Bolivia So Far

Dang, I know... I haven't posted a single word or blurb since I've set foot in South America which has been almost three months. So anyway, a lot has happened. Too much in fact to fit here or perhaps too much for you to want to read. I'll begin therefore:

I arrived in the first part of August and was amazed by what I saw. Within the first week I went to a famous festival here in the Cochabamba area which was great! There is a celebration for just about everything. The language school started off well, I just couldn't speak Spanish to save me because I had no use for it and therefore had forgotten everything... no seriously, I had to think of what to say when someone said "Como estas?" So as the weeks passed at the language school I began to learn Spanish and saw a lot of students from other countries come and go... after awhile I was the "oldest" student.

One of my first weeks here I searched the internet intensely to find out where some of my friends were serving because two people from my group were sent here to Cochabamba. So eventually I found the name and location of the place and called. I went to visit and from then on me and Johanna and Amber (the other volunteers) met each Saturday in the city to talk and experience the town. Occasionally when I had the time as well I would go and visit the orphanage in the town of Itocta where they work. We've had some grand times together.

Bolivia is a great place, but there is a lot that you need to take care with here. The political situation is rather unstable at the moment and presidential elections will take place next month in December. I've seen people protest in the streets park in the streets and stop traffic. People here go and do what they want when they want to. One day I was at a Lawyer commisioning event for the son of my host family and got smashed against a glass wall and forced into a room simply by the movement of the crowd that wanted to get in and see the thing!

Staying healthy has been a bit easier so far... I've maintained my weight here and I enjoy the food. You just have to be careful... I was also in the hospital four day a few weeks after I got here because I had a run in with Selmonella and Amoebas. There is so much good food however. The glorious 40 cent slices of cake in the Cancha (market place) is extremely good (Cancha Cake!). Another great thing is all of the types of bread! So good and so cheap. I even had the chance to eat some cuyi which is a local dish of Guinea Pig.

The visa process has been crazy! So after almost three months of waiting, begging, getting poked by needles, and dealing with mountains of paperwork, I have a one year visa and a Bolivian ID card! Now I am simply going to take the next few days easy and then travel to Santa Cruz where I will meet the director of a technical school I will spend some time working at, and we'll go to Yapacani together. I have already visited Yapacani, which is a great place, but I'll leave that for another day. There is so much to say about all this but, I'll start posting again if I find it in me to do so once I am in Yapacani permanently and have more to say about that. Rest assured also, that I have a somewhat intermittent journal I've been keeping on my computer that you are welcome to read when I return. Have a great day and Peace from the heart South America!