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.