Blog time again. I can tell that we lived here a year already. All the things that were so new last year are now normal. The changes are incredible when we think back but our life has acquired a rhythm. Now that the rainy season is somewhat over and the helpers are coming back, construction is also happening.
It is fall. The temperature is dropping and it seems like we are getting more south winds this year, bringing cooler weather. We are not complaining since it makes working outside much more pleasant but the locals are freezing. They sit in the house with three or four layers of clothing and are still shivering. Both of us have resorted to wearing a sweatshort or light jacket early in the morning and later in the evening but during the day we are in our shirt sleeves, much to the amazement of the neighbours.
José is busy working on the second building that now has a name- El Centro de Capatación. If we called it an education center people think that we are starting a school. We did not want to call it a ministry center since people will think that it is a church. So we were calling it a multi purpose building for lack of a better name, but that sounds rather mundane. But the other day, a friend called it ‘el centro de capatación – a name that does not translate well into English. It literally means qualification but the nuances are toward learning. So, work began and is continuing for the present. The road is still soft so we have not been able to get in the sand and word is that the river is too high right now. We definitely need sand to continue. We are taking in cement, a few bags at a time, every time we go to Yapacani.
Although we are making in back and forth from town to the farm, it is a challenge. More often than not, Jake chains up the tires so that we can proceed. Thankfully, the river silt is solid enough that we can drive over it, but it is a challenge to stay on the road. The truck that was blocking the road is now gone and the cat is moved to the side so driving is getting much easier. The biggest problem is the ruts – some that reach to Asia. There are promises that the road will be fixed – next month – so we will see when it actually happens. We hear that they have calculated 50 hours of cat work needed to fix the road in Patujusal 2. However, when the 50 hours of work is completed, that is it, even if the road is not completed. There is a channel project in the river that does not work. Why not? Because they miscalculated the number of hours needed and they ran out of hours before the channel was completed – so it doesn’t work!
José is eager to complete the building. He is in a quandary right now but we cannot find a way to help him. His wife, Juana, and their children, Moises, Karen, and Katleen are living in Santa Cruz. Moises is at the age where he either moves from the community or no longer attends school. So the family moved to the city, leaving José behind. Juana is able to find work as a maid in Santa Cruz. She loves to work and there is nothing for her in the community. José, although an excellent mason, prefers the campo and realizes that he needs something for himself. He is 40 years old and knows that in a few years he will no longer be hired because of his age. It is a no win situation. We would like to offer both José and Juana full time work but that means that Moises would likely be apart from the family. We pray that things will work out as time goes on.
This is a typical situation in Bolivia. Some of the schools go to grade 4, others to grade 6 and others to grade 8. After that, the students go to Yapacani or another city to school. Often the boys further their education and the girls remain in the campo. We have a number of neighboring families where the mother and some of the children live in the city and the father and some of the kids remain in the campo. They visit back and forth but do not operate as a single unit. Some of the women have a vegetable stall in Yapacani to help with the family income but we are not sure that they make much money. The whole situation does not bode well for family unity.
This situation is difficult for the schools also. The school in Patujusal has lost about 10 students in the past year but the school at Km. 32 lost over 20 students. As the schools loose students, they close. When we travel to Yapacani, we find that the schools between Km. 23 and Yapacani have all been closed because the families have moved into the city.
José is busy working on the second building that now has a name- El Centro de Capatación. If we called it an education center people think that we are starting a school. We did not want to call it a ministry center since people will think that it is a church. So we were calling it a multi purpose building for lack of a better name, but that sounds rather mundane. But the other day, a friend called it ‘el centro de capatación – a name that does not translate well into English. It literally means qualification but the nuances are toward learning. So, work began and is continuing for the present. The road is still soft so we have not been able to get in the sand and word is that the river is too high right now. We definitely need sand to continue. We are taking in cement, a few bags at a time, every time we go to Yapacani.
Although we are making in back and forth from town to the farm, it is a challenge. More often than not, Jake chains up the tires so that we can proceed. Thankfully, the river silt is solid enough that we can drive over it, but it is a challenge to stay on the road. The truck that was blocking the road is now gone and the cat is moved to the side so driving is getting much easier. The biggest problem is the ruts – some that reach to Asia. There are promises that the road will be fixed – next month – so we will see when it actually happens. We hear that they have calculated 50 hours of cat work needed to fix the road in Patujusal 2. However, when the 50 hours of work is completed, that is it, even if the road is not completed. There is a channel project in the river that does not work. Why not? Because they miscalculated the number of hours needed and they ran out of hours before the channel was completed – so it doesn’t work!
José is eager to complete the building. He is in a quandary right now but we cannot find a way to help him. His wife, Juana, and their children, Moises, Karen, and Katleen are living in Santa Cruz. Moises is at the age where he either moves from the community or no longer attends school. So the family moved to the city, leaving José behind. Juana is able to find work as a maid in Santa Cruz. She loves to work and there is nothing for her in the community. José, although an excellent mason, prefers the campo and realizes that he needs something for himself. He is 40 years old and knows that in a few years he will no longer be hired because of his age. It is a no win situation. We would like to offer both José and Juana full time work but that means that Moises would likely be apart from the family. We pray that things will work out as time goes on.This is a typical situation in Bolivia. Some of the schools go to grade 4, others to grade 6 and others to grade 8. After that, the students go to Yapacani or another city to school. Often the boys further their education and the girls remain in the campo. We have a number of neighboring families where the mother and some of the children live in the city and the father and some of the kids remain in the campo. They visit back and forth but do not operate as a single unit. Some of the women have a vegetable stall in Yapacani to help with the family income but we are not sure that they make much money. The whole situation does not bode well for family unity.
This situation is difficult for the schools also. The school in Patujusal has lost about 10 students in the past year but the school at Km. 32 lost over 20 students. As the schools loose students, they close. When we travel to Yapacani, we find that the schools between Km. 23 and Yapacani have all been closed because the families have moved into the city.
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