My Beautiful Life

I am looking older. Don't deny it, I know it's true, and it's okay. Most of the wrinkles come from laughing... some are from sadness. I had some wee pictures done today so that I can buy my permanent residence VISA in Bolivia. Those awful things made me look haggard and skeletal. Seriously, I need to put on some weight.

The weight of familial struggles has made being in Santa Cruz a little more difficult. Usually one to handle stress well, I believe that this time I am feeling the effects of the heartbreaking reality of the ones I love. God's grace has carried me through and his graciousness has allowed me to have some amusing moments. One of the Spanish words for 'funny' is 'gracioso'. I don't think that is a coincidence.

Yesterday, a group of us went to the airport to pick up a new guy, Andy Schwab. Ten minutes after departing the airport, I looked to the left and saw two police officers on a bike. Despite my admonitions to the other passengers to not look to the left, the pair of law enforcers motioned for Andrew, the driver, to pull over. Four white people in a vehicle equals free lunch for two for the entire week...if they pay the bribe. The uniformed men requested Andrew's licence and asked where the insurance and maintenance stickers were; a license was presented but the stickers had yet to be stuck. Hence, they told us that we must head directly to 'transito' (headquarters), not pass go, and pay the 100 boliviano fine. They followed the van as we went on our way.

At the next stoplight, Andrew entered on a green but, due to the unfathomable lengths of the intersection, the light turned red before he reached the other side. The green and white clad officers motored up beside us and frantically waved at us to pull over, all the while yelling, "What's the matter with you? Don't you know how to drive?" The bad cop (although I'm not sure which one was the good cop), approached Andrew and began to treat him in less than nice ways. Mr Not-so Nice announced that because Andrew was an unfit driver, they would have to confiscate the vehicle.

Up to this point, I had been seated behind Andrew, quietly counselling him to stay calm and patient. However, when that cop went off like that on my friend, something tripped in my head. All I can say is that I would never speak to an OPP officer in the manner that I addressed this sir yesterday morning. After a brief chat with our director, we were advised to offer the man 50 Bs and assure him that the stickers would be purchased and stuck on the windshield within hours. We opted to not offer the bribe. Instead, we found ourselves on our way to transito again in order to pay the fine.

A third time, the officers veered off to the side and we followed suit. I called, " Here comes the bribe"...and it came....all dressed in white. We paid and went on our way for 50 Bs.

That was yesterday. Today we almost BBQed a small rat but that is a morsel of a tale best served on another day.