On the first afternoon excursion,
our class participated in a walking tour of La Paz. We began the tour in El
Prado where upon arrival we continued as a class walking along its center and
observing our surroundings. The center of El Prado is clearly identifiable as a
park with benches, beautiful well-kept greenery, and numerous monuments
symbolizing important events within Bolivia’s history. For Bolivian standards
and even my own, this center is extremely clean illustrating a vast amount of
time and effort that is daily exhausted for this appearance to remain.
While there is few to none pieces of trash on the ground in the center of El Prado, there too lacks the presence of the Cholita’s, the booths of items for sale, and the young boys shining shoes, all making up a majority of Bolivia's culture, which can be seen lining the long sidewalks of El Prado. The fast, steady traffic of a four-lane street is the only thing separating the picturesque center of El Prado to the real life illustration of the actual day to day shuffle of La Paz. It is clear that although these two areas are so close, being only a few feet away from each other, they are vastly different. While some may think this difference is only trivial, I believe it present’s a much deeper issue – not only within the city of La Paz but also within Bolivia as a whole.
While there is few to none pieces of trash on the ground in the center of El Prado, there too lacks the presence of the Cholita’s, the booths of items for sale, and the young boys shining shoes, all making up a majority of Bolivia's culture, which can be seen lining the long sidewalks of El Prado. The fast, steady traffic of a four-lane street is the only thing separating the picturesque center of El Prado to the real life illustration of the actual day to day shuffle of La Paz. It is clear that although these two areas are so close, being only a few feet away from each other, they are vastly different. While some may think this difference is only trivial, I believe it present’s a much deeper issue – not only within the city of La Paz but also within Bolivia as a whole.
In my first few days in Bolivia I have come to learn that the Bolivian government plays a major role in all aspects of Bolivian life such as through television, newspapers, and magazines. With that being said, it is obvious that the center of El Prado is so nicely kept because it is seen as an area holding great governmental importance, which is visualized, by the monuments. Yet, it steadily brings up the question of how much the government truly cares about its people. Within feet from the center there are starving mothers and children, homeless men, native Bolivian’s - working their hardest to make ends meet. Why is their so much money, time, and effort placed within a park in the center of La Paz, but not in it’s people? For now, I don’t know, but this is a question in which I hope to discover an answer.
I like your exploration of the ideals of the Bolivian government juxtaposed with the reality. But how can we tell how much a government cares? How do we measure it? This is a complex question for which there are no easy answers.
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