In the meantime, I will update you on my activities for the past month:
I had the opportunity to see a Bolivian wedding! As the majority of Bolivians are Roman Catholics, it turns out that a Bolivian wedding, at least in Santa Cruz, is quite similar to a wedding you might see in the United States. Except, of course, it is all in Spanish.
CHRISTMAS in Bolivia is a bit different. Instead of opening presents in the morning, they open them on the night of Christmas Eve, just at midnight.
Above: The family. My host parents, grandparents, and brother.
I went to my grandparent’s house for this celebration, with all of my dad’s side of the family—including, oddly enough, the young ones. I asked my uncle (who has several young kids) how it is possible that his children can believe in Santa if they are awake all night long. When does Santa supposedly bring their presents? He told me that his kids believe Santa brings extra presents to their real house while they are out at the grandparents’. But then he turned to me and said something that I believe would translate along the lines of, “Of course, it’s really kind of hard to believe in Santa. Most kids here don’t, or not for very long. After all, what kind of a buffoon would wander around on a summer night dressed in a giant red and white suit?”
Being on the other side of the equator, we are in the middle of summer right now. So I guess he has a point.
Above: Opening Christmas presents at nighttime.
After the present opening and a nice dinner with the grandparents, the families with young children headed home to go open Santa’s gifts. My family headed to a giant party for my host mom’s side of the family where we stayed for the rest of the night.
For New Year’s there are tons of parties all around Santa Cruz. They range from small, free house parties with just a few close friends to giant US$200 per ticket fiestas with thousands of people.
Above: Getting ready for New Years in my bedroom
I elected to go to a cheaper yet still fairly large event at Las Lomas de Arena (“The Sand Hills”). This is a place just outside of the city famous for big sand dunes that give the appearance and feel of being in the middle of the desert.
The New Year’s party was at a hotel there, and since it started after dark I regret to admit that I didn’t get much of an opportunity to see and enjoy the dunes. Thankfully, since it is so close to the city, it will be an easy one-day trip that I can take with some friends later on in the year. In any case, I had a great time dancing and celebrating 2009 with all my friends!
Above: Making salteñas
I used my salteña class skills this month to try and make my first batch of salteñas. They turned out okay, but there was a lack of juice inside them. I have since learned that salteñas in other parts of the country don’t necessarily have to have lots of juice. However, based on the reactions of my host parents, I’d have to guess that juice is a gravely important aspect of Santa Cruz salteñas. Hopefully with some practice and Bolivian instruction I can perfect the recipe before returning to the States so that I can share this traditional food with my family and friends.
Above: One of my salteñas
Over the past few days, I have taken the advantage of otherwise uninteresting mornings by walking around the city solo. Doing so has led me to discover all kinds of things. For example, one morning I walked to a nearby park where I had never been early in the morning. There, I saw a surprising number of people curled up on the pretty green grass-- sleeping shoelessly and blanketlessly. Homeless.
I even saw one family of a mother, father, and two sons who looked to be about 5 and 7 years old, sharing a "breakfast" on the grass underneath a tree. Breakfast seemed to consist of a few scraps of food and a bottle of Fanta soda. Such poverty, with beggars and children sleeping on roadsides, is not terribly uncommon in Santa Cruz. For me, however, it is something quite new.
That’s all for now! You can expect my update over the Bolivia trip soon!
Chau,
Maija
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