Some much needed empathy

I reviewed my recent entries and realized they were a little slice of depression for your day. It is difficult sometimes for me to know what I am doing with this blog. I want to paint a picture of the reality here in Bolivia but it seems that I sometimes err on the side of painting just the gloomy aspects. My students have been truly delightful this week and hopefully that will help lighten the mood of the blog.

School is back in session after a month of winter vacation. I made it clear to my students that they had to complete practice work during vacation in order to continue with the class. Apparently I wasn’t threatening enough because out of about 80 students only 7 fully completed the work and maybe another 5 that started but didn’t finish. I gave them a stern talking-to during our first class back saying things like I was fully within my rights to kick them out of class. That elicited some tears but I didn’t care because I was pretty upset with them. I gave them one class to finish up and bribed the students that had finished their work to help the others for stickers. At first that was my solution because I didn’t feel like dealing with all their questions while I was so irritated but as the week went on I started to see the benefit of my intolerance/laziness.

Watching my students help each other was the highlight of the week. It was great to see the pride on their faces as all their classmates were calling on them to help. It was good practice for them to remind the others how to insert clipart or work with bullet points, etc. And quite frankly, they were probably better teachers because they knew how to explain it in way that the others would understand. The best part was when three different kids would be asking for help. Watching the frustration on their faces made me laugh. I don’t know if they made the connection that that is how their teachers feel all the time but it still made me smile inside. A little empathy goes a long way.

That which does not kill us - part 2

Sorry for the delay in entries. We had an influx of visitors and parties and school started back up again so I have been very busy. I last wrote about how my time in Bolivia has been very difficult and it challenges me in ways I could never have anticipated. Confronting those challenges and overcoming the difficulties has transformed me into a stronger woman, confident in her convictions.

When I was reflecting on Jean’s 30 second summary of Bolivia I saw that it rang true for us--that which has not killed us has in fact made us stronger. Then I looked beyond our Franciscan community. I reflected on the people that I work with, their lives, and their struggles. Have the challenges they face made them into stronger people? I work with women and children who are confronted, on a daily basis, by violence and addiction. They are often dirty, hungry, and sick, because quite frankly, poor hygiene, malnutrition, and illness make up the inseparable triple threat of poverty. They experience a reality that is not easy or fair. But through it all they find reason to laugh, to hope, and to love. They are generous and caring. I witness exponentially more laughter than tears and am often taken aback by their amazing lust for life. They do more than just endure their situation, they transcend it. Are they stronger for it? I feel like there are eight year olds in this barrio that are stronger than me. While I think it is awful that they suffer under these conditions I am impressed and inspired by their resilience and strength.

That which does not kill us - part 1

At the urging of both my parents and our FMS executive director, I am starting to think about my “elevator speech” -- a 30 second and three minute presentation of my time in Bolivia. If that sounds daunting just imagine being me. It seems like an impossible task. How can I possibly sum up three years in 30 seconds, or even three minutes? How can anything I say in that short amount of time do justice to what I have seen and the people I’ve encountered?

Jean, one of my community members, said that hers is just as simple as, “that which does not kill us, makes us stronger.” She was recovering from illness at the time so I chuckled at the appropriateness of her statement. Then I really started to reflect on it. We have been through so much in the last two and a half years; culture shock, language difficulties, political violence, parasites, armed robbery, bus accidents, etc. I feel much more sensitive than when I started this adventure--I cry more, I yell more, all of my emotions are right on the surface. Sometimes I feel weaker, more vulnerable, suspicious, and cynical. It is in those times that I have to see in the big picture. When I started this journey, I was a young, naïve, and carefree girl just out of college, approaching life outside the classroom for the first time. Now I have seen the reality of poverty; I have heard it, smelled it, and touched it. I have witnessed awful tragedies and amazing joys. This experience has not killed me and it has made me stronger because I am confident now in who I am, what I believe, and I have a sense of purpose.

New Blog

I have been working on a new project with some of my students. We are in the process of creating a bilingual intercultural blog. The vision is for my students to write blog entries in English and then readers can respond in either Spanish or English. This way all parties can participate in at least one aspect in their own language. The students are doing a great job of writing pieces that give insight into their daily lives. I am hopeful that, especially through the comments option, this blog will serve as a conduit for opening a dialogue and helping these kids broaden their horizons. We are still getting this project up and running but they have already written some entries and get so excited when they have comments to respond to. Whether you speak Spanish or not I encourage you to explore the blog and join in the intercultural experience. There is a translator on the page for those that want to participate in the foreign language portion.

http://proyecto-horizonte.blogspot.com/

Check it out and let me know what you think!

Permission Slips

After two and a half years in Bolivia, I still get the occasional intercultural slap in the face. The school semester ended on June 19th and I added up all the stickers from all my 80-something students and declared nine winners. The prize was a trip into the city to a restaurant/ice-cream parlor. My US public school upbringing had instilled in me the concept of a permission slip. I couldn't even conceptualize the plan of taking the kids offsite without written parental approval.

I handed the kids each a permission slip at the announcement of their winning. I made a special effort to be clear in telling them that they wouldn't be allowed to go if they didn't show up on time with the slip signed by a parent. They gave me a sidelong glance but said that they understood. Then the day of the field trip arrived and one boy came running up to me with sweat literally dripping off his face saying that he wouldn't be able to go. I asked him why and he explained that his father was traveling and his mom doesn't know how to read or write, even her own name.

My stomach hit the floor. I knew that the concept of a permission slip would be foreign but I never considered the possibility of a literacy roadblock. We stood there staring at each other trying to come up with a solution. Finally his face lit up and he asked, "can my aunt sign it?" I was just as excited as him as I told him to hurry because we needed to get going. We had a great time and I think it was something really special for the kids.

I was relieved and lucky that his aunt was an option. The thought of this boy that worked so hard all semester not being able to enjoy his prize because of his mother's illiteracy still haunts me. It gives me a lot to think about but my immediate thought is how much can improve in one generation. This boy is one of the top students in a computer class and his mother can't read or write. That gives me such hope for these people. How much more will the condition improve for the next generation?

Leave an abusive situation

Awhile ago we had a workshop in the women's group about domestic violence. Literally every single one of the women participating had experienced domestic abuse at some point in their lives. They were incredibly timid and wouldn't volunteer information. Finally, the facilitator just started asking specific questions to specific women. She asked a woman named Andrea what she does when her husband beats her. She said, "I just take it." When prompted she elaborated through tears, "what will happen to my children if we leave?" I wondered, "what will happen to them if you stay?"

While the men of Mineros San Juan are mean drunks they are still functional. They maintain jobs that pay enough and women rely on those salaries. Much like education, this issue also hinges on money. These women are caught between a rock and a hard place. The rock is raising their children in a toxic environment reinforcing abuse as an acceptable outlet for anger and frustration. The hard place is raising their children on one salary unable to afford enough food, electricity, water, school tuition, etc.

I am not a parent. I make decisions based on what is best for me; the self-centered life of someone without dependents. How helpless they must feel faced with the lose-lose situation of deciding the lesser of two evils for their children. I always assumed the decision to leave an abusive situation was an easy one. I have learned that raising children in poverty yields no easy answers.

Education is the Priority

Education in the United States is compulsory. Parents are required by law to enroll their children in school and there is an appreciation and respect for education that doesn't require that law to be enforced very often. As a product of public school, I took advantage of eight hours of free education available to children ten months out of the year. I think I turned out pretty well. We had dropouts in high school but for the most part kids went through the motions and got their high school diplomas.
Education in Bolivia is compulsory. Parents are required by law to enroll their children in school. No law in Bolivia is enforced very often so I can't say with for certain that the children are out of school because of a lack of respect or appreciation for education. Bolivian children attend school for four hours a day, eight months a year. There are a lot of dropouts and a high school diploma is rare amongst the people I work with--rare for the majority of Bolivians.
A lot of it boils down to money. Few schools in Bolivia are free and I've heard that they are sub par even by Bolivia's standards. Therefore, parents have to pay tuition for their children to go to school and with a family of seven kids that expense is a significant burden. Child labor laws are ignored (if they even exist) so on top of the expense of tuition the family is losing an opportunity at income when the kids are in school.
Food, water, and shelter are basic human needs. I've come to learn that education can directly inhibit basic needs from being met. While I am saddened to see some of my students leave school to find work, I know that means there will be more food on the table for those that have not yet reached an age where they too are asked to make sacrifices. Education is very important, education is something that can't be taken away from you, and education can be the only way to lift oneself out of poverty but education is not a basic need and meeting those needs is in fact the priority.