Gracias to Jim Shultz's "Blog From Bolivia"

Some of you reading this have been referred here by the last post ever at the Blog From Bolivia, which for six years has been the number one English-language source for up-to-the-minute, on-the-ground reporting and commentary on everything from current events to daily life here in Bolivia. I'd like to thank Jim Shultz and the rest of the folks at The Democracy Center for their wonderful work, and for referring their readers here. And please note that the Democracy Center will continue to be a great source of information on particular issues -- their website includes excellent books and reports they've done over the years on everything from the Cochabamba Water War of 2000 to the very current issue of Bolivia's lithium reserves, to broader issues of globalization and Bolivia's unique responses to it. They are involved in numerous international campaigns, and training initiatives, all aimed at empowering citizens around the world to get informed, get involved, and take control of their lives and their communities.

I know they'll be focusing quite a bit on global climate change -- an issue that affects us all, but is affecting Bolivia in particularly dramatic fashion, and on which the Bolivian government has assumed a prominent and prophetic role on the global stage, even as its domestic policies continue to raise questions about its commitment to the environment. The Democracy Center has already done some reporting on this, and will continue to make important contributions to the struggle for global environmental justice.

Again, mil gracias, Jim and Co., and all the best in your future endeavors. I encourage everyone reading this to browse their website, sign up for their newsletters, and stay informed about their good work. ¡Jallalla el Centro Para La Democracia!

And now what?

So, this raises the question: what about this blog? Those of you who check here periodically know that I haven't posted much recently. And when I have posted, I've often mainly just linked to Jim's blog, with a few brief comments of my own. I started this blog for friends and family, and have never really promoted it to a wider audience. But I've also never felt comfortable writing updates on my personal and family life here - I prefer to do that via email, social networking sites, etc. - and so this has tended to be a space for commentary on current events in Bolivia, the political changes happening here, etc.

I understand all of Jim's reasons for ceasing to write his blog, and I share his discomfort at declaring myself interpreter-to-the-world of Bolivia's internal affairs. What I can write about is my own personal take on those affairs, as such and as a gringo (albeit a gringo living here, with dual US-Bolivian citizenship, and with a Bolivian family).

I could also write more about my personal experiences here. I don't mean "Hey, my son got high marks on his Quechua homework!" but rather some musings on the joys and challenges of life as a US American in Bolivia. I've done some posts like this (see here, here, and here). Also, sometimes I reflect on my own life here in light of bigger news or other items in the press - Bolivian or international (see here).

And I'm not here only as a North American, but as a Catholic missioner (I direct the Maryknoll Bolivia Mission Immersion Program). And I sometimes write on issues of faith and church, or my related interest in peace and nonviolence.

Sometimes, I post things unrelated to any of this.

So, those of you who read here regularly, and those who are new: please, poke around, see what this blog has been up until now, and then let me know in the comments section: are you interested in reading more? What, specifically? If I think there's interest, I will make this blog more of a priority. I'd actually really like to. But I've never known if there was a readership to make it worthwhile, and I've never sought a wider readership, because I wasn't sure what kinds of things people might be interested in reading from me. So, now you're here. Let's talk. Let me know what you think. ¡Gracias, y bienvenidos!