Blockades (Part 2- How they affect the BLC)

The BLC has daytime staff and nighttime staff.  Unfortunately all of our daytime staff comes from the city of Cochabamba and if the road is blocked, they can’t make it out to the BLC.  Meaning no daytime staff.  And if they can’t make it through, most of the teachers from the local schools won’t make it through either.  Meaning no school that day.  Meaning all of our boys are stuck at home with no supervisors.  This is bad.

Thank God there are now a couple of us that live on the BLC property and are here blockade or no.  We put on our battle gear and desperately try to come up with structure for the restless mob of children while simultaneously praying that the blockade is resolved by the end of the day and doesn’t stretch on for two weeks as is sometimes the case.  We send the bravest out in search of food and cooking fuel to stock the BLC just in case it does last a long time.

And then we…

Watch movies

Play foosball

Huddle around any available cell phone to play its free game

Pull the carpet out of the truck and the cushions off the sofa to lay around in the grass

Play marbles

Make forts out of the grass clippings and stage a war...something very similar to Braveheart happened, including the yelling and final charge, except that they made it China vs USA!!

Add tee-pees to the mix

Invite a friend for a nap in your now even cooler grass fort

Get tired of smelling your friend's feet and build a double-wide fort

Go fishing for puppies...there is a bone tied to the end of that string on a stick!

In early March we actually had 8 blockades in a period of 7 days.  Craziness.  One of the blockades involved a city-wide walkout of all doctors to protest the government forcing them to change to an 8 hour work day instead of their 6 hour work day with no change in pay.  If you suddenly had to work 2 hours extra EVERY DAY with NO pay increase, you'd probably walk out too.  Unfortunately this happened the day that one of my family visit boys broke his collar bone and needed emergency surgery.  Thank God He has given me some wonderful contacts and some doctor and nurse friends came running to treat him.  My boy is recovering with no problems.