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Published: February 5th 2005
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Water Balloons
This is what Oruro Carnaval is about. Carnaval in Oruro was eventful if nothing else.
Chrissy and i took the 630am bus with Miguelito (bolivia pcv) and his sister. By 10 we were settled into a huge apartment with about 15 other people (all peace corps). There we would be sleeping on the floor for 110Bs (cheap by carnaval standards).
Soon we were hard at work making water balloons - the chief attraction of carnaval in oruro. From our 4th floor balcony we rained down a storm of american firepower not seen since hiroshima. people scattered, we developed stealth techniques for more effective mayhem, and it was a lot of fun. . .
. . . for about 30 minutes. Twas then that I had the bright idea to throw a water balloon at a passing car. I managed to peg it right on the windshield (while almost all my previous shots at human targets missed). Immediately the driver slammed on his brakes and backed up. Out popped 3 men in hats and uniforms - policemen. Fuck. They yelled at us to come down, so Miguelito went down to try to appease them. It turns out that my balloon shattered their windshield, and they wanted
me to pay for it. I thought, thats bullshit, theres no way a water balloon could break a window. Well, apparently it can if thrown from high enough. Soon, joined by Chrissy, we were in the truck looking for a shop to fix the windshield. We finally found one open on this, Oruro{s biggest holiday, and the pricetag was a whopping 150 dollars plus 10 for installation. I told them that i only had 100 dollars on me and that that was all i could pay. They were adamant that I pay the full price, and after a wonderful, brutal tirade by Chrissy, the price was brought down to 140 including installation. I gave in, paid it (knowing that those bastards probably just took the money from the windshield guy afterward) and got some funny ass pictures of the cops and the broken windshield.
After that unfortunate incident I had some beers and took out my frustration with some 10 centavo water balloons, pegging them at all passers by. On the parade route we were pelted mercilessly with balloons and foam, protected only by our swelteringly hot plastic ponchos. More beers, balloons and parade watching and by 8pm Chrissy
and I were ready for bed, I mean, floor.
After a night of tossing and turning on the hard floor, we got up to do it all over again (minus the windshield-breaking). We donned our ponchos and ventured out into the warzone, and several hours later after some hardcore parade watching and photo taking, I slumped back toward home feeling a bit ill. It was only 2pm, but i needed to rest up for the super bowl.
On the long walk home from the parade seats I ran into yet another terrible incident. Feeling shitty and in a bad mood, i was doing everything possible to avoid having foam sprayed on me or water balloons thrown at me. Then, these 2 devil children emerged from a house, balloons in hand. I told them, in spanish, please not to throw them at me. Apparently they misconstrued my request as an invitation for battle. One pegged me in my face and i chased the other one down to grab his balloon away. Just then i felt a fist in my balls. yes, the little fucker who had pelted me in the face took it one step further and hit me
Photo with Cops
The cops came out US$140 richer so they had damn well better be smiling. below the belt. i was pissed. i picked him up, spun him around, gave him a scare and put him down. he lay there, seemingly passed out on the pavement. i thought, oh shit, is this kid okay? I asked him if he was okay and he didn{t respond. I sat there, totally confused as to how i had knocked him out, when he jumped up and laughed in my face, yelling sad man! sad man! at me. my temper snapped and i got in the kids face, told him to fuck off, and gave him a light shove away from me.
one might think that this was the end of the story, but its just beginning. no sooner was i walking away then a young woman came running over from down the road yelling child abuser! at me. i tried to explain to her that i didn{t hurt the kid and that he had hit me in the balls. well, apparently my spanish wasn{t working that day as she heard nothing of it and would only yell horrible things at me. then, the kid realized the position i was in and started to bawl. soon, the kids mother
had been roused from her hole along with the rest of the neighborhood to yell epithets at me, the horrible destroyer of children. The mother actually punched me in the face and kicked me, hard, several times. I had, by then, approached the kid, saying i was sorry (though i really wasn{t, as i had done nothing remotely violent) only to hear more alligator tears. I asked the mother what she wanted, and if all she was looking for was to milk a gringo for his money (i literally said [me quieres ordeñar, señora?[) Needless to say, I have never been in such a situation before, and I was nearly brought to tears. All these people (of whom only 1 had seen what happened, and she was about 50 yards away) thought i was the scum of the earth. I had been punched in the face by a woman (and no, i didn{t do anything back) and ridiculed in front of many. I walked away with my tail between my legs, feeling like shit.
This was, I think, one of the most traumatizing things that has happened to me in a long time. I still feel like shit, and
Chris and I in Plastic
We had had enough foam and water balloons for the day. not just a little angry at those people{s total audacity in defense of a malcriado little kid. Anyway, I collapsed on the floor of the apartment and cried a little bit.
The only thing that could bring me out of my slump was some football, and luckily enough we were able to watch the super bowl over several beers. By the grace of god the eagles lost and by the end of the night I was no longer lamenting the atrocious accusations of total strangers but was enjoying good conversation with peace corps volunteers.
Again I awoke with a hangover from yet another disconcerting day, and somehow got back to la paz, where i am now.
Oruro carnaval was extremely fun, though made significantly worse by my 2 incidents. I am apparently developing bad luck, so my plan for the next days is to lay low, avoid children and vehicles, and hope it passes.
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