2 weeks ago, I went on vacation. Let me just say I have never felt so peaceful and relaxed and at home. I started my journey on Friday night, bused it all the way to Santa Cruz. I decided to strap my hiking backpack to my ankle and hug my other one, just incase someone tried something while I was sleeping. Then we watched Blades of Steel, it was even better in Spanish haha. Well I fell asleep for awhile and kept having crazy bus dreams. Like we were at a rest stop and this couple was chatting with me and she gave me her baby and I was like holding it, then it was time to board the bus again and it started leaving without the woman and her husband I was like oh no, I have their baby and then I woke up to police, but it was bc we needed to get off the bus so they could do a drug check. It took us 11 hours to get there! We were crawling on those mountain roads, when I first woke up I was like, are we even moving bc it sure didn’t´seem like it, but I suppose slow and safer is better than the alternative.
I started out in the city of Santa Cruz to visit a Bolivian friend of mine who was on my floor junior year at Fontbonne. I was his RA so he kept telling everyone that I was his jefe (boss). I stayed with his family for the weekend. We visited the plaza, climbed the cathedral, went to the Botanic Gardens, and paid hommage to the Virgen of Cotoca in a little town not too far away. We prayed and lit candles. I lit mine for all the SLM´s, my mom and family, and all the girls at my hogar. We went to Mass on Sunday and I felt like I was going to Mass with my family, it was nice and then out to lunch.
I was able to stop by the hogar in Montero for Andrea´s goodbye party on Saturdayl! The first Bolivian volunteer to leave...it´s going to be weird because little by little almost everyone will be leaving. I was the last one to arrive at the gathering, but when I walked into the library, where everyone was eating, I felt such a warmth and joy and love from these people. The SLM volunteers have become my family this year and I feel like I´ve known them forever.
Then I spent a couple days with the boys in Yapacani. We did a lot of traveling by moto, a couple times all three of us squeezed on (that was an adventure and a half) to visit communities, play with the kids, and teach those preparing for first communion. We even made lunch by a river one day, watched BEAUTIFUL butterflies (I saw a blue morpho, it was gorgeous!) and picked fresh lemons and mandarins. It was so peaceful to be out in the campo and I especially enjoy traveling by moto.
After a few days with the boys, I took some time alone in a little town called Buena Vista. They are known for their queseria (cheese factory) 5 minutes outside the main town and I guess their beautiful view (since that´s what the name means). I walked around an decided to have Tucumas in an outside corner tienda. I sat on their benches and journaled as I ate. Then, since church office didn´t open until 3pm, I found a shop for ice cream and milk to make my own milkshake to kill some more time. I relaxed there and ended up meeting a couple friends, they were also headed out near Okinawa later, they had to finish work and would be back later to travel with me. I took a moto taxi to the cheese place and got some yummy cheese, the moto ride was my favorite by far just the landscape and everything and riding side saddle (because if not it means you are easy or he´s your man, something like that), and apparently you aren´t supposed to touch him, but I had my backpack and a little bag with me so I did need a little balance on his shoulder, but I think that was okay. He waited for me while I got a quick tour of this tiny factory and even saw the cheese fridge where all the HUGE blocks are. So got back to plaza, after a couple comments from boys on the street, and it was about time to see the Jesuit church and their little museum inside. It was cute, bought a hand-made loofah and some dulce peanuts and was out in time to meet my friends.
I went over to Okinawa, a Japanese-Bolivian town for the end of my trip. We have volunteers there too who teach English at both Japanese and Bolivian schools and visit communities out in the campo and interact with the girls in the nearby dormitorios the sisters run for girls whose parents work way out in the fields where there are no schools. They were so fun and kept calling me ´teacher¨. that´s bc the town´s used to foreignors equalling english teachers haha.
This week there was a medical mission from the US (Michigan actually), so I jumped right in for almost 2 days helping take information from the people in the campo and learning about their illnesses and translating for the doctors and translating meds to explain to the people so they know how they work, etc. It was such a unique experience. One of the girls did 2 ear irrigations, 1 each day, and these two people had little rocks, dust and who knows what in their ears and have had trouble hearing for awhile, but now they are fine! Something so simple and look, their life is better. Also, one of the doctors was really good about giving tips to the people for long-term health, just simple things that they may not have thought of or been taught, like simple stretches for the hard-working men, drinking more liquids, and making their situations more comfortable (one woman had back pain and said she made bread for a living, the doctor asked if she could move her table up a little higher so she´s not leaning over so much and her face lit up like yeah I could do that). Both days Michelle and I chose to sit with all the supplies on back of the sisters´truck to pray, chat, and just enjoy the cows and lovely scenery. IT REMINDED ME OF WHERE MY DAD´S FAMILY IS FROM IN MISSOURI. So I really felt like I was at home.
I love Santa Cruz and thought about moving here next year, but kept thinking about Cochabamba and how I am needed here, so I guess that was God´s way of reminding me.
I started out in the city of Santa Cruz to visit a Bolivian friend of mine who was on my floor junior year at Fontbonne. I was his RA so he kept telling everyone that I was his jefe (boss). I stayed with his family for the weekend. We visited the plaza, climbed the cathedral, went to the Botanic Gardens, and paid hommage to the Virgen of Cotoca in a little town not too far away. We prayed and lit candles. I lit mine for all the SLM´s, my mom and family, and all the girls at my hogar. We went to Mass on Sunday and I felt like I was going to Mass with my family, it was nice and then out to lunch.
I was able to stop by the hogar in Montero for Andrea´s goodbye party on Saturdayl! The first Bolivian volunteer to leave...it´s going to be weird because little by little almost everyone will be leaving. I was the last one to arrive at the gathering, but when I walked into the library, where everyone was eating, I felt such a warmth and joy and love from these people. The SLM volunteers have become my family this year and I feel like I´ve known them forever.
Then I spent a couple days with the boys in Yapacani. We did a lot of traveling by moto, a couple times all three of us squeezed on (that was an adventure and a half) to visit communities, play with the kids, and teach those preparing for first communion. We even made lunch by a river one day, watched BEAUTIFUL butterflies (I saw a blue morpho, it was gorgeous!) and picked fresh lemons and mandarins. It was so peaceful to be out in the campo and I especially enjoy traveling by moto.
After a few days with the boys, I took some time alone in a little town called Buena Vista. They are known for their queseria (cheese factory) 5 minutes outside the main town and I guess their beautiful view (since that´s what the name means). I walked around an decided to have Tucumas in an outside corner tienda. I sat on their benches and journaled as I ate. Then, since church office didn´t open until 3pm, I found a shop for ice cream and milk to make my own milkshake to kill some more time. I relaxed there and ended up meeting a couple friends, they were also headed out near Okinawa later, they had to finish work and would be back later to travel with me. I took a moto taxi to the cheese place and got some yummy cheese, the moto ride was my favorite by far just the landscape and everything and riding side saddle (because if not it means you are easy or he´s your man, something like that), and apparently you aren´t supposed to touch him, but I had my backpack and a little bag with me so I did need a little balance on his shoulder, but I think that was okay. He waited for me while I got a quick tour of this tiny factory and even saw the cheese fridge where all the HUGE blocks are. So got back to plaza, after a couple comments from boys on the street, and it was about time to see the Jesuit church and their little museum inside. It was cute, bought a hand-made loofah and some dulce peanuts and was out in time to meet my friends.
I went over to Okinawa, a Japanese-Bolivian town for the end of my trip. We have volunteers there too who teach English at both Japanese and Bolivian schools and visit communities out in the campo and interact with the girls in the nearby dormitorios the sisters run for girls whose parents work way out in the fields where there are no schools. They were so fun and kept calling me ´teacher¨. that´s bc the town´s used to foreignors equalling english teachers haha.
This week there was a medical mission from the US (Michigan actually), so I jumped right in for almost 2 days helping take information from the people in the campo and learning about their illnesses and translating for the doctors and translating meds to explain to the people so they know how they work, etc. It was such a unique experience. One of the girls did 2 ear irrigations, 1 each day, and these two people had little rocks, dust and who knows what in their ears and have had trouble hearing for awhile, but now they are fine! Something so simple and look, their life is better. Also, one of the doctors was really good about giving tips to the people for long-term health, just simple things that they may not have thought of or been taught, like simple stretches for the hard-working men, drinking more liquids, and making their situations more comfortable (one woman had back pain and said she made bread for a living, the doctor asked if she could move her table up a little higher so she´s not leaning over so much and her face lit up like yeah I could do that). Both days Michelle and I chose to sit with all the supplies on back of the sisters´truck to pray, chat, and just enjoy the cows and lovely scenery. IT REMINDED ME OF WHERE MY DAD´S FAMILY IS FROM IN MISSOURI. So I really felt like I was at home.
I love Santa Cruz and thought about moving here next year, but kept thinking about Cochabamba and how I am needed here, so I guess that was God´s way of reminding me.
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