Laatste update: 08/06/09
Preperations for trainees and volunteers
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If you wish to help us
protecting the Pilcomayo
and improving the quality of
life of the people living along
its shores, then you can do
so by making a donation to
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number is 12.44.80.217 (the
Netherlands), mention
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possibility to make a
donation by pressing the
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protecting the Pilcomayo
and improving the quality of
life of the people living along
its shores, then you can do
so by making a donation to
the LAMPI foundation.
LAMPI. Our bank account
number is 12.44.80.217 (the
Netherlands), mention
"donation LAMPI foundation"
For the holders of a PayPal
account there is also the
possibility to make a
donation by pressing the
button below.
Concerning Scientific Context
Regardless of the subject preparing for a traineeship starts with exploring the scientific context. Gathering information from
articles and other sources is a crucial first step in the preparation process. At the end of the first month of a traineeship
students will be asked to give a short presentation. In this presentation the student will explain the scientific context of his or
her traineeship and the main research question(s) will be presented as well as the method(s) that will be used to answer
this/these question(s). Students who come to Bolivia for a traineeship are asked to complete this preparation phase before
they come to Bolivia.
Spanish Language
The official language in Bolivia is Spanish and only very few people in Bolivia speak English. Without a basic knowledge of
the Spanish language students who come to Bolivia for a traineeship will find this is a big handicap. The preparation phase
of any student who comes to Bolivia should therefore include learning at least the basics of Spanish. Fortunately Spanish is
an easy to learn language: thirty minutes per day for six to eight weeks on average is enough to learn the basics. An other
way to learn Spanish is taking a course, this way you can learn and practice your skills with the aid of a professional
teacher. For students in and around Nijmegen good Spanish courses are offered by Aula Taleninstituut Nijmegen.
Vaccinations
Students who come to Bolivia need at least the following vaccinations: Yellow fever, DTP and Hepatitis A. Students who plan
on spending more than three months in South America are advised to get a vaccination for tuberculoses as well.
Depending on the areas you plan on visiting precautions for malaria should be taken as well, especially when you have
plans on visiting the Amazon. Students who are visiting Villamontes will find that in Holland Villamontes is also considered
as a Malaria area, although the actual risk is very low. Vaccinations against rabies can also be advised by your doctor, these
vaccinations however are very expensive and not without risks. Until now no student or volunteer has ever been bitten by a
rabies infected dog or bat. The choice however is up to you. A tip: in La Paz vaccinations against rabies cost only U$ 1,=.
Not all vaccinations offer immediate protection and it is therefore important to consult your doctor or the local GGD a few
months before your planned visit to Bolivia. For students of the RU it is possible to get your vaccinations at the universities
"Arbo- en Milieudienst", they charge reduced prices.
Hygiene
Any student who comes to Bolivia will sooner or later suffer the consequences of the poor hygienic conditions that are still a
general problem in most places, especially in small villages. Precautions in the choice of food and drinks you consume will
in most cases be enough to get round the major risks. To further reduce the risk of getting sick you are strongly advised to
wash/desinfect your hands before having your meal and make sure the water you consume has been treated (cooked for at
least 10 minutes or disinfectant added).
Despite of the precautions you'll take it is almost guaranteed that sooner or later there will be one or more days you'll find
yourself spending more time than planned on visiting the toilet. The best way to treat this 'travelers diarrhea' is to rest and
drink plenty of (clean) water.
Money
The national currency of Bolivia is the Boliviano. On the 29th of March 2008 one Euro buys you approximately 11.6
Bolivianos. For the up-to-date exchange rate click here. If you try buying Bolivianos before you come to Bolivia you'll have a
hard time doing so. We advise you to buy your Bolivianos in Bolivia. American Dollars are still more widely accepted than
Euros. All major cities have cash machines (cajero automatico). But be aware of the fact that once you leave the big city\ies
these cash machines will be much harder to find. Until now Villa Montes (approximately 27.000 inhabitants) still lacks a
cash machine (the nearest ATM is about one hour driving). The American Dollar is a general accepted currency as well
(exchange rate 1:7.4). Make sure you always have some small change. It is normal for someone from Bolivia to try to charge
you more than the normal price, you'll find that bargaining will sometimes save you a lot of money!
Weather
There isn't such a thing as the Bolivian climate. The weather depends strongly on where in Bolivia you are and when you
visit. General rules about the weather are: it's much colder in the eastern highlands than it is in the western lowlands, it's
more humid in the tropical north than it is in the semi-arid south and it's dryer and colder in the period May-October (dry
season) than it is in November-April (rainy season). Students and volunteers who plan on visiting Villa Montes during the
rainy season should be aware of the fact that daytime temperatures of up to 40 degrees C and more are not uncommon,
nor are nighttime temperatures around 30 degrees C. Click here for up-to-date weather forecast.
Things to bring along
Because of we frequently get questions about this subject here's some words about things to bring along. Although Bolivia
still is considered as a third world country almost everything you can buy back home you can also find here in the many
shops of the major cities......and almost always cheaper! Therefore we advise you to buy things like sunscreen and insect
repellent in Bolivia and not in Holland. If you like reading we do advise you to bring along your own books as you'll find that
Dutch and English literature are hard to come by in Bolivia (we do have a small library in our office however). As long as you
don't care about the latest fashion you'll find that clothes and shoes are very cheap in Bolivia. If your traineeship involves
reading (a lot of) literature (which it almost always does) it would be wise to gather this literature before your departure and
to digitally bring it along on a memory stick as the speed of Internet still is a big problem in most places accept for the major
cities. Unless you absolutely want to, it won't be necessary to bring your laptop as we have computers available for students
at our office. Do bring along your MP3-player for the long bus journeys and take your camera to shoot pictures for the people
back home.
Other Tips
* In contrast to what some people want to make you believe, Bolivia still is a safe country to travel. Ofcourse like in any
country you'll have to be more cautious in the major cities than in the smaller villages, especially walking alone at night and
around places like bus terminals. People in Bolivia are generally very poor and something that may seem of little value to
you can be considered very valuable by local people. Although usually not openly or with aggression people do get robbed.
* Be patient! Coming from Holland life in Bolivia seems slow and disorganised. You'll find that sometimes all logic seems
to lack from the things people do. Just accept this!
* Jails in Bolivia are a real hell, so try to avoid them by any means! Be very careful with drugs or anything else that can get
you into trouble. As you'll find the police in Bolivia are corrupt, so if you do get into trouble try to buy your way out ASAP!
* Although a change is visible during the last few years, homosexuality still is not generally accepted in religious Bolivia
(90% of the people consider themselves Christians). So we advise you not to be too open-hearted in this context in your
conversations with local people.
* Bolivia uses the same 220V electrical system as the Netherlands, so you don't have to bring adapters.
* usefull website on Bolivia in general: http://www.zuidamerika.net/bolivia.html
Regardless of the subject preparing for a traineeship starts with exploring the scientific context. Gathering information from
articles and other sources is a crucial first step in the preparation process. At the end of the first month of a traineeship
students will be asked to give a short presentation. In this presentation the student will explain the scientific context of his or
her traineeship and the main research question(s) will be presented as well as the method(s) that will be used to answer
this/these question(s). Students who come to Bolivia for a traineeship are asked to complete this preparation phase before
they come to Bolivia.
Spanish Language
The official language in Bolivia is Spanish and only very few people in Bolivia speak English. Without a basic knowledge of
the Spanish language students who come to Bolivia for a traineeship will find this is a big handicap. The preparation phase
of any student who comes to Bolivia should therefore include learning at least the basics of Spanish. Fortunately Spanish is
an easy to learn language: thirty minutes per day for six to eight weeks on average is enough to learn the basics. An other
way to learn Spanish is taking a course, this way you can learn and practice your skills with the aid of a professional
teacher. For students in and around Nijmegen good Spanish courses are offered by Aula Taleninstituut Nijmegen.
Vaccinations
Students who come to Bolivia need at least the following vaccinations: Yellow fever, DTP and Hepatitis A. Students who plan
on spending more than three months in South America are advised to get a vaccination for tuberculoses as well.
Depending on the areas you plan on visiting precautions for malaria should be taken as well, especially when you have
plans on visiting the Amazon. Students who are visiting Villamontes will find that in Holland Villamontes is also considered
as a Malaria area, although the actual risk is very low. Vaccinations against rabies can also be advised by your doctor, these
vaccinations however are very expensive and not without risks. Until now no student or volunteer has ever been bitten by a
rabies infected dog or bat. The choice however is up to you. A tip: in La Paz vaccinations against rabies cost only U$ 1,=.
Not all vaccinations offer immediate protection and it is therefore important to consult your doctor or the local GGD a few
months before your planned visit to Bolivia. For students of the RU it is possible to get your vaccinations at the universities
"Arbo- en Milieudienst", they charge reduced prices.
Hygiene
Any student who comes to Bolivia will sooner or later suffer the consequences of the poor hygienic conditions that are still a
general problem in most places, especially in small villages. Precautions in the choice of food and drinks you consume will
in most cases be enough to get round the major risks. To further reduce the risk of getting sick you are strongly advised to
wash/desinfect your hands before having your meal and make sure the water you consume has been treated (cooked for at
least 10 minutes or disinfectant added).
Despite of the precautions you'll take it is almost guaranteed that sooner or later there will be one or more days you'll find
yourself spending more time than planned on visiting the toilet. The best way to treat this 'travelers diarrhea' is to rest and
drink plenty of (clean) water.
Money
The national currency of Bolivia is the Boliviano. On the 29th of March 2008 one Euro buys you approximately 11.6
Bolivianos. For the up-to-date exchange rate click here. If you try buying Bolivianos before you come to Bolivia you'll have a
hard time doing so. We advise you to buy your Bolivianos in Bolivia. American Dollars are still more widely accepted than
Euros. All major cities have cash machines (cajero automatico). But be aware of the fact that once you leave the big city\ies
these cash machines will be much harder to find. Until now Villa Montes (approximately 27.000 inhabitants) still lacks a
cash machine (the nearest ATM is about one hour driving). The American Dollar is a general accepted currency as well
(exchange rate 1:7.4). Make sure you always have some small change. It is normal for someone from Bolivia to try to charge
you more than the normal price, you'll find that bargaining will sometimes save you a lot of money!
Weather
There isn't such a thing as the Bolivian climate. The weather depends strongly on where in Bolivia you are and when you
visit. General rules about the weather are: it's much colder in the eastern highlands than it is in the western lowlands, it's
more humid in the tropical north than it is in the semi-arid south and it's dryer and colder in the period May-October (dry
season) than it is in November-April (rainy season). Students and volunteers who plan on visiting Villa Montes during the
rainy season should be aware of the fact that daytime temperatures of up to 40 degrees C and more are not uncommon,
nor are nighttime temperatures around 30 degrees C. Click here for up-to-date weather forecast.
Things to bring along
Because of we frequently get questions about this subject here's some words about things to bring along. Although Bolivia
still is considered as a third world country almost everything you can buy back home you can also find here in the many
shops of the major cities......and almost always cheaper! Therefore we advise you to buy things like sunscreen and insect
repellent in Bolivia and not in Holland. If you like reading we do advise you to bring along your own books as you'll find that
Dutch and English literature are hard to come by in Bolivia (we do have a small library in our office however). As long as you
don't care about the latest fashion you'll find that clothes and shoes are very cheap in Bolivia. If your traineeship involves
reading (a lot of) literature (which it almost always does) it would be wise to gather this literature before your departure and
to digitally bring it along on a memory stick as the speed of Internet still is a big problem in most places accept for the major
cities. Unless you absolutely want to, it won't be necessary to bring your laptop as we have computers available for students
at our office. Do bring along your MP3-player for the long bus journeys and take your camera to shoot pictures for the people
back home.
Other Tips
* In contrast to what some people want to make you believe, Bolivia still is a safe country to travel. Ofcourse like in any
country you'll have to be more cautious in the major cities than in the smaller villages, especially walking alone at night and
around places like bus terminals. People in Bolivia are generally very poor and something that may seem of little value to
you can be considered very valuable by local people. Although usually not openly or with aggression people do get robbed.
* Be patient! Coming from Holland life in Bolivia seems slow and disorganised. You'll find that sometimes all logic seems
to lack from the things people do. Just accept this!
* Jails in Bolivia are a real hell, so try to avoid them by any means! Be very careful with drugs or anything else that can get
you into trouble. As you'll find the police in Bolivia are corrupt, so if you do get into trouble try to buy your way out ASAP!
* Although a change is visible during the last few years, homosexuality still is not generally accepted in religious Bolivia
(90% of the people consider themselves Christians). So we advise you not to be too open-hearted in this context in your
conversations with local people.
* Bolivia uses the same 220V electrical system as the Netherlands, so you don't have to bring adapters.
* usefull website on Bolivia in general: http://www.zuidamerika.net/bolivia.html
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