Un Paro Civil

We went to the English church this Sunday and there was a fellowship meal after the service. We met a teacher from the international school that goes to the English church. Their school was on strike for the entire week in protest of the teacher's salaries in the public schools. They get paid 600 Bolivians a month. That is roughly 75 dollars a month for a full time teacher. They have to go to school to become a teacher for four years and that is just not enough to live on. Our school is not getting involved and striking for the week because we have to make up the days because we follow U.S. guidelines. Bolivian schools don't make up missed days.

Today (Tuesday) we are having un paro civil. That is a civic strike. Bolivia is made up of 9 provinces or states. Today 6 out of 9 were on strike. That means nothing happens at all. There were tires and rocks in the all the roads in the city. Nothing was open and no transportation was on the streets. They are protesting their president Evo. He is the country's first indigenous president and he stands really for the indigenous people and not for the whole country. Because of this the people are very upset and are afraid because he is trying to get himself in office for good without reelection. He is a huge friend of Hugo Chavez from Venezuela and is following his steps to becoming president for life.

We had a nice vacation day. We baked cookies and played volleyball with the missionaries in our neighboring compound. I don't completely understand what effect the country going on strike has in making the statement they want to make. I do know it made Bolivian history because never has 6 states all banned together in a cause like today. Apparently Bolivia made CNN when the Congress got into an all out fist fight with each other. The debate got out of hand and everyone started punching and hitting and pushing one another. We watched it on the news here and later Gary told us he saw it. Everyone here says to stay out of politics it's very complicated and tense. They are working on a new Constitution that might make private school obsolete. This definitely has SCCLC nervous.