May 25th 2008

If I knew what kind of day I was going to have today, I would have wanted to wake up earlier. I woke up at eight forty-five to the sun shining brightly in my face. Then I had a piece of bread and a cup of water for breakfast. At around nine fifteen I had out to catch a cab to go to church and David another student staying at the same house as me help me get a cab and then negotiate my fare. It was good to see this in action because now I feel confident that I can do it myself next time. However, Susana told me that her son Quique will show me how to get to and from church next Sunday with a truffi that way I do not have to spend a lot of money for a taxi. I arrived at church at nine thirty which was really early since church does not start until ten. Omar and Shawnee arrive and so I help them set up for the service. When the service started, it was great to experience a Spanish service again because now I am getting used to it and being able to participate in it more. I really enjoy the music here it is very upbeat and contemporary. Also, I took my Bible along this week that way I could read everything in both Spanish and English. It also helped with my comprehension. The service is very similar to the one I attend in the United States. However, there are more songs, there is a time for sharing testimonies, and there is more time for prayer. Another aspect of the service that I like is the fact that we sing a song about the Eucharist and then say the Lord’s Prayer in Spanish and then repeat the song all while holding the hands of the people around us. Today, in church before we were dismissed the youth did a little skit about Mother’s Day since Mother’s Day is this Tuesday in Bolivia. The skit was hilarious and featured many different scenarios of what could happen on Mother’s Day, especially when children forget to buy their mom a present. When church was over I went out to lunch with Shawnee, Omar, and Natte, both of the guys live at Shawnee’s house. We went to a place called Gobo’s and had this dish that had cut up hot dogs, pieces of meat, onions, tomatoes, olives, potatoes, and green peppers that look normal, but they have a kick to them. When we returned to Shawnee’s house after lunch I went around the house with Natte to see all the animals, two dogs and rabbits, one cat, and an iguana. It was nice to see all the animals especially the dogs because it made me feel like I was at home. Omar, Shawnee, and I then went to a soccer game. I have been to Flyers’ and Phillies’ games, but none of those games compared to this soccer. It was such a good experience especially since I can comprehend more Spanish now. The game feature Westermen which is from Cochabamba and Omar’s team versus San Jose which is a team from Aruro which is close by to Cochabamba. Even though our team lost three to nothing it was a good game and I learned a lot. People here are very affectionate and so while walking in and out of the game Shawnee held Omar’s and my hand so that we would stay together. I have felt very welcomed here by Shawnee and can tell that we are going to work well together. It was funny at the game because I have been speaking Spanish for most of the day; at half-time Shawnee leaned over and told me that I should not pick up any of my Spanish vocabulary from the people sitting around me at the game. On the way to and from the game I had a talk with Shawnee in English about questions and problems I have had since I have been here. Also, we talked about the time it takes to pick up the Spanish language and she was very encouraging to me in regards to the language especially since we spent most of the day speaking in Spanish. When the game was over Omar took me home and I exchanged my phone from the United States with one that Shawnee is letting me barrow for right now. Shawnee is going to take my phone and have a special code be put into it so that I can basically use my phone anywhere in the world; she said that she had this done to her phone and it makes life easier. As soon as I returned to Susana’s house I had dinner. For dinner, I had a little bit of salad which consisted of lettuce and tomatoes. Also, I had potatoes, rice with beef, carrots, and peas, along with a corn pancake with spinach and peppers. After dinner, Lucas and I had a little conversation about showering. He asked me if he could take a shower now and I said that he could so he gave me a hug and told his mom that they need to go upstairs so he could get his shower. Susana, his mom, heard the whole conversation and it brought a smile to her face and laughter which was good to witness especially since she has been so worried about Lucas’ surgery this Thursday. Then, I remember that I still had one more homework assignment to complete for tomorrow so I did that and relaxed the rest of the evening being very thankful for such a great day after such a rough start last week. I did my night time devotions with joy, took a shower and went to bed ready to start my second week of classes at the language school.

May 24th 2008

It was a hard night last night because I woke up to multiple dogs barking including one of the family’s dogs. This barking seemed like it lasted for hours and before I knew it the sun was shining in my face which meant that it was time to get up. The time was eight and I got up and had breakfast which was a piece of bread, two cups of water, and a cup of tea. This morning was the first time I had breakfast with almost the whole family. It was exciting to listen to their conversations and be able to respond to all of their questions in Spanish. After breakfast, Kiki and Lucas played hide and go seek. The laughter and the silly comments made by the two boys brought a smile to Susana’s and my face. When I returned to my room, I did my morning devotions and decided to get ready for the day. I thought that I would work on my Spanish some more, but instead I went out to play soccer with Kiki. After soccer, Kiki and I played some games on his computer. While playing games on the computer, I realized that I have been spelling Kiki name wrong. It is Quique which is short for Enrique. For lunch, I had chicken with carrots and onions, along with rice and potatoes. After lunch, I finished one homework assignment for language school and decided to type up my notes from the language school. It is work that has to be done so that I can improve my Spanish. I then made the assumption that Omar was going to pick me up for youth group. Since this is the day that I scheduled to give him my guitar to hold on to for me and transport it since I have to take public transportation and am afraid that it would get stolen. However, I did not trust my gut instinct to make the phone call to confirm plans for transportation to youth group. Another problem is I do not remember the route or have the address to even ask a taxi driver to take me. Before I knew it the time to get picked up had come and gone so I continued to work on my Spanish. This was very upsetting, but I know that God had a reason for me not to be at youth group tonight. When thinking about missing youth group, I think that I was really frustrated last week by not being able to understand a majority of what was being said. Also, after the week I have had maybe God just wants me to relax tonight. As I was relaxing, I received a phone call from Shawnee. She wanted to know if I was coming I said that I did not have a ride and forgot to ask the address last week. Shawnee gave me the address so I took a taxi to youth group. I arrived in time to sing the last song and watch the last video in the video series. I was not able to understand the questions afterwards, but I was able to understand a lot more at youth group tonight than I did last week. When youth group was over Shawnee and I sat down and planned a retreat that is going to happen in July. She said that her and I would be responsible for the talks. It was great to meet Shawnee for the first time. Omar than arrived back home and wanted to hear me sing and play the guitar for him so I did. He asked me to sing them in English which was nice and this means that I will be helping out with music when I can. The evening turned out really well overall. Another point I have to make is that I think that God has a special plan in store for me this weekend coming up in July because Shawnee said that they do not have Happening and that I am the one who is going to help get a program similar to Happening started here. This is great and inspirational news for me after the week that I have had. However, during youth group when I was speaking to people I felt that my Spanish was horrible. On the ride home and talking with Omar I felt that my Spanish was comprehendible. After returning home, I said my night time prayers, showered, and went to bed looking forward to tomorrow. The reason I am looking forward to tomorrow is because Shawnee invited me out to lunch and then a soccer game.

May 23rd 2008

For the first time since I have been in Bolivia, I woke up with my alarm. Next, I went downstairs for breakfast and had a piece of bread, a cup of tea, and two cups of water. I have found that the three days I have had tea with my breakfast I do not have a sick feeling in my stomach. After I was ready for my day to begin, I did my morning devotional and thank God for the day and especially the beautiful weather that I have had since I have been in Bolivia. I relaxed the rest of the time until it was time for me to go to language and enjoy the last classes of my first week of school. I arrived at the language school in what I though was plenty of time until I noticed they changed my class schedule for today and move my earlier class until later. In other words, I was really early. During my free time, I talked with Kiki, since he had the day off from school, about things we have done to get into trouble. In my first class today with Angelica, I learned about how to state obligations with certain emphasis along with speaking in the future tense. Next, I had a class with Maite in which I went over the conjugations of verbs and continued to work speaking in the future tense along with speaking of obligations. It was then time for class with Susana in which we went over how to use two verbs in a sentence in multiple ways. This class was really special for me today because one sentence structure that uses two verbs is giving advice. Her son Lucas is having surgery next Thursday because on his one foot he walks on his toes. She shared with me that he can not walk and has to be in a cast for six weeks. It was during this conversation, all in Spanish, that I gave her advice about this situation since I have experienced breaking my femur bone and being in half of a body cast for six weeks. We came up with ideas to keep Lucas occupied. Also, during this conversation God gave me some direction on why I am with the family I am with and my reason for being here right now. It is such a great feeling to have after having an emotionally stressful day yesterday. Another point made during the conversation was that Susana wishes she could take the whole week off or even the day, but she can not financially afford. This point hit me because how many of us in America are fortunate enough to take a day off from work or a week because we want to care for another person. My last class of the day with Viviana, I worked on describing difference and talking about the future. I then caught the bus home without any problems and said my evening devotion. While I was doing my devotion, it hit me that all of my professors have said that they have noticed great progress with me in just the week that I have been in classes with them. Because of this, I was given homework by my teachers to do over the weekend to continue to help me improve. It was then time for dinner, I had meat with pasta and carrots and peas. It was good. After dinner I took some time to relax and then I went back to work on my Spanish because I was able to be involved in the dinner conversation and be able to understand a majority of what was being discussed. Also, I am a person who believes that a reward is determined by how much effort is put into it.

May 22nd 2008

There are no classes today because it is a holiday Corpus Christi in which the people celebrate by buying and eating fruit. Corpus Christi is a day in which Jesus is remembered as being present in the Eucharist. I thought that I would sleep until my normal time which is now eight. However, I woke up at seven thirty for some reason reading to start my day. However, since breakfast was not ready I decided to get lay back in bed for a while and just take it easy. I finally had breakfast at eight thirty which consisted of a piece of bread, two cups of water and tea. While I was eating breakfast I was told by Andelina that she would be doing my laundry tomorrow which is good because I only brought a week’s worth of clothing, and I am running low and I have kept forgetting to ask about the laundry situation. After breakfast I did my morning devotional and did some research about the holiday that is being celebrated today. I took a majority of the day to continue to study my Spanish and reflex on my time here thus far since I have now been here for a week. As I reflected on my time here thus far I have noticed several of different things. One is the fact that there is not day care here so the grandfather comes and takes care of Lucas while Susana is at work. Something else that is different is the fact that there are dogs barking and running around here all the time. I do not think that I have ever seen this many dogs in my life. Also, in the neighborhood where I live there are guards to protect the houses and the way they communicate with each other is by whistling; it is a comforting and annoying sound at the same time. For many of my evenings here I have heard marching band music; I was told that they are practicing for a competition that happens in August. On Monday when I was lost in the middle of nowhere, I noticed that there is abuse of animals here. While I was waiting for the taxi to come pick me up and take me back home; a dog who had been laying outside of the shop walked into the shop. The next thing I heard was it yelp and coming running back outside. Since I am an animal lover; it took every ounce of energy in body not to go back and do the same thing to that guy as he did the dog. When meals are over, it is a custom to say “Gracias, probecho, premissio,” before getting up and leaving the table. Roughly translated it means, thank you, I approve of the meal, may I be excused. These are some of the cultural differences; however, I have noticed God working in my life as well. I had thought that I could use my phone as an alarm clock, but my phone is of no use. I do have an alarm clock on my computer, but almost every morning because of the way that my bed is positioned the sun shines right in my face to wake me up. On Tuesday, I was talking to a missionary at the language school about the trouble I was having with getting smaller currency so I could take public transportation. She offered to give me some of her currency so that I could take the bus home. I refused because I did have smaller currency on me so that I could get home. These situations have shown me that God will provide for me and now I feel like my issue with not being able to trust God has gotten better. However, I now have trouble trusting people here in Bolivia because it is a new environment and I do not know anyone. It is also scary to walk around by yourself in a new place, not knowing anyone, and just being able to speak a different language than your native one. On the other hand, I think that God is teaching me trust people here and is doing so by having people graciously pay for me as I am adjusting to the culture. God has also been telling me to slow down for a while and I have been asking Him to provide me a way to do that. There is no concept of time here in Bolivia so I can slow down here because I am running on Bolivian time not American. The most difficult times for me here is when I am not doing anything because I start to think about home. It is not that I miss home; it is the feeling of the unknown and being uncomfortable. Often times I put myself in these situations because I do not want to go out because I am afraid I will get lost or robbed. Also, I have found that even though I am an introvert, I would prefer to do things with other people. In addition, I am used to having the luxury of a car to get around, I am now just getting used to taking public transportation. For lunch, I had this mixture of rice, potatoes, peas, carrots, and meat. On top of this dish were tomatoes and a fried egg. I think that this meal has been the most delicious and my favorite so far. After lunch, I realized that I have been in Cochabamba for a full week and proud of myself for making it through. Then I did research about Corpus Christi and did not find out to much about it except that it is a day to remember Jesus’ presence in the Eucharist. In addition, I could not find any information about why people celebrate by buying and eating fruit. Later on in the afternoon, Kiki returned home so I talked with him about his day of selling thing and making money. Also, I exchange some money with him since some people here are not willing to exchange money with me since I am American. We then talked about my difficulties that I am having and he gave me some helpful pointers to solve my problems. Next, I decided to do my noon day devotional and worked on studying my Spanish the rest of the afternoon. Then it was time for dinner and the only people who had dinner tonight at home were me and David another missionary from England who is also staying with the family. We had sandwiches that consisted of sausage, lettuce, and tomatoes. During dinner, I decided to ask David some questions about the difficulties that I have been asking. He was very helpful and able to give me a lot of information to help me solve my problems. I did my evening devotion and looked at some more of my Spanish. Before I went to bed I did my night time devotion and took a shower. After my night time devotion, I realized that every time I did my devotions today when it came to the Lord’s Prayer I said it in Spanish.

May 21st 2008

Once again today I woke up at nine thirty. I then laid in bed just relaxing and doing a lot of thinking about multiple things. When I decided to get up I did my morning prayers. After morning prayers I was told by the maid that she would appreciate it if I would eat breakfast before eight thirty. Then I got ready for my day and started to read a book about the Alpha course that is in Spanish to see how much of it I could pronounce and understand. I was able to pronounce and understand a good amount of it. While I was reading I was told that it was time for lunch. For lunch I had chicken, rice with tomatoes and onions, and water to drink. As soon as I finished lunch I left for my classes. I had no problems getting to the language school. My first class with Maite, I went over role play situations such as buying things in a store, ordering off the menu, and exchanging or getting change from the bank. In my next two classes with Viviana, we had a conversation about our likes and dislikes this conversation lasted for two hours since I had her for two classes in a row. During this class, I felt that I spoke Spanish better than I had been. Also, I used a dictionary for words I did not know and this was the only time there was a pause in the conversation. Then, I had to wait for my last class because the professor Ana Maria had to take her daughter to volleyball. When she returned, we worked on me being able to ask questions so that I could get information. It was then time to go to Mauge’s house for dinner and a cultural discussion. I was supposed to go with Mauge, but instead Ana Maria took me because Mauge had to go home to help prepare the dinner. Everyone who came was supposed to bring something so Ana Maria and I went to a little shop to buy something. I wanted to buy drinks and Ana Maria bought half of a roasted chicken. However, Ana Maria paid for everything. Then, Ana Maria and I took a taxi to Mauge’s house and Ana Maria even paid for that as well. After we arrived at Mauge’s I met other students from the language school, some whom I have seen before and other who I have not. All of them are missionaries here doing various things. It was a great time for socialization and it was good to be able to speak and understand everything since a majority of the conversations were in English or in Spanish that I could understand. During the dinner, I socialized with all of the missionaries and had good conversations about different beliefs and the different purposes we are all here for. One particular family has been here for eleven months and is very young with two small daughters. I spoke with this family the most because they wanted to know more about the Episcopal faith. Also, I wanted to know more about their mission about bringing the Gospel to the different tribes here that have never heard the Gospel before. For dinner there were multiple dishes with chicken. There was a potatoe soup, a chicken soup, and chicken with vegetable soup. Of course there was bread and a variety of drinks as well. We even had multiple desserts, most which contained fruit so I opted not to try any. All of the food that I did try was different and good. When the evening at Mauge’s was over I got a ride from the other missionaries in their van to town where Ana Maria’s son came to pick us up and take me home. During the ride home with Ana Maria’s son, I was able to practice my Spanish some more since he asked me questions about what I was doing here and so forth. Also, I asked him questions about where he lived and did he like his house and his church. When I arrived home, Susana was in the kitchen so we talked a little bit about the night at Mauge’s and how I got home and it was all in Spanish. I was so grateful and tired from the day that I did my night time devotional and went to bed. During my night time devotional there is a time for prayers for others and myself. Tonight, I prayed those prayers and even the Lord’s Prayer in Spanish.

May 20th 2008

Even though my alarm was set for ten in the morning, I woke up at nine fifteen. I took the extra time I had this morning to do my morning devotional and take it easy while getting ready for my second day of classes. During my free time someone called the home where I was staying and only spoke English so Andelina asked me if I would take the phone call since she does not understand English. Before I left at quarter of eleven for classes, I had two cups of water and two pieces of bread for breakfast. I then set out on my journey to get to the language school. When I went to go get change, the lady told me that she did not have any so I got on the bus I needed to with too much money. Since, I had too much money the bus driver would not let me off to go get change so I went a little bit out of my way when I went to the language school. However, once again today a lady paid for me so I could finally get off the bus. After I got off the bus I walked towards the language school. However, I took a wrong turn and ended walking about four blocks in the wrong direction. I realized my mistake and turn around and finally made it on time to the language school. My first class today with Angelica, I worked on descriptions of people and having the right sentence structure when describing people and places. While I was describing my work place, I mispronounced a word and instead of saying that people paying for their groceries, I said they smack people for their groceries. So there was a lot of laughter after that comment. In my second class with Susana, I worked on talking about people in the Bible. Today, I talked about David and Goliath. I had to describe their characteristics, this was a stepping stone from my previous class. For my third class with Mauge, I had to describe my work with the youth that I do in the United States in a daily schedule format. During this time, I described that my favorite part of youth group was the fellowship and socialization time while preparing dinner. She said that she works with the youth of her church as well and would like to try this aspect with her group. My final class with Maite, I had to describe members of my family. I have noticed through out the classes that my mistakes are becoming fewer and that I am catching myself most of the time before I make any mistakes. I then caught the bus home and looked for the markers that I was given yesterday and I made it back to the house without any problems. On my way back to the house today, I really felt the altitude because I had to walk up a steep hill to get to the house and it took my breath away. Also, I felt the dryness because when I arrived at both the language school and the house I was thirsty. When I returned to the house, I took sometime to relax and reflect on my day so far. I was thankful to God that once again someone was accepting of me and willing to pay for me. It was also a gorgeous day that I enjoyed the walk and I am starting to feel more comfortable with public transportation. Also, I was invited to Mauge’s, the head of the language school, house for dinner tomorrow night. I was thankful that she is going to give me a ride to her house and help me take a taxi back home. In addition, she is helping me to get something to bring to the dinner since I do not know where places are to buy something for this dinner. Another task I was able to complete today was to upload photos to my blog. While I was reviewing what I had learned today in class, I was told that it was time for dinner. For dinner I had chicken with rice and some lemonade. During dinner, I was able to understand and participate in some of the conversation. After dinner, I took some more time to review my Spanish and reflect on the day some more with all of God’s blessings. While reflecting it hit me that today, I have been done with my junior year of college. Also, I realized that Larry and Betty will be arriving back in Cochabamba in two weeks which makes me feel better since I will know some more people when I go to church. Today, I felt like I made some good progress with my Spanish and that it is flowing and that my mistakes are minor, but one of the goals that was made for me at the language school was to eradicate these mistakes. I think it is a matter of me continuing to work on my vocabulary so I have the right words to say. While I am working on my Spanish, I have a sense that I will be able to achieve the goals I set for myself about being able to tell stories, talk about the Bible and the Christian faith, and to be able to communicate overall in Spanish. I was only frustrated a little bit in Mauge’s class when I was describing the events of the youth group because I did not know the words for the activities. It also gives me great pleasure to report that I used less English today than I have used in my time in Cochabamba thus far. Before going to bed, I did my night time devotional and took a shower. While doing my devotional, I realized that today is the first day that I have not had the feeling of wanting to go home and sensing that this is a place that God wants me to be. I do not know what He has in store for me, but the preparation with the language school and my progress with my Spanish thus far amazes me. Once again, I went to bed tonight looking forward to what God has in store for me tomorrow.

May 19th 2008

To begin today, I woke not feeling good with a stomach ache. However, I had two pieces of bread and two cups of water for breakfast. Also, after breakfast and moving around a little bit, I felt much better and the stomach ache was gone. Luckily, I then received a ride to the language school from Susana. I had my first class with Mauge at eight. During the class, she explained the four parts of skills necessary for communicating is Spanish. We also went over introductions and responses to common questions that will be asked of me. She also helped me by giving me information on how to get around and communicate well. Next, I had a class with Angelica which we reviewed what I did with Mauge in role play situations and also went over phonetics of pronouncing words and making sure my sentences flow. Then, I had a class with Norah in which we worked on talking about my family and being able to give descriptions. My classes ended by me having a class with Susana the person I am staying with in which we wrote down goals that I would like to accomplish such using the right tense of verbs and correcting my sentence structure. Also, during Susana’s class, she told me that I was a part of her family now which was very nice to hear. She also told me that she thinks that my Spanish is good and that I know how to speak it; I just need to learn the right structure. All of my classes today went very well and I learned a lot. I was also happy to hear that all of my teachers thought that I did not need any books; I just need to practice speaking the language as much as possible. In all my classes, I took notes and I only received homework from one teacher which was to write a description of a person in as much detail as possible. Also, in my classes there was a lot of laughter because I catch myself making mistakes and because their teaching methods are fun. All of the teachers were very encouraging and thought that I had made good progress in the time I had spent with them. On the other hand, I was supposed to take public transportation home and this was an adventure. I originally got on the right bus to come home and then I got off to early. Then I caught another form of public transportation which took me to the middle of nowhere. I was able to call Luigi and then he was able to help me get a cab back home. Before I returned home the person who owned the store where I was waiting for the cab told me that I owed him more money than I had on me. However, a lady came into the shop and paid it for me, but the owner still tried to get me to pay him before I left so I gave him what money I did have on me and left. Also, the man called me a silly white person which in this case was true. The taxi driver was even nice enough to let me pay him when I got to the house. When I returned to the house I had lunch which was steak, pasta, and a potato. After lunch I did my noon day devotion and took some time to reflect on my day. I remember that I have failed to mention some things that have happened that have been a blessing. One incident was the fact that I made a mistake talking about weather with one of the teens at church and he corrected me. I was told that people would not correct me until they felt they knew me and were comfortable around me. Secondly, on Sunday I met other missionaries that have been here for four years that are from England. They said it was good to have another person here, they wished me well, and also said that it was good to have another person who spoke English in the church community. Finally, is the fact that one of the family’s dogs had puppies and I was able to share my knowledge about animals with the family because I am a certified animal care assistant. Later on in the afternoon, I worked on school work for both the language school and for my college in the United States. I was to full from lunch to eat any dinner so I just continued to work on school work. In doing so, I was able to complete my book report for the time being. Now, with most of my school work for college out of the way, I can focus on my language school. I then decide to work on my Spanish by reading the Bible in Spanish and reviewing my notes from my classes today. When Susana arrived we discussed my little trip earlier today and came up with an action plan of visual sites so I know where to get on and off the bus. While I was relaxing I kept replaying what had happened to me in my head, praised God, and laughed about. In laughing about it I felt that God was laughing with me and saying in the most loving way, “you knucklehead.” Before going to bed, I did my night time devotion and took a shower.

May 18th 2008

Today, I woke up at eight thirty and had a piece of bread and a cup of water for breakfast. After breakfast, I found out that Omar would not be picking me up for church and that I would have to take public transportation to and from church. This frightened and upset me because this would be my first time taking public transportation by myself and in a city I am not familiar with. I arrived at church safely. During the service I could understand and participate when words were on the screen or I could read the text out of the Bible. I also could understand the sermon about the Trinity because Tammy, who is the deacon, is also bilingual. In church we sang three familiar songs, but they were in Spanish. They were Here I am to Worship, I Could Sing of Your Love Forever, and My Jesus, My Savior. Also, during the service people were allowed to give a testimony about how God was working or had worked in their lives this past week. All of the people of the church welcomed me and even invited me to join in their annual picture that was being taken. Before I received a ride home from Omar; Tammy told me that if I need anything that I could call her and also that they were praying for me. I needed to hear that because when I returned home I felt frustration and being upset were setting in because I can only understand and communicate in basic terms. Also, I feel that I am being thrown into situations without assistance or being shown how to do things. For lunch I had a soup in a watery cream broth with pasta, potatoes, and some type of meat. I also had lemonade and water to drink with lunch. After lunch I took some time to relax and reflect, and felt my burdens and anxieties I had earlier were released. I even started looking for language classes that start tomorrow. Then I did my noonday devotional and worked on my book report some more. When Kiki returned home we took a walk so I could see where I would be getting on and off the bus while going to language school. For dinner I had sausage with a potato and a cream like oatmeal substance along with lemonade and water to drink. I continued to work on school work and then checked email. To close the day I did a night time devotion, took a shower, and went to bed.

May 17th 2008

Today I woke up at nine and had breakfast which consisted of a piece of bread and a cup of tea. Then Kiki saw that I was putting in my contacts so we had a discussion about contacts and glasses. I then did my morning devotion and read some more of my book. Then, I wrote out a phone dialogue that I expect to have later today so that I can go to the youth group I will be working with for the first time. Next, I checked email and wrote a list of important phone number and other help information that I can carry with me at all times. After my noonday devotional I had lunch. For lunch, I had tacos with beef, peppers and onions, lettuce, avocados, and salsa with lemonade to drink. When I started working on my journal entries, I noticed that a majority of my conversations with Kiki have been in English and it makes it hard for me to get back into the Spanish mindset and be able to understand and communicate. Also, two exciting opportunities opened up for me yesterday. One is the fact that Mauge invited me to a cultural discussion with dinner on Wednesday night at her house. Another was the fact that during one of my discussions with Kiki, we were discussing my schedule while I am here and since I have a meeting on a couple of the Friday’s evenings; he thought that it would be a good idea if I helped out with his youth group on the other Friday’s when I do not have a meeting. I continued to read my book and work on school work the rest of the afternoon. Then I made a phone call to arrange for transportation to and from youth group. Everything went well until I had to give directions then Susana and Luigi helped me give them. I then went to youth group. When I got to youth group, I was introduced to everyone with a greeting and handshake from the guys and a greeting, hand shake and kiss from the girls. It was a small group of about ten people or so. They opened up the meeting by asking for prayer petitions. Then a verse of Scripture was read to reflect on; followed by standing in a circle and holding hands for prayer. Next, there was a time of worship which was followed by a time of fellowship with drinks and snacks. We then watched a movie about Mount Sinai and Moses journey in the wilderness. The next activity was to read multiple Scripture passages and discuss them. Finally, the night concluded with us standing in a circle and holding hands while praying. The youth group then had another time for fellowship in which the group asked me several of questions about what I was interested in, what I was studying, and how long would I be in Cochabamba for. During the fellowship time, I also played table soccer with one of the guys. To reflect on the whole youth group experience, I was able to understand about a quarter of what went on during the night. Also, I was able to understand and respond to most of the questions about me without any interpretive help. I noticed that the group was very patient and kind with me. The way this group of people interacts with music was something I have never seen before. Also, the way that they pray was smooth and sounded like it came from the heart was a joy for me to see as well. A difference that I noticed was the way that they show affection for one another. For example, a girl and guy would cuddle together during the time of worship and then that same person would cuddle with another person during the movie. In America, we would only expect this type of behavior only if these individuals were in a relationship. When I returned from youth group, I took a shower, did my night time devotional, and went to bed.

May 16th 2008

Today began with me waking up to an alarm I had set on my computer because I was originally going to use my cell phone as my alarm clock, but my cell phone does not work at all. Then I went downstairs to get water so I could brush my teeth and then to get a towel so that I could shower. I was able to ask for these things in Spanish which is truly a blessing for me. While downstairs getting my water, I was able to tell Lucas and his grandfather that I did not start language classes until Monday in Spanish as well. When I went to take my first shower in Bolivia I realized that I am big and tall for this culture and almost did not fit in the shower. While in the shower I felt a cramp in my side that I had never felt before because the water fluctuated from warm to cold and then back to warm. Then I read some more of my book which gave me inspiration after feeling the cramp. Then I did a morning devotion which is a new spiritual discipline I am trying. After checking my email, I decided to make a schedule of when I will use the internet so I could be conservative with my usage. I decided that I would update my blog on Sundays, do a quick check of emails on Monday, and use the internet for miscellaneous purposes on Tuesday if necessary. The rest of the week I will refrain from using the internet so that I am not a burden to the family that I am staying with. This schedule will be in effect starting next week. Then I decided that I needed to work on my Spanish so I started reading a book that I have that is in Spanish with my Spanish-English dictionary. During this time Lucas, the four year old, came into my room and we had a little conversation about what I was doing. Then right before lunch I did a noonday devotional. For lunch I had chicken with rice and potatoes. Along with lettuce and tomatoes and I also tried this extremely hot pepper blend with my rice. Also, I had their lemonade to drink which is very different from the lemonade in the United States. Lunch was also interesting because another person who is living here had lunch with Adelinia, the grandfather and I. During the conversation between, the grandfather and the other student, I felt the sense that the grandfather and the maid would like to talk to me, but do not because my Spanish is basic. After lunch, I was able to work on a book report and interview that I am doing for school. Then I was asked if I wanted to go to the language school and I did so I went. Before leaving, Lucas was outside waiting with me and talking about trying to move a bench on the front porch. While Lucas tried to move the bench I told him that he was strong and then he gave me a hug. Susana drove Kiki and I part of the way there and then we walked the rest of the way so that I could experience what a typical day might be like for me the next three weeks. As we went to the language school, I was given directions on how to get there and get home. At the language school, I met with Mauge, the head of the school for the first time. During our meeting, we talked in Spanish so that she could figure out what my level of Spanish is and she reported to me that she thought my level of Spanish was basic to intermediate. This report was better than I though it would be. Sometimes I wish that I was not so hard on myself and be more confident. Before my meeting with Mauge I had a good talk with Kiki about fun activities such as watching movies and playing video games. This conversation was all in English, but I also discovered that during that time that Kiki prefers to speak in English. On the way home, Kiki gave me several of pointers on how to get around the city which was very helpful. However, while giving me some pointers he noticed that we were being followed by a robber. So we walked quickly to this gas station so that nothing could happen. This situation scared me and made me realize how good I have it in the United States. It also made me realize that I need to give scary moments like these to God and trust Him that I will be protected. Then I was able to work on some more school work before dinner. While working, Lucas came into my room to check on me. It seems that Lucas is very curious, but after every conversation I have with I feel a sense of joy not only that I was able to speak Spanish, but the fact that at the age of four a person can show compassion for another person. Kiki has also been very helpful to me and has been very patient and understanding with me. When I returned home after my interview, Kiki came to my room and we talked about ghost stories and other weird experiences we have had because my door came opening mysteriously. It was then dinner time which we had beef in a gravy with peppers and onions along with rice with peas and carrots and potatoes. We also had lemonade to drink. After dinner Kiki followed me to my room and we talked about scary movies we have seen. During our talk one of Kiki’s friends called him and asked him to play soccer and he wanted to. However, Kiki decided to invite me along to watch or play as I so chose. I chose to play with them and we began by playing where the person had to shoot from half court to score a goal. Then another friend came and we played a two-on-two game and Kiki and I were on the same team. The game was fun and tiring at the same time. Since it was my first physical activity in Cochabamba, I really felt the altitude difference. When we returned to the house Kiki and I talked about different injuries we have had since he had stubbed his toe during the game. I told him to put some ice on it because that is how my mom who is a nurse taught me how to take care of these types of injuries. Then Kiki went to bed and I took a shower which went much better than my first one. I think that today that Kiki and I made a real connection. I was also amazed at how much time I spent with people today considering I am an introvert and usually after a while I have the attitude of I need my space. Before I went to bed, I did a night time devotional.

May 15th 2008

I arrived in Santa Cruz early and went through customs as if it was a breeze. After getting off in Santa Cruz I had a little confusion about how to get to my next flight because I had to exit the building and reenter a little further down. I was so early that they asked me if I wanted to change my flight to an earlier flight. After I understood what they were trying to ask me I declined because I knew that someone was waiting at the airport for me. During my wait, I took time to relax and reflect on my trip so far. However, as I got off the plane in Santa Cruz I felt the altitude difference and became short of breath, but I was able to recover quickly and move on. On my way to Cochabamba, the plane stopped in Tarija and I got off by accident, but realized my mistake and was able to get back on the plane and finally arrive in Cochabamba. I arrived late to Cochabamba, but there was still someone there to pick me up. The person who picked me up was Luigi who is eighteen and one of the sons of the family I am staying with. On the way to his house he told me things about the city. We spoke in both English and Spanish. I then started to get settled into my room when I was told that lunch was ready. I was excited because it was going to be my first Bolivian meal. Lunch was chicken soup that had a whole thigh of chicken in it with potatoes and a rice like substance along with bread. I also had a sweet lemon drink that was like lemonade, but to clear to be lemonade. All the food was delicious and served by the maid. Then I met another student staying here named David along with Kiki who is ten and another one of the family’s sons that I am living with. He also speaks English, but I did get a chance to speak a little Spanish with him as well. I then finally got to meet Susana the professor whose house I will be living in for the next three months. I had to speak Spanish with her because she only speaks a little bit of English. Before I knew it, it was time for dinner. In which I experienced that you serve yourself, but I also had the opportunity to fellowship and eat with all of the family except Luigi. At dinner I was formally introduce to Lucas, the youngest son. During dinner I was able to understand and communicate fairly well, but it was good to have Kiki there to tell me what I did not understand in English so that I could understand. The dinner conversation went well, I am still making mistakes, but the family understands what I am trying to communicate. It was good talking to Lucas because he is only four and I feel that we are on the same level with the language. Dinner consisted of steak which was like liver, pasta, and potatoes. I also found out that the sweet lemon drink is considered their lemonade. After dinner I came back to my room to do a daily devotional and read in Spanish. I then took a shower, read a daily devotional and went to be because I am tired from a long day of travel. This day has truly been a blessing and an answer to prayer because I asked God to force me to use the Spanish that I know and I have already seen improvement in my communication skills.

May 14th 2008

As the old saying goes the hardest thing to do is say good-bye and hello for the first time. Being dropped off at the Philadelphia airport this even I realized how true it is. I felt like crying, but not because I am sad that I am entering into a whole other world and leaving the familiar; to be honest I can not describe why I feel this way. Also, going through security at the airport and having my bags checked did not make the situation any better. As I waited for my flight I started reading a book that talks about how to trust God in the tough times. This book as I started to read was meant for me. I read for a while and then reflected on what I had read and it comforted me. I was also blessed to have an aisle seat on the way to Miami which was a blessing and continued to read more of my book which really helped me to take a deep breath and give it all to God. When I arrived in Miami I went to the baggage claim and my bag did not come. After going to the baggage department I realized that I had made a mistake and my bag went directly to Santa Cruz. I was glad that I was able to laugh at this mistake and take it as a learning experience. While in Miami, I watched basketball to pass the time. On the way to Santa Cruz I had a middle seat, but I was still able to catch a little sleep. Also, I was given dinner on the way to Santa Cruz and was able to order it in Spanish which was truly a blessing. I was amazed that the conversations I overheard and have attempted to partake in I can understand and communicate somewhat well.