I judge people when I shouldnt

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  Cochabamba, Bolivia
Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Most of the time I feel like I have nothing to write. But there have been a couple things this week that I have seen that I want to share, things that maybe are becoming normal but are not normal.
-The other night I was walking home with my friend here, on the street where my apartment lies. This street serves numerous important functions. The corner has the bread ladies, where we buy our bread fresh every morning and night (bread is both breakfast and dinner here). At midday there is more than 20 women standing there that all want to do your laundry or clean your house. They all offer as you walk by, and I witnessed a man be mobbed by these women because he actually wanted one of there services, a little scarey. There are also men set up to sell dvds and music (one of the great things about bolivia is you can buy just about any movie or cd for about one dollar, copyright doesnt function here). Typically there is a tv with some movie playing to attract people. This particular night when I passed by there was a group of street kids watching Iron Man. The curb was their seats, and small containers of glue-their popcorn. I dont know why it stood out this particular night. Maybe it was because there was a group of them, maybe it was because the street was deserted, but I realized seeing 12 year old kids sniffing glue on the streets is becoming normal. And that scares me. The reality is that it is very common with the street kids, and there is no attempt to hide it.
-This morning while I was on the bus, we passed a woman with her kids begging. This also sadly has become part of a normal day. The majority of women on the street begging have numerous small children with them, that appear to be as close in age as physically possible.  This woman was using scotch tape to fix a small wooden guitar. Often the kids are put out there to play something and collect money, three and four years old. From my western point of view, this is horrible, to me it looks like they are sacrificing their child for money. I never give money to the kids, I dont want to support the cycle of begging. But I realized as I was thinking about what a bad mother she is, that maybe her kids are hungry, and she doesnt know what else to do. I am here, but a world away from being able to understand her reality.
-Yesterday I was in trufi (taxi that has a route and takes whoever hails) and sat next to a woman with a child in her arms, the typical multicolored cloth tied on her back (which serves a variety of functions) and her bag at my feet.  I was a little crowded but that didnt really bother me.  Her bag on her back surprised me a bit when it started crying. My first thought was that it was a little dangerous to be in a car with a baby on your back, but since I havent actually seen a carseat here yet, its not that out of the box. So she moved the child in her lap to her side, so she could take the child off her back to nurse. I noticed her other child was moaning a little but I couldnt really see him from the other side. It wasnt until she got out of the trufi that I realized the child in her lap was actually a severely mentally retarded 5 year old, and appeared nearly catatonic. So I turned around to wave goodbye, and she is standing there smiling with the baby on her back, the five year old in one arm, and her bag of purchases in the other. It really struck me as love. I think if I was with two kids, trying to do everything that a mother does, while carrying two children, taking public transport, I very likely would be totally pissed off.  Maybe I caught her on a good day, or maybe she really is able to do that every day with joy. Either way, I was impressed.

A short update on my job. We are moving into the building this week, cleaning and fixing things. I saw it for the first time today, its going to be a really beautiful place. I am really excited about it. Tomorrow I am meeting with one of the physicans to put together the first aid kit and talk about policies a little bit. Everything is a little disorganized, but its coming together, and its going to be great. Love to all.
Katie

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