Two defenses and some culture

Yesterday we graduated two more young people, a nurse and a vet. In the morning was Graciela Villalobos, who did her research project about knowledge of tuberculosis among high school students. Graciela is Old School: She started at the College when Sister Basilia (now Director of the Hospital in Coroico) was still the Director of Nursing.


Photo: Graciela signs her graduation papers after the defense as Dr. Cinzia Quezada looks on.

Graciela's two daughters were there, and her mother and father. After Graciela's defense, her father spoke of their hopes for their daughter, and how proud they were of her. Her daughters quietly gave their mother a hug as the tears shone in her eyes.


Photo: Graciela with her parents and daughters.

In the afternoon, a vet student defended his research project about semen quality in the College's boars. Herland Hernández is a special student for a few reasons: He was chosen in 2004 to participate in a Young Indigenous Leaders workshop in the United States, and in 2005 he served as student body president. Congratulations to both Herland and Graciela.


Photo: Herland examining boar semen in the laboratory.


...and back to the anniversary of ecotourism!

Yesterday morning there was a breakfast of sandwiches and tea on the terrace of the new building (well, if by "terrace" you mean "cement slab on top of new building without any kind of wall or barrier." It's a little scary.). Here are volunteers Sam and Andy in line for their anniversary grub.



And there was a culture night yesterday night, with dancing, theater sketches, lip syncing, and music by groups of students from all departments. It was quite a night! (Below two Eco-t students dance Pastorcita.)

Happy Anniversary, Ecotourism!

Earth Day is also the day that the Ecotourism department celebrates its anniversary. It started with a "greet the day" dawn salute at 4:30 Wednesday morning (yes, morning). Cheering, a brass band, dancing. Right outside my window. Though I was very happy for them, I didn't get out of bed.

Today was the mass, with Father Eulogio Mamani. They students put out candles and a globe in front of the altar.



The students presented the water and wine to the altar, followed by bread, sandals, a plant and a copy of the College's mission, each symbolic of how the students imagine they can improve the lives of their people through their studies.



Then the new Ecotourism classrooms were blessed by Father Eulogio.



After the blessing, we all sat down to an incredible lunch, prepared by the third semester students as part of the gastronomy class.



Tomorrow is a day full of games and the cultural night, and Saturday a dance. Congratulations to them all.

A little busy

I am teaching one class now, How to Write a Senior Project Proposal, with last term students from the vet, agronomy and nursing departments. And it is a lot of fun, and a lot of work.

Teaching the class keeps me in contact with students in a special way, allowing me to see how they have developed technically over their time here. And they do indeed change: the poor quality of education in the countryside means that most students come to the College with problems thinking critically and organizing their thoughts on paper. (The plus is that they have incredible spacial and manual skills, and an excellent work ethic -- well, most of them.)

So last week my students all turned in their proposals -- just when the Carmen Pampa Fund people came! I'm afraid I was not much of a host to them, squirreled away with the dreams of these 18 young people.


Photo: (top L to R) Franklin Durán, Nilo Arteaga, Mauricio Rodríguez, David Mamani, Beatriz Mamani, Juan Carlos Calla, Grover Maldonado, Ricardo Ramos, Willy Condori, Luana Fresco, Max Ramirez, Harold Rivera, Steven Jemio; (bottom L to R) Shidney Zambrana, Viviana España, Shaney Telleria, Sandra Pérez, Efraín Paxi.

It is with this one last, long step that they get their degrees and shoot out into the world, all grown up!

Carmen Pampa Fund Visit

Sue Wheeler, Carmen Pampa Fund Exec. Director, and Ann Leahy, head of the CPF Board of Directors, were here this week to do some "strategic thinking" with us in Carmen Pampa. Three days of meetings with key people at the College, Sister Maureen of the Franciscan Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate Conception, and invited member Jorge Crespo, ex-embassador for Bolivia in the U.S.


Photo: Juan Velasco, Jorge Crespo, Freddy del Villar, Sue Wheeler, Ann Leahy, Maureen Coyle, Manuela Urbina, Sarah Mechtenberg, Andrés Pardo, Suzanne Dulles and Jean Morrissey.

And we had some visitors, too: Juan Velasco and Suzanne Dulles from conBolivia, Roger Valencia from Peru, Tara Nolan, and Nadine Leahy. It's impossible to describe what all of these people contribute, from the smiles to the chocolate they brought, from the perspective they give us to their support for students.


Photo: Nadine and Ann Leahy.

Thanks for their support, and the support that all of you give to make this place real.


Photo: Tara Nolan, Juan Velasco, Roger Valencia, Andrés Pardo, Fernando Salazar, Sarah Mechtenberg, Jean Morrissey, Juan Vargas.

Saturday night mass

Father Alejandro did a powerful mass for Easter -- here we light candles to enter into the dark church.

Washing of the feet

Here Father Freddy washes the feet of Ernesto Mamani, a nursing student at the College, as part of the Holy Week activities.