Like letters from Oz
09.29.2003And to brighten up my world, my first package of comics arrived. Like long-lost friends, my favorite characters are spread out before me in multi-colored pages. Thanks, Josh Upson!
Posted by Miguel at 05:01 PM | Permalink
Continued irrationality
09.29.2003Protests against the government gas policy (which isn't even defined yet!) continues. They key slogan is "no gas through Chile," which is nothing but the tired old nationalism of spiting Chile for having won a war in 1878. To be fair, that left Bolivia landlocked, which makes development in the third world quite difficult. To be truthful, the territory "taken" by Chile was never fully defined as Bolivian or Chilean, it was disputed territory. In my opinion, the dispute ended at least a century ago; no turning back the clock now, for better or worse.
Today a crowd of market sellers joined the COB (Central Obrera Boliviana) in a strike and march around downtown, mainly the Prado. Rather than dialoguing w/ the government, the tradition in Bolivia has now become to just go straight to the barricades, block traffic for an hour, and march around yelling nationalist slogans.
The funny thing: no one really seems to care. Sure, some business close their doors for fear of potential looting. But while the protesters march along the street, regular folk (of all social classes) go about along the sidewalk. And if we have to cross the street, well, we just go right ahead and cross through the marchers themselves. After all, some of us have work to do.
Now, I can empathize w/ some of the demands or causes the marchers espouse. Almost. But not fully. They want to prevent the sale of gas through Chile for nationalist reasons, even though it'd be cheaper (and hence, more income for the country) to do that rather than try to go through Peru or someplace else. Some even demand that we don't sell gas at all. Why? Because it's ours. Oh, great. Let's play that game. How many things do we want from the world that we don't have? And Bolivia produces more gas than it consumes. Why not sell the excess and generate income (which also means jobs).
Then there's the argument that the gas should be "industrialized" in country. Most protesters have no idea what this means. But it primarily could mean things like increasing the infrastructure of domestic gas lines so that people don't have to keep buying gas in containers for their homes. A fair demand, to be sure. But where the hell is the country going to get the money to do this? Keep in mind that so few Bolivians pay taxes. The February protests over the "impuestazo" were primarily over efforts of the goverment to get more than 20% (mostly only middle class and above pay taxes) of the population to actually pay taxes they're already supposed to pay. Most of the government's ministries and other bureaucracies are almost entirely funded by donations from the US & Canada, Europe, and Japan. So where's the government going to get the money to industrialize gas? Oh, how about by selling some and generating money.
And who leads these social movements? Well, it's a tug of war to win political capital among three groups/persons. The COB, a Trotskyite syndicalist movement (that refuses to recognize any trade unions that don't pledge allegiance to its directorate) that nearly bankrupted the country in the early 1980s. If you don't know, Bolivia suffered the highest hyperinflation in world record (far surpassing the interwar German hyperinflation). The COB's been on its last legs for a while, it can only mobilize protests but can't get any of its parties any votes for years. Essentially, they probably make up a total of perhaps 2-5% of the population (at most, in the last three elections they polled less than 1%) but can put those hundreds on the streets due to strong clientelist networks.
The other groups is the movement led by Felipe Quispe, known as "Mallku" (Aymara semi-equivalent of "Godfather"). Also having at most a support of 5% of the population (about what he won in the last election), he represents a powerful clientelist base of Aymara "caciques" (tribal chiefs) and can, essentially, force people out to blockade. Mallku's spoken of going to guerrilla war at times, and has been stubbornly unwilling to negotiate or compromise on any terms w/ any government. Essentially, he's an authoritarian sectarian leader w/ no pretensions to support a democratic process (his caciques use whips and threats of kerosene against those who don't march). Presently, campesinos in the Altiplano are fighting among themselves because most would rather not go on strike; they lose days (or months!) of wages of they can't deliver their crops to the only market they have, the cities (principally, La Paz). While the mostly lower to upper middle class citizens of La Paz can (somewhat) easily absorb the cost of a food shortage for at least several weeks. Prices for most products, remain stable.
The third, is Evo Morales, leader of MAS (Movement Toward Socialism), which is a movement, but not socialist. There's almost no ideological content to his party. Essentially, it represents the coca growers of the Chapare, whore emmeshed in the drug trade. While he portrays himself as a "man of the people" (and gets much love and recognition from international anti-globalization types), he drives a Mercedes, and has several nice houses, one just for his girlfriend in the Zona Sur. He also recently (in the midst of the crisis) flew to Lybia, supposedly to a conference on indigenous movements (a conference no one's heard of). Asked about the whereabouts of their leader, MAS deputies answered that he was in the Chapare giving some lectures. Until the government said, "interesting, because here we have the notice that he flew to Lybia two days ago." He paid $2,000 for his ticket (my aunt works at the travel agency he used, this was reported in all the newspapers), although he was quite put out that there was no first class ticket (costing $5,000), since he's used to traveling only first class. So much for a man of the people, eh?
So that's the reality of protest movements in the country. A small minority (certainly not the majority) protest when ordered out by their syndicalist leaders. They often don't really know why they're protesting, they only know that they must. Their leaders, their caciques told them to.
Tendido como un arco el alma tuve
09.27.2003This looks to be a good weekend. Last night I went out w/ Daniel & Sylvia to a little boliche called La Caldera de la Bruja (The Witches' Pot) to hear Sylvia's nephew play guitar and sing. And to make Sam & Andy jealous ... tonight, I might go see Octavia play at the Equinoccio.
Continue reading "Tendido como un arco el alma tuve"The streets of the Prado
09.26.2003I spend a good portion of my day wandering the Prado, the stretch of boulevard between the Plaza del Estudiante and the Plaza Venezuela (about four blocks). Just so you know, there are (in my opinion) too many plazas in this city. I also wonder down (in mountain geography, "down" and "up" have literal meanings) a few blocks to the Plaza Isabel la Catolica or over a few blocks to the Plaza Abaroa (these two are in Sopocachi neighborhood). Or I wander up a few blocks past the Prado to the Plaza de los Colorados or the Plaza San Francisco (which, literally, face each other). If I go across the Prado from where my apartment's located, I go up a flight of stairs and end up at the Plaza San Pedro. When I go to "work" (that is, to my archives) I turn past the Plaza de los Colorados and head four blocks towards the Plaza Murillo (where the capitol's located).
Continue reading "The streets of the Prado"
Casilla 6199, La Paz, Bolivia
09.25.2003I got my first piece of mail today (actually, it arrived last evening). Thanks, Mom! So now I know that it takes air mail 3-4 days to get to me. Take note everyone.
Happy birthday, Santa Cruz
09.24.2003Unfortunately, I can't travel to Santa Cruz to celebrate my home department's anniversary. It's usually a great time to be in Cambalandia ... but I just can't get there. The highways all around La Paz are still blocked by campesinos, and now even some of the open-air city markets are closing. Still, life remains "normal" in the capital. So no worries here. But it'll probably be a while before I take a bus cross-country to Santa Cruz.
Continue reading "Happy birthday, Santa Cruz"Back to normal
09.22.2003Despite a state of siege in the Altiplano, La Paz is back to normal. Actually, I'm not sure La Paz ever left the "normal" state. No one in the city seems worried that a few campesino agitators talk abut waging "war" on the government. Traffic's normal, shops are open, people are enjoying the midday sun.
Still, three of the four highways in & out of La Paz are still sporadically blocked, despite the military's efforts to keep them open. So, I haven't been able to travel to Santa Cruz yet. Hopefully in a week or so.
Meanwhile, I'm trying to get my paperwork in order for my temporary residency. It's an absolute headache. I need papers and stamps and signatures and photocopies of things I don't even really know what they are. I suppose once it gets done, though, it'll be a relief. But I've not yet been able to focus exclusively on my research. Which is fine, since I'd scheduled myself these first two weeks to get settled into the country.
This afternoon I'm swinging by the Library of Congress again, to start going through their archives. The research archive I was going to use (CEDOIN) no longer exists. So I'm improvising as best I can on the ground. It's always something, eh?
Oh, I also saw a new Bolivian film last night (I live a block from two movie theaters). It's called Dependencia sexual (Sexual Dependency). It's quite good, it was part of the official selection at the Chicago and Toronto film festivals, and it won a prize at Locarno. The movie follows roughly five characters (Bolivian & American) through parallel stories (using a split screen). On Wednesday, I'm gonna see Jonas y la ballena rosada, a Bolivian art film, which won several prizes about six years ago. (There's a Latin American film festival in town.)
Sometimes I forget how beautiful Bolivia can be
09.21.2003After the Friday protests, things went back to normal in the city. I walked down the Prado Saturday morning to see a bride & groom, covered in white confetti, dancing in the boulevard to a Mariachi band.
Continue reading "Sometimes I forget how beautiful Bolivia can be"And so it began
09.19.2003
Just before 11am, I heard rockets and yelling down the avenue, heading towards the Prado. And so the public strike/protest began, even if a bit late. Traffic stopped, and for about 15-20 minutes, protesters took the west side of the avenue, marching and chanting.
Sometimes the crazyness is too much
09.19.2003Today began nation-wide protests against the government's decision to export gas/oil through Chile. Supposedly, this also meant a public transportation strike. But as of yet, taxis and those notorious minibuses still zip through the city center at breakneck speed. I also hear that everything's normal in Santa Cruz and the easter parts of the country. Only the highways between La Paz and Cochabamba seem blocked.
Continue reading "Sometimes the crazyness is too much"Bittersweet victories
09.17.2003Went to a soccer (fútbol) match last night w/ my cousin Martín and some of his friends. The match was The Strongest (not a translation, that´s what they´re called) vs. San Lorenzo (the defending South American Cup champ). We met just outside Hernan Siles stadium, and made our way into the second tier, right on the halfway line. Great seats.
It was a chilly evening, but the fans (hinchas) could care less. Yellow & black banners filled the seats, rooting for the local team, Los Tigres del Strongest. (BTW, if you wonder why many Latin American soccer clubs have English names, remember that soccer is an English sport, imported to the region).
San Lorenzo came out first, warming up on the pitch, met w/ incessant whistles and verbal insults. A few minutes before the match, The Strongest took the field to a deafening roar. Fireworks and smoke bombs filled the air w/ the acrid scent of gunpowder, smoke so thick we couldn´t see the field for several minutes.
The Strongest had a clear home field advantage. Twice. Not just their crowd (perhaps only a few dozen Argentines were present), but the altitude. They say that when Bolivian teams play in La Paz, they play w/ 12 players. At such high altitudes, many athletes (if not sufficiently trained) get tired sooner and perform poorly. Also, at such high altitudes, the ball has a different weight and speed, which affects play. Most expected The Strongest to win. Unfortunately, they also knew they had to win big, at least 3-0.
The Strongest didn´t disappoint, scoring in the first 3 minutes. But then things fell apart. The play was sloppy, uncoordinated. And while San Lorenzo was clearly affected by the altitude, they were holding their own defensively. Finally, near the end of the first period, the Tigers scored again, and the crowd rejoiced at an (essentially) assured victory.
The second priod brought no joy to the crowd. More sloppy, uncoordinated playmaking. A clearly agitated San Lorenzo committing a large number of brutal fouls. And so the game ended, 2-0. The Strongest didn´t celebrate on the field, the crowd didn´t chear, but rather grumbled. It was San Lorenzo that celebrated in front of their meager fans, saluting their presence.
Why? Why is a 2-0 victory actually a bitter defeat? Because everyone expects The Strongest will lose in Buenos Aires. The tourney´s measured in home & away games, taking the score differential in case of a 1-1 game tie. The Strongest needs to win, or at least tie, to advance. And they have to do it away, in Buenos Aires.
Coffee & Merlot
09.16.2003Last night I finally moved into my apartment in earnest. It´s currently bare and sparse — just the way I like it. Still, I should probably get some furniture and accessories soon, you know, to liven up the place.
Continue reading "Coffee & Merlot"The first weekend
09.15.2003I finally got a chance to sit down and write about this long, hectic weekend. I don´t have any pictures yet, since I can´t charge my digital camera. Apparently, I was misinformed, La Paz uses 220 volts, not 110. I just bought a transformer, so I´ll start taking/posting pics soon enough.
Continue reading "The first weekend"I'm here
09.14.2003Sorry I haven't posted much lately. Yes, I'm safe & sound in La Paz. I'm keeping a good written journal, and will post more on Monday. I've been kept busy w/ family and such. I miss everyone of course. But as soon as I'm settled in my new apartment (tonight), I'll start blogging more regularly (Mon-Fri) and w/ pictures even.
In twelve hours
09.11.2003Sorry I've not posted much. I've been extremely busy packing for my trip and organizing all the things I'm storing in my parents' basement. It's never as easy or quick as I'd like.
Monday. Met Mrs. Harrison for coffee at Morning Emporium. She was a few minutes late, and I was passing the time talking to some of the coffee shop's regulars. They thought we were mother and son, and Mrs. Harrison & I had a little chuckle over that.
Mrs. Harrison was my language arts teacher for three years. That's actually longer than it sounds. See, I went to a "special" arts magnet school (the Center for Arts & Sciences) and spent three hours a day in Language Arts w/ Mrs. Harrison. We studied poetry and short fiction, mostly. It was an excellent program; several of us won national awards and had our work published.
I don't write poetry or short stories much anymore. But the lessons I learned — the craft of writing — well, I've tried to apply those in my academic writing. It's amazing how relevant the concepts of voice, meter, word composition, and the like are to academic writing.
Anyhow, we sat and drank coffee and just caught up w/ each other's lives. You know, the usual stuff you do w/ a mentor you've not seen for a long time. She reminds me so much of Dr. Hauptmann (or, rather, the latter reminds me of the former).
Tuesday. Spent the night w/ Matt & April & Emmet, who was enjoying his apple slices before bedtime. Later, while April put Emmet to bed, Matt & I went out to Kroger's for cookies, ice cream, and Vernor's.
It was almost like we were back in high school. Matt & I eating junk food, talking about art (he introduced me to the work of Frank Auerbach). Then we settled in front of the TV to watch a movie. The only difference? It wasn't 3am and we hadn't just come in from chasing each other around the Taco Bell parking lot dressed up as Viking superheroes.
We watched Frida, which is simply a phenomenal movie. I always knew Frida Kahlo was a talented artist; I only had a vague notion of how tragic her life was. Oh, if you like the scene involving Diego Rivera's confrontation w/ Rockefeller, you should also rent the movie Cradle Will Rock.
Wednesday. Rounded up the last few things I needed to do, including running to the bank for a considerable withdrawal. Met my parents at Bennigan's for a farewell dinner. The food's not that good there, but the deserts are tops. All in all, a great send off meal w/ the 'rents. Then, back home to finish packing.
I'm now fully packed (all but my electric toothbrush) and ready to head out to the airport in twelve hours. Wow. The next time I post, it'll be from La Paz, Bolivia.
I thought I'd put up a link to one of the most brilliant examples of a downright and proper Fisking. It's by James Lileks in response to a particularly poorly written Guardian piece from well over a year ago. Enjoy!
Posted by Miguel at 05:15 PM | Permalink
Hamilton Street Pub Crawl
09.07.2003Went out w/ Matt last night. It's always too long between our seeing each other, and he's not an internet person at all (he doesn't even have email, if you can believe it!). So we quickly catch up on each others' lives, reminisce about our younger wild & carefree days, and smoke cigarettes.
Continue reading "Hamilton Street Pub Crawl"Pre-Bolivia update
09.06.2003I read Bolivian online papers daily (primarily, La Razon). So I've been following some recent political developments that are/were a bit ... worrisome.
Continue reading "Pre-Bolivia update"Weekend visits
09.06.2003I was pleasantly surprised by a visit from four of my Kalamazoo friends. Sure, I'd invited people up for the weekend, but I wasn't sure anyone would take me up on that offer. Wow. I'm so lucky to have've made friends w/ some amazing people. J. Edmund, BayJo, Emily, and Dave drove the two-and-a-half hours from Kalamazoo to Saginaw just to say "goodbye" to me one more time.
Continue reading "Weekend visits"Happy blogiversary
09.05.2003Today marks a full year of blogging. What a strange trip it's been; I wish I'd started earlier. In one year, I graduated from Blogger to Movable Type, dated three girls, flew to San Francisco to visit Ali, almost dropped out of grad school in desperation, then won a Fulbright for my dissertation research. And so much more.
Continue reading "Happy blogiversary"Superheroes in the classroom
09.04.2003I was a special guest in my mom's 8th grade creative writing class today. The topic was comic books. I had a great time; the kids were great. I was surprised that so few of them read comics, and most of that was Marvel (mostly Spiderman, it seemed).
We discussed the importance of art and text in comics, and how comics are similar to most other literary genres (pacing, character development, use of archetypes, voice, etc.). Also, how comics are a genuine American genre (and some of its implications). I also brought in different trade paperbacks to have the kids flip through, pointing out the different styles of art and how they influence the storytelling. The Q&A was interesting, since most of the questions had to do w/ Marvel continuity — something I'm not very familiar w/ (I read mostly DC titles).
At the end, my mom suggested the possibility of collaborative work between the art students and her creative writing students in the future. Perhaps some SASA comics? I'd be interested to see what they come up w/.
My mom continuously surprises me. She's definately not "hip" or "cool" in any standard sense of the word. But she cares for her students and enjoys learning new things. Which, in the end, makes her an awesome teacher.
Happy birthday, Sam
09.03.2003
My younger brother is 25 years old today. I have a "little" brother (Andy) and a "younger" brother (Sam). He's busy at grad school and working in Grand Rapids, but I'll see him in a few days to celebrate.
Sam & I moved away together. Twice. When we moved to America, Sam stayed w/ me while the rest of the family sold the house and the rest of our stuff. We shared a basement at Grandma & Grandpa's and leared about lunch boxes, GI Joe, and baseball.
Almost seven years ago, we moved away together to Kalamazoo. I was starting grad school at Western; Sam was starting college for the first time. Instead of the freshmen dorm experience, Sam got to live in the luxurious graduate apartments on Stadium Drive. Instead of dorm room Sega & Playstation parties, Sam helped me host Martini & White Russian parties for my (and his) grad student friends. I was always impressed that he was never intimidated, and could hold his own in any conversation about historiography or political theory. Of course, none of my friends knew anything about engineering.
Eventually, I let Sam live w/ his undergrad friends in the student ghetto and I left to live by myself (w/ cats) in a downtown apartment. But I always remember those first years of grad school w/ Sam. We made each other ice cream sundaes, emailed each other from the same room, and took turns washing dishes.
Now he's a dad. And Novali's the smartest, cutest little niece anyone could ever hope for. And I'm sure Sam's gonna be an awesome college administrator someday — or a politician.
Oh, and my favorite little factoid about Sam: He designed the so-called "oh shit" bar for the PT Cruiser.
No fish up north
09.02.2003Mom & Dad & I drove up to Pratt Lake to visit Grandma & Grandpa. It was rather impromptu — a nice, sunny day that might be good for fishing. And Grandma & Grandpa wanted to see me one last time at least before I left for Bolivia.
Continue reading "No fish up north"Say goodbye in the rain
09.02.2003You should always say goodbyes in the rain. It fits the mood so well. But this was a great last weekend in Kalamazoo, despite the cold, damp rain.
Thursday. Drove to The Game Shop, picked up my comics, and said my goodbyes there. Then my last poker night. I didn't win any of the money I'd lost over the months (about $15-20), but I didn't do so bad, either. Afterwards, I spent the last night in my old apartment, sleeping in my old bed.
Friday. I spent the afternoon cleaning up what remained of my Kalamazoo apartment. Dave & Emily took most of the last remaining possessions, Jaakan took the bed. I swept up all the cat fur and dustbunnies, locked the door, and walked away from The Parkmont.
I got my last haircut at Jim's Barber Shop. Then I drove down to 1977 Mopeds and ate Martini's w/ Dan (I had the penne pasta, he had the eggplant Parmesan). Later, I went to see The Italian Job w/ J. Edmund and Brett. The movie was just as good the second time; well-made caper movies are just great fun.
Afterwards, we met up w/ Bill at his new fun-house apartment upstairs from his soon-to-open coffee shop. We drove to Brian Frain's warehouse apartment for a small party, drinking Jack & Coke and listening to terrible Wesley Snipes jokes.
Saturday. Bay returned from Brazil, and we tried to meet up w/ J. Edmund and Bill for dinner and then the movie Open Range. But Olive Garden was full, and then four people in three cars were stretched to the limits of cell phone coordination. We ended up at Ruby Tuesdays' (which Bill loves and J. Edmund hates) where we ate, missed the movie, and then walked through Crossroads Mall. Bay regaled us w/ stories of Brazil, the land of infinitely beautiful people, where her mom turned into a party-crazed teenager.
Then we went back to the Upson & Wagner estate for the Moped Army party. I came as a wino, w/ a cheap bottle of Wild Vines Strawberry Zinfandel.
Sunday. I went to my last mass at St. Tom's, where I got to say goodbye to Marian, Rosemary, and Timba. I'll miss St. Tom's when I'm gone. After mass, I met Emily Hauptmann, my dissertation advisor, for lunch at Food Dance. We had a great lunch conversation, as always, and planned for a possible dissertation committee meeting on Friday.
At 3pm, I met everyone at 1977 Mopeds to ride out to Riverview Park for the Moped Army BBQ. Dan lent me his Carabela for the ride out there. It was drizzling and wet, but we made the best of it. Jake (aka The Grill Master) did his magic w/ the burgers and such. Beth Spicer made unbelievably declicios vegan oatmeal cookies. My team won the kickball game, which was fun (especially to see Evil Bill flip out more than once).
We rode back to the shop for a movie surprise. Jaakan & co. had acquired a large projection copy of Raiders of the Lost Ark, a keg of root beer (which led to root beer kick stands), and a nearly endless suppy of popcorn. After the movie there was talk of going dancing. But, in the end, most people opted for board games. I played settlers until 5am at Jordan's house, before crawling onto his couch to sleep.
Monday. Met everyone for breakfast at The Crow's Nest, which swamped the single waitress. Then we met up at the shop again to drive out to Megan's for a pool party (despite, or perhaps to spite, the rain).
Then I rushed over to Kevin & Katia's apartment for my last goodbye w/ the last of my grad school cohort. Katia and Aparna are the last two students at Western from my grads school cohort (the others having graduated or left the program). The two of them were about a year ahead of me (cohorts tend to span about two years or so) so they've been gone for much of the last two years doing their own dissertation research in Russia and Poland (Katia) and India (Aparna). It was great to get together one last time w/ Katia & Apu and their husbands (Kevin & Sabi). They'd just returned from the APSA (American Political Science Association) conference in Philadelphia and are looking for jobs. By the time I return from Bolivia, they'll have defended their dissertations and (I trust) landed tenure track positions.
Then I drove home in a dark rain, slightly sick w/ the flu from a long, damp, cold weekend. I found my cats relieved to see me (they'd hid from my parents for days). My cats and I crawled into bed together and slept.