God, Flour, and Mountain Climbing

Happy one month to me!!
Tomorrow, October 1st.
Just 11 more months to go.. haha just kidding

PART 1: God
So, get this? I was a little early to Mass and the priest asked me to read. Okay, so it´s daily Mass and not many people were there. He said I did a good job and will read again on Friday...maybe he´ll forget...
   Nope, still in Ecclesiastes, you know  ¨a time for war and a time for peace, etc...and the psalm was short. There were more people at Mass today because, unbeknownst to me, it was in honor of a young boy, who I assume was killed since the family had his picture in the front... I believe he was close to my age, like 23 or 24, really sad.

So, I will be reading more often he says to practice, I didn´t get nervous either so that was good. Maybe the mic hides my bad pronunciation...

There is a Bible study regularly on Wed. nights, I went last night. We started with Mark, it wasn´t too profound talking about how Jesus had temptations too, but He was victorious and if we have faith we´ll be victorious too...etc...I like going for the community and Angela said she´d come too! The same couple from Semana Biblica said they´d walk me home each week, they are so great and live close to me.

PART 2: Fiesta

So, I was confused all day, just knew that they were setting up the first house very beautifully...women were visiting...chapel looked GORGEOUS! It was for first communions, so I thought some of the girls were having their first communion, but no..turns out it´s Rotary Club of Cochabamba. Apparently every year this woman has her birthday with us! Her daughter and a couple other members came too.
    The kids played relay races and games, kinda like grade school field day. Well, lucky for me I was included. I did the sitting on the chair and squashing the balloon full of water and then later the relay race where you run across and smash the balloons on the line over your head (they are filled with flour by the way) So by the end of the morning, I was wet and full of flour, but it was fun!
Lunch was delicious! Chicken, rice, salad, fried potatoes, and some sauce and get this! DONUT for dessert! I do enjoy donuts as a rare treat, so it was nice to have. There is a donut shop near the dance studio, but I´m like nah, if I really need one I know where to look haha.

So, not one fiesta, but two!...when the woman left, the girls made me do the N´sync dance to ¨bye bye bye¨then it was HAPPY BIRTHDAY EVERYONE day. We had three huge cakes and the girls circled around them and blew out candles and they each got gifts (a cute t-shirt, sandals or flip flops, shampoo, and some got undergarments!) It was really cute. So lots of food, then of course they had to watch Camp Rock 2 for the 4th time haha, but by now I know the songs so I sat through most of it and sang along. They are obsessed with it and I still don´t get all the conversations, but I´m picking up a tad more each time I see it and the girls continually ask me to sing diff. songs from it. It´s cute, but can get old...

PART 3: Mountain Climbing
So, the couple that walks me from church asked me to walk with them Sunday morning, because they asked if I like to walk and I said yes! So I got up at 6am, ready to go. I was locked in the hogar! Luckily I saw one of the sisters and she let me out haha, I was so close to climbing over. So, we didn´t make it to Cristo, but we did climb that same mountain. It was so dry and there were CACTI everywhere, it reminded me of a canyon near the Grand Canyon, dusty and such and I actually had to climb a little, it was interesting. We were out for about an hour it was nice to be up when not many people are up. . . then I saw them at church later and met her son who is studying architecture. She told me to visit whenever I wanted, so I plan on it soon. She also volunteers at a hogar for children who are disabled and she invited me to accompany her on Saturdays, so in a couple weeks I´ll ask the sisters if I can go. I would love to check it out!

PART 4: Weekly Adventure..well not so much an adventure as my day off
  So, I got to run today and yesterday morning!! 31 min & 40 today!! plus there weren´t as many dogs out. Today = day off, but for some reason got up super early. I was locked in the hogar once again and could not find sisters, so I DID the UNTHINKABle. I climbed the gates, I got a little hurt and now my right palm is a little swolen, but I hurried to Mass. Well, it didn´t start on time and the sisters walk in like 10 min after i get there. I´m an idiot and I was in a little pain...Well, one nun figured it out and laughed at me but the others said nothing, thank goodness.

Sat in little park thing near church and def. saw birds doing something funky, looked like they were making out w- their beaks. so strange then walking home i see two dogs you know...like come on ! Spring is def in the air here, even for animals. great...oh well at least there are more birds out and more flowers are starting to sprout, which I love. Anway, while I was running I found this awesome gated neighborhood I never noticed before. It took me like 12 min. to jog perimeter...good size...I imagined myself living in these trimmed lawn, cute houses while I ran. I even saw them building on one that was purple with yellow wall interior..def. my house! They reminded me of a retirement area in FL but more colorful.

THIS WEEKEND:  So excited! Angela is finally coming to live here!!! And MP should be visiting us too.
Also, Sunday we are having a party for St. Francis´ feast day, so should be good. May do some more mountain climbing on Sunday morning, not sure yet. Things will certainly be a little diff. around here w- Ang, but it will be so nice to have someone to talk to and help out, so it won´t take long for her to fit right in too, plus the kids do know her from her visits. Just two more days, two more days...