The Cathedral's 100th Birthday Celebration

Tonight, the 21^st of September 2015, I was lucky enough to celebrate the 100^th anniversary of the opening of Catedral Basílica Menor San Lorenzo, located in the very center of Santa Cruz, Bolivia. 

Circa 1887 – 1897, 110 years after the original cathedral of Santa Cruz (St. Francis Church) was damaged, two missionaries took the incentive to re-erect the cathedral, and created a plan.  Two generations of Bishops later, in 1915, the plan was finally finished and the cathedral was in use.  In 1984, Pope John Paul II through a special decree, “Constat Sane Templum Sanctae Cruci”, raised the cathedral’s status to the status of Basilica because of its historical importance and antiquity.

Tonight I, along with a thousand others, sat in the Catedral Basílica Menor San Lorenzo to celebrate it’s 100th birthday with a traditional concert, and speeches from the mayor of Santa Cruz as well as the governer of the Departamiento del Santa Cruz (one of the 9 Bolivian regions).  The artistic framework and details of the church left me in awe and the concert was exquisite. 

After the performances, my host parents and I were escorted to a decorated and closed-off courtyard on the side of the building where the servers walked around with wine and fancy hors-d’oeuvres.  While socializing we were surprised by a celebratory firework show right over our heads; it was gorgeous.  Towards the end of the firework show, I received a tap on the shoulder from Ruben Costas, the current governor of the Departamiento del Santa Cruz.  I was quite startled to be shaking hands with the same man who received a standing ovation while being escorted to his seat prior to the performances.  However, once I got over the initial shock, I enjoyed talking to him and received a kind welcoming to Bolivia.  He told my host parents that I would be a Camba (a local Santa Cruz person) in no time. 

Overall, tonight was a spectacular night.  ¡Felicidades, Catedral Basílica Menor San Lorenzo!

Traditional Bolivian Food

Tonight I was blessed with the wonderful opportunity to try traditional Bolivian dishes.  These dishes are neither lunch, nor dinner; they are more like what one would eat at a British tea party: small servings of sweet and savory treats.  

Starting at the front of the plate, there are 2 Masacos de Platanos, or banana mixtures.  Here in Bolivia the bananas are sweeter and richer than anywhere else, thus they are used as a principal ingredient in many dishes, or as a refreshing snack. (I eat them right off the tree at my abuela’s house).  The Masaco on the right (Masaco de Platano Verde con Queso) is mixed with cheese and is more savory whereas the darker one on the left (Masaco de Platano Maduro con Carne) is mixed with meat and has a sweeter taste.

Behind the Masacos de Platanos is a Masaco de Yuca (mixture of yuca).  Yuca is a specific type of potato grown here with a unique texture.  It is also a principle ingredient in many traditional Bolivian dishes.  Tonight’s Masaca de Yuca was a mixture of yuca and pork.

In the back left is a traditional, and very popular, Empenada de Queso.  Empenadas are pastries/breads with different combinations of cheese, meat and vegetables baked inside of them.  Tonight’s empenadas were classic ones consisting of only cheese inside of a sweet, croissant-like pastry.

Finally on the far right is a Sonso.  In order to make a Sonso, one must cook the yucca until it is soft and then with her hands mix in the butter, cheese and a pinch of salt.  This usually takes lots of upper-body strength.  Once it is mixed, she divides the dough in half, puts the first half on the plate, then tops it with a layer of grated cheese and the second half of the dough.

I enjoyed each one of these treats thoroughly, especially when accompanied by a cup of hot tea, and many laughs.  Tonight was a great learning experience and memory for me; I can't wait until next time!

23 Agosto 2015

Within the last 4 days I have had more than 24 hours of travel time (first class woop woop) and only 12 hours of sleep in total.  The rest of the time has been spent running errands for my Papa’s HUGE 50^th birthday party, meeting ALL of my family, and receiving more love than I could’ve asked for. It seems as though every time I sit down there’s another toast to me, another kiss on the cheek, another niña holding my hand, another heartwarming welcoming from a family member who cannot pronounce my name or whose name I can’t pronounce, all of which is in a language that I can barely understand or speak, just feel.  These last 4 days, and tonight especially, I have felt so much love and had so much fun in Santa Cruz disproving all of my pre-judgements.  It is 6:08 in the morning and I am still in my dress and heels from the party.  I am beyond exhausted but don’t want to go to sleep.  Why would I want to go to sleep when I can watch the sun rise on my balcony, representing the arrival of a new adventure, while listening to all the honking horns and party music that I learned to love on the last one? 

“sleep is for dead people” ~un amigo boliviano