Today is Alfredo's birthday.
FELIZ CUMPLEAÑOS ALFREDO!!!!
Friday, March 28, 2008
Monday, March 24, 2008
Pray for Nick
Our amazing friend and co-worker Nick had emergency surgery today. Please pray for him and his family!
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Ocean Day
That's right, today is Ocean Day in Bolivia. I know that they don't have an ocean, but it is true. From what I've gathered, they used to have a day in celebration of the ocean, but then after the war with Chile about 150 years ago, they used it to mark the day that they lost their access to the ocean and to hope to regain it again some day in the future. Wishing Happy Ocean Day to people in a land-locked country just seems mean though.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
To Be A Policeman Is To Die
There have been protests by the police in Bolivia against Evo, the President, recently. Sandra was telling me about them and how they are protesting because they earn so little and they have no protection. She said, "to be a policeman is to die."
I have seen very few policemen while I have been in Bolivia. The main time, there were a few men standing in the median at a stop light. When the light was red, they went from car to car checking drivers licenses (drivers licenses are very expensive and so many people drive illegally). All of the officers were on foot. They did not even have radios. If something were to have gone wrong, they had no way to stop it or get additional help.
A few years ago we had a pig farm at the BLC. We had not yet built our perimeter wall and so we began to have problems with our pigs being stolen. We are within walking distance of downtown SipeSipe, but we discovered that their police department did not have a phone. We could not call to report a robbery. When someone broke into the barn, we had to leave our property, drive to the police station, hope that someone was there, and drive them back to our property.
The police have very little power, very little authority, and very little pay. Sandra also explained to me that there are some times when the police will take or request bribes. She said that this was not due to corruption but to their desperation to care for their families.
I have seen very few policemen while I have been in Bolivia. The main time, there were a few men standing in the median at a stop light. When the light was red, they went from car to car checking drivers licenses (drivers licenses are very expensive and so many people drive illegally). All of the officers were on foot. They did not even have radios. If something were to have gone wrong, they had no way to stop it or get additional help.
A few years ago we had a pig farm at the BLC. We had not yet built our perimeter wall and so we began to have problems with our pigs being stolen. We are within walking distance of downtown SipeSipe, but we discovered that their police department did not have a phone. We could not call to report a robbery. When someone broke into the barn, we had to leave our property, drive to the police station, hope that someone was there, and drive them back to our property.
The police have very little power, very little authority, and very little pay. Sandra also explained to me that there are some times when the police will take or request bribes. She said that this was not due to corruption but to their desperation to care for their families.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Friday, March 14, 2008
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
John's Shuttle Launch Photos
John was much closer than we were. The Gorie family sent him tickets to the restricted area for friends of the astronauts.
Out Of This World
We were sitting around the dinner table last night and talking about the shuttle launch. Three of my housemates and I all planned to watch it, but since it launched at 2:20am we were still discussing what time to get up. I wanted to go out to the beach so there would be fewer lights. But which beach to go to? One of my roommates commented that if we left soon we could just drive up to Cocoa Beach and watch from there. A silence filled the room as we all secretly longed to do exactly that but weren't sure if anyone else was serious. Well a few cat naps and cups of coffee later, we were on the road. We ended up going to Titusville and had an amazing view. When the countdown was under 5 minutes we gathered together to pray for the launch, the mission, Commander Gorie (I work with his daughter!), the rest of the crew, and the families of the crew. When the shuttle ignited, the whole sky lit up, kind of a peach color, bright as the day. The shuttle crept up and disappeared through the clouds. Just as it was hidden from site, the roar reached us. A long, loud, rumbling that seemed to go on a ridiculous amount of time. It was one of the most amazing and beautiful experiences I have ever had. And then as we drove away, we were all in a state of shock almost. It is very hard to come to terms with the fact that our friend's father is in outerspace right now. Weird.
Monday, March 3, 2008
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Saturday, March 1, 2008
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