ARRIVAL IN BOLIVIA

 

Our flights were smooth, but long. Our bags decided to stay behind in La Paz, giving us the opportunity to enjoy the clothes we were wearing for an extra day. The kind people of the barrio who greeted us upon our arrival at the site didn't seem to mind at all.

 

Arrival in Santa Cruz, around 8:30 am. After waiting, we figured out our bags did not arrive with us. They were left behind in La Paz to accommodate the weight of passengers getting on there and flying to Miami (must have been too many Americans). Once through customs, we were greeted by Mauricio, Walter, and Yaneth. A group photo prior to boarding our bus.

 

 

 

 

We begin meeting, planning, and discussing on the 1 hour bus ride from the airport to the site -- real-time engineering in action! Much more of that to come. Here Mauricio explains the general site location -- far to the east of the plotted five rings of Santa Cruz found on most maps. We are on the frontier beyond the seventh ring.

 

 

 

We are greeted by many people from the barrio where we are living and working. They treat us to some pre-lunch snacks (salteñas). Our cultural and spanglish interactions are off to a great start.

 

 

Our residence for the next two weeks.

 

 

Off to the work site to check out the school and do some preliminary site investigation. The local kids are happy to lead the way.

 

 

 

The Bolivianos and Gringos checking out the site. Buen Samaritano (elementary school) is in the background.

 

 

 

Site investigation is demanding, so we return for a proper lunch with our new partners in action. We shouldn't have eaten so many salteñas in the pre-lunch phase....

 

 

 

With a full belly, warm weather, and travel weariness the siesta concept seems genius.

 

 

 

It gets dark around 7 pm, so the evenings seem to be a good time to spend some time with some of the local kids. Here (from l to r) Pepe, Erman, and Bianca play cards with Mella and Laura.

 

 

After a couple hour project assessment and re-engineering meeting among the EWB group, the team takes some time to reflect on the day and commit it to journals. A long, but fascinating day. Lights were out and everybody sleeping by midnight.