Adios Bolivia

Cellphone panorama of La Paz.

As I pack-up my apartment during my last weekend in La Paz, it’s finally hitting me that I’m leaving my new home.  Bolivia has been amazing to me ever since I stumbled upon the small country as a backpacker looking to help dig drinkable-water wells in South America’s second poorest country.  Ever since college when I watched President Evo Morales speak on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart, I’ve been enthralled by the first indigenous president, a response to the dictatorial Latin American past.  The idealistic me was drawn toward the socialist regime of The People.

Before I even started my development work, I received my first impression of the Bolivian people when I was alone in the small town Buena Vista on Christmas Eve.  A remarkably welcoming family invited me to their holiday dinner – the only time each year that all of the grown sons reunite – and they selflessly took in the stray dog that I was.  They brought me to their church where the pastor publically ushered me into my seat at the nativity play.  I was part of their community.  From that Christmas night on, Bolivia has been the warmest of homes to me.

Almost two years later, and many failed attempts to leave, I struggle to make sense of my time here.  Blog posts grew less and less frequent as life became normal.  How could I continue to write about cultural differences when stories from home seemed more out of place than realities here?  At first, protests wowed me.  I would run out to see everything from the smallest of gatherings, asking questions to people walking by holding signs, taking pictures of even the tamest demonstrators.  Now, these shouting people blend in with the natural scenery of buildings, beggars, businessmen, and mountains.

From the ground, I’ve become to understand the political economy of a developing nation better than before.  The political pendulum swings from far right to far left, never allowing for centric stability, always leading to infighting, and encouraging a cyclic system of favors to friends.  Lack of funds leaves private interests wrestling for their small share of the government revenue pie.  The polar “us vs. you” mentality can convert even the best-intentioned politicians into power-grabbing authoritarians.  NGOs also reward their own interests before those of the people they claim to help.  The comparatively well paying jobs don’t foster the loyalty to “the cause” that usually accompanies the struggling-revolutionary mindset of non-profits. 

But through all the mismanagement and all the infighting, Bolivia is making progress by challenging traditional colonial ideals.  Even though overzealous nationalization stymies investment, revenues from state owned oil and gas companies fund new highways, finance social programs for the poor, and keep cash circulating within the national economy instead of seeping out to foreign corporations.  It’s an extraordinarily exciting time to watch the optimism of this moment in history as Latin America becomes an emerging market instead of an unambiguous Banana Republic.

While I’m not ready to say goodbye to Bolivia, I will be embarking on new journeys that will lead me to other fascinating parts of the world.  Studying for a degree in International Development and Regional Planning and backpacking across the rest of South America, exploring new places and meeting interesting people will always be a part of what I do.  As someone fortunate enough to have these opportunities, I will keep using my powers to help better the living conditions of all citizens of the world.  And, by bringing my Viviana with me back to the States, I’ll never be far away from the Bolivian culture I love and have called home for the past two years.

Until next time. ¡Hasta Pronto Bolivia!

Adios Bolivia