JUDIT PLADEVALL
Dear Bolivia,
I write to you so that you do not forget me. Being 9,585 km away from you, I think of you.
I recall when I arrived, after a long journey and years of savings. My adventure began with a lot of positive energy, and with the purpose of discovering and rediscovering a reality completely different from my own. At first it was not easy at all, arriving in a new place, so different from my home. I had to leave my fears aside and learn to unlearn all my European logics, my habits and my roots in order to soak myself in you.
I was lucky, I met nice people who made it easier and made it one of the richest experiences I have ever had in my life.
Some of these people are young, on Friday nights, instead of going out to party so as to forget their problems, they spend the afternoon cooking in order to be able to offer, in the evening, a plate of food to the homeless, to offer a listening ear or a hug to those who are deprived.
They take the problems of others as their own and thus weave a network and these problems are diluted, at least for a few moments on Friday nights. It is a blow of harsh reality, which, thanks to their accompanying actions, they manage to sweeten.
In addition, they invest their Sundays to bring happiness, joy and affection to many children (and I say many because they are) in the upper neighborhood of Cochabamba. They spend their Sundays together doing workshops, games and everything they can think of to bring joy where it is more difficult to reach. These young people are part of Casita Girasol, a small association in Cochabamba.
I also met with the teachers of the Arco Iris de la Paz School, which is located within the community of La Casa de Los Niños. It is a school that ‘go against the current’ to offer light and life learning to all its children (who are not few). In an environment with few resources and a lot of complexity, they manage to feed more than 200 people every day thanks to the dining room that they organize with the mothers and fathers of the school. I loved working with the teachers and their director, Gianluca, and was filled with their positive energy and hope. Hope for a better future for all these children and for the quality of life of their families.
And finally La Casa de Los Niños, which to me is a bubble of liberation for families or children who are going through a bad time, it is a bubble of hope for life.
And all this at a Bolivian rhythm!
These people also welcomed me. They invited me to get into their van and accompany them everywhere, they opened the doors of their home and their school and left me free to participate and contribute ‘a grain of sand’.
In many of the moments of my experience in Bolivia, I learned that generosity has no limits and that wealth is life. I was also invited to their most important moments, music and celebrations, the Koa's, the winter solstice and thanks to the Pachamama... It is clear that wealth doesn't mean money, because it is a country of extremes in terms of nature, you have jungles and deserts, areas of more than 4,000 meters above sea level (Andes mountains) and less than 100 meters above sea level (Amazon basin).
Accompanying them with such a human perspective touched me, it touched my heart. I felt very grateful for having been able to meet all these people who, without asking for anything in return, offer what they can to those who need it most. For me, these are people being revived - people who sow seeds day by day so that, over the years, new seeds will sprout to be replanted, grow and blossom. These seeds are the children, who are the world's greatest hope.
Thank you very much for your work, love and hope!