Two homes - transition time

Who would have thunk it! Marg cooking over an open fire and shelling corn by hand! It is not something I had every imagined for my midlife crisis but here I am.

Last week we came to the chaco (farm) for the first time as owners. We packed the truck with the things we thought we needed for a three day stay. Some times I feel like Gilligan! We did pretty well as far as bringing along supplies. The things we didn’t bring were things we didn’t think we needed – coats and an extra blanket. It gets quite chilly here at night and there is a lot of dew so the mornings are brisk.

Jake immediately became a typical Bolivian and does not go anywhere without his machete. The first day he cut down an area where we hope to build the house. Unlike the Bolivians we did not cut the area and then burn it a couple of days later. Instead I hauled all the debris to the side and piled it. If they come and see what we did, they will think we are crazy. The debris what not heavy since most of it was haliconia and light trees. The worst is the miles of vines. I had already pulled miles from inside the ‘chalet’. Another pesky item is a tree in which the ants live. I am sure of the name but it is the one that they tied people too and let the ants eat them alive. Of course, this tree grows nice and straight and looks like an excellent pick to fix the poles of the chalet. Not a good idea. Jake also cleared a place on which to put the sand and gravel when it comes.

In the evening he was called to a meeting. The forestry company wants to harvest trees and needs a better road. So, in exchange for some labor, the community will get a road. We are not sure what the labor is but I am sure we will find out. One part is that each person has to clear 2 meters on each side of the present road—better called a path-- so that the cat can come in. So Jake has more than his share of machete work cut out for him. He is enjoying it after spending 5 months in school.

I have been busy setting up house in both Yapacani and Patajusal. The house in Yapacani is a bit more permanent with a proper roof and floor. We have purchased the major appliances and a mattress so we live in comfort there. We have two rooms, one is the kitchen/office and the other is the bedroom/living room. No one visits in the living room so we are OK. Only the one room is secure so we have all the valuables in there. The third room is a storage room for both ourselves and the landlord. Until we need it, we will leave it that way.

The house in Patajusal is portable. It is called a tent. We take it along each time we come and then take it home again. We also have four containers that have become our traveling companions to the chaco. One contains our bedding, another the cooking and eating utensils, another the perishable food and the last, the non-perishables. They we have the things Jake is supposed to take along which includes his tool box, machete (of course!), the powerpack and a number of other small things that are needed. Oh, yes, we should also take along chairs but we forgot them this trip.

I am writing this in the chalet with the computer on my lap. I am thinking that I should write Canadian Tire and get them to do an advertisement on us using the Eliminator PowerPack and Solar Panel for energy in the jungle of Bolivia. Maybe we could get some good funding for out projects!! Anyone have an ‘in’ with Canadian Tire???

The biggest shock is that it is pitch dark by 6:30. We try to have our supper, shower, and dishes done by that time but then there is not much to do. Jake can’t work until 11 every night. We read by flashlight –or the Canadian Tire PowerPack—and I am able to do work on the computer. I am learning Adobe Pagemaker and it is a bit of a challenge with no directions. Just wait – when Jake gets a proper generator he will hook up a light so that he can work at night. We can’t expect everything to change, can we?

A Place of Our Own

Leaving Cochabamba was bitter sweet. We looked forward to the next step but stepping out into a world of only Spanish and a different culture was a bit scary. We had friends and projects that we were leaving behind; relationships that had just started to develop and a lifestyle in which we were quite comfortable. But we felt the time had come for us to move on. Jake, especially, was getting very antsy and wanted to so physical work rather than brain work. The only thing holding us back was that our truck did not have the air conditioning installed. Jake had driven around and found a place that built bumpers and racks. Since the truck has a very small box, we needed something to haul larger objects and needed a rack over the cab. We were promised it would be done on Thursday, and in spite of all the warnings that it would not be done on time, it was completed by Friday afternoon. We loaded the rest of our belongings and headed for Yapani on Saturday morning.

Sunday was the day of the meeting, the day in which the community would hear what was happening and would have an opportunity to ask questions. We really had no idea what to expect – did we have to make a formal presentation? Nathan was with us to interpret. We were told the meeting started at 2 and we would be the last item on the agenda, but we thought it would be good for us to be there on time. It was evident that all of the men (yes, it was a men only meeting) were happy to see us and there certainly did not seem to be any animosity. It is Bolivia and things change. We were the first item on the agenda, and the middle item, and the last item. First, Jake was asked to tell them what he was planning to do. So, in his best Castellano (Spanish) he started. After the first two sentences, the men asked him to speak in English and have Nathan translate! After Jake finished speaking, there was a time for questions. Silence! Finally someone asked how much land we wanted and there were a few other questions for clarification. The general consensus was that we would be welcome but the conversation continued. It reminded me a church council meeting! Salidonio finally said that they should make the decision so that we could get on with our lives. That was settled and they went on to other items of business, one of which was how this was to be written in the minute book. That was decided and then they discussed other items and finally the last item came up – the signing of the official papers. By this time it was six in the evening and the sun was rapidly setting. Poor Eduardo was writing the official transfer document and I could not believe that he could see what he was doing. Thankfully, Nathan had a flashlight and the final documents were signed by all the officials.

Because many of the people in the community do not have carnets (proof of citizenship) they are not able to vote, not able to marry, not able to own land. Although they are in the process, there are many problems. For example, the person has to have his parents and two other people in the community sign that he was born on a certain date in a certain place. If the parents are not alive there are more problems. All of this has to be done with a lawyer so the process becomes very expensive. Some of the people from Patajusal did the work and then were told that the papers were illegal and they had to start over again. It is very frustrating for them and are now considering filing in Santa Cruz since it is easier there. But then they have to pay for the transportation. Either way they face obstacles. When all the paper work is completed and the people have carnets, the land can be transferred to the individual owners.

So, we are now land owners (kind of) in Bolivia and the community has accepted us. We have 35 hectares of prime Bolivian soil that used to be a river bed. There are 4 kinds of bananas planted in the front of the property and there are a couple of relatively cleared areas where Jake can start some of his planting. And of course, there is a house. And yes, we will live under it in our tent for the first while. At least we will be sheltered. Many would like us to move there immediately but we want to take some time to get a proper house built. We will start working there in the next day or two but we certainly will not move. Our lives for the next few months will be a few days in Yapacani and a few days in Patajusal