Booking it to Bolivia

International travel is an important part of my family’s history, this prompted me to study abroad twice with Purdue, once with my church, and now just with my brother. Back in the late 1990’s my grandparents gained citizenship in Bolivia to farm in South America. They lived and farmed there for about 12 years, and while they were down there, they made connections that led to lifelong friendships. Many members of my family have traveled to Bolivia to visit friends and see my grandparent’s farming operation. This winter break I decided to make the long and surprisingly complicated trip to Bolivia with my younger brother. With my traveling experience and the fact that my brother had already been to Bolivia twice we figured we would survive the trip. The trip to and from Bolivia was an eventful one, because of flight delays and 21-hour long layer overs. Once we arrived in country we stayed on a friend’s farm, there we were able to see and help on their operation. This family in particular purchases equipment from America and we help ship the equipment down to Bolivia. I found the differences and similarities to be fascinating on how they worked the ground, applied pesticides, and fertilizers. Overall, this was an impactful and educational experience that I am grateful to have taken. I hope to visit Bolivia again in the near future to explore more of the culture, visit with friends, and embrace a small amount of my family’s past.

Emily Harker