It took me quite a while to fall asleep last night. When I did finally get to sleep, I slept well until the morning. I then got up at eight with my alarm and went down to have breakfast. For some reason today there was not a lot on the table. So I got myself and glass and looked for the bread, but there was not a lot left in the bread bag. For breakfast I had a half of piece of bread and two glasses of water. After breakfast I got ready for my day and did my morning devotion. Then I waited for Anna to call me and hoped that my gifts would be ready today. Since she did not call me and it was past nine, I decided to head up to the house anyway. I made it to the hose just fine and realized that as I was on my way there that Anna had called me. When I arrived to the house I was greeted by Natta. Because I had some time, I decided to start my homework for my class on Thursday. While I was doing my homework, Anna came down and told me that Alfredo would be coming today. Also, talked with Omar about what I needed to do for class on Thursday that I was not clear about. Soon after Anna told me that Alfredo was coming, he arrived. I was blown away at what he had done and was very pleased with the work because he did more than I asked for. Next, Omar wanted to play ping-pong with me so I went to play with him. Today, Anna was not feeling well so Omar drove her home and I accompanied him. When we returned to the house, Omar and I went back to playing ping-pong. We played for a long time and then went in so Omar could practice his guitar skills and I went back to doing my homework for Thursday. I liked doing my homework because I was able to answer the questions and enjoyed the experience of refreshing my memory of what I have learned, but this time in Spanish instead of English. While I was doing my homework this time, Omar received a call from Shawnee to let him know when she would be back in Cochabamba. The time that I spent with Omar today was a true blessing because we had many conversations about many topics. He helped me when I did not know a word and I noticed that my speech seemed to flow when I was talking. Events like this make me feel as though I do not want to leave on Friday. After finishing my homework, it was time for me to head to Casa de Nazeret. So I asked Omar to let me out and told him I would see him tomorrow for one last worship practice. I made it to the boy’s home a little earlier than normal, but I was happily greeted by the lady in charge. It was then time for lunch and today I had a mixture of zucchini, tomatoes, onions, and ground beef with a potato. At lunch I talked with the boys about the food that I liked here and places I have or will be traveling to. After lunch while the boys did their chores, I went to read some more of my book. Next, it was homework time in which I helped several of the boys with multiplication and division problems along with counting by five hundreds and a thousand. However, today seemed to be different during homework because I felt like one of the boys did not understand or was trying to do his homework and that frustrated me. While helping with homework, I received a text message from Larry that said to call him to discuss plans for tomorrow. As soon as the homework period ended, I went with another missionary and the boys to the park to play soccer. We began with techniques and then we played a game. It was fun to play with the boys. Upon returning to the house after soccer, it was time for the boys to do their chores again so I went back to reading my book. Next, I changed for dinner and left to meet Juan for dinner. The micro ride was interesting because we were stopped for about five to ten minutes by a car blocking the street. To add to this madness the power was also out so the traffic lights did not work. Since I left early and was walking by Larry’s, I decided to do the Bolivian custom of stopping by. So Larry and I talked for a while about events that we have experience and made tentative plans for tomorrow. Then I went and met Juan for dinner. As I waited for Juan, Deacon Tammy passed me in her car and greeted me which I thought was a neat experience. For dinner I had Argentinean beef with fried potatoes. It was very good and I paid for the meal and it was not as much as I thought it was going to be. On the way to and from the restaurant, Juan shared with me some of the typical Bolivian activities of the youth. All during dinner, we had a good conversation about places we have been to and things that we have done in the past. This experience with Juan was another blessing and makes me wish that I have had activities like this during my whole time here in Cochabamba. Juan also helped me with words that I did not know. Also, I felt like the conversation felt normal because I understood what Juan was telling me or talking about. I was also able to express myself and talk fluently. After dinner I walked with Juan to a place where he could catch public transportation back to his house and me as well. Before departing, Juan wished me well and then I caught a truffi back to my house. I could not have asked for a better night with Juan, but the only thing I forgot to do was give him the gift that I had for him. So I hope that I will see him again or that I can give it to Shawnee to give to him. Upon returning to the house, I decide to give out the presents because I did not know if I would have another opportunity to. So I said thank you to Susana, Quique, and Lucas. All of them were very appreciative of the gifts especially since all of them were from the United States. I also gave Adelina, the housekeeper, a gift and thanked her as well. Saying thank you and good-bye at the same time was hard and good at the same time. It was hard because it was sad that I would be leaving these people who have been my family for the past three months. I even told them that I enjoyed having three brothers for three months. The good part about it was the fact that I knew enough Spanish to be able to say I what I wanted to say. Luigi was not home so I hope I can catch him at another time to give him his gifts. After giving out the gift, I went back to my room to use the internet. It was then pretty late so I got ready for bed, said some night time prayers, and went to bed.
No comments:
Post a Comment