It feels strange

Dear Friends,

I´m back from another lovely weekend at the Bramadero -- no electricity, no email, no phone, just a magnificent, elemental structure of wood, stone, and fire places surrounded by mountains and woods of pine and eucalyptus and then I come back to what is Sucre and New Orleans and Rehnquist and it feels very strange. Here I am in my little internet cafe doing what I do and I can smell the orange of the orange juice man just outside the door and here the drum beat and chants and explosions of a protest outside (we´ve had one every day this week), and I realize I´m living here, but at times it feels very strange to be away from home and in such a different place.

It´s a perfectly beautiful day, but I´m beginning to think one should just pick a place in the world and stick to it. And I am getting work done, but some days I´m overwhelmed by the magnitude of the project and just where to truly begin and to what end, really? Guess I got what I asked for; guess the important thing is just to BEGIN, be it anywhere. Am wondering if maybe I should just pick an area of concentration, i.e., environmental law and mobilization, etc., but that would substantially change the nature of the project and I think skip an important step of inquiry.

On a less melancholy front, I did go to the premier of a Bolivian film the other night, Di buen dia a Papa (minus all the annoying accents and grammatical marks). It was an interesting and fun experience and not too bad a film. Sort of a familial allegory with Che and guerrillas as backdrop. It´s a theater where coca-colas are sold by the bottle and with a straw and popcorn comes in a little plastic bag. It´s the only theater in town (one screen) and is on the main plaze. The director and crew were on hand to introduce the film and it was interesting to see who showed up and who sat where (always an interesting mini-drama in and of itself). Sucre, at end, is a small place.

Off to buy the paper and to see what the protest d´jour is. Maybe I´ll launch my own around the square later today.

B.

Will post photos, maybe.