Well, things have calmed down somewhat. It´s really hard for an entire country to be this tense for this long. We are all waiting to see what will happen in Cochabamba today. Yesterday morning, four of the five prefects (the prefect of Pando is in La Paz right now being tried on charges of ¨genocide¨) agreed to commence with negotiations even though the prefect of Tarija was unable to reach an agreement in his peace-talks earlier this week. Both sides feel deep mistrust and anger about how things have panned out, but the average Bolivian is sick of uneasiness and fear. Thousands of indigenous highland countrymen have been journeying to Santa Cruz and the surrounding countryside this past week. They´re lurking on the city outskirts, blocking roads, and marching around armed, intent on punishing any more secessionist activities that might unfold. They´ve all come here willing to fight to hold the country together under Massista rule, and I sincerely hope that today they will have the disappointment of having to march back home without conflict as the talks resolve things peacefully. This past week and a half has really been an emotional roller coaster for the people of Santa Cruz. For fourteen years they´ve been struggling for autonomy. Hunger strikes, lost work days, referendums, all manner of civil disobedience, none of it has caused the central government to blink an eye (last year, many of the women here in Santa Cruz went on a dangerously long hunger strike, to which Evo responded that he was pleased they were losing some weight). Now, they´ve been plunged into a situation where they finally have the government´s attention, but they´re going to have to make heavy compromises to avoid more violence. The central government clearly has the better bargaining position in these talks. Almost all of the other South American leaders support Evo´s regime, due to a combination of ideological solidarity (which, in the case of Venezuela, runs into deeper complexity than you can imagine) and commerce interests (gas contracts with the current regime supply almost half of all energy consumed in neighboring countries). Last week, when the rioting first broke out, people were very scared but also excited that the east might finally win the autonomy that it has sought for so long. Now, everyone is just weary. Reports of armed assault are on the rise, but we no longer fall asleep to the sound of firecrackers and gunshots. The silent tension almost makes me feel queasy. Demonstrations of every sort still march through the city, from frustrated Massistas dressed in red, to exasperated Cruceños holding white flags of surrender.

As for me, I´m doing fine. On Tuesday I dyed my hair to make myself look a little less foreign (I uploaded a picture into the photo album http://pub6.bravenet.com/photocenter/album.php?usernum=474142164#bn-phot... - it´s a little dark, but you´ll just have to bear with me), which my family had mixed feelings about. They were a little sad to see my brownish blonde locks go. I´m quite happy, though. Now, instead of looking like a total gringa, I just look like a Bolivian of mostly European descent (the height and blue eyes are out of place, and the tan still doesn´t quite hold up to mestiza standards). It´s also a bit safer for me this way because anti-foreign discrimination in some parts of the city are on the rise, mainly due to the alleged American opposition to the central government and support of Unionista activities. If talks go well today, I might be able to go to Tahuichi and school tomorrow, which would make me very very happy. I´m feeling really restless and lazy trying to wait this out, and I´m going to enjoy the socializing and exercise of normal life once it ends. I´m just counting myself lucky that I don´t have to return home. Yesterday, I had the opportunity to leave the house to go to a restaurant for a little going away dinner for one of my fellow exchangers. I enjoyed the time out, but the whole event was kind of sad. The girl has only been here for about a month, but her family and Rotary club in New York are ordering her to return via Argentina on Friday. I am touched by how much everyone back home cares for my wellbeing, and I know that the evacuation of embassy and Peace Corps personnel made everyone nervous, but rest assured that I am 100% right now. That being said, I have a meeting with some Rotary officials tonight to finalize the details of an emergency evacuation plan. Should anything happen, I will fly out immediately via AeroSur to Santiago, where I will most likely be able to wait out any major short-term conflict. Cross your fingers that this may all be over by tomorrow. Chau with love,
Sarah