Corazon in Bolivia

Buenos Dias mis amigos divine ones!

Another great week, wow, it is all pretty incredible. This week began with a rough Monday, Lunes, in class, a new teacher and a new student who is practically speaking in complete sentences in espanol! She is brilliant, a “former” investment banker born in Chicago, Georgetown graduate and Aussie to date. Adorable and funny. We get on right away! Let me back up, earlier that morning, I had been having a wonderful conversation with another great couple from Australia, they both have quite their jobs, and are traveling the entire world for the next year. They were both in the international recruitment fields for some huge company and decided life is too short to stress out, and so they sold all of there “cosas” things, and stored the rest at their parents homes and off they went. They are here for a few weeks, and tonight we will celebrate his birthday! They even said they are staying till next weekend so we can all celebrate my 49th birthday! Yikes!!

Anyway, they had told me to ask for a private teacher, which I did and by mid morning break, after a rough two hours I was put with Yerko, the tall one in the photo and the rest of the week went great! So, this weeks new friends are Victoria, former stressed out banker, now on travel and exploring and Tim and Belle.  It is really amazing how quickly friendships are made, a common ground is laid and off we go!

One night we all went to a guitar “recital” in the enormous town theatre.  There were 6 guys, each more talented than the last and the grand finale was a trio including the flamenco player.  All of us sat there stunned at the sheer talent and joy these guys had, and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

During the day we quickly found a routine and excitement in talking and sharing life stories at our mid morning coffee break. I love their stories, especially Tim, he is hilarious, he has been everywhere and done a lot, and his girlfriend Belle is just as sweet and funny! Victoria has some great ones to share too!

This week in the afternoons I toured another church, this one with a legend of a former priest performing satanical rituals in it, and another one where it is still a monastery.  A LOT of catolica here!!! The Casa de Libertad is this enormous house now for government use, but formerly another monastery.  Of course there my camera battery died! We hiked, and I mean hiked vertically up Calle Dalance to the top where there is another, yes, another catholic monastery, now a school and church. What amazes me is this, there are tons of churches here, but at the crack of dawn on Sunday morning, where do you think everyone is???

Hmmmm, at the futbol stadium! Of course! No disrespect for these dear Bolivians, but I do think that all of the ringing of the bells, does not stand in the way of their love for futbol!!

Okay, the week was full with classes and afternoon conversation/tours. Each day I hike up that hill to mi casa for lunch, and then back down again for the afternoon. By evening I am BEAT! this altitude hits you when you least expect it!

Friday night we had a lovely fiesta at the school, they barbecued for us and we all had to wear a costume. I missed this tidbit of info and as I was leaving mi casa, thank goodness, Maggi, the daughter of the family I am with mentioned this to me and handed me a mardi gras type mask to wear. I actually thought they were playing a joke with me, but once at school I saw it was no joke! The last picture is all of us with our “costumes” on! It was fun!

Belle, Tim, Victoria, me, Iris, and Russ

Saturday morning mi familia and I had a yoga class! Yes, the whole family, madre, padre, son, his wife and their precious 4 month old and two other house students, Christoffe from Germany and Iris from Switzerland!  A full house! They loved kundalini yoga, and can you believe it, thank goodness last weekend I had found that book in espanol, I was able to read some from it to explain pranayama and savasana. We had a great time, I felt so happy and they want to do it more!

The school asked me to teach Monday night, so, tomorrow night, I will teach at the school, students and teachers will be there. I am excited!

This morning after meditation, I hiked again up that hill to La Recolletta, it is a great hike, it literally feels like you are on the stairmaster at the highest level, each step is an effort, each breath, a gift! Coming down is fun, and you can see the entire length of the street all the way into downtown, so I walked down into town and circumnavigated the central area, including the Central Mercado! Okay, I will try to get photos of this place, EVERYTHING is there! From flowers, to chickens, beef, spices, fruitas, vegetables, clothes, you name it!! No refrigeration, and yet there are no flies or bugs, as you might imagine the meat is just laying out, but it is super fresh and clean. I know, hard to imagine!

Well my friends, you know I think of you, and you know me, I am having conversations with you in my head all of the time! Thanks for writing back, and I hope you enjoy the photos.

My biggest thoughts this week, were:  (while recovering from last saturdays wicked sunburn) Why do we refuse to accept reality when it is right there in our face!? I knew the sun was strong, but I tried to think that okay, maybe just a few minutes would be okay. So, how many times in life do I do this? And where else do I do it? Just a thought my friends, I am still looking at that!

love, blessings and huge hugs,

Kirpal Kaur

Sat Nam and Buenos Tardes!

Did I spell that right? I mean, “the weekend!” I am in a cafe and my dicionario is en mi casa! Well, I am thrilled to read your responses, you are wonderful to write, each of you! thank you! The end of my first week, it was amazing! Let me share the details, they are too much.  I left off on Mercioles, wednesday, I believe that night or the next mis amigos y yo went to the Joy Ride cafe to watch the movie “Che”, it was from a very different perspective than what I had always read. We climbed the stairs in the back of this dark little cafe and found out way into the cinema room.. high ceiling, rich dark wood, and huge sofas everywhere. We had to take the front row, and we slouched down and watched the movie. I was with Yvonne from Holland, great fun lady and her sister Karan (24 yrs old) who was in town for a few days visiting. Karan is living in La Paz for a semester to complete her master’s thesis on Street Children, an anthropological study of why they return to the street once they get help. It is a heart wrenching story and situation here and really everywhere.

Anyway, these sisters are fun and muy bonito! so down to earth, we had so much fun. Thursday back to school, more “verbos”, my god how many verbs we use and don’t even think about it. I have had to go back and am rewriting everything in my notebook, as if you read my notes from day one, it is like I must have had huge wax balls in my ears, NOW I get it, I say as I read my notes!!! Or at least I think so!

Entonces, so, that night we hike, and I mean hike, vertically (no, I was NOT in heels!) but I do have my platform sandles! up to La Recoleta. This is a huge old convent, converted into a museum and school. It sits atop a huge hill, wow, like there aren’t enough of these around! and the view is breathtaking, or is it the altitude? over 7500 feet here in case I forgot to mention that! No wonder we were gasping and could not chat going vertical! Again, thank goodness for all of that pranayama, I can’t imagine how we could have made it. Of course they are a good 14-20+ years less than me.

The view was amazing, the sunset muy bonito and we quickly noticed the drop in temp, so we began the descent. Easier except, don’t fall.

Now, we are at Friday, end of week, I am feeling like I just might be able to handle things, when our teacher, Carla informs us of our final assignment. Yes, go out into the Plaza Square and meet at least 3 strangers, and converse, ask them whey Sucre has 4 names! Okay, I do NOT want to do this.I feel this huge irritation and resistance in me. Then I quickly realize, WAIT, this might be fun. Of course it will be fun, it is a real practicum! Okay,I am ready!   Perdon, une preguenta por favor?  Cuales son los nombres de “Sucre”?  For you non espanol speaking friends, one question please, what are the names of Sucre?

Here we go, three little students out into town. I first spy three 20-30 somethings sitting on a bench, they actually only knew two of the names, and it seemed they were embarrassed not to know, entonces, I thanked them and moved on. NOW, I see them. Yes, they are right off of the cover of Buena Vista Social Club, three older gentlemen, kind eyes and dressed so elegantly. I approach them, pause as they all three look up with huge smiles, and I stammer and ask the question. Frederico jumps up, and clasps my hands and immediately begins to speak in espanol. We introduce ourselves, he is smiling so big, so sweet, and he introduces me to his friends. They are 61,62 and 80! They of course knew the three names, Charcas, Villa La Plata, Sucre and Chogue Chaka. I think they said a whole lot more, but I could not get it all.

Now, they ask me to stop by everyday to see them, as they are there everyday, or todos los dias! So, I will. En la manana, this morning, on my big walk, there they are, and they greet me like I am their best pal! So, they will now be my new friends and teachers too!

Back in class,  we all had had fun experiences, and shared the same info. Seems everyone (almost) in town has great pride in this sweet little town and its history. Me too!

Friday night is Salsa lesson night at school, of course we had to go, first three steps, no problemo, third and fourth, fine, fifth, muy difficile! Lots of people come, not even in the school, all fun. The music is great. I got some photos and will post them, but they are out of focus, as we were dancing and low light, but you will get he drift! what fun! After that, a large group of us went to the cafe Florin for snacks. Yvonne and Karan and I get there first, snag a nice big corner table and order. Then the others arrive, I am pretty sure no one was over 26, besides me, and they are great kids! I talked with the two boys who I danced with, one is finishing his masters thesis on engineering and his pal is doing the same, oh, and plus his other masters thesis on Economics. They were from Sweden.  They had just spent two months in Santa Cruz working with the timber industry. They said the economy has knocked that industry on its tail and they could not do much in the factory, but they got the idea to start their own business with exporting environmentally safe wood. The standards are very high about NOT raping the land, so that was good. We had a wonderful chat. More people kept coming, soon it was a huge crowd. I departed before I turned into a pumpkin and left them to their mojitos!

Saturday morning, relax!!! Long leisurely breakfast and good byes to Yvonne and Karan as they head off to Potosi, La Paz and onward. I return to my rooftop patio and sink into a deep 2 hour asana practice, with a delicious savasana listening to the festival bands playing all over town. One bummer note, savasana was long and I sunburned mi cara! my face, today I look like a tomato!

Later, Nicole, a house/school mate, and I walked all over town again, and ended the day with dinner in Locots cafe. She is French, my age and from Switzerland. She is also in a big life change, sold her home, goods and wants to master espanol, move to S. America and teach math. She is interesting.

Big changes going on in the world, and yet, inside we are all the same, wanting to connect, to feel and give love and to experience that deep, rich understanding from another.

My daughter just said to me this morning (our first conversation since I left) “I love my teachers, one of them knows how to say exactly what you want to hear (regarding her art). But you don’t know you want to hear it until she says it, then you think, wow. that is exactly how I feel!”

That is how I feel, I did not know how it would feel to be here, to leave all of you, and to experience something like this, but with each encounter, each moment, I feel, wow,Yes, this is how it feels, I am still so cozy inside myself, and everything on the outside just makes that better! Of course I miss each of you, but you have a little spot in my heart, mi corazon, and that will never change, it just goes with me everywhere I go. So, you are here too!

ps. am sitting here in a really nice hotel/cafe, they have cloth napkins!!!!!! and I had a delicious lunch and am posting to you. It is pretty safe here, so far, muy bueno!

I will post photos this week, another challenge to encounter!

All my love to you,

Denise Kirpal Kaur i