It’s hard to know exactly where to begin when writing about my experience in Cochabamba, Bolivia. Who do I write about first? What most stuck out to me? Do I have an overarching highlight about the trip? With absolute certainty, I can say that Bolivia greatly impacted me and my worldview.
Before my time in-country, I made sure to remind myself to keep an open mind. As someone who has studied abroad and likes to travel, I know the importance of contextualizing a culture and part of the world. Going in completely blind may be disrespectful to that place I visit and hurt me in becoming a better global citizen and traveler. I had a fair amount of context, especially in terms of economics, before going to Bolivia. From taking Latin American Economics and furthering applications of that course to presenting the economic outlook on Bolivia, I knew the gravity of the crisis that looms over them. Bolivia’s foreign reserves are next to nothing, their currency (backed by USD) is extremely weak, and the people harbor great uncertainty in their new government system. Being a commodity-based economy, the nation struggles to find stability and generate more wealth to increase the quality of life. Compared to the United States, Bolivia struggles.
Yet, despite the political and financial hardship the people face there, I saw nothing but happiness and resilience. I expected the Bolivian people to show it in how they carry themselves, but I was utterly wrong. In the United States, despite the fact that we have more, everyone looks miserable. We walk with our heads down and focus only on our own issues. We don’t consider finding the small joys in everyday things, like pigeons in a park. I can say this with confidence: I’ve never met a people so genuinely kind, happy, and resilient in my life. Through everything we did and everyday we experienced in Bolivia, this was proven to me.
Our schedules were booked from morning until night. We started our days with a light breakfast and a bus ride to CEOLI, our client. We took the same route each ride, and every time I felt amazed by the beauty of Cochabamba. I’m not sure what I thought about the city prior to arriving, but I did not expect its beauty. In some spots, the architecture is objectively beautiful from a western standpoint. Those structures tie back to Spanish colonialization, but most of the city’s buildings are simpler, a bit rougher, and some unfinished. Even so, walking among the Bolivians in their city of unique architectural styles, I was mesmerized. Yet, what stunned me was the natural landscape of Cochabamba: the Andes. They fully surround the city, and in every crack in your view of man-made mass, the mountains loom in the distance. They’re extensive and appear to roll on forever. Whenever I hear the term “Mother Earth,” I cannot put an image to it, but the Andes clarified that. As if enveloping Cochabamba, I felt the constant presence of the Andes.
Upon arrival at CEOLI, we broke off into teams to work with the different age groups our client separated the students into. I mostly spent time with the little kids. We helped the staff and interns in their lessons, played with the kids, and asked questions about the training they received and how they go about personalizing the educational experience of each child to achieve CEOLI’s mission of helping them to be independent and autonomous. Working with the children changed the way I view the concept of resilience. It always seemed so abstract to me, but it became tangible at CEOLI. Even though a lot of the children could not speak, they could still understand us. They smiled often. Despite the impacts of understaffing and emotional burdens the staff face in this line of work, they fully dedicate themselves to their work. In the midst of financial uncertainty and serving a low-income community, CEOLI puts its heart and soul into everything they do. They take difficult circumstances with grace and give it their all.
Understanding and experiencing CEOLI’s culture helped all of us immerse ourselves into their work. We interacted with the kids, and the staff recognized how we were genuinely trying to form bonds and help in any way we could. I remember choking up as we left the doors on our last day at CEOLI because I knew I would probably never see any of those kids again. However, I will remember their impact on me for the rest of my life. One of the little kids, Facundo, and I made a secret handshake. Another child in that group, Christo, was quite curious. He frequently ran away from the staff members, touched basically everything, and was difficult to calm down at times. Yet, at the end of the day, he wanted me to pick him up. When it was time for us to leave CEOLI, Christo ran after me to give me a hug. Out of the older kids, I especially remember Camilla. She always had the biggest smile on her face. One day, we were in their dance class, and she taught me one of her moves and gave me the biggest hug!
By committing ourselves to working with our client everyday, we could clarify questions that we had for our deliverables, contextualize CEOLI’s work further, and learn more about how the organization operates. These morning sessions there educated me on the importance of individual curriculums for children with disabilities and putting in your best effort. It does not go unnoticed. In everything we do, we must give it our best shot. The staff could tell, but, most importantly, the kids understood that as well. Their excitement showed when we came in the mornings, and the hugs they gave us after was a sign that they were happy to be around us.
We spent our afternoons and evenings doing cultural activities, enriching our education on Bolivian culture and business, and eating the delicious food of the country. We visited the main square of Cochabamba, the Christo de la Concordia statue (looks like the one in Rio but bigger), the colonial town of Tarata and a ceramics workshop near it, an Incan site, and a large open-air market called La Cancha. We were exposed to the beauty of this city. From the mountains to the people carrying out their everyday duties in the streets, I was enchanted by Cochabamba. We learned about the history of the city and the founding of the country as well as who lived there before the Europeans arrived. This allowed us to appreciate the richness of the Bolivian identity and uniqueness of their population. A large portion of the Bolivian people have indigenous heritage, and the government recognizes a large number of indigenous languages. While the relationship may not always remain harmonious, colonial and native exist together. We could see how the Cochabambans lived and worked and got insight into their way of life. The positivity they carry in themselves is outwardly shown in their work, whether that be selling juice in the street, selling handsewn traditional fabrics, managing a restaurant, or being a business person. As I alluded to before, you never truly know about a place and culture until you actually go and experience it. This reinforced the importance of keeping an open mind, actively listening, and being curious. For every place we visit, we must do those to show our respect and genuine interest and appreciation. This will help us in becoming better global citizens and travelers rather than just tourists.
It would not be a study abroad opportunity if we did not learn anything in a more formal setting. We attended a talk on Bolivian business culture and economy and another on politics. We joined an English class at a local university and interacted with the students, and we also took a dance class and learned about different types of carnival, tribal, and histories of Bolivian dance. I strengthened what I already knew about Latin American economics and applied it to the Bolivian context, but I also realized the Bolivian potential. Because the market is not competitive and the advantage of cheaper prices in the informal sector, Bolivians have a massive advantage when it comes to business opportunities. Their chance to succeed is higher than we may believe it to be; they just have to unlock it and work with government restrictions. I also learned not to stereotype as much. We all hold unconscious biases based on how much or how little we know about other cultures and identities. By talking with the university students, I was shocked at how similar they were to us. We had much in common, and it felt like talking to college students in America except for speaking in “Spanglish.”
That was my sole challenge this trip. I’ve been teaching myself Spanish, but I do not have the proficiency needed to speak at an advanced level. There were times that I could not fully understand and comprehend what was being said and others where I struggled to articulate myself and find the words. However, I overcame this by asking questions, trying my best, and using my resources (e.g. translate, dictionary) when absolutely necessary. One of my life goals is to learn Spanish because of its global importance but also the beauty of the language and the people who speak it!
The dance class was super fun! We were able to try something so integral to the Bolivian and Latin American experience while working up a sweat! All of these educational experiences contextualize Bolivia. Since our client is from a different culture, we need to understand how they may think about different topics. Furthermore, when traveling and interacting with those different from us in any capacity, we must be diligent in learning. Many of our class discussions focused on transferable skills, and two of them that stick out to me are problem solving and adaptability. Without taking into account the context of a situation and place, it makes problems more difficult to work with. By educating and immersing ourselves, we gain that context and are better prepared for unexpected situations in which we may need to adapt our strategies, change our schedules, and pivot when needed. This will help us greatly in any job, whether it be finance, consulting, engineering, you name it!
Finally, the food was just incredible, especially the salteñas! Trying authentic Bolivian food expanded our pallets and connected us with the locals. There are few things that truly bring people together, but food does. By eating Bolivian food, we were able to bond with each other as a team and with the local Bolivian people. We learned about their culture, and we shared stories, laughter, and our perspectives. Connecting across cultures enriches our lives, and I’m beyond grateful to have experienced Cochabamba, Bolivia! While I was sad to leave, I know I’ll be back. ¡Bolivia tiene mi corazón y quiero volver una día! Muchas gracias para el tiempo en Cochabamba; fue una alegría gran. ¡Hasta luego!
