Almost time to go....

Filling you in on the adventures of today. Where do I begin? The day started out with a visit to the LA Cancha. What an experience!!! We traveled around the biggest market I have ever ventured into. The fruits and vegetables were many, but we even traveled to a section of the market that was a place to buy witches ???? stuff. This section was a little un-nerving. I bought all kinds of teas and little mementos to take back home from the grocery market and then proceeded to the craft section of which expresses so much of the culture of Cochabamba. The experience of the biggest flea market I have ever had the pleasure to see will be something to remember.

Later we traveled to the home of a famous artist of Bolivia. It was very rewarding to be invited inside an artist's home. That was the first time we had been behind the high walls that surround the homes of most of the people of Cochabamba. Jose Rodriguez couldn´t be there at the time of our scheduled visit but his wife, who was also an artist, was most gracious to all of us. We were able to view some of Rodriguez´s original paintings, which capture so much of the culture, statements, and people of Bolivia. It is so amazing how we were all invited into the homes of such famous people of Bolivia and welcomed with open arms. We were also rewarded with prints of the artist, Jose Rodriguez, of which we are all very proud to have.

Later we visited a newspaper, Los Tiempas, of which all of us were shown the archives of the paper and were introduced to the president, who has around 5 locations of the paper in Bolivia and a new paper being printed in Washington, DC. One of Los Tiempas reporters interviewed us about the reasons we were in Cochabama, the sistership with the library of Th´uruchapitas, of which was our main goal for coming to Bolivia. They were wonderful hosts for the afternoon, but our lunch had been spent with a wonderful man that had survived the Holocaust from Germany. Libro had chosen Bolivia as his home. Amigos del Libro, a publisher, talked to us about how hard it was to get authors of children’s books to write books in Spanish for his business to publish. There is a great demand by educators for the Spanish books for the introduction of reading to the children of Bolivia and other countries in South America.

Tomorrow will be our last day in Bolivia. This has been an experience I will never be able to replace. The people of Cochabamba have hosted us with open, loving arms. I will forever try to help the library that is touching so many children by trying to spread the word of support to provide books and help to build a permanent library in Cochabamba. The library has to move every three years without a permanent location. This library supports the children of this area; to grow, to learn, and to love. To love because that is what they showed each one of us, love in those big brown eyes and those wonderful smiles. My heart is proud to be a part of such a moment in their time; to view their culture, to visit their families, to be in awe of their teacher's commitment, and to spend a moment with their proud heritage. Much love from all of us to North Carolina’s sister city Cochabamba and the Sister Library Project that brought us here. Forever I have been changed by the love of the people and their children.
Linda A.