In total I spent 15 days in the community. There are about 35 families that live there, so it´s small and very friendly. While in Santa Rita I investigated the weaving techniques and life as an artesan (and have 4 blankets to prove it!!) I spent my mornings with Juana and her mom Ana and learned all the steps of how to make a manta (blanket\shawl). I learned how to dye the hila (thread) with all the different plants, washed out the dye in the atahao (lagoon), prepared the loom, rolled countless balls of yarn and most importantly, weaved on the loom! It takes about 3 days from start to finish to weave a blanket and the women can then sell them for 100 bolivianos. I´m practically a professional artesan after my days with Juana and Ana. They also weave scarves out of yarn with the help of a handheld loom. And on top of that, I taught the little girls how to make earrings out of sirari seeds (the good luck seeds)! I think I´m ready to open my own shop, it´s just a matter of where! ;)
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| Juana, Myself and Ana with my creations! |
In the afternoons I played with the kids who ranged in age from 2 to 17, the ones older than 17 were too cool to play with the gringa! We played Duck, Duck, Goose! Red Rover, Tag, Señor Lobo, Cat & Mouse... all of which I´m sure played when I was little! I got quite a workout those two weeks running around after the kids! If we weren´t playing in the plaza we were at the atahao! But the atahao was not just for swimming, but also where everyone bathed and washed their clothes, myself included! There is no running water in the village so being able to be somewhat clean was welcome! Spending an afternoon at the atahao is a family affair. The mothers come to bathe and wash the clothes, and after the children are finished playing they help wash the clothes and bathe as well! Even the smallest children help out, washing socks and underwear!
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| Getting ready to play Señor Lobo! Essentially you yell towards el Lobo what time it is, take that many steps and keep walking towards him or her. When the lobo says ¨Medianoche¨ (Midnight) you sprint back to where you started, trying not to get caught or else you also become a lobo! |
Obviously a lot happened, and this is just a quick snapshot, but I had a truly wonderful experience!! I´m still writing my children´s book and the kids gave me a lot of ideas, so I have a lot to work with!! If you haven´t donated yet, please seriously consider it, I know the children of Santa Rita would appreciate it more than I could ever imagine!!
To two weeks of paradise (even with the bugs),
Carly
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