A visit to the Cemetary..an experience!

[/caption]There are so many things to Blog about lately, I´m just not sure which one to do first! But hey, we´ll go for this one first! Ever since I got here the girls have been asking me to take them to the Cemetary. They always seemed to suggest a Monday, and this week it finally worked out. I´ve seen more funerals than I care to remember here, but I´d never remember where they are buried! As the picture shows, they bury their dead in something called a ´Nicho´. Its like a mini square tomb, built into a wall!

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Thankfully girls who have lived on the streets have GREAT memories! They don´t embalm the dead here either, which is why they bury them (or atleast try to) within a day or two! The burial is usually really quick, and I´m usually crying, which is why I think i´ve never noticed the stench before. But since I spent a good while looking for another grave last week, and since learning that a visit to the cemetary, really was a visit (staying a while) I really got to experience one of the worse smells ever..rotting flesh..complete with really irritating flies!

But I have to say it was an experience I am glad I went through with real Bolivians and I was taught the ´customs´ as it were. We actually had a good 5 people to visit in this particular cemetary and I didnt understand why we needed so many flowers (Í must say the girls (and their partners without reservation funded themselves) But there is a custom..on a Monday to come and change the flower displays..usually 3 o 4..or more and leave a little water for the deceased to ´drink´

I have to say I was really impressed how much attention the girls (and guys) put into the flower displays..even for some they didnt know that well..just as a mark of respect. I also helped make a display for my dear Alvaro and helped decorate his ´nicho´ as my way of saying goodbye…we always took a moment of silence at each grave to honor each person.

arrangement

Helping arrange flowers

Grave of one of the first boys who died

Well a slightly gloomy post, but hope it proved atleast a little intresting in showing you some of the culture here..oh and by the way, they chose monday to go as its called ´Dia de los almitas´ Day of the dear souls..quite sweet I thought!