Since then I've been staying with Ken in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. Lemme tell ya, it's more than hot in Santa Cruz. We've been steadily in the high 30's and broke 40 a few times. If I sleep past 8 the sun will shine on my mattress, making it impossible to sleep - not from the light, but from the sweat tickling me as it drips down. Plus, the parakeets have a screeching competition in the neighbour's tree every morning from 8-9am. I've found that to be the ideal time to eat breakfast. It works well for me because the sun is usually off my mattress by 9:30, so if I want more sleep the option is there. Yup, it's so hot that I had to shave and get a hair cut.

Anywho, Ken is a missionary from Saskatoon, who has a boys home that provides the opportunity for former street kids to attend university. Right now there's 9 boys (almost all 20 yrs old), Ken and I living at the house.

FRANZ educated me on the local politics. I understand that Cambas (lowland, eastern, jungle folk in Bolivia who are relaxed enough that they don't feel it neccesary to pronounce the 'S' at the end of their words) see Evo Morales as the antichrist, the second Hitler and Satan himself. They want more atonomy like what Canadian provinces have. The mountain dwelling highlander folk (mostly Quechua, but the name of them escapes me) see Evo as their saviour and the lone good guy amongst all bad.
Franz also beat me in a swimming contest, making me his cachiman. Since then I have been laying down the smack talk on my fusbol skills. After our game he'll be walking away with his tail between his legs, but we still haven't found a place to play. I spotted a bunch of tables in a plaza close to Ken's house the other week when I was walking around lost, but for some odd reason they were gone the next day.

SANDRO is incredibly short and eats his weight every meal, yet doesn't gain any weight. It baffles me. Not only is the the shortest, but he's also the oldest at 23. When I first met him I thought he was quiet and serious, but his high pitched laugh quickly proved me wrong. Throughout the day I'll usually hear Sandro constantly mumbling "mi cachiman", which more or less means "my servent". In my first day at the home that became a running joke that hasn't gone. These boys have been teaching me a bunch of street slang and the Santa Cruz accent, which is the last thing my broken Spanish needs.

DAVID and RONELO each have baby girls that they're obviously proud of - they've showed me their pictures. Ronelo emphasized that his girl got her good looks from him. He also likes to remind me that he's the best looking guy in the house. David, on the other hand, first told me his name was Brappy, so I could never figure out who David was. Eventually it was clear that David tried to tell me his name was Brad Pitt. heh heh, didn't work so well.

ANDRES was sick and quiet for the first week I met him. Then one day he instantly felt better and started teasing everyone constantly. Funny guy, but I don't know where he get's his energy from.
Last week a praying mantis landed on my leg. I only know those freaky bugs from nature shows when they fight each other to the death, so, naturally, I freaked out in a very manly fasion. You've gotta see them, they have huge pinchers!! Andres caught the praying mantis and chased me around the kitchen table reassuring me they are harmless. ...turns out he's right. I held it in my hand and it just relaxed. Regardless, I was happier with it outside.

YIMY (pronounced Jimmy) is studying to be an electrician. He also used to play soccer for a just-below-pro team here in Santa Cruz. He's a quiet guy, polite and confident. Actually, all the guys are very confident and most are polite too.

Like Sandro, JOSE MIGUEL comes across as serious, but in this case he actually is. A nice guy though who's been kind enough to come with me into town a few times to use the internet.

JESUS has been rather quiet and I haven't chatted with much. He has a son who is scared of white people.

I'm sleeping on the floor in RUDDY's room. Everyone else has 2 or 3 in a room, but Ruddy. I dunno if that has to do with good behaviour or what, but it works for me. He seems to have a healthy balance in his life. It's not rare to catch him singing or whistling while doing chores - sometimes trying to sing louder than the other boys. Plus, he's incredibly patient, especially with my Spanish and teaching how to play the sampoña (the typical reed instrument you'll hear in Bolivian or Peruvian folk music). Lately he's played a song or two in bed before turning the lights off. I honestly think it helps me sleep better.
Ruddy is studying communications to possibly be a radio personality or something in the radio/music industry.

Those are the boys. From what Ken tells me, the typical story of street kids in Santa Cruz is something like this: Their parents split with the mom taking the kids. She finds a new man who then abuses the kids, so they escape the bad scene at home for another bad scene on the streets. Many turn to drugs and alcohol to cope, which is funded usually by stealing. Some kids voluntarily show up at orphanages for a better way of life. For Ken's boys, this is mostly the story they have and some are still struggling to keep their past behind them.

With that said, these guys are now studying at university with all of their expenses paid for. They live in a clean home (and what a beautiful home!) which they help to maintain. But most importantly, they're quality people. It's been a privilege staying with them.

written by  ryanmyers on April 6, 2009 from Cochabamba, Bolivia
from the travel blog: Ryan's First Sabbatical
tagged SantaCruz and Ken
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How long are you staying? What's next?

Great entry. I laughed out loud a number of times.

Love you!

written by  Tara Graham on April 30, 2009

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