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Bolivia: Collective Blog from the Diaspora

Categories: Latin America, Bolivia, Migration & Immigration

Editor's Note: The following is a translation of a post originally published [1] by Karen Heredia [2] in Blogs Bolivia [es].


On August 9th, 2007 the blog Viviendo en Dos Culturas [es] [3], (Living in Two Cultures) began. The author of the first post was Pablo Sánchez Kohn. To date, Viviendo en Dos Culturas [es] has published 56 posts. Within its virtual walls, we can read the following:

To live in two cultures is sometimes a choice and sometimes “an accident.” It is to feel present here and sometimes to feel present there. To live in two cultures is… I would like to invite you to share your experiences about living in two cultures. The good, the bad, the (whatever you like).

The following bloggers contribute in this blog of bloggers:

* Utópico [4]
* David Rojas Elbirt [5]
* OJO DE VIDRIO
* Laura Fähndrich [6]
* uberedwin [7]
* Pablo Sánchez Kohn [8]
* José Andrés Sánchez Exeni [9]

Woody Allen and Bolivia can be found in “Carcelona” [es] [10]

Raúl me cuenta la historia de su hermano Arturo quien reside clandestinamente en Barcelona; dejó la carrera de Administración de Empresas y ahora trabaja en la caja de un micromercado del Poble Sec; sin embargo, como dice Raúl, su hermano está convencido de que hizo lo correcto…

Raúl tells me the story of his brother Arturo, who lives in a clandestine manner in Barcelona. He left college and his pursuit of a Business Administration degree and now works as a cashier at a supermarket in Poble Sec. However, says, Raúl, his brother is convinced that he did the right thing.

Bolivian restaurants and bars: Between integration and conflicts [es] [11]

Los bares y restaurantes bolivianos se han convertido en un núcleo de integración y de muestra de nuestras virtudes, pero también corren el riesgo de convertirse en guetos o espacios donde afloran nuestros defectos y dificultades para integrarnos a la vida europea.Muchos bolivianos, españoles, asiáticos y hasta africanos han encontrado una veta preciosa en la venta de comida boliviana, de un sabor incomparable, pero también de cervezas de cualquier tipo que sirven para “ahogar las penas” y olvidar una semana de duro trajinar trabajando o buscando empleo…

The Bolivian bars and restaurants have become a center for integration and a display of our virtues. However, they also run the risk of becoming ghettos or places where our defects and difficulty to integrate ourselves into European society. Many Bolivians, Spanish, Asians, and even Africans have found something precious in Bolivian food, a taste without compare, as well as any type of beer that serves to “drown one's sorrows” and forget about a difficult week at work or looking for work…

The Baby the Was Born with a “Passport Underneath His Arm” [es] [12]

Parece que Luis Ignacio Iriarte, el primer bebé nacido en toda España el 2008, ha llegado al mundo con “un pasaporte bajo el brazo”, por la buena suerte que trae a los bolivianos que no tienen ese documento.Siempre dicen que un recién nacido viene con su pan al mundo, pero en este caso, el bebé boliviano nacido en Valencia a los pocos segundos de este año, convertido en una celebridad mediática, ha traído una luz de esperanza a los compatriotas que buscan regularizarse o tener documentos…

It appears that Luis Ignacio Iriarte, the first baby born in 2008 in all of Spain, entered this world with “a passport underneath his arm,” for the good luck that this brings all the Bolivians without a passport. They always say that newborns arrive with bread for the world, but in this case, the Bolivian baby, who was born a few seconds at the beginning of this year in Valencia, has become a celebrity. He brought a ray of hope for his fellow countrymen and women, who are looking to adjust or obtain legal papers.


Cruceño (Bolivian from Santa Cruz) directs successful radio program in the US [es]

Bolivianos, salvadoreños y peruanos buscan cada sábado su programa de radio, en el que responde las inquietudes de los inmigrantes. Vivió desde su infancia en Santa Cruz y se formó en Estados Unidos, pero se considera un camba más. Es especialista en migración…

Bolivians, Salvadorans, and Peruvians seek answers to immigration questions on his radio program each Saturday. He lived in Santa Cruz as a child and was educated in the United States, but he considers himself just another Camba. He is an expert in immigration issues.


Bolivian Food in Spain: A Tasty Article [es]

Tengo la creencia que no hay que intentar buscar allí donde estás lo que has dejado detrás tuyo. Poniéndolo en cristiano, no hay que intentar encontrar comida boliviana si vives en el extranjero, sólo lograrás deprimirte con platos fabricados a medias entre los productos locales y la melancolía…

I believe that one should not attempt to find there, what you left behind. In other words, one should try to find Bolivian food, if you live abroad. You'll just become depressed with dishes prepared half-heartedly among the local products and the melancholy.

A Watchful Eye on European Consulates [es] [13]

Las actividades de algunos consulados en Europa y su verdadero servicio a la población han sido puestas en tela de juicio en las últimas semanas, en medio de una pugna política y de intereses personales. Europa tiene casi 500 mil bolivianos, pero la cantidad de Embajadas y consulados y el personal que poseen no ha sido incrementada por el Gobierno, lo que provoca protestas de los compatriotas que se extienden desde España hasta Alemania….

The activities of some European consulates and their real service to the population have been drawn into the spotlight during these past few weeks, during the recent political battles and personal interests. Europe has nearly 500,000 Bolivians, but the amount of embassies, consulates and staff has not been increased by the government, which has raised protests by countrymen and women from Spain to Germany.


Humor Conference and the Bolivian Migration [es]

Amigos: Difundo el texto de la conferencia que brindé en la Casa de América de Barcelona el 28 de de noviembre del 2007, en el marco de las “Jornadas sobre el Humor en Iberoamérica”. Del 26 al 30 de noviembre, disertaron prestigiosos periodistas, humoristas, dibujantes, caricaturistas de España y Latinoamérica….

Friends: I pass along information about the conference being put on by the Casa de América of Barcelona on November 28, 2007 titled, “Programs about Humor in Ibero-America.” From November 26-28, prestigious journalists, humorists, cartoonists, and illustrators from Spain and Latin America will be present.


Bolivians in New York [es]

Sean Bienvenidos a todos los compatriotas Bolivianos Residentes en la ciudad de Nueva York, y el resto del mundo… Nuestro proposito es, el de poder difundir las actividades nuestras desde la “Gran Manzana”, al resto del Planeta….

Welcome to all of our fellow compatriots, the Bolivian Residents in the city of New York and the rest of the world. Our objective is to spread information about our activities in the “Big Apple” to the rest of the world.

The Story of a Bolivian in Barcelona [es] [14]

Elisabet Silva, de 35 años, de origen boliviano, es una de los 40.000 extranjeros que, a través de la reagrupación familiar, llegaron a Cataluña en 2007. La mujer, que aterrizó este verano en el aeropuerto de El Prat de Llobregat, abandonó su empleo en una oficina de comercio exterior en La Paz (Bolivia) para reencontrarse con su marido, Nilo, que lleva cuatro años trabajando en Barcelona…

Bolivian Elisabet Silva is 35 years old and is one of the 40,000 foreigners that as part of family reunification, arrived in Cataluña in 2007. The woman arrived this summer at the airport El Prat de Llobregat after leaving her job at a commercial office in La PAz. She later was reunited with her husband, Nilo, who had been living and working in Barcelona for four years.