Bienvenidos a Barrio Flores (Cochabamba, USA)

09:46 am - We're moving..!

Please wander over to http://www.barrioflores.net/weblog (my site)

and

http://www.livinginlatinamerica.com/bo (a collaborative site)


leave comments!

06:17 pm - Mayor Killed by Townspeople

In a disturbing course of events, the Mayor of the small town of Ayo Ayo, located 80 km from La Paz was kidnapped, beaten to death and his body burnt. Benjamin Altamirano was found in the main plaza, a victim of a severe and brutal case of vigilante justice.

After being kidnapped from La Paz, he was driven back to Ayo Ayo, where he ultimately lost his life. There was a long history of threats of violence spanning back to 2001, where Altamirano was under constant abuse and even registered a formal complaint with the police fearing for his life.

Townspeople say they were frustrated by the lack of public investments through the Mayorship and the disappearance of approximately 5 million dollars destined for the town's use. This was the end of a sad chapter where he was repeatedly assaulted and his house burned to the ground, after he was cleared of corruption charges.

Already five suspects have been named by the family as possible perpetrators of this murder. The names were published in a La Paz daily. However, these types of public declarations can increase the tension. These accusations, even those of corruption, can evolve into a life of their own and become hearsay where the line between truth and hysteria can incite emotions that make this behavior seem acceptable. Without clear proof, individuals decide that they can decide a person's fate regardless of evidence, with the backing of a mob-mentality of onlookers.

The victim's family are sure that the murder was associated with a political, economic and power struggle, led by former town officials who want a piece of the financial action themselves. The deceased's family has vowed that if justice doesn't solve this case, then they will take matters into their own hands.

Everyone is denouncing this crime, including Waldo Albarracín, the Defensor del Pueblo (public ombusdman) and various government ministers. A full investigation is underway.

However, a member of the MIP party (Movimiento Indígena Pachacuti), Gabriel Bautista said he was sorry that this even happened, but reminded that this type of communal justice happens, when the legal course of action does not "work".

This is a reoccurring theme on the Altiplano. Last April a similar event occurred in the town of Ilave, Peru, where the Mayor also accused of corruption was killed and his body burned. As these events become more common, towns and entire regions can increasingly become lawless areas where the State no longer has control.

Events like this leave me frustrated and question how human beings can resort to this type of behavior. No one quite knows all of the factors that lead to this crime. Maybe he was corrupt or maybe it was political jealousy, no matter what, no reasons can ever justify this.

05:51 pm - Now It's Your Turn

The Bolivian government, through the Minsitry of the Presidency, has launched an interactive website pertaining to all issues of the upcoming gas Referendum, which takes place on July 18. The website and information campaign called "Te Toca A Ti', reflects President Carlos Mesa's journalism and media backgroud.

Already there are large amounts of information to wade through, including "Frequently Asked Questions", an interactive Q&A where a staff member answers basic questions (so far there are too many "What is the Referendum?" questions), and transcriptions of speeches made by President Mesa on this issue.

Naturally, this is a website that is pushing for a "Yes" vote, but also to push for the Referendum process itself. The campaign director, Diego Massi said,

"We are going to reinforce the Referendum concept. We have to defend the Referendum as an alternative. There are two roads: Either (the citizen) will vote in the Referendum or we'll get into a fistfight. That's pretty graphic. You have the democratic alternative or you have the alternative to blockcade the roads, throw stones, go the radicalized route - which could be a way to solve this - but we don't believe that's the correct way. I think we'll continue to reinforce the idea that the Referendum is the democratic and rational way to make a decision."

09:57 pm - When is a loss a victory?

...when a team comes back from 0-3 and almost pulls off the greatest comeback in that nation's history. I almost walked out at halftime upset that I spent twenty bucks to watch Saturday's game against Ecuador. Little did I expect that a furious comeback in the 2nd half where we had 2 clear chances to tie the game, which may have led to a win.

Two defensive miscues demoralized the team. However, two key changes (Gatti and Castillo) made huge differences. I question why these two were not in from the beginning. Poor Herman Soliz and his own-goal. He had large shoes to fill of Juan Manuel, a 1994 Cup veteran.

We can now build on these two character building games to try and make some noise in the Copa America. One of my new favorite players, Ronald Raldes continued his outstanding play. He'll be a regular on the team for the next 8 years.

I'm proud of this team and they didn't let me down, even though we lost.

09:02 pm - Bolivia 2, Paraguay 1

During the last twenty five minutes of the game on Tuesday, I only had one vision constantly reminding me that no lead is safe. If you recall, last November Bolivia held a one goal lead at Venezuela. Soon the Venezuelans tied and later went ahead 2-1. So during the last couple of minutes in the game, the annoucers kept repeating that history has been made. Bolivia has finally beaten Paraguay after 39 years of futility. All during this time, I kept watching the clock sure that the game had not finished.

So finally, when the final whistle blew, I could finally relax.

There weren't very many Bolivians at Cecilia's on a Tuesday afternoon. Partly, it was the time of day, the disappointing loss against Chile, the 20 dollar cover charge, and typical Bolivian pessimism.

Two others from my office decided they didn't want to go watch the game, even though we had permission from our boss. "We're gonna lose, so why bother?", they would both say.

Nevertheless, we won and it made the rest of my day.

12:34 am - Bolivia's Worst Ambassador

What is the biggest misconception about your country (Bolivia)?

Faced with that question during an official interview, where a candidate’s personality is supposed to shine through, Gabriela Oviedo, Bolivia’s representative to the Miss Universe pageant replied:

"Well unfortunately people that don't know Bolivia very much, think that we are all just Indian people from the west side of the country. It's La Paz and all the image that we reflect is that poor people and very short people and Indian people.

I'm from the other side of the country, the East side, and its not cold, it's very hot. We are tall and we are white people and we know English. So all that misconception that Bolivia is only an Andean country is wrong. Bolivia has a lot to offer and that's my job as an ambassador of my country to let people know how much diversity we have."

07:24 pm - Out of Reach

The Washington Post printed an excellent commentary by two members of the Inter-American Bar Foundation. The article gave excellent examples of how public officials in Latin America (including, and especially Bolivia) are unable to be prosecuted for crimes committed while in office, by claiming immunity under flawed laws designed to provide cover. The article defines these laws:

"We are not talking here about diplomatic immunity or the kind of immunity a government sometimes offers to protect an individual in return for his or her testimony against others. Instead, under laws that vary somewhat from country to country, all members of the legislative branch, many senior government officials and even mayors and former mayors of small towns are protected by broad immunity from prosecution for any criminal act committed while holding public office (or while holding any title under which the immunity continues)."

Often, politicians who run on a platform of stamping out corruption do very little to change these laws, which are abused far too much. Perhaps lending institutions and the U.S. who often condition their aid with more liberalized economic policies, can condition their financial aid to doing away with this incentive for corruption.

10:52 pm - Familias

Everyone in Bolivia tends to look at me funny whenever I mention that I would love to live there permanently. The joke I hear over and over again is that, "everyone wants to leave Bolivia and move to the United States and you (me) must be the only one who wants to leave the United States and move to Bolivia". There's no doubt that one of the major obstacles standing in the way of my desire to change my permanent residency is the lack of jobs and opportunities, where I could secure my future and for my future family.

These lack of opportunities ultimately force thousands of Bolivians to try their luck away from their homelands. Approximately 110,000 Bolivians leave the country each year with destinations of Argentina, Spain, Italy and some to the United States. The flow to the Washington D.C. area has curtailed in the past few years, but the presence is noteworthy.

Almost everyone that I know in Bolivia, has a cousin, aunt or even parent who has moved away. Approximately 150 million dollars is sent back each year. Many seem to think that the DC metro area is small like Cochabamba, where everyone seems to know everyone. Many ask me if I know so-and-so, but the community spreads across two states and one commonwealth, although they all manage to unite on August 6th.

12:48 am - universal radio

I had my doubts that the Radio Panamericana station that I can listen to online from Bolivia would transmit the Wilstermann-Bolivar futbol match. However, to my surprise it would be broadcasted live. No matter how much I hate radio commentary for futbol games, especially Bolivian broadcasts, I had no other choice.

It definitely reminded me of Bolivia, because at the stadium everyone brings their little transistor radios to listen while they watch. The announcer goes nuts, whenever anyone scores a goal...even the goals at other games around the country. At the stadium, when the announcer yells "Gooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooool!", you know it's not referring to the game you are watching, but sitting at home, you nearly wet your pants. Several times I sat there waiting to hear who scored this goal. Later, I discover the goal was scored by Real Potosi or Aurora in other matches that were being played at the same time in a different city.

I miss going to the stadium in Cochabamba. I became very nostalgic listening to the game and recalling the sights, sounds, and smells (empanadas!). Even though Wilstermann lost 1-2, it brought back a lot of memories. Although I couldn't believe that Wilstermann started the game with only one forward.

01:58 am - la nomina de la seleccion...

On Wednesday, new head coach Ramiro Blacutt released the names of the players that will be brought into camp for the games against Paraguay and Ecuador.


Goalkeepers: Leo Fernandez (Chacarita Juniors, Argentina), Sergio Galarza (Wilstermann), Jose Carlos Fernandez (Bolivar)


I think it is Leo's job to lose, as he was Acosta's number one choice. He is currently playing in Argentina where the competition is much stiffer. However, Jose Carlos (el Gato) has the advantage of playing in his home stadium, where he usually plays pretty well. Galarza, aka "El Monito" has been playing very well for Wilstermann, has little chance to get the starting nod. I think his selection was a reward for his fine season.



Defenders: Luis Gatti Ribeiro (Bolivar), Oscar Sanchez (Bolivar), Juan Manuel Pena (Valladolid, Spain), Ronald Raldes (Rosario Central, Argentina), Lorgio Alvarez (Oriente Petrolero), Alvaro Ricaldi (Wilstermann), Sergio Jauregui (Blooming), Herman Soliz (The Strongest)


I have no doubt that Sanchez, Raldes and Pena will be the three defenders. If they aren't, I would start to question Blacutt's judgement. Ricaldi, was one of my favorite players at Wilstermann, but injuries and rumors of his excessive partying kept him out of most of 2004. Gatti Ribeiro, is probably the number one threat playing in La Paz. Even though they list him as a defender, he moves up in attack frequently and sends in the best crosses.



Midfielders: Luis Cristaldo (The Strongest), Ruben Tufino (Bolivar), Julio Cesar Baldivieso (Alwakrah Sport, Saudi Arabia), Limberg Gutierrez (Bolivar), Gonzalo Galindo (Bolivar), Walter Flores (San Jose), Carmelo Angulo (Aurora)


Among this group are Cristaldo and Baldivieso, two veterans of the 1994 World Cup. It was ten years ago when Bolivia shocked the world and could have pulled off an upset against powerhouse Germany, it it wasn't for Etcheverry's temper. I think Baldvieso and Cristaldo get the nod because of their experience, with Carmelo Angulo, the youngster as the third midfielder. Angulo was the best player on the pitch during the embarassment of a game against Chile.



Forwards: Miguel Mercado (Bolivar), Joaquin Botero (UNAM-Pumas, Mexico), Martin Menacho (Real Potosi), Roger Suarez (Bolivar), Jose Castillo (Bolivar)


I think Castillo, Botero and Suarez will play, with Sucha Suarez playing left wing as he did perfectly against Colombia. Menacho, the leading goalscorer in the Bolivian League, has no real business being on the national team. Like Galarza, he is being rewarded for his play in the League, which has no bearing on the international level. Castillo was bit of a surprise, as he went AWOL from his club team and suspected of drinking for three days straight.




Who's missing: Jaime Moreno Believe when I tell you, that Moreno is playing exceptionally well. He is back with his old club at DC United. Although he is not as quick as he once was, his vision is outstanding. I would like to see him as a withdrawn forward or even playmaker #10. Many think that the MLS is a second rate league, but being very familiar with the Bolivian League and MLS, I can tell you that the US league is much stronger. I suspect that Moreno won't get called in because of an agreement reached with his team. I think he will be brought in for the Copa America.

Joselito Vaca has been playing well as a winger with the Metro Stars.

Alex da Rosa. He was naturalized right before the Chile game and was supposed to be our answer to our creating midfielder needs. However, he played poorly and many Bolivians were upset that a foreigner was playing in place of Baldivieso or Gutierrez. I don't think we'll see da Rosa anytime soon.


If I were coach, I would line up...

----------------------Gato Fernandez----------------------------

-------------------Raldes, Pena, Sanchez------------------------

---------Ribeiro, Cristaldo, Baldivieso, Angulo, Suarez----------

----------------------Castillo, Botero--------------------------

11:37 pm - crossing boundaries

I met my nephew last Sunday. I also met his grandparents. My cousin is now a father of a baby boy and his wife's parents flew from Bulgaria to be there. What was interesting meeting this couple from Bulgaria was that they are now a part of our family, yet they welcomed us as if we had been a part of theirs for years. The grandfather's english skills were raw, but we still found a way to communicate. I had to drop a little football reference saying I know who Hristo Stoichov is and that he used to play with DC United. He quickly corrected my poor pronounciation of his name. There was an also an invitation extended to visit Bulgaria in the near future, and I may take him up on that offer. There's nothing quite like visiting another country where you are welcomed by someone local.

Our extended family in the United States is pretty homogeneous. Most came to the United States in the last 20-30 years, yet their roots have been planted here. Once the children were born as first-generation Americans, a whole new chapter began. Eventually, most of the kids will get married, and I wonder how the blending of cultures will continue. The newborn was given a french name, neither Spanish or Bulgarian. He will be trilingual: Spanish, Bulgarian and English. Those are things that will happen from now on. We are all pretty conscious of our cultural heritage and it is something importatnt to us. However, we don't live in Bolivia anymore..the United States hopefully will continue to encourage this multiculturalism. I never gave it much thought, but most of the kids born in the U.S. will continue to mix and match cultures. My experiences with this Bulgarian couple and how they are just as interested in visiting Bolivia someday, has made me appreciate this diversity.

12:19 pm - what is barrio flores?

This is the name of the neighborhood where my parents built their retirement home, located some 10 km from Cochabamba. Back when it was purchased, it was a remote location deep within the euctalyptus forest. Now, there's electricity, a new paved road and many of the trees have been cut down to sell as lumber.

It's an interesting environment because huge mansions (not ours) sit side-by-side with small campesino farms. It's definitely a sign of the contrasts in Bolivia. Many of the families work as caretakers, living on the property in addition to receiving payment for other maintenance work. We've had three different families who have lived on our grounds. It's been interesting to get to know them.

Even we have met other families in the area. Often I would be stopped driving home and be invited chicharron and chicha. Even though I may have eaten, it's tough to turn down any invitation. Although, only one tutuma of chicha, because I was driving.

One doesn't miss the constant honks of car horns or the pollutants from the city buses. Watching the tall euctalyptus trees swaying in the wind, with the mountains to your back is definitely the best part of being there.


Plus, my dog lives there..

08:42 pm - cross-FIRE

Usually if I don't have anything planned on my days off, I sleep late and end up surfing the net so I don't spend money. But today I was determined to do something..and something free. So I went into DC to be in the studio audience for the Crossfire show. It was a gamble because I did not want to see Bob Novak (one of the 2 possible hosts for the "right"). Thankfully, Tucker Carlson, who I don't mind so much anymore since reading his book, was the host. I think a lot of his arrogance and smugness is an act for TV.

On the left, was lunatic (but loveable) James Carville. The topic was whether torture for prisoners was acceptable in any form. It was tough to argue the "pro-torture" side as Tucker admitted before the show, but it was entertaining. They brought on Bianca Jagger, a "human rights activist", but she came off as a rich socialite. It was a fun thirty minutes. Here are 2 pictures from my phone, I really need to invest in a digital camera.









blurry left, Carville; blurry right, Carlson

10:32 pm - at every chance I get.

I'm such a nerd. I'm sure I get a bit annoying, but at every chance I get when I am around other Bolivianos, I try to talk about Bolivia. I am starting to get more comfortable and confident in my opinions and feel like I am partly right. Even though I have a lot to learn, I am proud that I have the curiousity to find out about the things I have little experience with.

I'm starting to write a bit more in my blog/journal because I think it's important to establish a Bolivian presence in the internet. I'm trying to primarily write only about things related to Bolivia, so you'll see little about other things.

If interested visit http://www.livinginlatinamerica.com , I've started to become more active with that site.

12:51 pm - abuelito stories

.
My 2 favorite stories about my abuelito

1. My abuelito frequented the Club Social in Cochabamba near the Plaza Principal. Often he would wander in there in the evening, spend all evening reading over the newspapers. Everyone knew him. In his late 80s, he would often make the 10 block walk back to his house no matter what time it would be.

Naturally, my aunt would be very worried that something might happen to him or he would be an easy prey for a mugging. One day a friend of my aunts casually mentioned that she saw my abuelito walking home at 1 am.

The next day at lunch, my aunt said that a friend of hers saw him walking home at 1 o'clock in the morning. She said she was worried and that he should really take a taxi. Fully expecting him to deny it, he said "That's wrong, I wasn't walking home at 1 o'clock.." He looked at us with a grin on his face, "she's lying, it was 2 o'clock!!!!" He then exploded with laughter, which I can still hear now.



2. The day he passed away, he was lying in his hospital bed. Naturally, I thought it was a minor setback, but ultimately he would pass on that night. We were all at the hospital at his side. He would be worried about us because we had been there all morning. He recommended that we leave for lunch (at the Club Social naturally) and get something to eat. We didn't want to leave because it was about a 20 minut e drive back into the city. Even with his repeated insistence, we wanted to stay at the hospital. Finally, to make him tranquilo, we left and grabbed a sandwich outside the hospital. When we returned, he asked whether we had gone to eat at the Club. Fibbing just a bit, we said "yes."

The next day after the funeral, we returned to my aunt's house. About ten minutes after coming home, there was a ring at the door. A pizza delivery guy was holding two pizzas. Asking around, no one had ordered a pizza, we were all at the cemetary all afternoon. However, the pizza guy had the exact address, name and telephone number. It baffled us, but it occurred to me about the little incident how we had to lie saying we went to eat, even though we had not. My theory was that my abuelito had somehow played that trick on us to teach us a lesson and somewhere he was laughing at his cleverness.

01:18 am

My Abuelito, 2nd from left (front row).

01:48 pm - being naive

Yes, it's cliched. Young people are too idealistic. However, it is also cliched that once people start to age, then that idealism wears off. It may be cliched, but most often it's true.

With time and experiences, I definitely have seen how I have changed my viewpoints. I still hold hope, but also understand the reality of life. For those that know me, it's easy to know my true intentions. But for those that do not know me, it is frustrating that think that I have ulterior motives. It's as if I am guilty until proven innocent.

When I was on the Board of Directors for my apartment building in Cochabamba, my main focus was to establish a fair and just work environment for our three employees. Some of the tenants tried to stiff these employees on important benefits guaranteed by law. Naturally, there were ways to avoid these laws, such as a series of one month contracts. But the average price of these apartments were not a small amount of change. A difference in 3 Bs. a month for these families were not going to put them out on the street, but would make a difference for these employees.

The position was strictly volunteer, but I found myself spending too much time on the project. I lost respect for many tenants for the way they treated the employees and me and my fellow board members. Instead of going down to La Cancha and bargain for the best possible price for brooms for our employee, I ran across a man on his bike selling brooms. It was much more convenient, but he wasn't prepared to give me a receipt. It was convenience more than anything, and not a way to skim money off the treasury. But there were some grumblings that I wasn't doing things correctly. So the next time I was due to purchase more cleaning products, I went down to the local Supermarket (on my own time, using my own gasoline for the trip), and bought everything all at once. I got the receipt as should be done. However, many see the Supermarket as having higher prices. Once again, I was reprimanded for not going down to La Cancha and roughing the traffic and heat to save 3-4 Bs. (50 cents).

I have so many other stories about that experience with the Mesa Directiva, but right before I left, I called the President from the airport and say I was resigning. My term ended in two months anyhow, but it was a lot easier that way because I never want to see some my neighbors again. I started out with a lot of enthusiasm and a desire to improve the place where we live, but ended up destesting many people and wondering why and how they can treat others (I don't really care that much how they treated me, but the doorman and cleaning personnel). I wouldn't wish that experience with the Board on anyone.

01:53 am - Now what?

Should I boycott Bolivian football for an extended period of time? Is it even worth following a team and be left disillusioned? I have invested so much energy and time in following my two teams: Jorge Wilstermann and the Bolivian National Team. However, it seems that expectations are way too high.

I regret not following football back in 1994 when Bolivia qualified for the World Cup. I had no interest whatsoever in football and I thought it was too boring. My father said I should attend at least one game while it was in the US. So off we went to Dallas, Texas to watch Argentina-Bulgaria. The morning of the match, Diego Maradona was suspended for testing positive for a banned substance. The atmosphere that afternoon was mesmerizing. I hardly remember the match, but my concentration was on the fans and the bands playing across the stadium. That began my love affair with soccer/football/futbol/futebol.

Spending time in Cochabamba, it was only natural that I gravitate towards the homeside. My cousins and I would spend lazy Sunday afternoons watching los Aviadores. Soon, I developed a fondness for certain players and developed a disdain for many others. However, I would never stoop to the level of cursing or yelling or throwing bottles at the opposing side.

To me, spending the time in stadium was an integral part of my time in Bolivia. But it seems that Bolivia will always be a step behind other countries. Everyone blames everyone else in Bolivian football. High expectations bring about too much pressure and a sense of impending disaster.

03:22 am - I can't sleep

It's way past three o'clock a.m. and this heat is killing me. I can't manage to get a gentle breeze to flow through my room because the windows aren't aligned correctly. I have to wake up in four hours and go to work.

I currently work part-time in my cousin's accounting firm. He gave me, like he does so many others, a hand by providing me a job while I look for something I can feel passionate about. All of the twelve people who work there are Bolivians. Most of the clients are Bolivians. It's still a strange feeling for me to see that. Before moving to Virginia, I had only met two Bolivianos in Nebraska. No one knew the context of anything I would speak about. They asked me if we had tortillas in Bolivia. A lot of Nebraskans would ask me if I spoke "Mexican." A couple of weeks before I was to graduate, someone asked me my plans. I told them that I was planning on going to Bolivia for another year. They countered with, "Bolivia, what'sthat?

Now that I am surrounded by Bolivians and frequent typical restaurants on a weekly basis, something is still missing. Many of the people around me are recent immigrants or have lived in their self-contained environment. We often have little in common. It's tough trying to find somewhere you fit in.

09:20 pm - Status quo

Ho-hum. After the forced resignation of National team coach Nelson Acosta, the FBF has hired the status-quo. Ramiro Blacutt has been hired for the third time to lead the National Team. I was sad to see Acosta be shown the door, but it had to be done. Bolivia now starts over, holding onto a small glimmer of hope to qualify for the World Cup. What Acosta brought was a no-nonsense approach to football. He didn't care about your past accomplishments and only wanted to see how you conducted yourself. He had no problem kicking Julio Cesar Baldivieso (arguably the best #10 we have since Etcheverry retired). Baldivieso has never shown loyalty to the green jersey. Playing in Qatar, and later blowing off a national team call up because he got in a fight with a teenager in Tarija, many wondered aloud what the heck Acosta was trying to do.

What he was trying to do, was to show the promising young players the right way to play the game. I am worried that Blacutt will just fall back into the comfort zone of allowing the players to do as they please. Blacutt will undoubtedly be the FBF's puppet. Acosta, upon his leaving the country, called Bolivar's president, Mauro Cuellar, out. He said that all the other club presidents were afraid of Cuellar and he had the FBF by the neck. Bolivar has traditionally supplied the most number of players for the National side.

The next game is another home game against Paraguay. If Acosta continued as coach, most likely only a small handful of fans would have shown up. Now that Blacutt is in charge, the fans will give him this game or else.