Tent Witnessing

Rurrenabaque Flooding (From a Week Ago)

Day 36

So after it downpoured for a week straight and we complained about that, now it hasn't rained for a week, and when it doesn't rain, its hotter than you can even imagine. So two days ago we went to a swimming pool, which felt amazing. As we were walking home from the pool we met a brother who told us our Witness neighbors were waiting in line for gas for cooking. And the town hasn't had gas since before we got here, so its a big deal and everyone is lining up on this one street to replace their empty gas tanks with full ones. So we find our neighbors to help them wait. They decide to go home because they had been waiting for about an hour and so we took over (we being courtney, kayla, me, the three girls from WI, and kezia, a sister from Denmark who lives here now) so there is 7 of us waiting in line with about 40 other people, all Bolivians. Then in the distance we see the gas truck coming and hope it comes to our side because we were at the beginning of the line. But as he gets closer he drives past without stopping. Then someone shouts, "he's going to the plaza!!!" Which is about 5 blocks away. So as gas is this very important and emotional thing and people have been waiting for weeks and hours in line, everyone just starts running like crazy towards the plaza. Like complete madness haha. So of course we pick up our gas tanks (5 in total) and start running, awkwardly because the tanks are heavy. Two girls each carried one tank and one sister grabs a tank and hops on a motorcycle taxi towards the plaza, while yelling at us to run. So here we are running as fast as we can through the streets, us and at least 100 other Bolivians all carrying gas tanks following the truck to the plaza. Funniest scene. Ever. It was such a huge commotion that all the street dogs are barking at us like crazy and running with us (there are lots of street dogs). Just to top it all off, at one point I see in the corner of my eye something passing us. It is this scrawny little 12 year old Bolivian boy running with this huge cart, about 3 feet by 4 feet, with just one little tank in the middle of this cart too big for the boy and the tank. And his little legs are just booking it haha. And they are tons of people just watching from their houses and the streets, taking video and pictures. When we get in sight of the plaza we see at least thirty moto taxis following the gas truck with people on the back holding their gas tanks. So the sister who took the moto taxi actually made it to second in line, with 50 people already behind her. So we run up to her with our tanks and get our five new gas tanks fairly quickly. But let me tell you, people were MAD. They were screaming and throwing tanks at the driver saying they had waited for hours and would wait no longer. But in the end we got our gas, so all is good in that area. But my dear friends, I wish more than anything I had taken a video for you all to see. Unfortunately there was no time to take my camera out in all the madness. I do however have a few pictures from finally getting our gas at the plaza, which I will post soon. But even all the brothers and sisters who live here have never seen anything like it. We had a very good laugh about it for a long time.

I'm trying to get caught up with posting all my pictures, so as you have probably figured out, what I'm posting is from a week or two ago.