Hello! We went out to Pampa Aceituno today to finish the last of the painting. It was so fun! Our newest volunteer, John from the United States, came with us and helped SO much. He is 6’7” and made sure all of the high corners in the library were painted perfectly. Maritza, Matt and Liz finished the murals while I painted chalkboard paint on the old chalkboard. (Thanks to Philly and Sharon for donating the paint!) The library looks great, and is already being enjoyed by all of the students back from vacation.
To get to the library, we took John on his first Bolivian hitch-hike, and caught a ride up on the back of a truck. We were given bread and “api” (a delicious, warm, corn-based drink) upon arrival. After giving books that our previous volunteer Karen donated, and receiving heartfelt thank you’s, we got right to work.
After painting, we organized the library, ate lunch, and headed back down the mountain. Bolivia is so beautiful! We spent the 45 minute walk-down basking in the beauty of the campo and getting to know John better.
It was my last visit to one of our libraries for this trip and I am so proud of all that we accomplished in our newest library! I feel lucky to have had the opportunity to see it grow so much in such a short amount of time. I am beyond impressed with everyone in this organization. I am extremely grateful to Aude for taking over, and extending my women’s group. Despite the fact that sometimes things seem to move slowly in Bolivia, we manage to get a lot done. I will definitely be back and wish all the best to all of our volunteers working now, and those on their way to BiblioWorks. Thank you Matt, Maritza, Roxana, Liz and Erika for everything.
Love always, Erin
Kalin
Ya learn something new everyday. It’s true!