Lake Titicaca
March 31, 2017
Lauren Reynolds: Today was incredible. We met for breakfast at 7am and were on the road with by 8am to Lupalaya to see Lake Titicaca, scope out a possibility for a future water project, and visit the children at the orphanage there. The 3-hour drive was awesome because we got to go through La Paz, El Alto, and then more rural areas. The scenery in all three was completely different! Upon arriving at Lake Titicaca (the highest navigable lake in the world) we just stood by the water for minutes taking in the sight. The lake is a deep blue and looks as though it could go on for miles. Marco, who is a professor at UMSA, has a vacation house on the water and so he took some time to show us around. One thing I have learned while being in Bolivia is that the people are extremely hospitable.
Handing out candy at the orphanage
In Lupalaya there is also an orphanage. We all bought chocolates before going so that we could give them to the kids. They were skeptical of us at first but as soon as they saw the chocolate they loved us. They were fun to be around, but it was difficult to see how they lived. There were about 9 kids in each room and they live in such a high altitude that it is very common for the children to get skin cancer from the sun. I actually held a six-month-old who had skin cancer. Something that also got me thinking was the attitudes of the children. Sometimes it seems as though the problems in my life are so big when in reality I have it so good compared to many people around the world. The kids we saw were so happy, they make the most of what they have, and they have really kind hearts. It is such a humble reminder that I have so much and am in a position to give so much and without this experience I don’t know if I would have ever had that realization. Those children left a really big imprint in my heart and I really hope to in the future get to go back to Lupalaya and help with the water sanitation project and then hope to also help the orphanage with their other needs.
At the Lupalaya orphanage
Anna Meyer: Today I woke up early and ate with my group at the hotel. We left the hotel at 8 in the morning and piled into a land cruiser driven by Ricardo, from Engineers in Action. The destination was Lupalaya, another 1,000 feet up from La Paz near Lake Titicaca. The village is rural and is occupied by a fairly small population, including many orphans from La Paz. We were in the land cruiser for 3 and a half hours. Many of us tried to sleep, but it was merely impossible due to the bad road conditions. We drove through El Alto, a much poorer region of Bolivia. Many of the roads on the way were severely beat up, and some were not paved at all. A normal car would not have made the trip.
At the orphanage, our group gave candies to the kids. I saw the rooms that the children stay in. There were over 20 beds in each room. No privacy, no space. It makes me sad to think about how much less many people have than I do. I have never seen poverty that severe. The caretakers at the orphanage told us that a few days out of the week they sometimes go without water. There are rations in Lupalaya because there is not enough water for everyone there.
That night we went to Martín’s house for dinner. His wife made us such a delicious meal. She made a lasagna with several different types of meat in it. It was a late night on account of us having such a great time. We talked a lot about the differences in education between Bolivia and the United States. It is interesting that in Bolivia, college is free, or mostly free. I think about it a lot when thinking about the different ways governments spend money. I still wonder why the Bolivian government does not prioritize wastewater treatment, but it prioritizes education. This is something I will be looking into more as I write my research paper.