Classic Bolivia

Yesterday, Mrs. Berna, a little old woman from the pueblo not too far from the Urus, called. I knew she had a cell phone, but I didn’t know she used it. In fact she asked someone in the plaza to call me from her cell. She was here in the city, some 5 hours from home, and was in the Government Plaza. She wanted me to stop by.

So I trekked up the hill, since the roads were blocked due to Bolivia kicking Paraguay’s butt in Soccer at the stadium, and met with them right in front of the Presidential Palace.

They were just hanging out drinking Tampico.

We chatted for a while.

Finally, I was so bold as to ask what brought them so far from home to La Paz:

“We’re trying to get an audience with the President. We’re going to ask him for help, for work, for something.”

“Oh…well have you talked to anyone yet?”

“No, not sure yet who to talk to, maybe a lawyer.”

“Oh…well maybe you can just go in and ask the front desk how to do it.”

I was dreading they’d ask for my help. My advocacy attempts in Bolivia are about 0 for 2billion. I rarely know where to start when someone asks for help and usually just end up running in circles. But they didn’t ask.

So is that it? Does Evo really hear people’s complaints like that? Very impressive.
The whole scene was so humble that it actually did make sense; the country’s poorest should have access to the most powerful. Help should be just a visit away.

By this morning, my friends were already back in their pueblo. They had presented their request to someone in the palace, and have an audience for next Monday.