Nov 1

Big day for me today ...

Got up at 6, had a cup of coffee, and left the house to go cleaning up La Bocana. Started out on our street - went on to the elementary school.  Went to the end of town and did a whole arroyo (empty river bed). What a mess it was...I think people just dump their trash there. That took at least an hour. Went downt he road next to it and saw a house where someone had kind of swept the trash together but didn't bag it...how the heck are the gaarbage guys going to take it away ???? So, another hour spent putting it into bags. Stopped a guy onthe street and asked whose house it was. They are both gone - husband and wife both sick and in La Paz. So, I asked him to ask the sheriff to schedule the garbage guys for tomorrow t pick all the bags up. Threre must have ben 5 huge bags I filled. Then I went to the area behind the coop road and saw Armando - an ex English student whom I hadn't seen forever.  So, I popped onto his porch and sat down for a cup of juice (it was really hot). Met his wife and talked about the restaurant he just opened downtown at the square and requested a copy of the menu so I can recommend our guests eat there.

We started talking about my cleaning project and as usual I get carried away and tell of all the places we have cleaned in the last couple days.  I remark ...I need the help of the coop. He points to the guy standing behind me. Hello, I say, my name is Blanca. Hello he answered. I am blablabla but call me Chuey. Ohhhhhhhh says Armando, you don't know each other ?  Blanca, this is the president of the coop.

Is this fate or what ? I am so excited I grab the guys hand again and shake it again and say " I need your full name and phone number and email address".  He begins to laugh and says ... sorry, I don't have an email address.  So, we begin talking and I tell him some of my ideas for drumming up revenue. He smiles and says, could we all get together this week and talk more about this ?  I offerred my house.   To make the story short - all the bigwigs in the coop are coming to my house.......to discuss how to pay for a cleaner la bocana ....

And then I meet another woman who is there who is the elementary school principal. Well, one of the areas I clean every day is the outside fence at her school - but the inside is filthy too. So, I suggest I stop by every day and clean up inside the fence and maybe we can get the little ones to help too. Education needs to begin at that age. A garbage can outside would help .... the kids have no where to put the trash unless they go back inside the classroom. Right.

So, now I am happy and I continue on my way home (in theory). Every  time I see a sodapop bottle, I just have to stop and get it. So, at some point Scott and Joaquin are coming down the road. I flag them and ask Scott to please visit me so we can chat about all these ideas.  I need more input. I need help and support from my fellow gringoes !!  And Scott already mentions that la Bocana desperately needs a firetruck and that there are many firemen who could make that happen for us. What a smart idea.  Tuesday at 11 a.m. will be our get together.  I need ideas I need solutions I need to know what they consider our problems too - that way we can bring it all up when the bigwigs come over.

I also want to make a petition to the governor to ask for a bulldozer.  Have all the townpeople sign it and hand it to him on the day he is here. Along with a request for anything else we can come up with.  Chuey wants someone to approach the governor and talk about this. I have chosen Valentine. He is great at          speaking - a teacher of the highest standard - a perfect spokesman. He has also been one of my biggest supporters thru this clean up project. Will he accept ? I think so !!