Issues

Issue of December 2008

Weaving Wonders
For generations and generations the people of Candelaria, a small village two hours north east of Cochabamba, have been weaving, by hand, their wonderful blankets, rugs, ponchos, bags and belts; protecting themselves from the cold and injecting a burst of colour into their surroundings. Often wool from their own sheep spun into yarn is used and now mixed with commercial dyes to create their bright and vivid articles, hung against the backdrop of their tiny adobe homes.

Issue of November 2008

Finding Illumination: Exploring the Practice of Yoga
Just around the corner from the Projects Abroad office lies a yoga studio where some seek deeper knowledge about themselves and their world. Some do not seek so much. “We have many people coming for different reasons, but it all comes down to one thing: for health and well-being in general,” says Mariana Llobet, a teacher with the Calle Bolivar studio.

Issue of October 2008

WHAT IS ECOTOURISM?
Imagine a perfect holiday in the depths of the Bolivian rainforest. Your plane glides to a smooth halt on the runway, a welcome feeling after 24 hours in the air. The local taxis outside the airport look as if they belong in the scrap metal dump, but luckily your hotel has sent an air-conditioned Toyota to pick you up. You are shown the sights of the area by a guide from the hotel. He is from England which is lucky since your knowledge of Spanish does not stretch much beyond “Hola”. When your camera is full with snaps of monkeys and babies in aguayos you return to the comfort of your hotel, take a welcome dip in the pool and a long hot shower. For dinner you head to a restaurant with delicious Spaghetti Napolitana and a bottle of Chardonnay.

Issue of September 2008

Moving away from domestic life
Cochabamba a fines del siglo XIX y la primera mitad del siglo XX era una sociedad fuertemente patriarcal.
El hombre/padre/patriarca no sólo dominaba la vida familiar sino que era el pilar sobre el que se asentaba esta sociedad. Su poder era tal, que se hacía sentir en todos los ámbitos de la vida pública, como policía, cura, juez, abogado, político, comerciante o artista.

Issue of August 2008

El Alcoholero
In Cochabamba almost everyone knows the famous taxi driver “El Alcoholero”. For more than forty years now he has taken his clients home safely eve when they are drunk and he knows countless addresses by heart. Having read some articles about him, I wanted to get to know this local legend and talk to him about his life, his work and his country.

Issue of July 2008

El Alcoholero
In Cochabamba almost everyone knows the famous taxi driver “El Alcoholero”. For more than forty years now he has taken his clients home safely eve when they are drunk and he knows countless addresses by heart. Having read some articles about him, I wanted to get to know this local legend and talk to him about his life, his work and his country.

Issue of June 2008

Alcide D’Orbigny Museum of Natural History
It has an active partnership with San Simón University and the French Embassy, and serves as a repository for important scientific specimens. May be small, but it has a comprehensive collection of exhibits ranging from mounted butterflies to a dinosaur skeleton. The museum, which has been open to the public since 2003, was established to teach people more about the environment they live in.

Issue of May 2008

El Acho
In the second part of the XIX century the most popular recreational activity in Cochabamba city, was the bullfight. It was so popular that the City Hall built a coliseum; this was located in San Sebastian’s hill (today the Coliseum is there). We do not know the year of its construction; neither who the architect was; but we do know that it was named the Plaza de Toros “González Vélez” although it was often called ‘El Acho’.

Issue of April 2008

Inti K’anchay: Lighting the Way for a Better Life
Everyday as we carry out our daily routines, whether it be flicking a light switch, checking our email or taking a hot shower, we take for granted the fact that without electricity, some of our most mundane tasks would be impossible. The extent to which we rely on electricity is made glaringly apparent during those panic stricken moments when we unexpectedly encounter a blackout.

Issue of March 2008

Teresa Laredo
Cocha-banner: You have lived and played in so many countries and continents all over the world. Where are you living now? Teresa Laredo: I am now living between two countries - Bolivia and Switzerland. I live half year in Europe in Geneva and I go back to Bolivia with the swallows, the emigrant birds, because I like the sun and the weather so much in this period. In wintertime I go back to Geneva, when it is springtime in Switzerland.

Issue of February 2008

Carnival Chaos
If Christmas and Lent affect spiritual retirement, Carnival is linked to carnal excess expressed through the abundance of eating, drinking, playing and dancing. In Carnival, daily life reaches another dimension. The satire, mockery and popular laughter become cultural devices that can be dangerous if they are not controlled.

Issue of January 2008

Addicted to Love and Other Chemicals
This person is beautiful, intelligent, funny etc. Everything you have ever wanted in a partner. Being with them makes you feel good, firstly because someone has finally realised just how excellent you are, but also because they make you feel a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction, of relief at Addicted to Love and Other Chemicals finding someone, validating what you thought about yourself all along. You become more confident when you are with them, you find that you are a happier person in general and have a better outlook on your future.