Jan 20 2010

I have decided that I hate blogging at this point. This web site is my link to a place I do not want to return to. Please don’t take this the wrong way, I love home. I miss my family and friends, but I would honestly be totally fine living here for a few more years. I don’t like checking my email anymore because the messages are those of excitement of my return and friends who already want to make plans to see me. I don’t want to be thrown back into my old life this quickly! I’m not ready. I have two more full days here and it absolutely kills me. I think the bond I have to this place is something that can only be understood after spending a good amount of time here. It is so frustrating when people ask how my trip has been thus far because I can’t find words to correctly describe my experience. “Incredible”, “life-changing”, “amazing” don’t quite get it. Mary and I have been talking to our bosses and looking through real estate magazines in hopeful preparation of our return this summer. We want to, instead of living on the villa property, get an apartment in the city and learn our way around this incredible place. I know this sounds a little crazy, but I can’t picture the next couple years of my life without Amistad in it. Since these journals only need to be 250 words, I am almost done. My blogs these next few days may not be too detailed. I would prefer to keep these last few days to myself. I understand that everyone is interested in knowing what is going on, but since Mary and I are both very emotionally attached to every child here, it is going to be a hard next couple of days. We have to be strong for the kids, but inside we are dying. We are having to leave some of our best friends, our sister and brothers, our tios and tias, our children. In fact, one of the 14 year old boys, who calls us hermanas, teared up tonight when he heard we were leaving on Saturday. Imagine how much that tore at our hearts. So in conclusion, I miss everyone at home and I understand that you want Mary and I to come back, but we aren’t ready. Not anywhere close.

Jan 19 2010

Let the games begin! Mary and I woke up early to set up for our big project. We had much to do. By 10:30 we were ready and rang the bell to gather the kids. Chris translated instructions and once the first clues were given out, they were off. I have never seen kids sprint so fast in my life. Throughout the whole game, they never lost their enthusiasm. All in all the games went great. I worked the sponge bucket relay and ended up getting a little wet. My station was a big hit on the hot day. After each house completed all the stations, they turned their time sheets into Mary and we all went to lunch. We ate at Semilla de Amor and had a typical meal. I don’t know if they fed us really bad when we first got here, but everything now tastes so good. I love all of the food and will really miss it coming home. After lunch, Mary and I, while doing a deep cleaning of our apartment, tallied the results and prepared for the ceremony. We had balloons with silver ribbon for the house with the shortest time at each station and for the grand prize, we made a pet rock. When Casa Esperanza received their awesome new pet, we expected them to be kind disappointed, but it was the complete opposite. They are now obsessed with it. Judo class started at 3. The instructor, Jhonny, took it upon himself to teach me specific self defense moves and I learned that he is on the Bolivian Olympic Judo Team. Quite impressive. The children LOVE Judo class. It is a way for them to release frustrations in a healthy way. I love watching during their sparring. Dinner tonight was quite small because we were helping Semilla make bread. We had arroz con leche, rice with milk. It also had cloves and cinnamon and was served with a small jelly sandwich. After dinner we went with Semilla de Amor to the paneria where we got a detailed download of the bread-making process. We watched as 3 of the mamas mixed the dough and once it was finished, we all sat around and talked for a long time while drinking coffee and tea and waiting for the dough to rise. Then for my favorite part- rolling the dough into balls. There is a very specific way to hold your hands and precise amount of pressure you have to use for your rolls to come out in a perfect sphere. When all of the balls are rolled, some are flattened and sprinkled with a mix of egg, oil, and goat cheese. This process was so great. Mary and I learned a lot about the mamas and the villa. It was a bonding experience. Since we started the bread process a little late, we were exhausted by the time we finished our delicious fluffy roll. We headed back to the house with our reward- a bag of hot bread!!! Such a delicacy here. We were very lucky. The only problem is that after the bread cools it is not as good. Also it doesn’t have a lot of flavor and since we don’t have refrigerator we can’t keep butter in our house. Mary, being the clever little thing she is, took the extra virgin olive oil we bought that was sitting in our pantry, poured some on a saucer, added a little salt, and voila! Our new obsession was born. Our hot fresh rolls dipped in olive oil- you can’t beat it. And like I said, since the bread doesn’t taste good when it’s cold, we decided it would be a good idea to eat the entire bag of rolls tonight. I now hold two eating records here in the villa. 13 homemade meil covered fritters one night and now 7 rolls in one sitting. I am quite a happy camper. Time for bed. I’m soooo full. Night!

Jan 18 2010

Hola! It was a fun weekend here at Amistad. Mary and I used Saturday as a personal day to prepare for our big project (see below for more info). Sunday was a big day. A few new visitors arrived from Texas and are being hosted by Casa Esperanza. We all went to church together and for the first time Mary and I took communion. It was just like home except for the absence of any kind of wine or grape juice which we found to be very odd. After church Esperanza, the new visitors, Kirk, Mary, and I all loaded up in the van and went to Globos Café for lunch. This place is known for its ice cream creations and its vast array of ball pits and jungle gyms. It was so fun to see the wide eyed children with the huge deserts- it was a special treat for them but I was not a fan of the ball pits: So many germs and who-knows-what in there. It was a fun afternoon with the kids. Later, the house and Mama Jheanny went for a walk around the city while all the “gringos” took the van to the Cristo. This statue sits atop a huge hill and overlooks the city of Cochabamba. It is the second largest statue of Jesus in the world and, although I have already seen it, never ceases to talk my breath away. Not only is the statue beautiful, but the view from the hill is magnificent. I could do nothing but sit on a rock and stare for the hour we were there. After returning to the villa we attended Ariel, a little 5 year old boy in Casa Copacabana’s, birthday party. Like all the other parties, Mary, Chris, and I were commissioned to dance to the beat of many different songs ranging from classic Bolivian tunes to Yankee Doodle to Britney Spears. But the best part of the party was seeing Ariel, the youngest of 4 brothers, and his siblings interacting. His oldest brother Martin is 15 and is so caring. Watching him brought tears to my eyes. Seeing a boy who is capable of being so rough and violent play so gently with his baby brother and making sure he had a fun birthday was great. I thought about how these boys, Martin-15, Justino-12, Ronald-6, and Ariel-5, are all that they have left of a family. They look out for each other and take care of each other because they are all they have left. After the party’s end Mary and I stayed in house room the rest of the night preparing for our games.
This morning we had planned to go to Aramasi, a small indigenous village up in the mountains about 2 hours from Cochabamba. Mary and I woke up early, packed our bags, and started our trek to the roundabout, a large circle in a busy part of town where the van was to pick us up. We acquired multiple whistles which is still so awkward, but since the sun was not too high in the sky, the journey was nice. When we reached our destination, we waited for 40 minutes before being greeted by a small taxi who carried bad news. The van had broken and would it would take all day to fix it. Our long awaited trip was cancelled. A little down-in-the-dumps, Mary and I returned to the villa where we proceeded to have a normal day. We continued to prepare for our major project and play some more dodgeball (which is getting fiercer and fiercer as Mary and I perfect our skills). I keep mentioning our “big project” but I haven’t explained it yet. Chris and Lila, our bosses, asked us to end our stay with a big hoorah for the kids. They wanted it to be fun and educational to get their brains warmed up to go back to school (they are on summer break now). Mary and I have planned a massive scavenger hunt type game that involves the entire villa and its inhabitants. Each house works as a team against the other houses. There are ten stations set up around the villa- For example, the park, the chapel, the guardhouse, and the bakery. At each station there will be a station leader who reads the rules and keeps time. Each event is timed and recorded on the house time chart which will be collected at the end of the games and scored. The winner receives this awesome pet rock that Mary and I created… be jealous! So the events that the children and their mamas and tias will complete are things like sponge-bucket relays, a riddle, water balloon toss, scavenger hunt with English words, and other fun things that test their athletic and mental capacity. I want to share with you our riddle because Mary and I made it up in 5 minutes late one night and it’s amazing.
There are six children in a line. Caroline is 1st and Jimmy is 4th. Natalie is three people in front of Emily and Emily is two people away from Patrick. Where is Aaron?
Let me know if you get it! These games take place tomorrow morning and we’re stressing out a little. It has been a lot of work trying to get ready. Anyway… so our day turned out ok. We are planning to hang out with the girl’s youth house this week. They want to take us to a disco! And we had the best dinner we’ve ever had. It is a tradition Bolivian dish that consists of a mix of beef, egg, spices, peas, and carrots encased in a fired fritter. We had it with a cup of Mazanilla tea which, along with Coca tea, is a specialty here. We are hitting the sack very happy girls today. Life can’t get any better. It is sunny, everyone is happy, we have great food (most of the time), we are surrounded by friends and family, and are in a magnificent country full of culture and beauty. I thank everyone for their prayers and interest in my journey. I have learned so much about myself and the world I live in and I hope to expand that knowledge over the last few days in this place.

Jan 15 2010

Things are very routine around here these days. After another morning reflections I headed back to the room where I inhaled my hot chocolate and roll. The rest of the morning was spent running, working out, and helping Kirk with his landscaping project. He is terracing a hill and building a wall into it. It was rainy again this morning but the rain here is so refreshing and clean. It smells so nice! We also spent some time making more birthday cards for the kids who have January birthdays. By noon it was time for lunch at San Francisco. This house always makes me laugh and we end up having a great time. Their mama is so sweet and Eduardo, the four year old, it definitely the clown of the bunch. During a quiet moment at lunch he would raise his head and growl. We would all die laughing and our meal would carry on as before. After lunch we got to get on the internet and I ended up getting locked in the office for 30 mins. After finally yelling Tio Miguel through the window and asking him in broken Spanglish to find a key for the door, I was freed. This kind of stuff only happens to me. This afternoon we played another nail-biting game of futbol which resulted in a few conflicts and a bloody nose. We take our sports very seriously down here. With the little kids, we started out with a new favorite- the Snort Game. The object is to try not to laugh as someone is snorting in your face. Quite hilarious. Its not only the snorts that are so funny, but the faces that the children make while snorting. After that got a little old and our stomachs hurt from laughing so hard, we used what we taught in our last English class (colors) and played red light, green light, in English. It was a little rocky in the beginning but they ended up getting the hang of the words. Our last game of the day was Simon says, which is quite difficult when you can’t speak Spanish. So I use this time to actually play the game and learn words like turn and run and pat and skip. They come in real handy. We were instructed to be showered and ready to go to dinner with our bosses by 5:00. We were finally going out on the town again! After a bus ride to the ATM where we exchanged some more money we headed to a nice pizza place. We all ate our weight in pizza and will still be eating cold pizza in the morning. Totally fine with me! After a lovely meal we headed to the center of town where Leila, my boss, knew a few people who would be playing the drums. Since these drummers were a little late, Chris, Mary, Kirk, and I headed to the other side of the square where a medevil/ mariachi band was performing. As they saw Mary and I approach, they circled around us and we were serenaded by 9 men in tights. Every girls dream right? They sang some funny songs and were incredible musicians. We all enjoyed the show. The drummers finally showed and I was handed a maraca and asked to join. We jammed out for about an hour and then Kirk, Mary, and I were put on a radio taxi headed for our homes. It was a great night out on the town and a good day of activities with the kids. Tomorrow morning will be the first morning we get to sleep in which is super exciting! Until then- Chao amigos y familia.

Jan 14 2010

Bit by some kinda spider last night. It crawled into my pants… of course. I’m fine though. Typical morning with the kids. It was very rainy. We had reflections at 8:45. It is fun to see the children’s faces light up when Mary and I walk into the chapel. We get tons of requests to sit next to people and many little ones fight over who gets to sit in our laps. Afterwards we had a laundry day. Not great timing because our clothes our still out on the line… soaked from the day of rain. But as I said before, there is no rush: they will be dry soon enough. While our clothes were hanging we decided to get in another workout. After some ab work in the gym Mary did yoga while I attempted a run. I almost died. It’s really embarrassing when little 5 year olds run with you and laugh when you have to take a break because your lungs are about to collapse after only 4 mins. It’s nearly impossible to explain that it is not because I am in terrible shape, but because we are over 8000ft above sea level here and the air is extremely thin. I am going to try and run every day and see if I can improve. After breaking a sweat we had lunch at Casa Copacabana. Their mama had her day off so a Tia was in charge for the day. She was only 23 which amazed Mary and me. Mary decided she would make a great Tia while I would be absolutely terrible. I would have to agree. Fun fact: this Tia and I also have the same birthday!! We started our craft, watercolors, early and it was great. Everyone had a good time and I loved seeing what the kids came up with. One girl painted a picture of two green snails kissing with a baby snail in between them. There were lots of houses and flowers and trees and even an American flag. All ages enjoyed our project and we surprisingly had lots of the boys show up. It’s because I am just so popular here!! Joke. After scrubbing up paint off the floor, we headed back to the house and took a long siesta. We woke up right when we needed to head to dinner. Our meal was Mary and I’s least favorite since we’ve been here, besides the beets. We had very gristly beef atop arroz con queso. The rice was mixed with goat cheese and had a terrible texture. They children on the other hand couldn’t get enough! Just another one of those cultural differences. The rest of the night was uneventful. We danced a little with the Copacabana family and then headed to spend a few mins with the San Miguel girls. Despite the fact that Mary and I got home early tonight we still avoid showering and journaling. It is now 12:20 and I am finally finishing. We have not had hot water since the first week but tonight’s shower was particularly cold. O well. It’s really not something I mind. I am getting used to living with less. Here we are surrounded by people who were born and raised without a decent bed, hot water, or steady meals. They have the beautiful scenery that surrounds the city of Cochabamba, the love of the makeshift family, and their health. What else do you need to be happy? These children are an inspiration to everyone who meets them. They have taught me so much more than I could ever explain in this internet blog.

Jan 13 2010

Mary is getting in this terrible habit of waking me up at around 1-2 in the morning by flipping on the bright fluorescents right above my head. Why you might ask? Well last night it was because she discovered a scorpion on the floor after being awakened by our mosquito family and feeling the need to OFF the room some more. My clothing will permanently smell of bug spray at this point. After the lights were switched on I apparently yelled at her in my sleep asking her why she put in 4 light bulbs and complaining that it was so unnecessary. Mary response to my sleep talking was to throw something at my face. After being RUDLEY pulled from my dreams and getting briefed on the situation, it was time for the battle. I, having already been stung twice by the evil creatures, was not about to get anywhere near the thing. It was cornered in our bathroom and Mary was elected to remove it from its inconvenient location and squash it. I stood atop my bed, Chaco sandal and magazine in hand, prepared for a bloody war. It was a long process that resulted in a quick fight. The scorpion now lives in the sewer… in multiple pieces. After our adrenaline wore off and we finally got some sleep, we awoke to the morning reflections bell. With no time to brush our hair or find decent clothes, we rushed to the little chapel and commenced our prayers and singing. Afterwards we spent the morning cleaning. Many would be surprised as to how clean we keep this place. The dishes are always done. We sweep every day. We mop every week. Trash gets taken out. And I have discovered that I HATE clutter on tabletops and other surfaces. I betcha my parents mouths dropped open at that sentence but it’s true. I can’t stand for there to be unnecessary items sitting on the kitchen counter or the bedside table. I hate when cabinets are left open or food is left out. I guess that’s something you learn when you have your own place. Judo was this morning. Jhonny, the 20 year old instructor, made Mary and I participate today which was interesting. We got owned by a bunch of little children. Lunch was at San Martin with the boys, who apparently have American taste buds. Since they cooked the meal, consisting of mashed potatoes and beef, they decided that it needed some salt. They put some much salt in the food that my fingers swelled. I, again, have grown very accustomed to the bland food. We always have a good time hanging with the guys, yet I always come out with bruises or blood. Don’t get me wrong, I hold my own. If you think blood and bruises sounds bad, you should see them! Totally kidding… kinda. But after lunch Chris organized a game of basketball followed by Mary and I’s attempt at Capture the Flag that turned into baseball. As I took a break on the office steps, I was approached by the entire Semilla de Amor house. Milton, the very sweet 9 year old, came forward from the crowd and asked me something in Spanish which I didn’t quite understand. His mama helped me out and after a few minutes of mental translation I realized that Milton wanted me to be his prayer partner. I actually started crying. It made me realize that I HAVE made a difference with these children. They look up to me and care about me as I do for them. Milton now has my email and street address and we will be keeping in touch for many more years to come. If anyone is interested in having an Amistad Orphan as a prayer partner, please email me at hclaybrook@harpethhall.org. I can let Chris King know and he can set you up. The kids love having someone to write and its good for them to know that people around the world are looking after them. Also I would love some feedback on this blog. I hear a lot more people than I thought are reading it and am willing to answer questions or write about what you all would like to know! The rest of the day was very uneventful and we are back in the room earlier than we ever have been! Its only 9:30 here. I’m super excited about getting to bed early tonight!!!! Chao

Jan 12 2010

Just another day in paradise. Reflections at 8:40 with the rest of the morning spent preparing for the day’s craft. Mary and I sat on our floor folding and tying wire for 2 hours. My finger started to bleed and we both formed blisters, but it was worth it. Lunch was in Semilla de Amor where we were introduced to the most flavorful food yet. We had spiced chicken and rice! Semilla is the most disciplined house. They are all very polite and reserved. It is kind of awkward trying to have a fun meal conversation but we did our best. After lunch we finished up our craft prep work and set up shop in Casa San Francisco. Their mama kindly allowed us to use their house. The project was a HUGE success. The kids were all quite and didn’t make a huge mess with the beads. Mary and I learned from our last attempt at an art project that we needed structure and limits. So we gave each child a certain number of beads and one piece of wire to do with what they please. Mary and I along with Chris and Leila (our boss) were very impressed with the turnout and the end result. Each kid went home with one bracelet and, if they were super resourceful, a ring. Later that day we saw that a few gave their bracelets to their mamas which made us very happy. We also got many requests for more arts and crafts. We are slowly figuring out what works and what doesn’t. After cleaning up we headed back home and had some free time to read and take a nap. This kind of time is rare lately and I take my naps very seriously. I do not tolerate interruptions. We finally cracked the Semilla family. Mary and I decided to play the favorites game and ask random questions about the children’s favorite things- colors, animals, sweets. This loosened them up a little but they were still hesitant to answer our questions. They would look to their mama before answering. But when the mama started trying to teach Mary and I an indigenous language spoken in parts of Bolivia called Cetchuan (I am not so sure I spelled that right), we had the kids rolling with laughter. Our accents stood in the way when trying to make the clicking noises and we could never remember the words we learned. We constantly provide entertainment. Since dinner wasn’t too filling we headed home to cook some of the pasta we had packed. Mary and I both ate a box. We found that we have grown accustomed to the light meals we are served here and that the amount of sodium and sheer flavor that we found in our PastaRoni made us sick. After recovering from dinner we hung with the girls and watched a foreign love film from Japan. The people in Bolivia are very into Asian and Indian culture. When it started to storm, we headed back to the apartment where I sit and drink hot cocoa like I do every night. There is this amazing invention that we have here. It is a pitcher that boils water in seconds. Something I don’t think I can live without when I come home. Super tired and gonna hit the sheets. Talk to you tomorrow!

Jan 11 2010

Since today was a very normal day of more dodgeball and rowdy children, I have decided to dedicate today’s entry to educating those who are reading this about the conditions and the children of the Amistad mission. Cochabamba is the third largest city in Bolivia and is considered part of the third world. Walking through the streets the first thing you notice is the amount of stray dogs. It is gross how many canines crowd the dirty streets. Sewage runs through the paved canals under the roads and garbage is everywhere. Chris informed us that the garbage men have taken a break from their job because there is no place to put all of the trash. The landfill, which is located in a very poor part of town, is way over max capacity and has started to seep into the water supply. Along the outskirts of Cochabamba is the Amistad Villa. Amistad is a missionary program that funds a few projects, one being the orphanage. The villa is a compound surrounded by a barbed wire fence which is guarded by a gate keeper. As you enter the main gate you see the main building that contains the office, the gym, and the Sunday school classrooms. You might be thinking, “O they have a gym. This place must be pretty swank if they can afford something like that.” You would be wrong. The wooden panels of the floor are peeling up and the two basketball goals look like they could fall over at any minute. They have two foam mats that cover half of the floor but it is full of holes. Please do not get me wrong, the children are so appreciative and all the wear and tear is a result of constant love thrust upon it by the many children who play there every day. Once past the main building you see 3 rows of similar looking red-brick buildings. On the far right are Casa San Francisco, Casa Copacabana, and Casa San Martin, along with a house for one of the office staff members. In the middle is Casa Kantuta and Casa Semilla de Amor. And on the far left is the Montessori school, Casa San Miguel, Casa Amanacer, and Casa Esperanza. Even farther left is the park and the sport court. So that is the basic layout. Now inside a typical casa: All of the houses have the same architecture and most of the same simple furniture. All of them have an old TV, some of which don’t have video, only audio. Each house has a dining room table which is usually decorated with a stained table cloth that has seen the likes of many meals. The children all share rooms and have a community bathroom. There are around 7-10 kids per house. They take turns with chores and never seem to have a problem scrubbing toilets or taking out the trash. It is what has to get done for things to run smoothly and they all understand that. The kitchen is a very small room with a sink and a stove. It is often VERY dirty and there is no telling what you will find when you go in before a meal and ask to help out. They have refrigerators but they don’t work very well and they do not have freezers. The pantry doesn’t have a door, leaving food susceptible to creatures. Past the kitchen is the covered wash area. There is a big sink and hanging from the ceiling are many lines for items that cannot be hung outside. There houses are very simple and are composed of brick and a tin roof, but they are taken care of nicely and they get the job done. Now it has been brought to my attention that a few did not know that the villa was an orphanage. All of the children here, about 70 total, are either parentless, come from abusive or bad households, or were abandoned. Alex, a very independent 8 year old, was abused by his father and his mother was left with no other choice but to hand him over to someone else’s care. A 5 year old named Brian was looking at the sky with us one night and told us that him mother and father and all of his aunts and uncles where up there in the stars. I find it best not to become curious of the kid’s individual pasts. I don’t need to know. All the reassurance I need comes from knowing that these children are loves, perhaps not by their biological family, but a family none the less. They are cared for and brought up in a safe and nurturing environment. They may occasionally not have clean water, or fresh clothes, a satisfying meal, or grand living conditions but that just shows how little one needs to thrive. The kids here are truly happy. You can see it reflected in everything they do. They have a mama who loves them, so many friends and neighbors who care for them, and the basic life essentials. Although I am here for and providing community service, to give the children things to do in the afternoons, I feel like I am only an observer to the unconditional devotion that is nestled in the peaks of the Andes.

Jan 7 2010

Sorry I forgot to post my Jan 7th blog! Here it is:

So today was a pretty typical day. Lunch with San Miguel, we taught the kids the game of Spud, and did what we do every day. O wait… NO TYPICAL AT ALL! So we were havin a great time cleaning this morning. Mary had her alternative music playin on her iPod and I had my country. We were jamming out while we swept and mopped and performed all of our daily chores. I started doing dishes and made quite a mess with the water so I grabbed the dish rag and began to dry myself off. As I ran the towel over my arm I felt a prick and an immediate burning sensation. I ran to the bathroom to try and wash off whatever was irritating my skin. After a few seconds of constant pain I yelled to Mary to check the towel and see if something was in it. My guesses were a thorn, allergic reaction to the detergent (we had just had the towel washed), ant, or fly. As I was freakin out in the bathroom, Mary suddenly got real quit and said, “Hannah, it was a scorpion. Let’s go.” Well that didn’t freak me out at all! I’m in South America and I just got stung by a SCORPION! Go figure. The burning in my forearm spread to my elbow and my wrist as we ran to the office to get Chris. I never saw the creature and tried not to look at my wound. Chris, Mary, and I ran to Casa Esperanza where Mama Jheanny apparently knew a lot about first aid. She rushed me to the bathroom where she proceeded to pinch and squeeze to try and get some of the poisoned blood out of my veins. Since my veins had already sealed Mama Jheanny suggested we go to the hospital. By this point I’m so freaked out, my arm is in so much pain, and Mama Jheanny’s squeezing was so painful it made me nauseous. In the end I sucked it up and told them I’d be fine without going to the clinic. We, after a long search, finally found the evil little thing and one of its buddies. We received a window wash to kill any more compadres. In the midst of our eventful morning we made a new friend. Kirk, another 18 year old who is staying here for 3 months, has a great first impression of me. Complete with puffy eyes and a wounded arm. GREAT! Since I am already in self-pitty mode I will continue. To complement my Nutella Goldfish addiction I occasionally snack on Trix cereal. Today I was eating out of the box and was apparently too tired to hold it upright. OF COURSE the entire box of delicious fruity cereal spilled onto the floor. It was a shining moment for me. But despite all of this, the day was good. One of the little boys in Kantuta house gave me a kiss on the cheek today and it made my week. In such a short amount of time, they care so much. Their ability to trust and love is astounding and is something I strive to mirror. I heard there was a snow day in Nashville… that would also figure that I am on the other side of the globe on a Snow Day. Hope everyone was safe and had fun! I miss you all! Chao

Jan 10 2010

Sundays are pretty easy days here at Amistad. We woke up around 8:45 and went to Mass at the nearby church at 9. It was cute to see all of the children dressed up again but unfortunately no one wanted to sit by us in our pew. You would have thought we had some kind of maliciously contagious disease. But after about 20 minutes 2 girls cautiously sat down beside us. The church service is much like that of CCC except the sermon was about 3 minutes. I was amazed! After church we stayed in our dresses because we had 3 birthday fiestas to attend. The first was Johnny in Kantuta who was turning 12. Mama Maria did not have much money so all he had was a bottle of Pepsi. But it was a big deal because if there was a prize on the inside of the plastic wrapping of the bottle, he got to keep it. Before our next two parties we were to eat at Esperanza. As we walked into the house we noticed that it was empty. After calling the children’s names for a while we found them all outside around a fire. After closer inspection we saw that we were going to be served 3 large fish for lunch. Mary and I were a bit hesitant, especially when Mama Jheanny picked off a piece of meat from the FACE of the fish and handed it to me to try. I thought I might throw up. But I, being the tough cookie that I am, I downed that sucker and sang many praises of the facial meat. After lunch Mary and I were accompanied by a 9 year old girl to the nearby market to try and find Nutella and alcohol. Now before your get your undies in a wad I’ll just go ahead and tell you that we were not searching for cervesas or champagne but for rubbing alcohol needed to clean our newly pierced ears. You should have seen the look on the cashiers face when she saw a 9 year old asking for alcohol. Priceless. Now I have a feeling you are all wondering about the piercings. Don’t worry, Mama Jheanny sterilized everything and we didn’t pierce anything but our ears. When we returned from our walk to the store we took a much needed siesta and headed down to the court where two of the mamas were skipping rope for a bunch of children. I was encouraged to try and once I did, received a massive amount of laughs from everyone, including the mamas. Finally it was time for our 2nd party. As we walked to Casa San Francisco we heard some loud music coming from inside. We entered and found a classic party scene. The tables and chairs were moved to the side to create a spacious dance floor. There were cups of red and orange jello set out, a massive pink and white cake, and 2 bottles of soda. After the singing and the face in the cake, we chowed on some jello and commenced the dancing. Chris King sure does have some moves. Finally Mary, Chris, and I got some of the children to dance with us and even taught some of the older boys, who felt extremely awkward when asked to put their hands on Mary and I’s backs. But with my amazing guidance, they were all ready for Dancing with the Stars. Since the parties theme was Hannah Montana it was only fitting for Mary and I to put on a little performance to the theme song of the popular Disney show. We received cute goody bags and, exhausted from our latest party endeavors, headed to dinner. We were surprised at how sweet and delicious our meal was. We had a form of oatmeal and fried bread with cane molasses. After spending some time with the kids in that house we attended our third and last party. It was for Pedro, a now 12 year old boy from San Martin. We didn’t stay long because it was a smaller affair but we gave him our cards and wished him a happy birthday. We spent the rest of the night at San Miguel where we watched some weird movie in Spanish while the girls plucked our eyebrows and styled our hair. Mary left with cornrows while I have multiple random braids pulled into a tight ponytail. Quite ghetto-fabulous if I do say so myself. And the best part is they made us promise to keep it in till after reflections tomorrow morning. GREAT. So today was a pretty good day. I think the kids are thinking of us more and more as sisters which is comforting. We’re all just one big family. Receiving kisses on the cheek is becoming more normal and is absolutely adorable. It is one part of this culture I will miss when I return home. Time for bed! Good night.

Jan 9 2010

Hola! Not a day goes by without some kind of eventful incident here in Cochabamba. Last night we welcomed thousands of babies into the world. That’s right… our water bucket, kept inside in case our running water disappears again, gave birth to a massive swarm of mosquitoes around 1am last night. It is real fun having the lights switched on in the middle of you REM sleep and having to OFF your entire apartment while getting eaten alive by newborn bugs. But after all that we got a good night’s sleep and woke up early because Chris was taking us to “La Concha” the market. I grabbed a power bar and the three of us walked until we could pick up public transportation. We had two options. We could take the #1 bus that runs from one end of the city to the other, or a taxi truffi which can fit up to five people and takes you where ever you need to go. We decided on a truffi and paid 1.50 Bolivianos (less than 30 cents) to get to the market. Chris had warned us that Saturdays were the busiest days but we were not prepared for the amount of sensory overload we encountered. The sheer quantity of people that surrounded us was astounding and almost gross. Note to those traveling to Bolivia in the near future: pedestrians DO NOT have the right of way! I almost got hit by 2 cars. They just bump the back of your legs and honk for a few seconds until you realize that if you don’t move you honestly might be mowed down. Once we reached the Artisan section of the market Mary and I went to town. We both acquired some great stuff and became expert bargainers. After the backpack we brought was full, we moved to the grocery section which was so packed I couldn’t spend any energy actually buying anything. We discovered some great new animal parts you can eat, found that dried llama fetuses bring good luck, and were bombarded with so many different smells that my nose hairs started to burn. Finally we took the bus as close as we could to the villa and hiked the rest of the way up. On the way Chris explained that surrounding the Villa were 4 other orphanages- some bigger, some smaller, and one for HIV/ AIDS children. It made Mary and I so upset to know that right next to the “Belle Meade” of Cochabamba were all of these parentless children, some of which were very ill. Mary informed us of an incredible statistic. If 1 in every 6 Christian families around the world adopted one child, there would be no more orphans. Some food for thought. When we returned we had lunch at Casa Kantuta. We had told the girls of San Miguel, a few of whom are in Cosmetology school, that they could give us little haircuts and we followed through. Mary and I showed up at their house, quite nervous, and ready for our trims. They set us up in a chair in their living room with the legit barber cape. They had all the materials of a salon and went to town. In the end I just had my split ends trimmed, but it was fun to see them so intense about their work. The rest of the day was fairly normal. We played a great game of dodgeball, boys vs girls, ate dinner at Casa Amanacer, and spent the rest of the night with the Tio and the boys of San Martin. We are exhausted from this morning and are now showering and making hot chocolate. Hope everything is great where you are. I miss everyone!! Ps. All of my little mosquito friends are here. They say hi!

Jan 7 2010

Today was a pretty normal day. We woke up and had the same delicious breakfast as yesterday. To our surprise our water was out again. After a few minutes of trying it returned, only to be followed by a brief power outage- Quite an interesting start to the day. Reflections were great because we remembered some of the songs from yesterday and could join in. Afterwards we returned to our house to finish doing the dishes and clean the bathroom. For two girls we sure do make a mess. But Mary and have are good about splitting the chores and we get it done. By the end the place is always spotless. While cleaning, we worked on our lesson plan for today. We had scheduled an English class and decided that for the older kids we would work on simple phrases and conversation pieces. For the younger kids we would focus on colors and numbers. Since we had nothing else to do that morning, we chose to work off some of our late night snacking with an hour long workout. We put on our tennis shoes and headed down to the playground where we incorporated playing with the kids and working our muscles into fun activities. While hanging on the monkey bars, we would do upside down crunches, pull-ups on the parallel bars, and best of all… see-saws are great for squats. After our super intense exercise we went to San Martin for lunch. Those boys sure can eat. There was absolutely no talking at the table because they were too busy assuming the role of human vacuums. And guess what! WE GOT A BANANA! Fresh fruit is so delicious and such a rare occurrence. After lunch, we played more spoons and a little bit of hacky-sack. There was a conference in the internet room so we did not get to check email or post blogs, but I will tomorrow. When it was time to start our English class I was completely lost. Since I am not too good at Spanish it was hard for me to teach English. But while Mary was explaining words and phrases, I would learn more Spanish. It was a win-win situation. We learned that for the older children it works best to ask them what they would like to learn and for the smaller children it is best to create some kind of hand on activity. The lessons will hopefully improve by the end of our stay. With the free time after our activities we got to do some laundry!! So exciting! While we hung our clothes on the line outside our apartment in front of the huge mountains I realized how great the pace of life here is. There is no rush. Clothes dry with the sun, water comes with the rain, and there is no hurry to get things done. It’s so refreshing. Dinner time was fun. The silence, or sound of chewing, was so awkward at times that Mary and I would choke on our food because we would laugh so hard. After dinner we headed outside to the court to play a late night game of barefoot soccer. Mary, a bunch of guys, and me playing soccer, without shoes, in pitch black with thousands of stars, and the mountains hovering above us- I had to take a break and soak it in because it is moments like this that I am going to miss the most when I come home. After soccer a few of the boys agreed that Mary and I were like their sisters which, once we thought about it, made so much sense. We really do act like brothers and sisters. I absolutely love it. I wish with all my heart that all of you reading this could meet these boys and all the children in the villa. I wish that they could change your lives like they have changed mine. Until tomorrow! Adios

Jan 6 2010

It is getting harder and harder to wake up each morning. As we become more active during the day, we sleep much more. This morning we had to wake up at 8:40 to get to reflection. After our shopping spree yesterday we had plenty to eat for breakfast. We are keeping our cold items in San Miguel’s fridge so we went down there to grab some yogurt. The yogurt here is SO GOOD! It’s funny because Mary and I put cereal in our yogurt bowls and I felt like a 4 year old because while Mary’s bowl had some kinda nasty healthy granola something or another, my bowl was filled with colorful, sugar-filled, Trix. After our delicious breakfast we headed to the chapel for reflections, which is a time for singing and a few gospel verses and parables. It was nice because Mary and I got to sit outside in the hot sun. I heard it is suppose to snow big time tomorrow in Nashville. Have fun with that! Were just chillin down here in 90 degree weather… no big deal! After reflections we met with Chris to get a bunch of questions answered and the last details or our agenda ironed out. We were given the schedule of our meals for the rest of our stay and a list of birthdays in January so that Mary and I can make cards for the children. Judo started around 11 so I joined in that for a while. I’m getting pretty good but I still get laughed at quite a bit for my lack of flexibility during stretches. After a while in Judo class I went to Casa San Martin, the boys house, and played cards for an hour or so. I really enjoy hanging out with the guys for many reasons but the first being that I can connect with boys much easier than I can with girls. I have the same laid back attitude and energetic nature and the 11-16 year old boys… go figure. Lunch was in Casa San Francisco with some interesting characters. There were a lot of children from the same family. The only boy, a four year old named Eduardo, is the happiest child in the villa. His three sisters, Marianna, Rosalie, and Isabelle, look so much alike but are all so different. There were 3 other girls in the house but they were very shy and preferred to watch TV than talk to us. As much as we tried, we could not get them to hold a conversation. I have added “Get to know the girls from San Francisco” to my to-do list. Lunch was actually delicious and very filling today. We had rice (again), a slice of meet, 2 boiled potatoes, and a SALTED fried egg. The word salted is in all caps for a reason- it’s a BIG DEAL! After lunch I returned to San Martin to finish up a nail-biting game of spit with a boy named Marco. I would rather not talk about the outcome seeing as I was the one who taught him the game! All that aside, we had a great time. We had the whole house screaming and shouting. By 2:30 it was time to start our activities. For the older kids, who meet between 2:30-4:00, we played… take a wild guess… MORE DODGEBALL! You can’t imagine how in love with this game these kids are. That is all they want to do. So, as a result of their adoration for chucking soccer balls at each other, I will suffer from multiple minor injuries including a bruise on the side of my face, burns from sliding on many different surfaces, and a small cut on my leg from landing on a stick as I dodged a flying ball. If you haven’t already figured it out… this game is life or death. Finally, the exhausted leaders called a time-out and took a ten minute break before ushering in the smaller children. With the little ones, we played old favorites like Red Light, Green Light, Simon Says, and Octopus. All were a big hit. These children seem to have no end to the energy. As much as we try to wear them out, we always receive the response, “MAS MAS!” It’s extremely frustrating. After we finished, we went back to the room to wash up for dinner. The TV was on throughout the meal which made conversation near impossible. The food wasn’t as satisfying as it was for lunch but it was still decent. After dinner we had promised the boys and their Tio (the male version of a mama) that we would spend the majority of our after-dinner time in their house. These couple of hours were so much fun. We played an intense game of spoons and then ended up attempting to break dance, but unlike at San Miguel, the guys did not sit and laugh at us, they joined in and we all enjoyed ourselves. After a quick visit with the girls, Mary and I proceeded to our casa where I now sit. I have gotten myself addicted to Flavor blasted goldfish and spoonfuls and Nutella. Don’t you dare judge me. So that is what I am doing now while Mary sits across from me in the adjacent bed eating out of our 1.6 kg container of sour gummy worms and bragging about her “level 13 Charmander” in her Pokemon game for Gameboy Color. This is what I have to live with. I’m just kidding. We actually get along surprisingly well despite the fact that she is a dork. I gotta go so I can make fun of her some more. Chao amigos y familia.

Jan 5 2010

Fiesta in manana! The villa celebrated Three Kings Day or Epiphany this morning. Everyone gathered for a small service led by the children and a breakfast of deep fried bread and some kinda grain drink that we were told not to drink. It was a fun to see all of the children in the best dresses and tucked in button downs. After the service they put on a Christmas movie and Mary and I went to our apartment to prepare for our day. We planned to make “God’s Eyes”, a simple craft created using popsicle sticks and yarn. We went ahead and started glued the sticks together and precut some pieces of yarn, grossly underestimating the popularity of our activity. After our little preparation we went outside to find that a few older children were playing more dodgeball. We joined in an intense game of chicos contra chicas. A few boys from the youth house in the city had come for the service and were playing too which made the game all the more challenging. I think I have a few bruises. Again it was super hot outside. I am really gonna need to get accustomed to the heat. We finally had lunch with the girls from San Miguel which was nice. Conversation was really easy. After lunch we got a little time on the internet before going to our craft project. Like I said, we grossly underestimated the popularity of this activity. Every child including the boys from San Martin (the boys equivalent of San Miguel) joined in. It was probably the most hectic hour of my life. I have never had so many kids yelling and me and throwing stuff in my face at one time. Because they refused to listen to one demonstration, I had to teach the process to each child individually. By the end each had almost 4 finished works. Luckily, Johnny, the Judo teacher, showed up as I was beginnings to lose it. After cleaning up the scraps of yarn and extra sticks, Mary and I decided to participate in Judo. Their warm ups and stretching made me feel great and Martin, a 16 year old boy, taught me the basics of the martial art. After Judo class Chris, Mary, and I went into town to the market for groceries. Again, it was nice to see more of Bolivia. Although it is a little awkward to be whistled at, I really love seeing the many different people of the city. There are so many smells, pleasant and unpleasant, and so much to see. It is no New York but there is just so much to see and experience. We also went to the ATM to exchange some of our money into Bolivianos. The rate of exchange is amazing- 1 US dollar: 7 Bolivianos. After our trip to the city we returned to San Miguel to have dinner and because we had to walk a long way home from the market, Mary and I are so tired! This trip has been absolutely amazing so far. I wouldn’t change anything!! I miss everyone from home. Hope Nashville warms up a bit. Hasta Luego!

Jan 4 2010

HOLA! It was a big day. We woke up to find that there were no reflections this morning but that all of the office workers were here. Leila asked to meet with us about a schedule which we finally have mapped out. We are going to try and split the villa into big kids and little kids so that we will be able to accomplish more. Whenever we try and play a game with all ages the older kids end up dominating. So after our meeting we got to access the internet which ended up being very overwhelming! Even after 5 days without the computer I accumulated so many new emails and Facebook posts and didn’t know how to handle them all. It was nice to be able to access the “real world” though. I will hopefully be able to get on the internet every weekday between 11-12:30 Nashville time. After our time on the computer we headed down to Casa Semilla de Amor for lunch. This house is full of girls and only 2 boys. The boys are Milton- one of the sweetest boys in the villa. He is so caring and really loves learning new English words. The other boy is Mario- a 2 year old who is most likely the cutest child I have ever seen. I will post pictures soon! The girls are sweet too. Some of the older ones seemed resentful of our presence but perhaps they will warm to us as the month goes on. I had a hard time eating the food prepared for us during lunch today. We had rice (which is never that great) covered in boiled beets and a small slice of beef. I have never tried beets and had always thought that they tasted like spiced apples for some reason. I took a big bite and now know that I am not a beet fan. But I ate it all graciously. After lunch we returned to the apartment where we had the greatest surprise of all… RUNNING WATER!!! It was absolutely amazing! I took a shower for the first time in 4 days and have never felt so clean. We gave our apartment a makeover too. We mopped the floor and put all of our food and clothes away. By the end of the two hours we and our room were spotless. It was a nice change. Mary and I took our clean selves down to the court where we had instructed the older children, ages 10-16, to meet us for a rousing game of futbol. The sun was BLAZING today and some of the boys were in long sleeves and pants. I felt like a wimp in my shorts and tshirt sweating profusely and having to take multiple breaks in the shade. After a long competitive game it was time for the little kids to play. They gathered and we decided to stay in the cool grass closer to the houses. Mary and I translated the childhood classic Duck, Duck, Goose in Pato, Pato, Ganso and explained the rules. It has become an instant favorite among the kids. After many more games it was time for dinner. They had moved dinner time up because the whole villa was going into the city of Cochabamba to see the lights that were still up from Christmas. Mary and I ended up going with the girls from San Miguel and having an amazing time. We spent hours walking through the main streets and seeing all of the street performers. We watched multiple Michael Jackson tributes, amazing break dancing battles, and lots of carnival like activities. It was nice to get out of Amistad and see more of Bolivian culture. We just returned home and I am completely exhausted so I am gonna hit the sheets. Buenos noches!

Jan 3 2010

Well something I ate yesterday did not agree with me. I had to skip mass this morning. CIPRO to the rescue. Around one I stated to feel better. They turned the wells on long enough for all the houses to fill their buckets. Still no water through the pipes: Going on 4 days without a shower… o.my.gosh. We have come up with a crafty way to brush teeth, wash our faces, and flush the toilet, but other than that we are at a loss. Everyone says it will be fixed tomorrow! Todays weather was really rainy. But it wasn’t the kind of rain we have in Nashville. It was very soft and warm. Quite nice. We ate at our favorite house today… Casa Amanecer. The mama is hilarious and younger than the others and the children are precious. There is Gregorio: 17 months and super chubby. He was so exhausted during dinner that he fell off his chair. There is Ronald: 5 years old and also so sleepy his face fell into his dinner. Mary and Dunia were the older girls who were very helpful with the cooking and taking care of the baby. Renaldo is the athletic 11 year old who is kinda quiet. And Juan Ju is the 5 year old whose head is way too big for his body. After lunch with Amanecer Mary and I rounded up the children from all of the houses to play another game of dodgeball. After two hours of fierce play, the younger boys found more joy in wrestling each other than trying to dodge the balls. The girls enjoyed playing with our cameras too much and so in the end it was Mary and I getting pelted by the older boys. Dinner consisted of flatted chicken sautéed in grease, boiled broccoli and carrots, and boiled whole potatoes. It was actually really good. After dinner and a little more bonding with Amanacer we headed over to San Miguel in our PJs, which is becoming a nightly ritual. Every night they attempt to teach us how to dance: the nightly entertainment. My body DOES NOT move in the Latino fashion. But I’m gonna keep trying. After our dance lesson we headed back to our home where I sit now. All of the office staff gets here in the morning so I gotta get some rest. I have loved every minute here and look forward to future events! I can’t wait to tell everyone about it. Hasta Luego!

Jan 2 2010

So we had a traumatizing night last night. After I finished blogging I put my ear phones in started watching a movie. Mary was using the bathroom when we got a knock on the door (mind you it was almost midnight). I don’t think my heart has ever beaten so fast. I shakily said “Hola?” and we received a male voice in response. I lost it. Previously sitting in my bed, I hit the floor and had no idea what to do. From inside the bathroom Mary tried to ask what he wanted but both of us were completely freaked out. Finally the man started speaking English and explained that he was the night guard and was reminding us to lock our door. After regaining composure and peeling myself from the floor, we locked our door and went to bed. Today was such a good day. We got to sleep in and have a nice breakfast of dry cereal and goldfish. We walked down to Casa Esperanza where we were eating our meals today. The mama’s name is Jheanny (Jenny) and is the sweetest woman we have met thus far. After receiving the times for lunch and dinner we followed the sounds of the shouting children into the gym. We found about 16 kids, some in white karate uniforms and belts, practicing what we found out to be Judo. The instructor, Johnny, is a young volunteer who pairs the kids up and watches then spar. It was quite entertaining. After Judo Johnny, and Mary, and I organized a game of pelota quemada, dodgeball. We have played this game every day since we have arrived. Mary and I have finally picked up on the different rules and are getting pretty good. We are no longer picked last for teams!!! We ate a lunch of some kinda stew and rice, but the interesting part was the drink. They poured us a glass of brown water which we were quite hesitant to taste. But once we did this brown drink, buckeye tea, was delicious and tasted slightly of maple syrup. For dessert we had fresh mangos! After lunch Jheanny showed us her garden and the buckeye tree. She peeled us a pod and we were instructed to eat the white cotton like substance that surrounded the nut. Again quite hesitant, but now I can’t stop eating it. The flesh of the buckeye pod is so sweet and refreshing. We stayed with Esperanza for the majority of the afternoon learning about the children and observing their interactions in the garden. They were constantly getting into trouble. Douglas, the birthday boy, was obviously the clown of the house. Mario and Freddy had their ears pulled when they stuck their hands into the water basin. Jessica is a sweet, very inquisitive, beautiful girl, who along with Carla loved taking pictures of flowers and explaining the garden. Juan Gabriel, the oldest boy in the house at 12, is very athletic and finds joy in making fun of my accent. He constantly asks me to “cara de bobo,” make the face of a clown. Apparently I make good faces. After a very short siesta and hanging out with the older girls, Mary and I returned to Casa Esperanza for a compleanos fiesta! Many cakes, coke, popcorn, and candies were spread out on the table and we sang Happy Birthday in Spanish. A tradition in Bolivia is for the birthday boy/ girl to plant their face in the large cake. After blowing out the candle, we were treated to the delicious sweets which served as our cena. After our pseudo-dinner, we went back to the girls youth house, San Miguel, and had such a fun time. We played each other our favorite music and taught each other dances. Mostly Mary and I just got laughed at, but all of us really enjoyed our time together. The girls range from 14-16 and are all so different. Evaline is the helpful one who restates everything so Mary and I can better understand. Gardenia is the rebel. She is beautiful and hilarious. Jenny is the dancer. She can’t wait till she is old enough to go dance in the discotheques. There are a few more that I will, as time goes on, get to know better. But so far we are all good friends and Mary and I will spend every night in San Miguel before bed. It is good because we are beginning to pick up a routine which makes things a lot easier. We have mass at 9 in the morning so I gotta get to bed. Buenos noches amigos y familia!

Hola amigos!

We completed the long journey and finally reached the Amistad Villa yesterday (Dec 31 2009). There was a little trouble with the roads, so our van was not able to pass along the rest of the street. You should have seen the looks we got trying to roll our huge bags down the rock and dirt covered roads. Muchas risas. When we passed through the gates of the mission we were shown to our apartment. A small one room abode, perfect for our stay. After dropping our bags and receiving a schedule of houses at which we were to eat at each day, we were abruptly abandoned by our guides and left to our own devices. I walked down to Kantuta house where we were eating dinner and was greeted with such a warm welcome. Mama Maria Eugenia gave me a kiss on the cheek and the children began to, one by one, attach themselves to each of my limbs. Although I didn’t understand a whole lot of what they were saying, I knew that the excitement of my arrival was mutual. I was told a time to be back for dinner, and continued on the Casa Copacabana where a special friend of mine lives. I wish I could have taped the reunion between Leo and me because I would love to replay it over and over. Leonardo and I became close after my trip to Amistad this past summer. He is a rambunctious ten year old who takes great joy in learning new English words and fixing things. When we saw each other both of our faces lit up and of course I started crying (causing the rest of the children to dub me “loco bambina”). After visiting with Casa Copacabana for a bit I headed back to mi casa to wash up and head to dinner. Surprise! No water in Amistad till Monday. Luckily they turned it on later that night to test the pipes so I got to clean up, but to flush the toilet we keep a bucket of water in the bathroom. 4 scoops equal 1 flush, just in case you were wondering. Mary and I changed clothes and brushed our hair and continued down to Kantuta where we helped set the table for dinner. After a lovely grace we were given a thinly sliced piece of battered chicken, potato wedges, boiled broccoli, and fresh tomatoes (which we unfortunately couldn’t eat because of the bacteria in Bolivian water). It was sad to see that Mary and I were given the largest portions while the children were given only small amounts of meat and potatoes and instead received rice, a filler food. Hopefully we can convince the mamas to serve us exactly like the children during our stay. After dinner, we played a few games, took some pictures, and said “Buenos noches!” Despite the New Year’s celebrations outside our window, we were so tired that we crashed as soon as we hit the sheets.

Rise and shine! We decided to sleep in a bit to catch up on our rest. I woke before Mary and decided to eat my breakfast outside. The weather is absolutely amazing. Warm but not too hot with a slight breeze. No humidity at all. Right outside our door, we are greeted by the large mountains that surround all of Cochabamba. I sat and absorbed the fact that I am fortunate enough to be able to travel to a place like this and experience the things I will this month. After both Mary and I were up and at em, we took Kantuta to the basketball court and played some soccer. The children have so much energy and even after being here for one day, are so comfortable around you. We ate lunch with Copacabana around 12:30. The meal was not too great but it is a part of the Bolivian culture I will need to get accustomed to. After lunch and a quick siesta, we played dogeball with some of the girls from San Miguel (the girls youth house in Amistad). A few boys from the boys youth house located in the city rode their bikes up to visit their old mamas and siblings. Hanging out with kids our own age made for a fun afternoon. They joked about relationships and talked about celebrities. Again, the language barrier made me the comedic relief, but I didn’t mind. It was just fun to be with other teenagers. Before dinner the girls all watched part of The Princess Diaries. Dinner back at Copacabana was amazing. We had mashed potatoes with seasoned beef on top. Mama Teadora surprised us by purchasing Pepsi for us which we told her was unnecessary by incredibly kind. After dinner we took the children to the park where Mary and I got a taste for what this month is going to be like. We played and laughed harder than we ever have before. Towards the end we all sat in a circle on the asphalt and looked and the stars. Already I can’t imagine leaving this place. Finally we said our good nights and walked back to our place where we were greeted by a wonderful smell. Right across from our apartment is the Amistad bakery. Mama Maria Eugenia and a few girls from Kantuta were baking the bread for the week. Perhaps as the month rolls on I will learn to bake as well as they do. Mary and I purchased a few bread rounds and returned to get ready for bed. As I sat in my sheets and wrote this entry, we got a knock on the door. Mama Maria just baked us a fresh piece of bread which she filled with cheese. She warned us that it was too hot to eat tonight, gave us a kiss, and said good night. The kindness of these women and children takes my breath away. I wish I could tell you every detail of my day but this post would be so long no one would want to read it. So as I sit here and eat my warm cheese bread and read my Spanish to English dictionary I am thinking about all of you and how I hope you will all be able to experience this place. I am so grateful for this opportunity! Until next time. Beunos noches!!!