One of the best days of my life

Trip Start Jan 12, 2006

Trip End Mar 12, 2006

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Flag of Bolivia Arpita, Bolivia
Monday, January 16, 2006

"Come on, let's dance," she exclaimed as she grabbed my hand and continued, "Just like we do at carnival!" As I gasped in astonishment, a Bolivian peasant woman in traditional garb selected me to join her in leading a line dance around the foundation for the new water tower we were there to discuss and celebrate. It was a "fast-forward" to Bolivia for my fifth day in the country!

Abraham, a Water for People engineer, allowed Paul & me to accompany him to Arpita, a rural village outside Cochabamba, where we met the men who are building the network which will enable the village to have running water for the first time. After the men met to coordinate the project, we feasted on roasted guinea pig, corn-on-the-cob, and fresh potatoes--all local specialties. Then about 40 villagers gathered, mostly traditionally-garbed women, whose faces were weathered by the difficulty of their lives, to open the work ahead--a process they would all be expected to assist with both their labor and their money contribution.

There were speeches, the smashing of a local sparkling apple juice bottle, drinking of beer and chicha (homemade corn liquor), fireworks, blowing of the ram's horn...and the dancing. Paul and I, along with all the workers, were honored by the women with handfuls of confetti on our heads because we offered to return and help with the digging for households populated only by widows or handicapped. If the pipes arrive in time, we will. If they don't, we might not. But a leader told us, "Whether or not you return to help is not as important as the gift of the heart that you have given us with your willingness to join us."

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