One by one the stones have been carefully selected and pulled out of my pocket so that you can enjoy the look and feel of the tiny little bits of the culture I live in. For the stones that have been displayed already you can read my past “Culture Collection” posts. The stone that I am going to show you today is not the shiniest. It is not the one I am most proud of. Actually, this dirty rock was shoved into my pocket unsuspectingly. Still, it deserves to be shown because it is something I see every day.
We have a saying, “Just Another Day in Bolivia”. It sounds pleasant and sweet but it is code. There is a habit that some Bolivians have that require signs like these:
translation: urinating prohibited
And, as we found necessary due to the ‘going native’ behavior of one of the members of a group that came to work with us in the pueblo outside of town, there is the occasional sign posted in English here in Bolivia:
Don't Pee!! Here
When you are walking down the street or taking a leisurely (not!) ride in a taxi you will probably see someone relieving themselves in public; if you are lucky they will wave at you as you go by. We signal this to each other by saying, “Just Another Day in Bolivia.” Men, women and children alike. Number one is simple, number two gets a bit more tricky. The courteous ones bring a plastic bag and tie up their package and then toss it up on the nearest roof. One time a couple from the United States was at our house and they were looking out the kitchen window at the roof of the market below. The wife asked, “What is in all those plastic bags on the roof.” I try not to notice as I am washing my dishes.
It might have been that my dear family sensed the calling I had to minister in this nation at a very young age. They even documented my early missionary training on a road trip:
Yes, that is me
Well, it was some kind of training at least.
For those of you who have been following this thread my dear husband suggested that “Just Another Day in Bolivia” be the title for the list posts about bits of my life. Do you think I should give him veto power?
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{ 19 comments… read them below or add one }
Hahahahahahaha! I totally understood that sign before you translated it. I was like, “Does that say….” Yep, it totally did.
They throw them on the roof?????? Doesn’t that smell? Do they evntually get them down?
Ewwwww…..
I do like the title, maybe this one time give him power.
Have a great day, Angie!
I think he’s right, maybe you could use trail mix for something else?
Carin
this is a common site in africa, too… except they don’t bag-and-roof-toss their poop. holy crow. i’m with brandy — what happens to the piles of crappy bags on their roofs???
and… daronn’s veto has my signature on it.
Oh my goodness!!! I’m don’t know whether to be honored or embarassed that DaRonn and I were on the same wave length there!
I absolutely LOVE you adding your picture…as Mastercard states…PRICELESS!!! Who knew your early potty stop was early age training for your missions journey.
I think you should use his “Just Another Day In Bolivia” for those crazy cultural nuances or maybe life’s crazy nuances. That way you could still use Trail Mix too.
Awesome post Ang!! Love, love, love it!!
P.S. I guess the roof “decor” makes doing dishes a DOUBLE dirty job!! Just another reason not to do ‘em in my book! Ha!
oh yeah — and that picture of you as a child on your portable potty? that is awesome!
okay, i’m probably back.
this is so funny. although you most likely don’t think it’s as funny when the poo is on your roof. “the courteous ones” had me laughing.
and i still like trail mix.
Brandy – They throw them on the roof?????? a: yes. Doesn’t that smell? a: yes Do they evntually get them down? a: as in ‘do they go up and get them down?’ – no. as in ‘do they dry up and get pecked at by the pigeons and eventually get blown off in the windy months of August and September?’ – yes.
Carin – hm… I will mull that over.
Alece – you are going to give my hubby a big head.
I am glad you liked the glorified rest stop shot – - – yeah.
Libby – see, it was very similar to your ‘potty stop’ suggestion. Both are so vivid… I am still in between decisions. And, yes, doing dishes I am forced to ‘lift up my eyes’ to avoid seeing unpleasant things.
Danielle – It is nice to have you back.
I am leaning strongly towards “Trail Mix”… it doesn’t turn my stomach to read that title like it does to read “Just Another Day in Bolivia”… 
yikes, that would not be a pleasant view from the kitchen window! the plastic bags almost make it worse–preserving the remains for far too long
Okay, it takes a lot to really gross me out … and that really grossed me out. Your further explanations to Brandy kept that feeling going. Oh my Lord. Wow. Amazing. There are no words. You’d think that everyone, collectively, in the nation of Bolivia would revolt at the idea of having bagged human poop on their roofs. Wow.
I’m still on Trail Mix. Although … I do agree that DaRonn and this story make a powerful argument the other way. But … yeah. Trail Mix sounds … happier … munchier … cleaner … I think it works. That’s my vote.
Peri – the disgusting part is that there are trash bins on pretty much every corner, it is an enigma to me.
Annie – your ‘munchier’ made me chuckle.
ahhhh… we had this cultural issue in KY too
Just kidding…
I love the rocks you pull out and share with us…
Ewww…..gross! Another reason to hate pigeons.
Yuck!
amy’s comment made me laugh out loud!
Kitties – Yes! I was laughing when I read about the customs of KY too. I was like trying to figure out what country KY was (like SA is South Africa)… then I was like – Oh it’s a joke! Hilarious! I am glad you like my rocks Amy.
I like your jokes.
Brandy – I guess sharing this grossness does not help my campaign to try to persuade you to come speak Spanish in Cochabamba for an extended period of time…
Great post Angie. Shows a bit of Bolivian culture that is very common, but perhaps not widely known in other parts of the world. It is what it is. I like DaRonn’s title of “Just another day in Bolivia”.
I’m glad your family was into your early missionary training. We have pics of our littles on the potty chair on the way to Santa Cruz. I’m happy to see you’re proud of your pic I hope one day they’ll feel the same about theirs. :>)
Denise – I love that you call your younger kids ‘littles’, so sweet. I am sure that they will love the documentation of their adventures.
i didn’t see pissbags when i went to bolivia! im glad! you got to give the props at least they were nice enough to put it in a bag
travis … that is why I called them courteous.
You were in Bolivia? Tell me more…