Goodbyes are hard, as I wrote about in my last 
entry, but we had the perfect closing to our time in Carmen Pampa. Meals are always great at the volunteer house because it's good food and good company. Kirsten and I cooked dinner on Wednesday, which we thought was the last time we would all be together because most of the group was leaving the next morning to hike an Inca Trail, the Choro Trek. Turns out we would be able to eat with them all again-- during Hugh's dinner of traditional Bolivian foods on Saturday after mass, the "world-famous" breakfast Sunday morning featuring Sarah's quiche, lunch that same day at Sister Jean's 
featuring Carmen's Peruvian cooking with Andy's bread and Prisca's cookies, and dinner that night of all the great leftovers. I definitely felt like we were able to say the proper goodbyes. I even got a CD of fun music from Hugh which I can play when I am missing them all. The next morning, we woke up to Marilyn cleaning our house and I got to share an emotional goodbye with her. I praised her for how much effort she has put into her English and you could tell by the smile on her face that she knew she had accomplished a lot. As we drove away in the mobi (big van) from Carmen Pampa, Marilyn got in and I was able to have one last English class with her as she reviewed flash cards that she had made.
entry, but we had the perfect closing to our time in Carmen Pampa. Meals are always great at the volunteer house because it's good food and good company. Kirsten and I cooked dinner on Wednesday, which we thought was the last time we would all be together because most of the group was leaving the next morning to hike an Inca Trail, the Choro Trek. Turns out we would be able to eat with them all again-- during Hugh's dinner of traditional Bolivian foods on Saturday after mass, the "world-famous" breakfast Sunday morning featuring Sarah's quiche, lunch that same day at Sister Jean's 
featuring Carmen's Peruvian cooking with Andy's bread and Prisca's cookies, and dinner that night of all the great leftovers. I definitely felt like we were able to say the proper goodbyes. I even got a CD of fun music from Hugh which I can play when I am missing them all. The next morning, we woke up to Marilyn cleaning our house and I got to share an emotional goodbye with her. I praised her for how much effort she has put into her English and you could tell by the smile on her face that she knew she had accomplished a lot. As we drove away in the mobi (big van) from Carmen Pampa, Marilyn got in and I was able to have one last English class with her as she reviewed flash cards that she had made.After we left Carmen Pampa, we traveled around Bolivia for a short time to Potosi, Sucre, and Santa Cruz. 
Those who doubted I could travel with a cast would be amazed. When we got to Potosi, the highest city in the world, we went to go schedule a mine tour. I planned on reading a book in the plaza when Kirsten toured the mine, but I ended up joining the tour. Even though I didn't get to do it all, it was an unforgettable experience. If you don't get a chance to do the tour, or even if you do, I would recommend the documentary "The Devil's Miner." It's the incredible story of a 14 year old boy that works in the mines of Cerro Rico. Millions of indigenous people and African slaves died in the mines during the Spanish rule. Now, the mines are cooperatives but the ways of working haven't changed very much and most miners still die of silicosis or other illnesses caused by working in the mines. They have to work in the mines because there are few other options for supporting your family. His father died when he was young and now he works to support his family and earn enough money in order for his two siblings and him to go to school and change their lives. He knows that education is the way out of the mines for himself, his siblings, and his future family. I couldn't help but think of the students in Carmen Pampa who are getting a higher education and will have such an impact in their communities.
Those who doubted I could travel with a cast would be amazed. When we got to Potosi, the highest city in the world, we went to go schedule a mine tour. I planned on reading a book in the plaza when Kirsten toured the mine, but I ended up joining the tour. Even though I didn't get to do it all, it was an unforgettable experience. If you don't get a chance to do the tour, or even if you do, I would recommend the documentary "The Devil's Miner." It's the incredible story of a 14 year old boy that works in the mines of Cerro Rico. Millions of indigenous people and African slaves died in the mines during the Spanish rule. Now, the mines are cooperatives but the ways of working haven't changed very much and most miners still die of silicosis or other illnesses caused by working in the mines. They have to work in the mines because there are few other options for supporting your family. His father died when he was young and now he works to support his family and earn enough money in order for his two siblings and him to go to school and change their lives. He knows that education is the way out of the mines for himself, his siblings, and his future family. I couldn't help but think of the students in Carmen Pampa who are getting a higher education and will have such an impact in their communities.For my tour of the mines of Cerro Rico, I was able to enter the mines in one of the current carts 
that they use. The tour guides, who were all also miners at one time in their life, wanted to make sure that I was able to get to the museum that they have set up inside. It was just like a child's dream from the scenes featured in movies. I felt a little guilty by the excitement I felt because life in the mines is anything but exciting, but the miners all appeared very happy to help me out. After the museum, Kirsten and the tour continued until the fourth level underground. The assistant for the tour walked with me back out of the tour, which may have taken me 
about 20 minutes. He kept making sure I was okay and telling me to stay calm. After we pushed ourselves against the wall to let a cart go by, he left me alone to intercept the one coming from the other direction. For 5-10 minutes I hopped along, thinking about the miners lives and the power of the mine. My fear of the dark didn't even set in as I was guided by the lamp on my head and managed to look up from the ground every time I was about to run into a low hanging rock, board, or wire. When I left the mines, I talked for a short time with Renaldo before he entered the mines again. Both of his parents were dead and he told me over and over that his mom had taught him how to provide good service. Afterwards, I talked with Wilber, the watchman of the mine, and then Maricelo, our mobi driver who had worked in the mines for seven years. His dad had worked in the mine for 32 years and had died at the age of 45, never having had "luck" in the mine. I had an unforgettable experience talking with him, learning about Potosi, some Quechua words, and the lives of the miners.
that they use. The tour guides, who were all also miners at one time in their life, wanted to make sure that I was able to get to the museum that they have set up inside. It was just like a child's dream from the scenes featured in movies. I felt a little guilty by the excitement I felt because life in the mines is anything but exciting, but the miners all appeared very happy to help me out. After the museum, Kirsten and the tour continued until the fourth level underground. The assistant for the tour walked with me back out of the tour, which may have taken me 
about 20 minutes. He kept making sure I was okay and telling me to stay calm. After we pushed ourselves against the wall to let a cart go by, he left me alone to intercept the one coming from the other direction. For 5-10 minutes I hopped along, thinking about the miners lives and the power of the mine. My fear of the dark didn't even set in as I was guided by the lamp on my head and managed to look up from the ground every time I was about to run into a low hanging rock, board, or wire. When I left the mines, I talked for a short time with Renaldo before he entered the mines again. Both of his parents were dead and he told me over and over that his mom had taught him how to provide good service. Afterwards, I talked with Wilber, the watchman of the mine, and then Maricelo, our mobi driver who had worked in the mines for seven years. His dad had worked in the mine for 32 years and had died at the age of 45, never having had "luck" in the mine. I had an unforgettable experience talking with him, learning about Potosi, some Quechua words, and the lives of the miners.At the end of my time in Bolivia, I was able to meet up with my 79 year old great-grand-uncle 
Father Ed and stay with him at his parish. It was great to see the life of a man I had met only a few times in my life but had heard so much about since he went to Bolivia on his birthday in 1963. My first night in Santa Cruz, I went with him to a chapel in another neighborhood where he performed mass. It was so inspiring and beautiful to watch him in action and to see how much his parishioners care for him. When he introduced me at the beginning and end of mass, they all waved excitedly to me and afterwards came up to me to ask me questions and praise him. The chapel was filled for a Monday night mass. The next morning we were excited to be taken out of the city and back to the countryside by my uncle and Father Bob, the lead priest in the parish, to the Jesuit 
Mission towns of Concepción and San Xavier. It was great to see all the green of Bolivia, although it was very different from the parts of Bolivia that I had fallen in love with. The churches were the most intriguing I have ever seen. The architecture is very different and they have done a great job restoring them. They are on the list of must-sees in Bolivia, and even though they didn't match up to the Salar de Uyuni that I missed because of my fractured foot, they were wonderful to visit.
Father Ed and stay with him at his parish. It was great to see the life of a man I had met only a few times in my life but had heard so much about since he went to Bolivia on his birthday in 1963. My first night in Santa Cruz, I went with him to a chapel in another neighborhood where he performed mass. It was so inspiring and beautiful to watch him in action and to see how much his parishioners care for him. When he introduced me at the beginning and end of mass, they all waved excitedly to me and afterwards came up to me to ask me questions and praise him. The chapel was filled for a Monday night mass. The next morning we were excited to be taken out of the city and back to the countryside by my uncle and Father Bob, the lead priest in the parish, to the Jesuit 
Mission towns of Concepción and San Xavier. It was great to see all the green of Bolivia, although it was very different from the parts of Bolivia that I had fallen in love with. The churches were the most intriguing I have ever seen. The architecture is very different and they have done a great job restoring them. They are on the list of must-sees in Bolivia, and even though they didn't match up to the Salar de Uyuni that I missed because of my fractured foot, they were wonderful to visit. I don't know when it will happen but I will make it back to Bolivia some day. I have to see all that I wasn't able to see because of my injury and I have to see Carmen Pampa again. As a whole, my experience at the college was by far my favorite part of South America, although I had so many awesome and unforgettable experiences throughout my volunteering and travels.
I can't help but reflect on how truly life changing my experience at Carmen Pampa was. The students and the staff are an inspiration to me. There were times when it been hard to see the 
poverty and the situations that seem so hopeless, and even as I volunteered, I at times felt powerless to create real change. I saw kids working in the street in Ecuador and knew that that was the next area I wanted to work in. I knew that I was affecting the lives of the children I was working with but at the same time I wanted to be involved in something on a larger scale. Through it all, education was a theme in my volunteering... further education for the women running an artisan cooperative, English education for the children living in the jungles of Ecuador who many said would never finish high school, homework help for the kids living in neighborhoods on the edge of the city without running water, homework help for the kids that 
work in the streets as a way to provide more income to their family in order to survive. When I was teaching English, it wasn't about "spreading the language" as I was critical of at first. It was about showing these children and these women that they were capable of learning and that there were people out there who cared about them and valued them. It was about showing them the other side of the foreigner/tourist and teaching them about the world. It's been about listening to their stories and empowering them. It's been about helping them take steps toward their future in countries where knowing English means you can make more money and support your family.
poverty and the situations that seem so hopeless, and even as I volunteered, I at times felt powerless to create real change. I saw kids working in the street in Ecuador and knew that that was the next area I wanted to work in. I knew that I was affecting the lives of the children I was working with but at the same time I wanted to be involved in something on a larger scale. Through it all, education was a theme in my volunteering... further education for the women running an artisan cooperative, English education for the children living in the jungles of Ecuador who many said would never finish high school, homework help for the kids living in neighborhoods on the edge of the city without running water, homework help for the kids that 
work in the streets as a way to provide more income to their family in order to survive. When I was teaching English, it wasn't about "spreading the language" as I was critical of at first. It was about showing these children and these women that they were capable of learning and that there were people out there who cared about them and valued them. It was about showing them the other side of the foreigner/tourist and teaching them about the world. It's been about listening to their stories and empowering them. It's been about helping them take steps toward their future in countries where knowing English means you can make more money and support your family.Unidad Académica Campesina de Carmen Pampa is about making higher education available to people from rural areas. Through my travels, I have learned that that the people living in the countryside (and the people who have moved to the cities in search of jobs) are the people that do not have the opportunities for higher education and better jobs, and therefore the cycle of poverty continues. The Carmen Pampa Fund website shares that the college is "transforming the lives of Bolivians through education." In 2003 the United Nations Subcommittee designated the UAC-CP as one of the seven most effective initiatives worldwide for the Eradication of Poverty. The students study in the five areas of Agronomy, Nursing, Veterinary Medicine, Education, and Ecotourism- all of which are important for improving lives.
One of the many things that amaze me is that the student body is made up of 49% women, which has been unheard of a Bolivian university. Through this college, men and women are receiving a higher education in order to protect natural resources, improve health and education in their communities, and implement new techniques with animals and agriculture. This is just a quick overview of the college. I encourage you to check out their website at http://www.carmenpampafund.org/ or visit one of the current staff and volunteer's blogs on the side of my page. If you feel inspired, share this info with more people, donate money, or volunteer, and you can feel confident that you are changing the life of a person and doing your part to change the world.
My time in South America has come to an end for now as I start grad school, but I don't think it will be too long before I do something like this again. I'm addicted.
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