Last night I had the opportunity to attend an "Internations meeting": a place for expats to come together. Apparently, the usual turnout is around 5, but last night there was over 25 expats and Bolivians there. What a great experience! I met American's from the US embassy, Canadians from the Canadian Red Cross, a Belgian software engineers, a diverse crowd of Bolivians, and many more.
We talked about life abroad, life in La Paz, and many other topics. One of the more interesting (and much debated) is the direction Bolivia is heading as a country. Currently, the political party MAS (Movement Towards Socialism) has a majority in all forms of government and is led by Che Morales. As reported to me, there is a sense that the MAS party is improving the lives of the poorest in this country, but there is controversy on how this is being done.
The most interesting conversation was one with a student my age on growing up in La Paz. Not only does he run two businesses, work as a translator for NGOs, and studies engineering here in La Paz, but he's also a tennis champion, among other talents.
For most Bolivian students, the lucrative choice is a higher paying job in another country, resulting in a "brain drain" for the country. But this student is choosing a different path. "I know I cannot change the country, but perhaps I can change the people around me just a little" he tells me, "and then, maybe if I can help those few people, they can help another person, who can help another."
Inspiring!
Kevin Dumler, UC Davis undergrad, Engineering
We talked about life abroad, life in La Paz, and many other topics. One of the more interesting (and much debated) is the direction Bolivia is heading as a country. Currently, the political party MAS (Movement Towards Socialism) has a majority in all forms of government and is led by Che Morales. As reported to me, there is a sense that the MAS party is improving the lives of the poorest in this country, but there is controversy on how this is being done.
The most interesting conversation was one with a student my age on growing up in La Paz. Not only does he run two businesses, work as a translator for NGOs, and studies engineering here in La Paz, but he's also a tennis champion, among other talents.
For most Bolivian students, the lucrative choice is a higher paying job in another country, resulting in a "brain drain" for the country. But this student is choosing a different path. "I know I cannot change the country, but perhaps I can change the people around me just a little" he tells me, "and then, maybe if I can help those few people, they can help another person, who can help another."
Inspiring!
Kevin Dumler, UC Davis undergrad, Engineering
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