On Our Way

We have spent the past week shopping for art supplies, and groceries for 3 weeks in Aucapata. For those who may not be aware, Joy and I are heading to a remote (15 - 16 hours depending on the roads) Andean village called Aucapata. The best way to get an idea of the landscape is to check the ¨Google Maps¨satellite shot. While we will have a cel phone and there is service and there is a health centre with a nurse, and the Ivar Mendez International Foundation has a house there, there will be no internet access, soI will not be able to up-date this blog until we return.
Joy will be teaching art with a dental slant, in three schools in 3 villages within walking distance. The walks may be slow because of the altitude, but I think that we are becoming aclimatized to the 3800 metres here in La Paz. Joy is very excited and has developed a fun program and will be ably assisted by Lucy, an art student who ran a program in Aucapata last year. The IMIF has a dental health program in the same area and we will have a dentist joining us on Tuesday. She speaks some English, but Lucy does not nor does Ernesto who will also be sharing the bus ride. Language will be an issue, but this week Joy had an opportunity to work her magic with a group of children at an institution here in La Paz and language was no issue.
My job is to provide the muscle, a little Spanish, and a complete HD video record of the event. I may also be required to talk a little about Canada and Nova Scotia, if a teacher wants such an event. I have NS and Canada pins, as well as a NS flag and a complete set of Canadian coins to illustrate a talk. I recommend anyone travelling to go and see their local MP and MLA for a supply of these. They come in handy. I forget where it was, but we were sitting next to a birthday party for a young girl. She became upset over something and started crying, so as we left I presented her with a NS pin and the crying quickly stopped. It is amazing the power of those little pins!
Well we are off!