When I arrived in Cochabamba, Bolivia, the city seemed as spunky as its name with its panoramic mountains, colorful buildings, and picturesque plazas. Reflecting back on the first couple of days in the land-locked country in South America, I can relate my impression to looking at the exterior of a new house: the potential for refreshing experiences along with the appealing aesthetic appearance masked any disruption I could observe from the outside. However as I spent more time in the incredibly diverse country, I was gradually introduced to the complexity of its interior: the cracks that needed repairs; the features that, though different from my familiar home, were completely functional; and the differences among various regions, opinions, and cultures that all existed “under the same roof.”

I was given a plethora of experiential learning opportunities through SIT Study Abroad’s Culture and Development Program, which included seminar classes, home-stay, various excursions, a six-day village-stay, and an Independent Study Project (ISP). Along with planting potato seeds, sleeping in an adobe home, and swimming in Lake Titicaca, I was introduced to a wide-range of themes, organizations, and people significant and unique to Bolivian culture and development. One topic that immediately caught my attention was the high percentage of Bolivians who migrate to other countries primarily to earn money and, in doing so, separate themselves from their families. I decided to investigate this theme for my ISP, a month-long, field-work-based project done at the conclusion of the program. My investigations, which explored the emotional and behavioral effects of children with migrant parents, included volunteer work with an NGO, interviews with professionals, and group charlas (or chats) with Bolivian children who had at least one parent or relative abroad. I was not surprised to find that the children experienced emotional, academic, and responsibility alterations after their parents went abroad; however I was surprised to learn that despite their grief, they often so maturely understood that their parents left to benefit them.

After investigating migration from a children’s perspective, I thought that the best presentation of my findings would be in a form accessible, relatable, and understandable to young people. I was also aware that children’s literature was hard to come by in Bolivia and wanted to give back to a society that had taught me so much. With these motives in mind, I decided to write, illustrate, and publish a bilingual children’s book discussing the commonalities of my research as well as possible coping strategies. At the conclusion of my study abroad experience, I was able to read my book aloud to a small gathering of local children. I’ll never forget their eyes gazing at me and my book as I read a story to which, more than likely, at least one of those ten children could have personally related.

My book, Mi mami no está conmigo en Bolivia/My Mommy Is Not in Bolivia with Me, is one of six student-written books that form part of the Bilingual Children’s Literature Reciprocity Project, a project recently created by Academic Director Heidi Baer-Postigo. This project contributes to the production of affordable books celebrating Bolivian reality and serves to raise international awareness about Bolivia’s rich cultures and pressing social issues. Currently, we have circulated books in Bolivia and our home-towns and universities and are seeking to further diffuse our works.

To learn more about our project, check out our new website! www.kidsbooksbolivia.org

To order books in the series, contact heidi.baer-postigo@sit.edu and to inquire further about my book, contact nadinec@brandeis.edu.