South Side of the Equator
Bryan Bujarski
A friend of mine used to say that “It’s not experiences that change you but
reflecting upon those experiences that changes you.” I have to say I agree. Even
now after my 6 month journey through South America and as I am doing this
project I find myself learning new things from my adventures and experiences
that may not have been as clear in the moment they happened. And that my
friends is the beauty of traveling. It’s not just a trip to get away from reality, it
expands your reality and those experiences and adventures stick with you for
life. For better or for worse they are apart of your story and will influence how
you continue to write it. Here is apart of my story I want to share that wouldn’t
have been possible without the support of HI-Los Angeles Council.
I spent 6 months total in South America, 4 of which were spent living and studying
in the Argentine capital of Buenos Aires. The other 2 were spent traveling through
South America to the countries of Chile, Uruguay, Bolivia and Peru. As an
aspiring firefighter one of my main goals while traveling was to meet up with
different emergency response professionals such as Firefighters and Paramedics
and to see what life was like for them. What makes them tick? And is their job
similar or different compared to firefighters in the United States?
Buenos Aires
Left: The famous obelisk in Buenos Aires.
Right: A couple does Tango on the street
of a popular market in San Telmo.
Bottom: Argentina is known for its great
beef…and they didn’t disappoint!
My time in Buenos Aires was nothing short of amazing. The capital of Argentina has
a European vibe to it injected with Latin American chaos. It is rich in culture and is
famous for the tango, delicious beef, futbol (soccer) and my personal favorite, ice
cream!
Argentina vs. Bolivia soccer game…luckily the stadium was 3 blocks from
my house.
Paul (New Zealand) and I polishing off a kilo of ice cream. All in a days work.
Immersing yourself into a
new culture is hard work
and it’s uncomfortable. But
it is also one of the most
rewarding things. Learning
and knowing the language
was a huge advantage
because I was able to meet
more local people and
really ask them questions.
The unique opportunities of
immersing myself in the
culture came from living
with a host family, rock
climbing at a local gym,
taking tango classes,
teaching English immersion
camps with local Argentine
students, and participating
in a flash mob.
El Boulder, the first indoor rock-climbing gym in Buenos Aires.
Me and a group of Argentine students at an English Immersion camp in Argentina.
Beautiful Chaos
The rest of my trip was spent on the road traveling through the jungles of
Argentina, the end of the world in Patagonia, the fjords of Chile, the most arid
desert in the world, the worlds largest salt flat, a lake called Titicaca, and to the
famous site of Machu Picchu. Food, accents, and people were all different from
place to place but one thing stayed the same throughout all of South America….the
Beautiful Chaos. I call it beautiful because it doesn’t make sense. From the big
cities to the towns there seemed almost no order to things, but at the end of the day
everything generally worked out. People didn’t seem as concerned with the
efficiency of things as maybe on our side of the equator. Relationships took first
priority in many peoples lives and dinners lasted anywhere from 2-4 hours. I
learned a valuable lesson on time. That we are human “beings” not human doers,
and that sometimes its okay to just “be.” Getting lost in a place became not only
the norm but became essential to traveling well for me. Some of my greatest
adventures came from being lost and I ended up embracing my lack of
“navigational skills.”
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1. Train graveyard in Bolivia.
2. Our mining guide playing with
dynamite…not funny.
3. Machu Picchu the famous Inca city in Peru
4. Famous Fitz Roy Mountain in all its glory
in El Chalten, Argentina
5. NO PEEING ALOWED!
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1. San Pedro de Atacama, the most arid desert in
the world (Northern Chile)
2. Largest salt flat in the world in Bolivia
3. Rafting in Bariloche, Argentina
4. Sippin on a cup of Joe on a cargo ship heading
up the coast of Chile.
5. Perrito Moreno Glacier in El Calafate, Argentina.
Trust me when I say this thing is huge!
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Left: A place called “La Cancha,” the
picture doesn’t do it justice, as it is the
largest outdoor market in South
America. (Cochababamba, Bolivia)
La Paz: Beautiful Chaos at its finest.
Left: Word of advice, DO NOT crash your
rented scooter in a foreign country….
(Colonia de Sacramento, Uruguay)
Hospitals of Hope
One of my favorite parts of the journey was when I did a two-week mission trip in
Cochabamba, Bolivia at a hospital. It is an international Christian organization
whose goal is to use medicine as a vehicle into the hearts of people, to demonstrate
Christ’s love by showing the value of each person they care for. The hospital itself is
in a rural area and people come from all around. As an EMT I was able to help out
the paramedics and the Fire & Rescue team. It was a fun and humbling experience
because the Rescue team is
the only one of its kind in
Bolivia and owns the only
two “jaws of life” machines
in the country.
Left: Me with some
firefighters from the Rescue
team.
One part of the hospital
right next to the water
tower. The house on the
right was our guesthouse
that we stayed at.
Left: Me putting on a
class for the paramedic
students.
Bottom Left: When not
at the hospital we were
helping the local
community like doing a
free clinic at a boy’s
orphanage.
Bottom Right: Our
Bolivian Christmas
tree.
When things got slow at a
clinic I would just teach
the paramedics how to
Tango.
One of my favorite
patients, Jesus, was in the
hospital because a dog
mauled him. Feeling his
pain I brought him a
steady supply of milk and
cookies.
Our Christmas meal, Jamal,
knew what was coming for
him.
Working in Bolivia really gave me a different perspective. Bolivia is the poorest
country in South America and most people are poor simply because they were born
into it and there is no easy way out. It gave me a new perspective that despite our
recent problems those of us in Western Countries are still blessed beyond our needs.
Firefighters
While traveling, most places I went to had Fire Stations and I had the privilege to
meet and stay with firefighters from all over. They immediately accepted me as part
of the family, despite my “gringo” Spanish, and went out of their way to make me
feel welcome. As I had expected the tradition of the Fire Service extends
worldwide, the values of integrity, professionalism and community are held in high
regard and a family atmosphere within the station is encouraged. I asked various
firefighters why they had wanted to be firefighters. Paid or volunteer, I found that
they all answered with answers similar to my own:
For the firefighters in Vinto, Bolivia:
“Because it is an exciting job where they get to help people.”
Firefighters Puerto Iguazu, Argentina:
“Because it’s a very respectable job”
2nd Lt. Mario:
“ For the
brotherhood and
the tradition.” (Valparaiso, Chile)
Firefighter from Tokyo, Japan:
“Because it is a challenging career.”
While the personnel and values of a fire department in South America are similar to those in the U.S. one thing that is different is the standard of equipment and training. Most equipment they use are older models from Western Countries and training is done differently depending on what country you are in. Wealthier countries such as Argentina and Chile have their own training sites, but poorer countries such as Bolivia don’t have many programs for firefighters. With that being said they happily welcome firefighters from all over to take part in teaching and training. From what I saw they are doing the best job they can with the equipment and experience they have. For me the experience I had with firefighters in South America created a new dream for me, to one day be able to continually return to South America to train and educate firefighters with the skills and knowledge that I will have. I will never look at a world map the same way again. When I look at one now I see an endless array of adventures and stories one after another. But I am also reminded that an adventure isn’t so much where you are but how you see things. In other words anything can be an adventure, so go out and make one. Thanks for sharing this story with me and remember life is a garden….Dig it! For now it’s good to be home…