CultureShock! Bolivia

Mark Cramer

Description

CultureShock! Bolivia provides readers with a thorough understanding of this South American country, a nation steeped in history, culture, and tradition. Containing pages of useful information, advice, tips and resources, this book will guide you through the social and psychic adjustment necessary when moving to Bolivia. Learn, first and foremost, how to deal with soroche (altitude sickness), then understand the importance to the Bolivians of Pachamama (Mother Earth) and how she influences festivals and joyous occasions. Discover how to interact with the many diverse cultures, from Kallawayas to Cholas and Cholos to Aymara and Quechua, to name a few. Adapt to the Bolivian concept of time, understand the Bolivian love affair with soccer, and adopt the light-hearted response needed with water balloons at fiestas. This guide will lead nature lovers through the paved trails used by Incas over 2,000 years ago. Whatever your needs or interest, CultureShock! Bolivia has the answer and you'll soon learn not to take a single breath for granted in this diverse and spectacular country.

Sujets

• Bolivia

Informations

• Publié par: Marshall Cavendish International
• Date de parution: 01 août 2010
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9789814484350
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 8 Mo

Extrait

This 3rd edition published in 2011 by:
Marshall Cavendish Corporation
99 White Plains Road
Tarrytown, NY 10591-9001
www.marshallcavendish.us
First published in in 1996 by Times Media Private Limited, reprinted 1997, 1998; 2nd edition published in 2006 by Marshall Cavendish Corporation. Copyright 2011, 2006 Marshall Cavendish International (Asia) Private Limited All rights reserved
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner. Request for permission should be addressed to the Publisher, Marshall Cavendish International (Asia) Private Limited, 1 New Industrial Road, Singapore 536196. Tel: [phone], fax: [phone]. E-mail: [e-mail]
The publisher makes no representation or warranties with respect to the contents of this book, and specifically disclaims any implied warranties or merchantability or fitness for any particular purpose, and shall in no events be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damage, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages.
Other Marshall Cavendish Offices:
Marshall Cavendish International (Asia) Private Limited. 1 New Industrial Road, Singapore 536196 Marshall Cavendish International. PO Box 65829, London EC1P 1NY, UK Marshall Cavendish International (Thailand) Co Ltd. 253 Asoke, 12th Flr, Sukhumvit 21 Road, Klongtoey Nua, Wattana, Bangkok 10110, Thailand Marshall Cavendish (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Times Subang, Lot 46, Subang Hi-Tech Industrial Park, Batu Tiga, 40000 Shah Alam, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia
Marshall Cavendish is a trademark of Times Publishing Limited
eISBN: 978 981 4484 35 0
Please contact the publisher for the Library of Congress catalog number
Printed in Singapore by Times Printers Pte Ltd
Photo Credits:
All black and white photos from the author except pages 3, 22, 24, 52, 58, 69, 76, 201, 202 (Martin Vilela); 176 (Mark McMahon- http://filmtrips.com -author of Driving to the End of the World); 32 (courtesy of Fremen Tours). All colour photos from Photolibrary Cover photo: Corbis.
All illustrations by TRIGG
ABOUT THE SERIES
Culture shock is a state of disorientation that can come over anyone who has been thrust into unknown surroundings, away from one s comfort zone. CultureShock! is a series of trusted and reputed guides which has, for decades, been helping expatriates and long-term visitors to cushion the impact of culture shock whenever they move to a new country.
Written by people who have lived in the country and experienced culture shock themselves, the authors share all the information necessary for anyone to cope with these feelings of disorientation more effectively. The guides are written in a style that is easy to read and covers a range of topics that will arm readers with enough advice, hints and tips to make their lives as normal as possible again.
Each book is structured in the same manner. It begins with the first impressions that visitors will have of that city or country. To understand a culture, one must first understand the people-where they came from, who they are, the values and traditions they live by, as well as their customs and etiquette. This is covered in the first half of the book.
Then on with the practical aspects-how to settle in with the greatest of ease. Authors walk readers through topics such as how to find accommodation, get the utilities and telecommunications up and running, enrol the children in school and keep in the pink of health. But that s not all. Once the essentials are out of the way, venture out and try the food, enjoy more of the culture and travel to other areas. Then be immersed in the language of the country before discovering more about the business side of things.
To round off, snippets of basic information are offered before readers are tested on customs and etiquette of the country. Useful words and phrases, a comprehensive resource guide and list of books for further research are also included for easy reference.
CONTENTS
Introduction
Acknowledgements
Map of Bolivia
Chapter 1
First Impressions
Chapter 2
Overview of Land and History
Setting
Regions: the World in Microcosm
Temperature Zones: Keeping it Simple
Che Guevara
Altitude and the Brazilian Football Team
Finding Your Level
Human Plants
What Goes Down Must Come Up
Travel Advisory
Exotic Gas
Wilderness Challengers
Coca and Other Conflicts
Foreign Relations and Bolivian Law
Economic Realities
Class Struggle a la Boliviana
The Political Landscape
The Chronology of Transformation
Culture and Tourism
Chapter 3
The Bolivian People
Characters
The Celebrity Industry
Stereotypes and Rivalries
Chapter 4
The Social Setting
Evolution in First Gear
Chapter 5
Settling In
Immigration and Customs
Health
Currency and Money
Consumer Goods
Hotels
Transportation
Clothing
The Postal System
Telecommunications
Housing
Children
Dogs in the Hood
Crime Time
Interiors
Chapter 6
The Food of Bolivia
Food
Drinking and Socialising
Chapter 7
Enjoying Bolivia
Festivals
Getting Involved
La Paz: The Great Hole
From Highland to Jungle: Alternative Cities
High Valley Cities
Lowland Cities
Bolivia Plays Hard to Get
Tours for People who Don t Like Tours
Chapter 8
Learning the Language
Spanish Language
Language and Titles
The Business of Language
Chapter 9
Working in Bolivia
Business As Not Usual
The Art of Waiting
Who Do You Know?
Cultivating Contacts
Practical Business/Social Tips
Titles
Business Climate: Exports
The Curse of Oil
The Raw Reality of Raw Materials
Business Climate: Internal Economy
Chapter 10
Fast facts About Bolivia
Famous People
Acronyms
Country Statistics: Superlative Fact Sheet
Culture Quiz
Do s and Don ts
Glossary
Resource Guide
Further Reading
About the Author
Index
INTRODUCTION
To a wanderer in a snow covered field, a dried up prune or an old crust of bread tasted more delicious than a whole meal here with the prosperous guildsmen . -Hermann Hesse

Where is Bolivia? Club Med doesn t know, leaving lush semitropical swimming holes without sleek, manicured tourists. Pop-stars don t care, so Bolivia must be content with centuries-old harmonies and dance steps, as well as its homegrown fusion music, Latin, rock and jazz. Corporate giants and pop culture icons have not yet discovered Bolivia, which means that Bolivia must not exist.
At a Washington DC university Spanish class, I asked my students to write down the names of the countries they knew of in Latin America. None of them named Bolivia. (One wrote down Puerto Vallarta, a beach town in Mexico.)
One Cold War rumour referred to remote Bolivia as the safest place to hide during a nuclear war. Since this country was of no strategic importance, neither side had any reason to blow it to bits.
Today, thanks to immense but largely non-violent uprisings in defence of considerable gas, water and petrol resources against detrimental foreign exploitation, Bolivia is finally eligible for a place on the geopolitical map, beyond the classic war on drugs. In a 1995 threat to send US aircraft carriers to the coast of Bolivia in order to destroy coca leaf production, Indiana Congressman Dan Burton showed just how oblivious people are to Bolivia. As a foreign relations expert, Burton, of all people, should have known that Bolivia has no coast!
Even when a people s rebellion forced the powerful Bechtel corporation to be expelled from the country and even when subsequent indigenous uprisings toppled two presidents because they were not seen as committed to protecting natural gas reserves from multinational plundering, North American and European media attention span was short. The fact that this country has remained so remote from world consciousness may be to her advantage. Without renouncing contemporary innovations such as Internet, third generation mobile phones and designer blood pressure pills, Bolivia remains aloof from modern trends of monotony, like twenty-minute brown-bag lunch periods and single-use zoning. Dense mountain valleys remain so isolated that university expeditions find animal and plant species that are new to science and endemic to the region.
Why go to this remote spot on the globe? Here are ten reasons for visiting or living in this absurdly magnificent country.
Native South American cultures
As Bolivia proceeds to undo its racist past, through new institutions, campaigns of awareness and indigenous movements, peoples of European descent interact with two major native American cultures and a number of other smaller communities native to South America. In December of 2005, Bolivia elected its first indigenous president, Evo Morales, the result of five years of social protest movements led by the country s indigenous majority.
Biodiversity
Bolivia is at the core of the most biodiverse region on earth, the Tropical Andes. Most of the world s climates and ecosystems exist within this one country. In some places, a short bus ride or a robust hike can take you from one climate to another. An abundance of medicinal herbs and nutritious grains attract alternative health researchers, and new animal species are being discovered in Bolivia s chaste, sensual hinterlands.
Authenticity
Bolivia has unusual tourist attractions, but as yet, no tourist schlock . Neither ancient ruins nor fossilised dinosaur tracks have been converted into theme parks. Vast and stunning national parks and protected areas remain virtually unexplored.
Alternative economies
Bolivia s economy is wide open. With both orthodox statism and transnational capitalism having failed, minds are open for new economic models. A business person who can produce a value-added exp