So today we had a rest day and went into the city. We visited a market, where I bought a super cute little leather bag for the USD equivilent of only $20, that has all this lovely hand done detailing. After, we had the rest of the afternoon to ourselves. I am currently at an internet cafe, and then I am going to visit my first homestay mom to say good bye and pick up a few things I left.
Right now I am really kind of home sick. I was unable to get my headphones to work, so I couldn´t make any phone calls, and I am not going to be near an internet cafe for at least a week. I am having a great time with my current host family, but I have caught a nasty cough and am not looking forward to a week's worth of work without a shower. I will most likely take another sponge bath before the week is out, but it is really hard to wash your hair in a bucket and I am tierd of feeling gross and slimy all the time.
That being said, getting to see all the progress on the community center is really rewarding, and tomorrow we will be pouring the support beams for the roof. The three masons we have been working with have been really nice, and have explained things over and over until everyone knows how to do it. We are hoping to finish the walls of the common room by the end of the week, so we'll see how things go.
I am also going to be teaching English tomorrow with Lauren, one of our guides. Most of the children of the town have been coming to the lessons, and we are hoping that more people will come now that Carnaval is over. We have books and supplies, and Lauren is working on a plan for our lesson.
On Saturday, once we are done with our first project, we are going on a day hike in the Tunari national park. From what I have seen, it will be absolutly beautiful. The peak is even higher than La Paz at 16,000 feet, and I am a little nervous, but I'll take my altidude pills and there will be two guides so I won't have to go super fast.
Until next week!
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Malcorancho and the Carnaval parade
So I've steeled into ny second homjestay quite nicely. The family has three kids, and the younger two are super outgoing. Within the first 10 minutes mof my being there, Meredith and I had gotten into a water fight with Mari, the younger girl who is 11. The living conidtions are very simple, but we have real beds and elecricity, so it's better than I might have thought. The one downside is that there is no toilet, not even a pit, so you have to go in the fields with the cows, which is a little awkward during the day.
We also started our first volunteer work site this week. We have been working for only two days and my hands are killing me. The first day I was working cutting rebar so the saw workj made my hands all itchy, and the second day I was hammering away extra plaster so we could put down stronger cement. My hands are so sore I can barly make fists. Fortunatly, I'll have today and tomorrow to recover.
We had a blast today at the big parade here in Cochabamba. Dancers from all over Bolivia come every year to the big parade that starts in the morning and goes for almost 24 hours. The first groups we saw were all dressed up in costumes. Acording to our guide Jean-Carla, every person who is in the military school has to preform in this parade for the first three years. One year of service is mandatory for all men, but optional for women.
Then after that came all the traditional dances fron all over the country. There was one that was super popular that reminded me of river dance. They all had bells on their boots and were dancing so they rang. There was one really famous touring group that had over 5,000 people in it from all over the country, and that was only one of the groups that cane to dance and preform. I took mover 200 pictures in the 5 hours we were there, so hopefully I'll have some time to upload a few things tomorrow.
We also started our first volunteer work site this week. We have been working for only two days and my hands are killing me. The first day I was working cutting rebar so the saw workj made my hands all itchy, and the second day I was hammering away extra plaster so we could put down stronger cement. My hands are so sore I can barly make fists. Fortunatly, I'll have today and tomorrow to recover.
We had a blast today at the big parade here in Cochabamba. Dancers from all over Bolivia come every year to the big parade that starts in the morning and goes for almost 24 hours. The first groups we saw were all dressed up in costumes. Acording to our guide Jean-Carla, every person who is in the military school has to preform in this parade for the first three years. One year of service is mandatory for all men, but optional for women.
Then after that came all the traditional dances fron all over the country. There was one that was super popular that reminded me of river dance. They all had bells on their boots and were dancing so they rang. There was one really famous touring group that had over 5,000 people in it from all over the country, and that was only one of the groups that cane to dance and preform. I took mover 200 pictures in the 5 hours we were there, so hopefully I'll have some time to upload a few things tomorrow.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Coachabamba-Reflecion
Well, today is our last day in Cochabamba, and I'm not quite sure about how I'm feeling. I really loved it here, despite some first hand experience with the less savory aspects of life, and my home stay family was awesome, but there is a strong part of me that doesn't feel like this trip has really started.
Take my homestay for example. I feel like I've spoken as much English here as Spanish, and there has been easy acess to internet and hot showers. While the city itself feels very different than my home back in Boston, this whole experience has been far more international than Bolivian. This is making me pretty anxious for the next part of our trip. We're really going to be in a new setting, both culturally and physically. Not all of the homestay families have showers or running water, and all of them are either full native Bolivians or Mestizos, rather than the heavily Spanish middle class here in the city.
All od this makes me pretty nervous, though I am super excited as well. As much as I loved Cochabamba, I am so ready to see what the lifestyle of the more rural Bolivivan looks like. I'm even down for getting up at dawn to milk cows, though that won't be fun the first few days. I also think that getting to do some physical work will be good for me as well. I am super excited for the hike we'll be taking as well. The few glimpses I've had of the national reserve we'll be hiking in seem beautiful, and we are going to a peak that is 16,000 feet above sea level!
Here's hoping that I live to tell the tale!
Take my homestay for example. I feel like I've spoken as much English here as Spanish, and there has been easy acess to internet and hot showers. While the city itself feels very different than my home back in Boston, this whole experience has been far more international than Bolivian. This is making me pretty anxious for the next part of our trip. We're really going to be in a new setting, both culturally and physically. Not all of the homestay families have showers or running water, and all of them are either full native Bolivians or Mestizos, rather than the heavily Spanish middle class here in the city.
All od this makes me pretty nervous, though I am super excited as well. As much as I loved Cochabamba, I am so ready to see what the lifestyle of the more rural Bolivivan looks like. I'm even down for getting up at dawn to milk cows, though that won't be fun the first few days. I also think that getting to do some physical work will be good for me as well. I am super excited for the hike we'll be taking as well. The few glimpses I've had of the national reserve we'll be hiking in seem beautiful, and we are going to a peak that is 16,000 feet above sea level!
Here's hoping that I live to tell the tale!
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Cochabamba: Homestay day 2
I have seriously never had so much fun in my life than I have had the last few days. The first day we spent was the first night of Carneval, La Noche de los Comadres. It was girls night out, so most of the group went out dancing. It was a little awkward at first because we were there about 2 hours before anything really started, but once we started to dance, it was a lot of fun.
The next night, we had a party at my host family´s house. My host mom Susanna has a son named Tarek, who is 17 and he had a bunch of his friends over and most of the group came over too. We stayed up really late talking and listening to music and it was super chill and fun.
My host family is super awesome. My host mom is a vegitarian hippie with the most wonderful house ever. People are always coming and going and it is super warm and open. Susanna speaks no English, which has been a really good challange for my Spanish, but her son and some of the younger folks who come in and out of the house speak varying amounts of English so there has never been any trouble communicating. The food has been absolutly wonderful, and now that I am not feeling the altidud, I am eating a lot more. One odd thing is that there is no official dinner in the house. You pretty much have to fend for yourself, and for the most part, I eat crackers and bread for dinner. Hoefully I can find some real food tonight, because I am super hungry.
The next night, we had a party at my host family´s house. My host mom Susanna has a son named Tarek, who is 17 and he had a bunch of his friends over and most of the group came over too. We stayed up really late talking and listening to music and it was super chill and fun.
My host family is super awesome. My host mom is a vegitarian hippie with the most wonderful house ever. People are always coming and going and it is super warm and open. Susanna speaks no English, which has been a really good challange for my Spanish, but her son and some of the younger folks who come in and out of the house speak varying amounts of English so there has never been any trouble communicating. The food has been absolutly wonderful, and now that I am not feeling the altidud, I am eating a lot more. One odd thing is that there is no official dinner in the house. You pretty much have to fend for yourself, and for the most part, I eat crackers and bread for dinner. Hoefully I can find some real food tonight, because I am super hungry.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
PICTURES!!! Miami through La Paz
South Beach Miami
DRAG QUEEN!
I loved the carvings on the church wall!
The firsat lunch in Bolivia!
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Adventures in 3rd World Bussing: La Paz to Cochabamba
So, we got up today for a 9am bus ride, which was supposed to be 7 hours... We got in at 6pm... I was so stir crazy by the end! We got wicked held up by a roll over for two whole hours and everyone on our bus really had to pee, so we all got out and peed in a ditch. There were maybe 6 of us all in a row right by the street, which made for quite a picture.
The views on our trip were really varied and spectacular. There were tons if hills and plains and lots and lots of cows. It was really open and uncrowded, which I didn´t expect at all.
We are now in Cochabamba, a pretty good sized city. Tonight I am just taking it easy, but we'll be meeting our host family and starting our Spanish lessons. It's also Caneval starting tomorrow, so there will be tons of parties and festivals, which I am really looking forward to.
The views on our trip were really varied and spectacular. There were tons if hills and plains and lots and lots of cows. It was really open and uncrowded, which I didn´t expect at all.
We are now in Cochabamba, a pretty good sized city. Tonight I am just taking it easy, but we'll be meeting our host family and starting our Spanish lessons. It's also Caneval starting tomorrow, so there will be tons of parties and festivals, which I am really looking forward to.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
La Paz
Holy crap, La Paz is beautiful! We arrived super early in the morning and I was totally out of it. We arrived at our hostel a little before 8am Bolivian time, which is one hour later than EST, so it felt a little odd. The hostel we are staying at for the night is super lovely, and while it´s basic, it was perfect for our first day. I took a nap when we got there and then we went out to our first lunch in South America. I wasn´t feeling too good, so I just had soup and rice and potatoes.
La Paz is set in a basin up high in the mountians. It´s really hilly, and when you step out onto the veranda in the central market you look up on hills covered in trees and buildings. There is a lovely old church down in the center of town that is made out of the most beautiful stone. It has ornate carvings and a beautiful bell tower that serves as a landmark when returning to our hostel. I hope I can go in when we return to La Paz.
The altitude sickness is really bothering me. I am queasy and out of breath all the time, and my appetite is just shot. It was worst right when we landed. I got all clammy and faint, but ikt was taken care of by the nap. Right now, more than anything, I just feel really worn down. I am trying to make sure I drink a lot and keep my feet up. Hopefully I´ll be up for a walk this evening before dinner.
La Paz is set in a basin up high in the mountians. It´s really hilly, and when you step out onto the veranda in the central market you look up on hills covered in trees and buildings. There is a lovely old church down in the center of town that is made out of the most beautiful stone. It has ornate carvings and a beautiful bell tower that serves as a landmark when returning to our hostel. I hope I can go in when we return to La Paz.
The altitude sickness is really bothering me. I am queasy and out of breath all the time, and my appetite is just shot. It was worst right when we landed. I got all clammy and faint, but ikt was taken care of by the nap. Right now, more than anything, I just feel really worn down. I am trying to make sure I drink a lot and keep my feet up. Hopefully I´ll be up for a walk this evening before dinner.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Miami
So, we're chilling in Miami for the next day before leaving on our flight tomorrow. I am not a huge fan of the city, and the weather was kind of cold... We have been doing a lot of sitting and listening the past few days for orientation, and I am getting more and more ready to just get up and go. I found out that Carneval is the first week we get there and I am super excited to be in a place where they actually celebrate with parties and parades and such. I have always wanted to see something like that!
The folks on my trip are super nice and fun to hang out with. We had over 3 hours to ourselves at South Beach and I hung out with 4 of the girls who are coming with me. One of the people I got along with right away was Meridith, who is from Calgary, Canada. She's the oldest girl in our group, and quit her job to come with us. She's super fun and laid back and I think we'll get along very well.
I also love the trip leaders who are going on this trip with us. Jo and Laruen are really different, but totally in good ways. Jo is from England and has a heavy accent, which I love. I could listen to her talk all day, vioce aside. She is super funny and, like myself, has a tendancy to talk before she thinks. Laruen is from the States, but she is totally fun and easy going. They know each other, which I think will really help.
Tomorrow, I'll be on a flight to Bolivia! I cannot wait!
The folks on my trip are super nice and fun to hang out with. We had over 3 hours to ourselves at South Beach and I hung out with 4 of the girls who are coming with me. One of the people I got along with right away was Meridith, who is from Calgary, Canada. She's the oldest girl in our group, and quit her job to come with us. She's super fun and laid back and I think we'll get along very well.
I also love the trip leaders who are going on this trip with us. Jo and Laruen are really different, but totally in good ways. Jo is from England and has a heavy accent, which I love. I could listen to her talk all day, vioce aside. She is super funny and, like myself, has a tendancy to talk before she thinks. Laruen is from the States, but she is totally fun and easy going. They know each other, which I think will really help.
Tomorrow, I'll be on a flight to Bolivia! I cannot wait!
Friday, February 10, 2012
LEAVING TOMORROW
Tomorrow I leave for Miami, and the beginning of my three month long backpacking trip in Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador. I am keeping this blog to keep in touch with friends and family. There will be pictures, stories and updates, and this will be a great way to keep in touch.
<3
Z
<3
Z
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