Huellas (Tracks)

This week I started volunteering at one of the highest quality veterinary hospitals here in Cochabamba. They see mostly dogs and some cats, and do many surgeries and procedures very similarly to what I'm used to in The States. The lack of legal liability here seems like it would be a blessing, but the owner of the practice blames this as the cause of why Bolivian vets aren't "rich" like vets from the U.S. Because there are no laws ensuring good practices, anyone can hang up their shingle and bring down the whole profession. I'm not sure what the intricacies behind the economic discrepancies entail, most likely a combination of quality of care, income of the owners, accountability by the law, and a different level of human-animal bond, but the differences are stark. For a common procedure that this hospital performs because others in the area will not, they charge ~$80. At my last U.S. practice we charged ~$1500, nearly 20x as much!

The idea my professors had in mind when suggesting I spend some time at a local vet was for me to have some practical experience in Spanish in an area that's especially practical for me. Unfortunately, the practice owner knows English and embraces the opportunity to brush up on his skills. Yesterday, he vented his opinion on NGO's here and how corrupt they are. He ranted about people coming from other countries with money from their organization, living in mansions, driving $50,000 vehicles, and claiming to "help" the poor. After, quite a long monologue he abruptly stopped and asked, "Oh, are you from an NGO?" "Um, yeah, but keep going, this is interesting."

I look forward to more opportunities to hear his uncensored views on gringos, missionaries, politics, etc. And, it looks like he might also give me the opportunity to start chipping away at the overwhelming pet overpopulation problem here, with God all things are possible...