Saturday, September 25, 2010

One month down, one to go

As of September 24th, I have been at my position for one month. I am funded for 1 more month, though I think that it might be possible to extend the funding and appointment. Overall, I have enjoyed both my job and my life in this country. The job market back at home is not exactly beckoning with possibilities, so it is entirely possible that The Escape Archivist will continue to find work abroad. I have received many emails regarding my "escapes" and how to create them. My general advice for finding work abroad is to RESEARCH, RESEARCH and do more RESEARCH. If you are a librarian, doing complete and thorough research should be a natural reflex, though it surprises me how many terrible researchers I have met in library school and in practice at various New York library reference desks. Of course it also helps to be able to read (even better to speak AND read) foreign languages. I can read 7, which I guess helps increase my job possibilities. Moreover, be openminded about foreign cultures. Not everywhere is America, and not everybody speaks or understands English. And sadly, there are plenty of people who will judge you harshly at the outset simply for being American. It is your job as the expat to be respectful of your host culture and to go with the native flow (it´s MUCH harder if you try and impose your standards to the ones in your host country) and just.be.cool. I´m currently funded by the US Embassy, and I take that fact seriously. While some Bolivians may dislike certain American international policies, they are open to respecting our personal and cultural contributions to their country. Likewise, I love learning more about their rich culture and history.

Friday, September 17, 2010

TPS Reports, otherwise known as a Day in the Life

The Archivist´s version of TPS reports
TGIF, TGIF! Yeah it is Friday and I´ve got a 3 day weekend ahead of me. My family and I are traveling to Coroico, a town in the Yungas Region, which is down the mountain from where we are now. It will be tropical and jungle-like, and we are staying in a little bungalow at the top of a mountain. The road that leads to the Yungas used to be known as the Most Dangerous Road in the World, but we are being lame and taking the new safe(er) road.

Since it´s Friday and I am thinking of really Office Space/The Office type things, I´m going to give you a run down of how my weekdays usually go. My work/life schedule is quite different from the way it was at home.
8 AM - Awaken, put on coffee, dress
8:30 - M. and El Sueco usually wake up at this point. I help El Sueco get M. ready for pre-school.

8:45 - Take a Trufi (shared Paceño) taxi from outside our home to work. Cost in USD about 20 cents.

9 AM- Arrive at work usually huffing and puffing after running a steep hill up from main avenue to Plaza Murillo and then hurtling up 2 flights of Andean Baroque (read:steep) stairs. Why do I run? Well because it´s great exercise and because although I no longer live in New York, the NYC pace is vestigial.

9 - 12:30 Work, work and more work (and some internet too of course!)

12:30 Descend from Plaza Murillo to Prado to find a trufi home. It is lunch time! SIESTA. Boom shakalaka!

12:30 - 3 PM At home, I meet up with El Sueco and M. who is usually sleeping after pre-school. We heat up the lunch that our housekeeper has prepared the night before. After lunch we relax and do things that we cannot do when toddler M. is up and about.

3 PM - Back at work. Sometimes there is a musical event on the patio (Planta Baja) in the evenings, so I always hope that a good classical music act will be practicing and providing me with a pleasant afternoon soundtrack. And more work. And work. And no, this work is not in English so I need to pay extra attention to what I am doing!

5:30- 6 Tea/coffee break. A group of us from the office head down to the museum´s cafe where we drink tea, chat and eat a pastry.  I love these dulce de leche layered ones. Sometimes we have empanadas or cake. It is very pleasant to have this little break, and I am once again reminded that I am not in the USA (especially when my group of friends all talk fast at once and I feel like a mute because I am not fast enough in Spanish convo at this point. I talk very fast in English and even in Swedish so this is a big change!)

6-7 - Wrap up whatever I am doing at work. At 7, I head down to El Prado to find my last trufi of the day.

7:20 - Arrive at home to a clean home with a tasty warm meal on the table for us (our housekeeper is amazing). I then turn on the hot water for a shower (hot water is not a given in Bolivia, and one needs to turn on the boiler manually when it is needed. We must save a ton of energy doing this) and take a shower. Post shower until 9 PM, it is family time, and this usually involves herbal tea, chocolate and the estufa (Bolivian space heater cos 95% of Bolivian homes do not have central heating- again, not convenient but Ecofriendly). ¡Buenas Noches!

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Unplugged but Tuned In

Yesterday I went to the Museum of Ethnography and Folklore. What an amazing place! I met the director of the museum and the chief librarian who gave me a tour of the research library and the archives. This woman was an ALA fellow and has worked in research libraries in the United States, so we had a lot to chat about, particularly regarding the profession and the challenges in each country, comparitively. Overall, I´d say that while Bolivians are more meticulous about preserving their history in myriad ways, the Americans have better technological resources to do so. I sense a collaboration here. For example, yesterday, the MUSEF´s Opac system had gone down, and the researchers at the library had to approach the reference desk to find materials. And there was limited or zero access to the online research databases.

While I am most defnitely online at work, I do not have internet at home,and this gives me an odd sense of peace. Generally people here are significantly less "plugged in" than in the US (or in New York at least) and here I don´t constantly dodge the text zombies who SMS furiously whilst walking quickly down busy city streets. Nor do you see many people speaking on cell phones on the street or (personal pet peeve) leaving their phones on the table while dining. I have your full attention and you have mine. We are living in real time. And though slower internet and prohibitively expensive cellular service have drawbacks, I like living in real time. Call me old fashioned.

Friday, September 3, 2010

Archivista Superstar

I am aghast (in a good way!) that the general public knows what an archivist does in Bolivia. Seriously. Back in the States, I was often met with clueless expressions when asked my profession. Hemming and hawing, I often have to explain that archiving has nothing to do with architecture (although I am married to an architect, so in my case, the 2 professions share a tax return) and is a branch of librarianship. And that it requires a Master´s degree.  At which point, the clueless person has disengaged and informed me that librarians "just read books" all day. And then I get annoyed and consider telling these sorts of folk in the future that I actually make my money as a Real Housewife on Bravo.

In a pleasant  contrast, seemingly everybody I have met in La Paz actually knows and understands what an archivist does. I think that this has to do with the Bolivian respect for cogent cultural history. With a combination of the history of post colonialism plus various political regimes plus the plurality of native cultures, Bolivians understand the need to be aware of their national and political identity both of the past and going forward.

And who knows if this has anything to do with it, but overall Bolivians are not a people heavily involved in celebrity worship (either their own or imported ones). As a result, people seem to be less impressed with seemingly glamorous lines of work, and more impressed with hard work regardless of the title. This in turn impresses me a great deal!

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Seguridad y preservación /Security and Preservation

One aspect of preservation we addressed in school was that of security of the collections. In library collections, this generally meant protecting circulating books from defacement and robbery. Obviously, in special collections and rare book/manuscript collections this meant guarding collections against theft and black market traders. In a museum context, this obviously means protecting collections against art theft.

And more specifically, in the context of this city/country/location this means protection against protests,riots and revolutions. Though La Paz has been very peaceful since 2005, the museum is located in a politically important location. The Plaza Murillo is the home to major government houses, and has seen many coupes d´etat (and some fairly grizzly stuff too, but you can look that up if you are interested). Because of the political symbolism of some of the collection, I feel that there is a real possibility that this museum might attract political looters. The museum staff was actually trapped inside of the building during the government protests of 2005. (again, do the research if you are interested -this is a blog about archiving and libraries-not politics). Interestingly though, because of the museum´s proximity to the government buildings, there is actually more security than normal in this area of the city. In addition to Paceño police, there are military guards nearby as well. On an institutional level, there is a police staff (no such thing as private security companies in a government institution) on guard at the museum plus a number of security measures similar to those in major museums in New York.

Hipster ghost hangout
There is no security, however, for the 3 ghosts (fantasmas!) who are said to haunt the museum, which was once a Colonial home to a Spanish aristocrat. I have not seen said ghosts yet, but here is a photo of the corner they are often spotted in!

Photos/ Fotografías of the National Museum of Art, La Paz

The National Museum of Art plus heavens above
Planta bajo/Colonial patio of museum

Friday, August 27, 2010

Information, Información y más información

Where do I even start? My first week at the museum has been extremely eventful. The learning has been two-fold because I am trying to absorb the newness of my work environment, my project and integrating Spanish into a professional archival setting. I will not lie-it is tough. Though I am proficient in Spanish on a practical level, it is entirely something else when I have to turn it out daily at a professional, polished level. Writing a billingual finding aid is one of the toughest work tasks that I have ever done! I guess what is even more frustrating is that I understand and can read at an extremely high level (thanks to AP Spanish plus an advanced Spanish reading course during undergrad at NYU) but my speaking is not equal to my comprehension.

Nonetheless, I know that my Spanish continues to improve everyday and I know that being able to write well in a foreign language, particularly Spanish is an extremely useful skill. Upon return to the USA, I feel confident that I would be able to catalog and archive in this language.

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

This Mission, Should You Choose to Accept it...

I am at the end of my first day of work. I tossed and turned the night before because I was frankly terrified about the prospect of working exclusively in Spanish. Well, at least I don´t have to answer the phones, right?

But after a day working here, I have come to accept that my working Spanish is sufficient. I am perhaps not the funniest conversationalist during the tea and cake break, but I am able to have pleasant chats and to do my job. Which leads to me to the job itself. Basically, the museum has been in existence since 1961 and there are extensive records of the museum´s formation. My job is to work with Reynaldo, the chief archivist and Valeria, the museum director to create an EAD, and a finding aid (known as lineamentos here, guidelines, literally) to help both outside researchers and the museum staff itself have a central record of its activities, exhibits, practices, staff, directors, art donations, official correspondences and holdings for both the public record and public memory.

Notably, the museum opened after the Revolution of 1952 and was created from the ashes of a national uprising. The works of art in this museum as well as its formation represent an important part of the formation of a national identity. The Museum is located in Plaza Murillo and is across the square from the Legislative Palace and the National Congress. Riots and protests happen here, and the Revolution of ´52 went down here as well. There were massive protests here in 2005. It is a location with the dust and blood of Bolivian poltical history. And there is an awesome salteñaría across the street. Just sayin´. Yum. Yup. President Evo and salteñas. I am satisfecho.

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Photos of the Escape - non library related

View from Calacoto- where I am temporarily staying

Possible apartment- center of town, not M. proofed though.
Here are some non library-related photos of my journey so far.  Unfortunately, my husband (herein known as El Sueco, son will be known as M. like in Bond because of his affection for gadgetry, destruction, and scary multilingualism)
View from awesome apartment

Saturday, August 21, 2010

The Great Escape

Unlike life itself, I am happy to report that my voyage from New York to Miami to La Paz was totally unevenful. Textbook, I'd say, except that I managed to escape the altitude sickness that knocks many travelers to La Paz sideways. 2 US Embassy escorts met me at El Alto airport at 5:20 AM and I was treated to a winding trip down through the Andes to Zona Sur, where I am staying at the home of a diplomat couple, their adorable son and their hilarious dog. I will soon be moving out of this lovely home once I find accomodation that suits my family, work schedule, and personal preferences. Notably, the housing market is NOTHING like the New York City housing market in terms of price!

I am currently at the Museo Nacional de Arte, where I have come for a casual meeting with the Director, the Administrative director and one of the conservators prior to my Tuesday start date. I am happy to report that in La Paz, the archives and conservation labs tend to be on the higher floors rather than in the basement, as they often are in New York. The office I will be working in has many windows, high ceilings and a charming Andes Colonial style. Interestingly, because of the very high altitude, there are many different rules and practices regarding paper preservation. I am looking forward to learning more about this.

Another interesting thing about my job is the SIESTA, though they are now calling it lunch, I guess, to be more modern? Yes, we get a break from 12 until 3 on our weekday working days. I plan to use this time to go home to my family and perhaps get a so-called disco nap! (To those uninitiated in slang a disco nap means a short nap). I am so not in New York anymore, Toto.

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Arriving on High, literally

Note to reader: I'm pretty bad at writing about myself. I kept a diary for 27 years,  but the point of a diary is that it is private. I hope that I'll get less uptight as I get used to this.

Now with this incredible adventure ahead of me, I'm shaking off the shackles of self-scrutiny, and letting you the readers (all 3 of you- ha!) share my journey to La Paz, Bolivia. I'm trying to tie up my loose ends here, and prepare myself for the physical exertion of travel. And physical, it sure will be. I'm an experienced international traveler, but I've never been up so high above sea level before. La Paz's  El Alto airport (for non-Spanish speakers, that translates to the tall/high up) is at 13,000 feet above sea level. Arrival literally takes one's breath away. I'm taking the proper prophylaxis to prevent any kind of acute soroche attack (the Bolivians have a name for altitude sickness and it is soroche) but who's not a little afraid of the unknown, right?

The Bolivian folk remedy for soroche is to drink coca leaf tea (mate de coca). Yup, the leaves of the coca leaf plant. Yes coca = the basis (before much processing and additives) of fabled "Bolivian marching powder" and choice substance of abuse for many Bret Easton Ellis characters and glam, fast-lane party people. But coca leaf tea (steeped leaves) will not make automatically you a Lohan or a cast member from Rock of Love. Drinking coca leaf tea does not make you tweak or make you thin enough for sample size dresses (too bad). It does not even show up on drug tests (yes, I've asked, numerous times, I'm such a librarian). Many Bolivians customarily offer newcomers to their land a cup of coca leaf tea, and yes I will drink it. And yes, I will totally think of Nancy Reagan's War on Drugs when I do.