This month’s writers for the Bolivian Express chose 'through the looking glass' as the theme that unites the issue. It's an idea well-suited to this remarkable and complex country, where we need to travel beyond assumptions and the easily-perceived surface of life to begin understanding everything from work to play to technology to fantasy.

In July, the Bolivian government reversed the numbers on the clock tower that stands over the Plaza Murillo, one of La Paz's iconic public spaces. It also reversed the hands of the clock so that they run anti-clockwise and christened the new timepiece the 'Clock of the South'. While at first glance this may seem odd, if you spend a moment thinking about concepts of time, nationality and where the traditional timepiece was born, the idea shifts from strange to fascinating.

Likewise, our reporter working on the issue of child labour found her assumptions challenged as she was pulled back and forth between dramatically different points of view on what is best for working children. The Bolivian government recently approved a new law that allows people as young as 10 to legally work across the country, sparking outcry from some international and national organizations that see it as damaging to children's rights. On the other hand, a nationwide organization of working children and teens hails the legislation as a positive step toward improving their working conditions and their lives.

In this issue we're also looking at events that are shaping and changing the Bolivian reality through the looking glass of technology. This year Bolivia launched its first satellite, began a program to distribute free computers to tens of thousands of high-school students, and kicked off a an election season where social media holds an unprecedented place in the campaign process. At the same time, many people across the country have no access to Internet, a situation that highlights the radical and multi-faceted shift that technologies bring to each person and community they touch.

So come with us as we watch the clock, step across unassuming thresholds into unexpected spaces, ponder the apocalypse and examine what unites fantasy worlds across cultures. You may find that what you thought you knew is just a small part of the story.