Capturing Imperfection

Departures are never easy and although I wasn´t the one to go, saying goodbye to the others and finishing such a huge amount of work was quite emotional. The end of the prgoram here was made better by a lovely farewell fiesta we had at Ismael´s. After getting lost at the market and running like crazy to make it to the premier of our documentary on time I walked down Ismael´s street exhausted. I could hear Lupe, his wife´s Hari Krishna music blaring from the outdoor speakers. My family here calls Ismael and Lupe bohemian´s with a flavor of criticism. They aren´t wrong though. I guess it is all about perspective. The joy and ecclectic worldview that the two of them share are quite lovley to behold.
We showed the film in their Tai Chi room, sitting on soft pillows in our socks (which is only strange because Bolvians never take off their shoes...walking in socks or barefoot causes illness...they tell me). The families and friends recieved our work very well and we were all relieved to have finished on such a good note. We began the after party with a Qóa, an offering to the Pachamama, mother earth. The four of us students and aspiring documentarists held the corners of a large green paper. On top it was covered in confetti, coca leaves and prayers. We lowered it into the fire and each took turns pouring a bit of chicha to the four corners than taking a swig calling out, Jallalla (ahyaya) Alleluia! Then the dancing began. For hours we circled around the patio laughing, stepping to the rhtyhm. Each of our host fathers in turn took us into the middle of the circle to give us a twirl. It was a beautiful night.
I am excited to begin a new kind of observaiton here that will also be participant but in different ways. I´ve been focusing so much on capturing - images, experiences, words etc. in the past few weeks and working hard to compile them all, no matter how imperfect. I´m looking forward to having time to visit a few more places here, to reflect on all the work and continue a bit of Spanish learning before heading back. So many things about this journey so far have been imperfect, miscommunications, language barriers, technical difficulties and the list goes on but in many ways that has made it more interesting at the very least, if not more beautiful.
The excursions to come promise more beauty.
Love to all!
Nora