Venturing out little by little.

"When in doubt, make a fool of yourself. There is a microscopically thin line between being brilliantly creative and acting like the most gigantic idiot on earth. So what the hell, leap" - Cynthia Heimel

In the past few days, we began to explore La Paz and timidly venturing out on our own a little bit. On Friday we had our official orientation to the program during lunch at an old tavern with very fascinating architecture. We covered our syllabus and some basic safety rules; then, we discussed the ideas for the projects we are supposed to write. After lunch some of the girls and I went to the Coca Museum. The museum was dedicated to the history of the coca leaf and its miraculous properties. A part that really struck me was the "prophesy of the coca leaf" - it said in really graphic and violent terms that the leaf is medicine to the indigenous people but destructive poison to the white conquerors. While its not exactly the truth (cocaine is an issue in many countries), the drug problem in the United States is a lot more problematic than in Bolivia where people consume coca leaf in food and drink daily. Something I learned later is that there are two types of coca leaf: one grown for consumption and one grown specifically for cocaine production. The one grown for cocaine production strips the soil of the nutrients and destroys the chance of growing anything else on that land. After the tour of the museum, we wandered around the market and discussed cultural aspects of Bolivian society. The vendors sold things ranging from mummified llama fetuses (buried under the foundation of a house for good luck) to magical potions for anything under the sun to statues for protection and wisdom. My favorite souvenir was Ekeko - the Andean god of good luck. Ekeko looks like a jolly, fat Santa Clause, loaded down with miniature houses, cars, money, university diplomas, etc. A special priest has to bless the Ekeko at the beginning of the new year, and Ekeko, if treated well, will grant his holder all his desires within a year. Ekeko has to be put in the most prominent place in a person's house and given a smoke every Friday. Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of one, but it's a very cool statue. After exploring the market, we walked home. It was a long walk but very picturesque. We saw more of the architecture and more of the Bolivian street life. When we finally arrived at our hotel, we were all tired and saturated with the smell of gas fumes. The rest of the day passed pretty quietly, with a slow stroll around the neighboring park and a quick run to the supermarket. On Saturday morning we went to the university where we are going to be taking clases. The ride there takes about 15-20 minutes and makes possible to see the mountain chain that completely surrounds La Paz. This place is a strange choice for a city at the first glance - it's cold, dry, and inhospitable. However, the mountains offer wonderful protection against enemy invasion and the location is halfway between two major centers of power. We stopped our bus on the corner and walked up a steep hill to the university. Even though it was Saturday morning, classes were in session and the campus was swarming with students. After a short tour of campus, we took another bus to Zona Sur, a richer part of La Paz. We had ice-cream in an Italian gelado shop and walked around looking at the array of goods offered at the stands that lined the streets. Afterwards, Clair, Emily, and I took a minibus back to our hotel on our own for the first time. Since it was rush hour, we ended up in a packed bus which was very hot and uncomfortable. Several hours later we went out to see the Night of the Open Museums, which is the day when all museums have free admission and are open past midnight. We visited the art museum, which offered a small taste of colonial art in Bolivia and the folk art museum, which had a Bolivian band playing traditional music. The music was a mix of Spanish and Aymara (one of the indigenous languages in La Paz), and many people were dancing in the courtyard to the rhythmic beat. (Many of the museums in La Paz are located in the old colonial mansions, which usually had a courtyard for the horses and carriages). On the way back we saw a street performance of the sayo music, which has roots in the African musical tradition. The performers wore colorful masks and played the drums very skillfully. We got back to the hotel way past midnight, and I fell asleep almost immediately. Sunday was a slow day to sleep in and catch up on the homework. I finished my readings by the early afternoon and went to the grocery store with some other girls. Then, I went out to do a little exploring on my own. I walked down the street past the U.S. embassy (the most ridiculous one in the city, it looks like a fortress) and past the presidential palace. Apparently, people can't go past directly in front of the palace because the guards made me cross the road. I walked down to the bridge and saw some breathtaking vistas of the mountains and walked back up to downtown. I returned to the hotel around six, and we went to have Sunday dinner with our professors. After dinner I read a little and went to sleep to get ready for the first day of classes.