From the category archives:

culture collection

Culture Collection “The Share Button”

September 29, 2012

I collect culture. Like a child on a schoolyard my pockets bulge with interesting pieces of earth. The little stone I will show you today is hard, like my head at times, and looks oddly like a little button. It’s hard to learn, because it is not based on facts, figures, and findings. It is [...]

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Culture Collection “Rocks in the Road”

February 24, 2011

Rocks in my pocket knock around.  It’s my rock collection. I pull a large one out to show you. It’s rough and heavy. The edges look angry. It is a rock of protest.   “Transportistas” set up blockades on the bridge over the river Qhora (in Vinto, a neighboring city of Cochabamba, Bolivia), yesterday. – [...]

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Culture Collection “Fiesta”

September 13, 2010

The edges jumble and tumble in my pocket. A corner pricks my thigh. I dig in to find the culprit. Ah, it’s a rhinestone, complete with the metal poky things from the Bedazzler. They say these plastic eye catchers are fake. Somehow it made it’s way to my rock collection. So I pull it out. [...]

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Culture Collection "Affected and Effective"

June 8, 2010

Did you think I had forgotten about my rock collection? Some rocks are shiny and pretty. Others have mesmerizing coloring. This particular bit broke off from bedrock. It is a foundation piece and as I pull it out to show it to you I am reminded of who we are and why we are here. [...]

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Hi, My Name is Mama

May 31, 2010

Deliberately. Intentionally. Unequivocally. Quite simply, I am Mama. Five little ones (well, two are little, two are medium and one is now just an inch shorter than me so she is a big kid) have the privilege of calling me mama. I have discovered, as well, that the benefit is reciprocal because I am honored [...]

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Culture Collection "Construction"

October 20, 2009

Have you seen the carpenters pants replete with loops, pockets and crannies for all sort of tools? Those are the pants I am wearing today. All the crevices are filled with my stone collection; my culture stone collection that is. Today I am pulling out a rough rock that has many cracks and forced holes [...]

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Culture Collection "The Devil's Playground"

August 27, 2009

My pockets bulge with a odd collection of stones. Some are tiny and smooth. Others are bulky and awkward. I have made a point of collecting bits and pieces of the Bolivian culture. They are tucked away in my life. Every once in a while I pull one out for display. Today the piece I [...]

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Culture Collection "Household Names"

December 29, 2008

These are some household products that we use here in the Washington house in Cochabamba, Bolivia. Click the image for a closer look and a witty little description (well, not all of them are witty, but some are).

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Culture Collection "Last Names"

October 21, 2008

My Culture Collection is like a pocket full of interesting pebbles found along the way. Geology is part of the reason we are in Bolivia now, but that is a story for another time. In a geology class scientific terms for specific rocks are taught. A familiar one would be fossil. A not so familiar [...]

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Culture Collection "Sunday Afternoons"

September 22, 2008

My culture collection is like a pocket full of interesting stones I have picked up along the way going about my life in Bolivia. The stone I want to show you today is as a bedrock for the people of this country. The daily siesta is ingrained in the existence of every Bolivian man, woman [...]

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