my lips are sunburnt, but it´s all good :p!

Hi everybody! So as it turns out, I am not actually in the campo. I AM in La Paz slash El Alto tho, but let me explain :).

So I got here on Monday evening with my friend Moto, who´s doing a different project on this group called Mujeres Creando en La Paz. Felix, my advisor dude, picked me up in El Alto at this place called ¨La Ceja,¨which I thought meant ¨bridge¨but which actually just refers to that part of El Alto (ceja actually means eyebrow... cough). Anyhow, he took me to this hostel where I was going to live for at least a few days, and we talked a little bit (vaguely... but that´s kind of normal), and then a little while later we ended up going to this organization called UNO, which stands for unión de naciónes originarias (union of orginal (like, indigenous) nations) where I met some cool Bolivian men and this guy Jesús Rojas, who is this TERRIFYING looking man who I´d seen before at this event about the Ponchos Rojos. That day, he was wearing his red poncho and the whole deal and I remember thinking to myself, ´I have never seen anyone so serious looking before. He looks like he´s about to like... a eat a fucking baby.´ The Ponchos Rojos, I learned that day, are an indigneous nation (I guess?) here in Bolivia, that are historically kind of war like and very politically active (they´re a major reason why the gas war of 2003 succeeded).

Little did I know then that I would now be living in Jesús´home. Which is what I´m doing. My life just got a little bit unbelievable, but I don´t want to jinx it :p.

But wait, first of all, some important info that I´m not sure I already mentioned:
I´m here because Felix wanted a student to come do a study about community justice in indigenous communities. Because Felix wrote a book about the ponchos rojos, he has a lot of contacts with some of their communities (enter, Jesús), and it´s a really important time for this subject to be researched because the new const. says that there are to be two equally important judicial systems in bolivia- the traditional, western based system, and then the community justice system of indigenous communities. However, the whole thing is very complicated, and thus is a very pertinent theme. BUT, Felix told me very little about what I´m slash we´re doing before I came, so it´s all been a bit unclear. But awesome.

So I´m living in El Alto, first in a hostel and thens as of 2 days ago in Jesús´ house. It´s SO different from anything I´ve experienced up to this point, and I´ve had the great challenge of learning how to be in\live in\navigate these two massive cities all on my own. At first it made me super anxious and reminded me of when I was alone in the Dominican (veeeery bad), but now I think I´m really starting to get a hang of it all. I´ve already had a really good interview with someone who works i nteh department of indigenous affairs in El Alto, went to another meeting at UNO (not terribly relevant 2 my theme, but I met alot of really wonderful middle aged Bolivian men :P), and am ¨doing¨alot of reading on the subject that I´ll later get to discuss with Jesús. He is the most badass man in the world, by the way. Although he looks super intense, he is incredibly kind and caring, and also just happens to be a leading figure in the fight for indigenous rights in this area and also just generally super, super amazing.

Anyhow, I´m not sure what information I´m going to end up with exactly, but I´m going to this community called Warisata tomorrow for an anniversary event (yes, the actual campo!). And then we´ll see! I love living with Jesús and his family, but it´s a situation of much more direct poverty than I´m used to (both in the home and in the community), which I think is a pretty invaluable experience.

I don´t want to jinx what´s happening, I really don´t, but I am slightly astounded by what´s going on in my life. In a good way. I love & miss you all!!

p.s.- yesterday was the ¨one month until you´re in your house´ point. WTF??????????? I am simultaneously SO ready and SO not ready. What a weird but wonderful life I´ve found myself in :). Love yoU!