Blockades & Protests & Strikes, OH MY!

For about two weeks now Cochabamba has been effectively shut down by strikes, marches, protests and blockades.  The public transportation drivers are demanding a fare rise of 50 centavos (7 cents) and the government is refusing to grant the price rise, stating that the average Bolivian is unable to afford the higher fare.  Drivers have refused to work until their demands are met, and the government is refusing to budge, stating that it's unconstitutional for the drivers to demand a price rise.  Who knows how long it will last.

marches in La Paz

So far, it hasn't been dangerous for me at all.  I've stayed away from the city center and the markets where the majority of the unrest is taking place.  It's been frustrating, stuck in my neighborhood, and I'm experiencing a little bit of cabin fever, trying to figure out what to do with my days where I can't go to work or to the market.  My frustration and inconvenience, though, is nothing in comparison to the disruption it's causing my neighbors, many of whom are already living on the edge and can't afford to go days without working, or to pay a hike in prices.  It's situations like these that make me realize what a disparity there is between my birth country and my current country.

knitting a hat w/ my kitty

So, instead of climbing the walls, I've tried to get creative about how to spend my time, trapped in my neighborhood.  Here are a few snapshots of what I've done with the extra time on my hands:

making homemade bagels

a food I can't buy anywhere in Coch

  watching the sunrise over the Andes

picking bouquets of wildflowers

discipling Briseyda

reading Purpose Driven Life

This Wednesday, we had run out of gas, and with all the chaos, the gas trucks haven't been driving around and none of the tiendas have extra gas cans to sell.  A neighbor offered to take me with him when he went at 6am to drive around the city looking for gas.  We pulled up at the gas agency and joined a line of about 20-30 people already waiting in line with their gas cans.  They were grumbling, muttering that there didn't seem to be gas even at the agency.

Suddenly, down the busy highway, a gas truck was spotted driving our way.  Before I knew what was happening, the entire line had moved to the middle of the highway, blocking all traffic that way, trying to trap the gas truck to force it to sell them gas.  There was shouting, pushing, and lots of arguing between the desperate people in the street and the angry gas truck, trying to get to the neighborhood he was required to sell in.  It was just another moment where I realized the difference between my reality back in Colorado, and the daily reality of the Bolivian people in Cochabamba.  When we left, things were still at a standstill between the gas truck and the blockade of people with gas cans and the truck.  We drove to another part of the city, and after waiting in line, were able to get our cans filled.

Psalm 93

 ¹ The LORD reigns, he is robed in majesty;
   the LORD is robed in majesty and armed with strength;
   indeed, the world is established, firm and secure.
² Your throne was established long ago;
   you are from all eternity.

 ³ The seas have lifted up, LORD,
   the seas have lifted up their voice;
   the seas have lifted up their pounding waves.
⁴ Mightier than the thunder of the great waters,
   mightier than the breakers of the sea—
   the LORD on high is mighty.

 ⁵ Your statutes, LORD, stand firm;
   holiness adorns your house
   for endless days.