So we’re learning that blogging isn’t really for us. Maybe you’ve noticed…if you’re still checking up on us. We’re better email people and even that has been sporadic at times. That said, the blog still seems like a useful place to post some pictures and we’re hoping to do more of that now that we have taken the plunge and upgraded our internet at home. So…we’ll attempt to make up for lost time and give you a taste of the past six months in the form of pictures. And who knows, just maybe there will be a bloggable moment or inspiration down the road.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Birthday season - late addition!
Today (May 30) is exactly 2 months since Maria's birthday, so this video is a bit late, but we just finished it today. I got Maria to narrate this one which was fun.
In the video she mentions being glad for the fleece she got because it's really cold now as we enter winter. It's true, it actually feels like late fall/early winter...it's about 50 degrees with damp air and a slow drizzle, which ends up being quite chilly in a house with no heat and several screened windows that have no way of closing. It will get old if it keeps up for very long, but it's actually nice to bundle up, drink hot chocolate and feel cold for a change! My understanding is that we'll have stretches of weather like this over the next couple months, but interrupted by warm spells too. I just noticed the weather box on our blog and realized the temperature reported there isn't even close! We'll have to monitor that and remove it if the inaccuracy continues. :)
Enjoy the video. (it's about 3 minutes 45 seconds)
~ Lynn
In the video she mentions being glad for the fleece she got because it's really cold now as we enter winter. It's true, it actually feels like late fall/early winter...it's about 50 degrees with damp air and a slow drizzle, which ends up being quite chilly in a house with no heat and several screened windows that have no way of closing. It will get old if it keeps up for very long, but it's actually nice to bundle up, drink hot chocolate and feel cold for a change! My understanding is that we'll have stretches of weather like this over the next couple months, but interrupted by warm spells too. I just noticed the weather box on our blog and realized the temperature reported there isn't even close! We'll have to monitor that and remove it if the inaccuracy continues. :)
Enjoy the video. (it's about 3 minutes 45 seconds)
~ Lynn
Monday, March 9, 2009
Birthday season
Within a month, Nathan, Maria and Jesse will turn from being 6, 4 and 2 to 7, 5 and 3. We kicked off the season by celebrating Jesse's birthday on Feb.26. Here's a little video I put together to commemorate it. We'll try to add a bit about the others as they happen too. ~Lynn
Mid-march update - OK, here's a piece about Nathan's birthday (Mar.9) - about 2 minutes. I guess this means I'll have to do one for Maria too! (Mar.30) It's fun though... Lynn
Mid-march update - OK, here's a piece about Nathan's birthday (Mar.9) - about 2 minutes. I guess this means I'll have to do one for Maria too! (Mar.30) It's fun though... Lynn
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Referendum followup
Our posts have tended to focus more on our personal lives than on an analysis of the political/social context of Bolivia that affects our work (I assume that's more interesting for those who check this blog!) However, as an exception I thought I'd share a piece I wrote for an internal MCC bulletin that gives an update on the referendum of Jan.25, for those who might be interested. We'll try to follow soon with something more personal.
Lynn
January 25, 2009 became an historic day in Bolivia when 61% of the population voted to approve a new constitution that expands the rights of the indigenous majority, solidifies state control over natural resources, and lays the foundation for more equitable land distribution. While historic, the vote also followed the pattern of a divided country that is becoming familiar in Bolivian politics, with four of the country’s nine departments strongly rejecting the proposal.
Based at MCC’s office in Santa Cruz, the largest city in the lowlands of eastern Bolivia, we experienced the referendum through the eyes of a city in which it seemed hard to find anyone who openly supported the new constitution, or anything having to do with the Evo Morales government, for that matter. Even so, the day of the vote was amazingly calm and quiet. Vehicles were prohibited on the streets, so kids were riding bikes and people were sitting on lawn chairs where there is normally busy traffic going past.
Even weeks afterward, I've been surprised at the ongoing calm. I thought there might be more immediate reaction, protests, etc. At this point all the "action" seems to be in the context of discourse in the press and media, rather than anything physical. From what we read it sounds like more resistance might come as the government tries to enact laws that put the constitution into practice. This may be a difficult process because the opposition controls one of the arms of congress. Despite the tension, the calm is encouraging, and fits historical patterns that have shown the Bolivian people to be amazingly slow to take to violence. It also matches a recent study by the United Nations which showed that the large majority of Bolivians support peaceful dialog to resolve the country’s differences, as opposed to violent conflict.
It's interesting to see the spin from the different sides. Those who support the changes (mainly from the western highlands) celebrate the victory as a major step forward in rights and opportunity for indigenous people, framing it as the basis for a new era in Bolivian history after centuries of discrimination. Meanwhile, those who oppose the changes (mainly in the eastern lowlands) claim "victory" in the sense that the constitution lost in these four departments. Some claim that this means the new constitution doesn't apply in this part of the country, although that argument doesn’t really have any legal basis. It would be like the "red states" in the recent US elections claiming that Obama wasn't really their president!
What it does mean is that the government will need to choose what kind of posture to take toward the opposition departments. If they try to use this as a mandate to steamroll changes through without negotiation with the opposition, it will fuel sentiment that the government is imposing its changes, and fears that non-indigenous people have of being overrun or oppressed by the newly empowered indigenous people. I hear these feelings from people in this part of the country and can understand the fear to some degree, so I hope the government can take a posture of continued dialog in the process of putting this constitution into practice.
It's amazing to see the power of the media in all of this. The leaders of the opposition have been very good at using media to prey on the fears of the people to raise resistance to the government. On the other hand, Evo can be divisive with his rhetoric, too, even though his criticisms of the historically unjust political and economic structures usually seem to be very well founded. How to speak the truth in ways that challenge and change structures without alienating the opposition to the point that it's really detrimental to your cause? I guess that's a difficult tension for anyone working for structural change, and one that MCC will need to navigate in the months ahead. How to promote justice while really listening to voices on all sides of the conflict? When to take a confrontational stance and when a more conciliatory one? How to bring about change that is truly positive and just, and not simply a replacement of one oppressor for another?
So far, it seems like an amazing achievement that the Morales government has been able to walk that line successfully enough to bring about this new constitution through peaceful, democratic processes and minimal violence. We hope the international community can help these processes continue as Bolivians sort out the details of what these changes mean and what a more just Bolivia will look like.
At MCC we see an important need to work at bridge-building in this context, as the tendency is for people to have less and less contact with those from the other side, and for media and politicians to dehumanize the “other” in efforts to capitalize on fear and distrust.
Lynn
January 25, 2009 became an historic day in Bolivia when 61% of the population voted to approve a new constitution that expands the rights of the indigenous majority, solidifies state control over natural resources, and lays the foundation for more equitable land distribution. While historic, the vote also followed the pattern of a divided country that is becoming familiar in Bolivian politics, with four of the country’s nine departments strongly rejecting the proposal.
Based at MCC’s office in Santa Cruz, the largest city in the lowlands of eastern Bolivia, we experienced the referendum through the eyes of a city in which it seemed hard to find anyone who openly supported the new constitution, or anything having to do with the Evo Morales government, for that matter. Even so, the day of the vote was amazingly calm and quiet. Vehicles were prohibited on the streets, so kids were riding bikes and people were sitting on lawn chairs where there is normally busy traffic going past.
Even weeks afterward, I've been surprised at the ongoing calm. I thought there might be more immediate reaction, protests, etc. At this point all the "action" seems to be in the context of discourse in the press and media, rather than anything physical. From what we read it sounds like more resistance might come as the government tries to enact laws that put the constitution into practice. This may be a difficult process because the opposition controls one of the arms of congress. Despite the tension, the calm is encouraging, and fits historical patterns that have shown the Bolivian people to be amazingly slow to take to violence. It also matches a recent study by the United Nations which showed that the large majority of Bolivians support peaceful dialog to resolve the country’s differences, as opposed to violent conflict.
It's interesting to see the spin from the different sides. Those who support the changes (mainly from the western highlands) celebrate the victory as a major step forward in rights and opportunity for indigenous people, framing it as the basis for a new era in Bolivian history after centuries of discrimination. Meanwhile, those who oppose the changes (mainly in the eastern lowlands) claim "victory" in the sense that the constitution lost in these four departments. Some claim that this means the new constitution doesn't apply in this part of the country, although that argument doesn’t really have any legal basis. It would be like the "red states" in the recent US elections claiming that Obama wasn't really their president!
What it does mean is that the government will need to choose what kind of posture to take toward the opposition departments. If they try to use this as a mandate to steamroll changes through without negotiation with the opposition, it will fuel sentiment that the government is imposing its changes, and fears that non-indigenous people have of being overrun or oppressed by the newly empowered indigenous people. I hear these feelings from people in this part of the country and can understand the fear to some degree, so I hope the government can take a posture of continued dialog in the process of putting this constitution into practice.
It's amazing to see the power of the media in all of this. The leaders of the opposition have been very good at using media to prey on the fears of the people to raise resistance to the government. On the other hand, Evo can be divisive with his rhetoric, too, even though his criticisms of the historically unjust political and economic structures usually seem to be very well founded. How to speak the truth in ways that challenge and change structures without alienating the opposition to the point that it's really detrimental to your cause? I guess that's a difficult tension for anyone working for structural change, and one that MCC will need to navigate in the months ahead. How to promote justice while really listening to voices on all sides of the conflict? When to take a confrontational stance and when a more conciliatory one? How to bring about change that is truly positive and just, and not simply a replacement of one oppressor for another?
So far, it seems like an amazing achievement that the Morales government has been able to walk that line successfully enough to bring about this new constitution through peaceful, democratic processes and minimal violence. We hope the international community can help these processes continue as Bolivians sort out the details of what these changes mean and what a more just Bolivia will look like.
At MCC we see an important need to work at bridge-building in this context, as the tendency is for people to have less and less contact with those from the other side, and for media and politicians to dehumanize the “other” in efforts to capitalize on fear and distrust.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Referendum day
Today is a big day for Bolivia as they hold a nation-wide vote on a new constitution. No vehicles will be allowed on the roads and everything will be shut down - people have to walk or ride bike to their local voting place! There are strong feelings on both sides, so we pray there will not be violence during this referendum day and especially in the weeks to come as the risk of confrontation will be high regardless of the outcome of the vote.
If you're interested in more detail about the constitution and the various points of contention, here's a good overview from the Andean Information Network.
Lynn
If you're interested in more detail about the constitution and the various points of contention, here's a good overview from the Andean Information Network.
Lynn
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Nathan's surgery
Yesterday we had an experience that we didn’t plan to have in Having surgery at one of the nicest hospitals in
Gratefully, Laurie
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