As you may remember you can see, I have decided on a project in El Chaco. El Chaco El Chaco is probably because it looks a bit like the great Chaco, which extends over Bolivia, Argentina and Paraguay. I go out of Sucre on Sunday afternoon or Monday morning around by taxi or an overloaded minibus to El Chaco. After an hour I'll be there already. El Chaco is just under 2000 meters, Sucre 2800, accordingly, there are several degrees warmer than in Sucre, mostly in their 30s or a bit more. El Chaco is a small, quiet village with a main street where the Trucks and buses along the direction of Cochabamba. In El Chaco live 1,700 people, the majority of people speak Quechua, but almost all young people also speak English. I live in a boarding school with 60 boarding students, a few from surrounding villages, some from Sucre. In the immediate neighborhood is the "Colegio", the school with 400 pupils. The school is based around two basketball or soccer fields and next door to the rectory and the church, which is also the recipient of this school. Incidentally, nearly a third of education in Bolivia does still have the church!
Daily life in El Chaco is as follows: I am usually at 5:30 at the latest by 6 clock, for there is the morning prayer with all boarding students. As already starting my first task: The sleepy heads, which I definitely was before Bolivia also throw them out of their beds. Since there are quite a few difficult cases, where I also ran some water to the bucket must and can make me jump popular. After the prayer, the "Internos" then about an hour long different tasks. Clean bathrooms, picking up trash to clean, feed the pigs, and sometimes even working in the field. My job is to organize the scheduled groups and see that everyone does his work. If more help is needed somewhere, I can help then.
is twice a week instead of work Sport announced. Strangely, these days are the most of itself. Tuesday morning at 6 am in training a basketball team around 2 hours. Fridays at 6 is the football coach from Sucre and we train on the large gravel place. You may remember that you have welcomed me in this team, first as a guest, but I get the new year a player pass and play as a striker even in the league. The breakfast is normal at 7.15 clock, then shifts in sports at 8 clock. Breakfast consists of a slice of homemade white bread and tea, coffee and rice pudding. Bit poor but you get used to it. From 8.30 to 12, the pupils have lessons. Mondays they have to take a bit earlier and set up in rows and sing the national anthem. In this class time I have to now I mostly looked at boarding tasks, such as where there was to fix something or just on the field. From time to time I also visited the social studies and English classes and helped there. Especially in Sozi lessons I've said much about my home in Germany. Most students know little about beyond the borders of Bolivia. After the summer holidays, the end end of January, then I will teach 150-180 students in "Computacion". Which means I'll teach the students with basic Office programs work around it and if after the summer holidays Internet in El Chaco, also provides the use of the Internet to teach.
At 12:30 there is then lunch at the boarding school, the other pupils to eat at home with their parents. There is usually rice, noodles, quinoa (a high protein grain) or potatoes. Since only a limited sum of money for food is available, there is very little meat. Every Thursday, however, a special meal, such as pork or chicken. For this reason I want to grow in the new year even more in agriculture, such as corn, potatoes, onions, lettuce and potatoes, so we do not have to buy these things, but spend more on meat can. have
After lunch, the Students an hour for lunch and 2:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. they have classes again. By 17 clock then there is tea with a slice of bread. Then there is again to do various tasks: burn field work, cleaning, or waste. Otherwise the student may play football or pursue their leisure activities. Thursdays we train more with the football team and I train on Tuesdays afternoon or a basketball team. Also famous is the weekly student-teacher futsal (football on concrete floor to smaller gates 5-5) game. I usually play with the teachers. By 19 clock to have dinner, usually a soup or rice or noodles again. After that time is learning up to 22 clock, in which the students do their homework or need to learn. Since I run mostly through boarding school and help where there are questions. From 22 clock, all in their rooms and sleep there or continue to learn, for 8 hours later the day is already happening again. In my settling-in period I was much busy computer repair, as far as I could or get rid of fours.
Friday by 14 clock driving the boarders in their villages or to Sucre. Since the weekend there is nothing to do at school and at boarding school, then I go sometimes to Sucre. Sometimes I stay well and help the Padre Juan in the rectory, for example, I set out Taufdokumente, here for work permits and visas for neighboring states are necessary. Or I go with the Padre in the small villages some of which are only accessible on foot river crossing and mountain climb. As the good man is already 61 and I wear then his equipment. At All Saints I accompanied him to 10 cemeteries. All Saints in Bolivia is quite different. The people decorate the graves of their dead with all sorts of things. From vegetables and bread to beer and flowers. remain after the exhibition, then often the whole night in the cemetery and get drunk there. When I am in the morning through the village, most villagers were drunk before their doors on the street.
the end of the year, decided before the summer holidays Head of the boarding school that we will kill two of our pigs for the trade day. The day before it was called then: 6 clock to get up, go for the strongest and fastest guys and a pig that was cut down to catch the rope and bricks. After half an hour we had caught the pig and were able to bring it back in the fenced area. Then again, the teacher who had previously been castrated 3 pigs. Short Sharp pigs are killed with a stab in the heart. With hot water, we peeled off her hair. It was then cut useless and the pig to bleed on the boarding hung (see pictures).
could the next day around 70 people from two pigs be satisfied and celebrate the beginning of the summer holidays. Quite so far it had not, for the following day should be held before a kind of graduation ceremony of the 19 high school graduates. But some officials came from Sucre. Of the 19 graduates will probably have a maximum of 4 to go to university. Often, they also say that they will visit the university and then they help but with their parents in farming. After the ceremony was again eaten well and drunk and I finally took my leave on vacation.
All in all I was well integrated in El Chaco in the early days when there were minor problems. So I'll try a little bit as far as it goes Quechua learn, so I am also with the older Villagers can converse. To problems, such that there are from time to time no electricity or water, I have become accustomed, in which I have a water canister risen. Speaking of water: In El Chaco, there are two rivers. Today it is only a little to see. The two giant river beds are dry and in the middle of a small creek runs in front of him (see photos). 15 years ago were still built on the side dams against floods, but the temperatures rose in El Chaco So on much, causing the rivers are dry today.
came with this problem and the increasing poverty in El Chaco. For agriculture and the cultivation of fruit simply lack the water sometimes. More and more people move to the City where there is no work for them. The best example is El Alto, La Paz and is now actually bigger than La Paz. The town stretches out so incredibly quickly, and can also stretch on forever, because there is enough space. But there is a lack of work and therefore, many speak of a "poor neighborhood" of La Paz To take problems like crime. Throughout El Alto, there are now only 9 working police cars.
Back to El Chaco in Sucre: In the boarding school, there are large differences in parental income. For example, the brother lives on the "Gobernador" (Prime Minister) of Chuquisaca in Boarding school, but there are also students whose parents are simple street vendor. So that other problems come with it, such as hygiene of these students are not accustomed to at home and keep the boarding school not too clean. Also leave their parents the entire education from the boarding school. In boarding school, there is only one boarding school director and myself as a "second boarding boss". At 60 students so this is far too little.
for the new year I've done as much: teaching as teachers, more production in agriculture and thereby improve care in boarding school and organizing a basketball championship with other boarding schools and schools. Let's see how I as a teacher Bolivia will make;) was
That's the first time to El Chaco. Tomorrow will be my trip report and then after Christmas, an article about Christmas in Bolivia. Do not forget to look at my photos under (Album: El Chaco and Titicaca, Peru, Yungas).
Saludos and happy holidays, David
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