What Could Have Been - Thinking about Bolivia

If we hadn't moved to the Forest of Fika, I am fairly certain that we would not have remained Stateside.

We had definitely reached a breaking point as a family (and me, personally) for living in that country. We needed to move on and explore what other parts of the world had to offer us. S. and I are both interested in other cultures and had been researching real possibilities for working/living outside the USA.

There was a work opportunity for me to be the director of library cataloging (technical services) at a phenomenal and unique research foundation in La Paz, Bolivia. This is a private collection maintained by the family of one of La Paz' most noted and scholarly individuals. It is a tremendous and special collection with so many rare books, photographs and ephemera that, once cataloged properly, will no doubt draw the attention and interest of many international scholars. It would have been a wonderful professional opportunity. Alas, logistics (i.e. the cost and red tape of attaining a long-term residential visa for me, a US Citizen in Evo Morales' not-too-fond-of-America Bolivia) would have proved too difficult. Besides, my husband doesn't speak Spanish and would have had a hard time finding work there. I also cannot imagine that being pregnant with twins at 12,000 feet above (3500 meters) sea level would have passed with the same ease that it did here.

Still, Bolivia remains firmly implanted in the lining of my heart. I really like it there. The nature is supernaturally beautiful, the culture is richly textured and the people are some of the kindest and warmest people on the planet.

It's not an easy country to live in. It's pretty much the diametric opposite of Sweden's orderliness. I would describe it as Libertarian Paradise with developing-nation Socialist tendencies. It's hard to explain unless you have visited and experienced it. I feel a wild and irrational ove for Bolivia. My sentiments towards that country remind me of Post-Island Jack's on the TV show Lost (yes, crazy Jack with beard who screamed "WE HAVE TO GO BAAAAAACK!").

I definitely want to return to Bolivia someday. It's a long and costly flight from Sweden. With 3 young children, it's not the sort of trip that you can spontaneously go on. That said, I WANT TO GO BAAAAAAACK!

Surreal sunset in La Paz

Los Yungas - where the twins were made