Catherine at the College

Last summer, Smith student Catherine Moriarty came to the College for an internship with Mary Murphy, Smith professor and long-time friend. Since then, she has graduated from Smith with a bachelor’s degree in Latin American Studies and a minor in Spanish, and returned to the Carmen Pampa as a visiting professional (volunteer). She has quickly become a key piece of the English program in our Ecotourism major, working with students in all semesters to practice what they learn in class -- and she makes it divertido. She is also skilled in sports, spending time with students as a coach and as a salon soccer and basketball player. Also, one thing our students need is someone just to listen to them, and Catherine is a great listener, giving generously of her time. We are very fortunate to have her.

Carmen Pampa Fund meetings

We met new Executive Director John Estrem this week at the meeting of the Joint Planning and Advisory Committee meeting on campus. We shared our vision for the next three years, and developed plans with the Fund for working together to keep the College going strong, educating these amazing young people so that their dreams for a future free of poverty will some day be our reality here. Welcome, John, and thank you, Sue Wheeler, for your dedication and love for us and the school.

Photo: The Committee! (front, L to R) Academic Secretary Manuela Urbina, Religious Ed Coordinator Sister Jean Morrissey, Coroico Bishop Juan Vargas, Franciscan Sister Maureen Coyle, (back) Advisor and former Bolivian Embassador to the U.S. Jorge Crespo, College Director Father Freddy del Villar, Carmen Pampa Fund Director John Estrem, College Vice Director of the College Hugh Smeltekop, Carmen Pampa Fund Liaison Sarah Mechtenberg, former Carmen Pampa Fund Director Sue Wheeler, College Education Department Director Andrés Pardo and co-founder of the College Ann Leahy.

Month of Saint Francis

Father Freddy declared October the Month of Saint Francis at the College. The students from the Pre-University program did a theater piece about the life of Saint Francis in church last night. It culminated with the death of Francis of Assisi as the students acted out the Canticle of the Sun:

...Be praised, my Lord, through all your creatures,
especially through my lord Brother Sun,
who brings the day; and you give light through him.
And he is beautiful and radiant in all his splendor!
Of you, Most High, he bears the likeness.

Be praised, my Lord, through Sister Moon and the stars;
in the heavens you have made them bright, precious and beautiful.

...

Be praised, my Lord, through our Sister Bodily Death,
from whose embrace no living person can escape.
Woe to those who die in mortal sin!
Happy those she finds doing your most holy will.
The second death can do no harm to them.

Praise and bless my Lord, and give thanks,
and serve him with great humility.

A visitor from Minnesota, David Flannery, is with us for a few weeks, too, sharing his experience with education -- welcome, David!


Photo: Visitor David Flannery, new Exec. Director of the Carmen Pampa Fund John Estrem, and Franciscan Sister Maureen Coyle from Peru enjoyed the Life of Saint Francis play at the College.

More fiesta

The Fiesta Universitaria was four days of sports and cultural events, punctuated with food prepared by professors and administrators, and very little sleep. Here are some of my favorite photos of students waiting in line for food.

Fiesta!

Last week was the Fiesta Universitaria for the 16th anniversary of the founding of the College. On the last day, Sunday, there was a procession, with each department dancing a traditional dance, in procession behind Saint Francis. Here are some of my favorite photos.

Here two student body officers, Jesús and Natalí, start the procession with our statue of Saint Francis.



Sarah Mechtenberg, my mom, Ann Leahy and Sister Jean Morrissey danced the pujllay, the horse dance from Sucre, with the group of College adminstrators.



The Nursing students presented a traditional harvest dance from the Altiplano called the salaque. The women dance with hats, and the men with hoes and rakes.



These are two of my favorite photos from the Education students' dance, the tobas, based on the traditions of the Amazon basin cultures. The feathers in the head-dresses were incorporated when Bolivians saw the ceremonial dress of North American Indians.






The Agronomy students danced the chacarera, a vaquero ("cowboy") dance from southern Bolivia, near Argentina.



The Veterinary students danced the quichiri, the coca harvest dance (kichiña means "to harvest coca" in Aymará). Here is (left to right) a military coca eradicator with his rifle, a cholita woman with her coca harvesting apron, a coca farmer with a paddle used to shape the coca terraces, butterflies whose caterpillars eat coca leaves, a line of red leaf-cutter ants with coca in their pincers, and a beekeeper with a bee. This was the most creative dance: the students made all of their own costumes.