Ready to say good bye

A few weeks left.  Patujusal and Yapacani, Bolivia will no longer be our home.  We will be moving.

Our land – The community has not given us permission to sell.  The intention remains that they will take ownership when we leave.  However, we have a legal transfer agreement between ourselves and Dionicio.  Jake will request permission one more time at the next community meeting and if they still refuse, he will give legal Power of Attorney to Dionicio.  We prefer not to take this step but we feel that it is the quickest and the least painful way to transfer ownership.  The quicker ‘the gringo’ is gone, the perceived source of money is gone, the quicker things will return to normal.  We pray that everything will go smoothly.

 Our stuff – We are very thankful that the majority of our belongings were sold to people in Yapacani.  We did not have to bring any of the larger items to sell in Santa Cruz.  It gives a good feeling to know that most of it will also be used by friends. 

 Our plans – We will spend about six weeks in Alberta, visiting family and preparing for the next adventure. At the end of September we hope to be in Nicaragua.  We want to be ‘freelance volunteers’, helping where we are needed but not planning to have our own projects.  Jake will continue to work in agriculture and Marg plans to work with a number of organizations in communications.

Leaving is bitter sweet.  We know that it is time to move on.  We are thankful for the experiences and the growth that we have had in Bolivia. Our thanks and love go out to great people like Dionicio and Viviana, Luciano and Margarita, René and Rosemarie, Carlos and Roberta, Adolfo and Rosa, Freddy and Jhannyra, Juan and Rosie, Alberto and Cinthia, Adan and his parents, Carlos and Claudia, Pulomia and Francisco, the Diaz family and many, many more – all part of our Bolivian family.  We will miss you.  A dios.