, for lunch. I can't remember the name of the restaurant, but it was not a place where a vegetarian would be comfortable (as most of you know, I am not a vegetarian). The food was traditional food from Chuquisaca, which is south of here, just north of Tarija. Recommendations were made for food that wouldn't be too spicy. The plate that came was filled with more meat than I have probably ever eaten at one sitting. There was chicken, pork, sausage, two large potatoes, and tripe. Yes, tripe. Being the trooper that I am, I tried it. I did not like it. I ate what I thought was a significant part of what was on my plate, but my lunchmates were unimpressed. But Elsa's dog is going to eat well tonight as a result. I tried, I really did, but I guess I'm just not used to that much meat. Still, I feel that I made an honorable attempt.

Luckily after lunch, we got some walking in. Elsa and Alejandro walked me close enough to where I'm staying that they could point me in an easy direction home. I didn't stay in for long. I backtracked to where we had been, in an area called Miraflores. There's a big park on top of a hill that overlooks the city. Great for pictures as well as people watching. Miraflores Park seems to be a very popular place on weekends, especially for families with kids. So I hung out in the park for a while and then came home. Exhausted.

Tomorrow's plans are up in the air. If the weather is nice, I'm going to Lake Titicaca with our receptionist and here family. If it rains, we'll have lunch here, and maybe I'll hit the Witches Market. I had hoped to do that today, but I ran out of time.

Good grief. It's 9:30pm, and I'm still feeling full from lunch. I guess the diet gurus aren't kidding when they say protein fills you up!

Oh, and tomorrow night I'll post my first week's worth of photos. Stay tuned...

I had spinach and cheese ravioli for Thanksgiving lunch. What did you have?

I feel like when I wrote that blog entry this morning, I wasn't feeling so reflective. Now I am feeling it a little more. Perhaps it was because I just spent lunch with a few colleagues who wanted to know what the history of Thanksgiving was and why we celebrate it. It seems that Americans (of the US variety) have exported some ideas about Thanksgiving to countries in Latin America, so everyone seems familiar with it and wants to do something to celebrate it. For us, that meant going out for Italian food, but hey - that works for me. My colleague Vicky is going home to Honduras this weekend, and she was planning on making a traditional American Thanksgiving dinner for her family to celebrate her husband's birthday. She is going there, armed with my recipes for cranberry-pineapple sauce and apple-cornbread stuffing. She's very excited about it.

I guess the idea of a day where you spend your time with friends and family eating lots of good food and reflecting on the good things in your life is universally appealing.

Well I hope everyone is having a great day and eating lots of turkey (or ham if you don't like turkey), and if you are lucky enough to have Cope's corn and green bean casserole, well, I say you've had a good day.

Today I'll give thanks for having a great family and friends, and the good fortune to explore far away places in the world, while at the same time (hopefully) making a difference in the lives of the people there. I know how lucky I am.

Feliz Thanksgiving

I have to admit, it's a little strange being in another country again during Thanksgiving. And this year is a lot less Thanksgiving-y than last year. Last year I was in Kampala. Because it was a USAID project, the office was closed on Thanksgiving day, so I gathered with a whole lotta American ex-pats (and one German who was thrilled with the discovery of pumpkin pie - Happy Thanksgiving Ruth, if you are reading this!) to eat, drink and be merry the good old American way.

Here, the office is open for business, since the little piece of the project I'm working on is really the only USAID part of the deal.

But in honor of Thanksgiving, here are some interesting facts about one of the favorite Thansgiving foods that you all will probably be eating tonight. The Mighty Potato (Sara S. - this is dedicated to you):

• There are nearly 4000 varieties of potato found in the Andes that come from 8 different species.


• Scientists believe they were first domesticated about 8000 years ago around Lake Titicaca.


• There are lots of ceremonies associated with the potato harvest, for example:

"Ritual ceremonies marked by singing, dancing, and drinking still take place throughout the year to ensure a successful harvest. Young men playfully drag young women across potato fields to make the land fertile. Cow horns and flutes are played to cheer on the plants and bring rains." (From National Geographic News, online)

Hmmm, being a young woman, I'd better stay away from those young guys when I go visit the lake. I don't know what time of year they drag women across the potato fields, but that's not a cultural experience I want to have!

I hope everyone enjoys their turkey today. Happy Thanksgiving.

Just some random stuff...

Ode to Coca Tea
A Haiku…

Green leaf wakes me up,
You give me a nifty buzz,
Can I export you?



I also learned a new word today (Thanks cdc.gov!):

Paresthesias: A skin sensation, such as burning, prickling, itching, or tingling, with no apparent physical cause.

This word explains why my foot fell asleep while I was in bed last night and why my feet feel asleep during a meeting this morning. It also explains why my nose tingles when I touch it. It’s apparently one of the side effects of the Diamox. Well, I think tomorrow morning is the last dose I really need to take anyway.

Dia Uno

Greetings from La Paz! I made it here in one piece – after sitting in planes and airports for a full 24 hours last year to go to Uganda, this trip was a piece of cake. I arrived at the airport in El Alto/La Paz at about 6:40 this morning. I know I mentioned that La Paz is the highest capital city in the world, but maybe what’s more impressive is that El Alto is the highest commercial airport in the world. And flying in over the Andes is pretty damn impressive. I don't have any impressive pictures yet. In the meantime, this is one of the views from my room.

So here are some of my initial observations:

• I get a warm fuzzy feeling when I see evidence of student socialist groups. They have been in every Latin American country I have visited. They graffiti up the walls with things like “Long live the revolution” and “Free university tuition for all” and other related thoughts. I guess it makes me nostalgic for the days when I was young and idealistic and naïve about the way the world works.
• I get a slightly disturbing warm fuzzy feeling from the smell of diesel car fumes. Again, I associate the smell with my travels in developing countries, which I’m sure is why I feel warm and fuzzy when I smell the absence of emissions standards. Here, I could also blame it on the fact that I’m already challenged in getting enough oxygen to my brain, so maybe there are a few variables at work.
• Being in a car or trying to cross a street here are both extremely frightening experiences. They can be in other countries too, but here, the traffic lights and lines to denote lanes on the road are definitely viewed as suggestions rather than rules. I haven’t seen it quite this extreme in other countries.
• I’m slightly disappointed with my first high altitude experience. I really thought I would have some hard core survival stories, but so far I haven’t had much of a problem. Just tired and a little out of breath, but if you saw how hilly this city is, you’d be out of breath regardless of how high the altitude was.

Beyond that, I’m (finally!) excited about being here! I’m settled in to Vicky’s apartment and I have a fabulous view from the 13th floor. We’ve already talked about a variety of non-work plans. There’s a cool looking Jazz bar right next to the office that we are going to try to go to sometime while I’m here, the receptionist is going to take me out dancing with her friends, I get to go to the field in early December (Tarija is one of the areas where we are working. See the southern part of the handy little map I posted), and Vicky and I are going to go to Lake Titicaca the weekend after that. And so far, from what I’ve seen of La Paz, it’s a really cool city. I can’t wait to do some exploring.

I’ll write again at the end of the week. I don’t think there will be much other than lots of meetings for the next two days. And I know that no one wants to hear about that!

You can't make people healthy if you can't breath...

Not to freak anyone out, but this travel gig to La Paz is considered pretty heavy duty in terms of health effects. This is mainly due to altitude. The following is an excerpt from my official concurrence cable:
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6. Medical -- Attention! Very Important!

Altitude: The altitude of La Paz is between 10,000 feet and 13,400 feet (4,075 meters) above sea level. The altitude alone poses a serious risk of illness, hospitalization, and even death, if you have a medical condition that affects blood circulation or breathing.Adjustment to Altitude: All people, even healthy and fit persons, will feel symptoms of Hypoxia (lack of oxygen) upon arrival at high altitude. Most people will have increased respiration and increased heart rate. Many people will have headache, difficulty sleeping, lack of appetite, minor gastric and intestinal upsets, and mood changes.

The Health Unit strongly/strongly recommends taking Acetazolamide (Diamox), 125 mg twice a day -- starting one day before traveling, on the day of the trip, and two to three days after arriving at high altitude. This medication has a slight diuretic effect, and stimulates respiration. Diamox cannot be taken by pregnant women and nursing mothers. Consider that many health care providers in the U.S. are not familiar with high altitude medicine, don’t let them dissuade you from taking the Diamox. If you have a severe allergy to sulfa, you may not be able to take Diamox.

• Avoid alcohol and smoking for at least one week after your arrival.
• Limit physical activity for the first 36 to 48 hours after your arrival.
• For those who exercise, expect that you will not be able to perform your normal routine for several weeks. Please start slowly!

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Well, I guess as long as weakened appetite goes along with inability to do exercise, it should all even out, right? And I'm also glad to hear that I can blame "mood changes" on altitude too. That's refreshing.

I've got my prescription for diamox, but the recommendation has been made (like my use of passive voice in order to avoid identifying anyone?) that I should try the coca tea when I get there.

One week to go!

Just can't wait to get on the road again...

It has been far too long since I've done any traveling, but finally I'm off again. After several months of planning and cancelling, I'll be leaving on November 19 for Bolivia. I'll be there for about a month, which should be plenty of time to work and to play. I picked up the Lonely Planet travel guide yesterday and have already started to fold down pages.

Here are some facts about Bolivia:

It is South America's poorest country, with 70% of the population living in poverty


• Over 50% of the population are indigenous, with Aymara and Quechua being the largest groups.


• La Paz is the highest capital city in the world at about 12,000 ft (3,657 m)


• The country has had more coups d'etat than any other country, with approximately 60 coups in its history.


• Despite how poor it is, the country has LOADS of natural resources, including natural gas, iron, and magnesium.


• It is the world's third largest cultivator of coca.


• Che Guevara was killed here in 1967.

This time I have set up my pictures on a webpage and hopefully I will be able to take lots of pictures there to update frequently. The link is on the right of this page. It will ask you for a password, which is my last name. If anything exciting comes up, I'll write, but otherwise, tune in after Nov. 19 to hear about my adventures in the southern hemisphere!