Time for another update !!!

I can’t believe it is already June. I’m into my final month here in Bolivia. So much has happened since my last update. Once again I feel like I have too much to share. Here are some highlights. February was yet another action packed month. I celebrated my 18^th birthday and my family and friends both here in Bolivia and back home in Canada made me feel special. It was a little weird to have my birthday so far away from my family but my family here made my day wonderful. We celebrated with a great party with all my friends. There was pizza, music, dancing and cake. What more could a girl want? My family in Bolivia knows me well.

February also meant starting back at school after the summer break and I am now in the Promo Class (graduating class). I will only be with this class for the first half of their year and then I will be heading back to Canada. I spend every second day working with the grade three classes. I’m really enjoying the kids and it is sure helping my Spanish. As far as my promo class days I love the social times of lunch and breaks. I have made very good friends and my Spanish has improved to the point that I understand almost everything that is being said. When it comes to class time I much prefer hanging with the grade three’s.

We also celebrated Carnival in February. This was a wild and crazy time. It was for sure my favourite week here in Bolivia. I have never experienced anything like it. Carnival is usually celebrated in countries with a strong Catholic representation. It happens on the days leading up to Fat Tuesday which is the day before lent. In my mind Carnival can only be described as a huge party. My family, Michael’s family and Meghan partied in the plaza along with thousands of others. The first night we went to a big parade until around 3am. It was amazing to see all the costumes, music and big floats. The next day we went out into the streets where we threw water, paint and ink at everyone! I mean everyone. There was music and huge crowds. The time went by so fast. I wanted to stay all night. The next couple of days were spent with family, which I loved.

I have grown very close to my family here and I enjoy every moment I get to spend with them. My host family and I and usually Michael (he and his host family come almost everywhere with us) went on several trips and have experienced tons of things. I will have so much to share with you when I come home. I couldn’t ask for a better host family.

Another new thing since my last update is I have seriously started dance. I am dancing 4 days a week with an amazing group of dancers. It is mostly ballet with some Latin jazz. My class is 15-21 year olds and our teacher is an exceptional dancer with a very strong accent. Thank goodness I have my ballet terms down because at least I understand him when he speaks in French. We dance in a garage and I actually sweat to the point that I can’t even feel my face when I touch it. That took a bit to get used to but I am having so much fun.
One of the biggest changes that has happened for me over the last few months is in myself. I recognize how much I am growing as a person. I am grateful for having the opportunity of exchange. To see things I would have never seen. Meet people I would never have met and experience things I may never have had the courage to experience. I no longer feel like I am a tourist visiting a new country. I feel like I live here and I fit in here. I have been here nine months and time is flying by.

The past few weeks I’ve also had to experience some of the most difficult days of my exchange. It’s the time of the exchange where we have to start saying good-bye to some of the exchangers. Some of the best friends I have made while in Bolivia have been other exchangers. There were twelve students from around the world in my host city of Santa Cruz and so far I’ve been to the airport twice to send my friends off. No one can truly understands what you are experiencing while on exchange except another exchanger and because of that we have all become very close. Over the next weeks we will be saying goodbye several more times. There will be goodbye parties, and hugs at the airport. It’s making me realize how soon my exchange will be over and I want to take advantage of every last second I have left here. So I will Be Present, Be Grateful, Be Engaged and Be saying Yes to every opportunity presented to me. Most importantly I will be spending as much quality time with my host family as I can.

Chau. See you all in July.

 Kate

Touring Bolivia … Summer’s Over, Heading Back to School

Happy New Year! It’s hard to believe that it is already February and once again so much has happened since my last blog. We celebrated the New Year as a family just a little bit outside of Santa Cruz. There was tons of food and fun. We also went to a fancy restaurant where they cooked everything right in front of us! The meal was amazing and my favourite dish was the alligator.

My summer break (November – February 2^nd) was relaxing, hot and easygoing. The best part was the Rotary trip to see Bolivia. We left on January 20^th and were gone for 12 days. The six exchangers from my club: Richard, Quiten, Bastien, Alizee (all from France), Mille (from Denmark), me and two exchangers from Sucre: Kristi and Adrianna (both of the USA) went on the trip.

Our first flight was to Sucre which is the historical capital of Bolivia. It is most famous for its white colonial buildings. This city has not changed in over one hundred years. We went to Jurassic Park a dinosaur museum, one of the largest in the world. It was so cool to see all the life sized exhibits. It made me very glad that we don’t live with dinosaurs around us today. We went to House of Liberty which had lost of stained glass and gold. The cemetery in Sucre was huge and had tons of massive tombs and crypts. This is considered to be one of the largest cemeteries in all of South America. Fun fact, one of the other exchangers on the trip with us, Mille, and also one of my very good friends now… has a place in the cemetery for her family. It was crazy to see her family name written on one of the doors. It was an awesome first day.

Then we took a bus to Potosi one of the highest cities in the world. It is a very famous mining city. The Cerro Rico Mountain is in Potosi and over half of the all the silver in Europe came from Mount Cerro Rico. When they started mining here over one hundred years ago they say the veins of silver running in it were bigger than the mining tunnels. We toured the active mine, chewed on coca leaves and brought gifts for the miners inside the mine. The miners work long hours with no breaks so it is tradition for tourists to bring items to them while on tour. It was cold, muddy and wet but as we got further in it became harder to breath and much dustier. Almost everyone in Potosi works in the mines. There are little shops on the streets that sell nitrogen, dynamite, fuses, coca and all mining equipment. This is where visitors can buy gifts to bring the miners. The miners also believe in a god, Tio, who will protect them. They have statues in the mine that they present with gifts especially after an accident which they believe will prevent future accidents. It was all very interesting. I really enjoyed the whole mining experience. After the mine we went to the Convent of Santa Teresa and learned about convent life. We also went to the Mint House and saw how coins were made from the 1600 – 1950s. Again, it was all extremely interesting. No money is produced in Bolivia now. Currently all of Bolivian currency is made in France and Canada. Visiting the mines and being able to go inside was for sure my favourite part of this trip. It was something I had never been able to do before and probably won’t again, but it was amazing.

Heading into the mine.

Gifts for the god Tio.

getting ready.

We’re ready!!

Near Potosi we went to Uyuni which is a town known for its Salt Flats, the Salar de Uyuni. This is the biggest salt flat in the world. It was unbelievable to watch the sun set while standing in the middle of the flats. When we were there the weather was perfectly clear and there was water on the flats so it made it seem like a mirror. The salty water reflected the sky and made for some amazing photos. We stayed out on the flats for 8 and a half hours the first day just to watch the sunset. And let me tell you, time flies while you’re out on the flats.

Also, before we left we made a quick stop and got to go into a big field with llamas! It was super cool. We were walking … well more like running with them. So many great memories.

hangin’ with the llamas.

Then we flew to La Paz possibly my favourite city in Bolivia. It is the highest capital city in the world. It is very large and located in the Andes. Luckily we had our altitude pills. La Paz is a clean and well-kept city. The shopping was fun because there were so many markets and the streets were full of people selling traditional alpaca clothing, leather, silver and amazing handmade items. We also went to Calle de pas Brujas, the Street of Witches where they sell idols, incense, and things to bring luck, love, and fertility. It was very different and I saw some really unique and also a few disturbing things. In the plaza there were hundreds of pigeons. We bought bird seed and had fun seeing how many birds would land on us. Another cool thing we did in La Paz was visit Valle de la Luna, the Valley of the Moon. In the valley are massive rock formations that make you feel like you are on the moon. The rocks are made of loose sediment so they are constantly changing with the wind, water and time.

Next we bused to Lake Titicaca. This lake is the highest navigable lake in the world. Half of the lake is owned by Bolivia and half is owned by Peru. We swam in the lake well not really swam more like stood up to our knees … it was freezing but I love that I can say I was in the highest lake in the world. We took a ferry to the Island of the Sun and it was gorgeous. This island was part of the Incan Empire and descendants of the Incas still live there. The land is all rolling hills with farm land. Being that we were so high in the Andes it was like the clouds almost touched the water. We spent the night on the Isla del Sol. It was absolutely beautiful.

Then we were off to Cochabamba. Cochabamba is known for always having great weather. It is like spring year round here. We went to see Cristo also known as Christ the Statue. There are statues of Christ all over, the most famous one is in Rio de Janeriro Brazil but I learned that the Cristo in Cochabamba is the largest Christ statue in the world. Cochabamba was another beautiful area. We were able to meet up with another exchanger who wasn’t on our trip who lives in Cochabamba, Marin (From France). It was nice to have him with us. We also got to see the house of the richest man in Bolivia. It was amazing! But dinner had to be my favourite part of the day. Everyone got to pick from different food stands and I got a taco and it was the best taco I have ever eaten! Yeah, Cochabamba was pretty cool. I wish I could have stayed for longer.
Finally we went to Tarija which is considered Bolivia’s wine country. We went to a vineyard that makes wine the traditional way … stomping grapes with their feet. This winery was over 400 years old. Bolivian wine is grown at the highest altitude in the world and is most famous for making sweet wine. We went wine tasting which was a neat experience but I really didn’t like the taste. That afternoon we were able to relax and enjoy the area. We went swimming in freezing cold water! It was a gorgeous area. Some of the kids went cliff diving … NOT me … and they loved it! I saw the most amazing, beautiful and unique things on this trip. Best of all I was with 7 wonderful exchangers. It was a trip of a lifetime during a trip of a lifetime. I will never forget it.

We got back on Sunday the 2nd of February and summer break was over. February 3rd was the first day back at school. I am now in the Promo (graduating) class. It is nice to go back to school already knowing the other kids. The first thing I noticed was how much my Spanish had improved. I could understand almost everything that was being said and many of my friends commented on how much better I was speaking. I know I still have a long way to go but it is nice to be out of the constant confusion state. During the summer I spoke with my host family about spending some time helping in the elementary classes when I went back to school. They supported my idea and told me to approach the Director of the school. This is not something the school or my Rotary club has done in the past but I presented my case to two of the teachers speaking totally in Spanish and I am really excited that this term I am going to be a teacher’s assistant in a grade three class. My first day was Friday and it was the best school day I’ve had since being here. The kids were so much fun and I was able to practice so much more of my Spanish. I have the best of both worlds because being at a K-12 school all the breaks are at the same time so I can still connect with my friends during the social times of lunch and class breaks but not have to sit through classes reading text books I didn’t understand. I know that by being with eight year olds I will have an excellent opportunity to improve my Spanish not only with speaking but also reading and writing. I will keep you posted on how it goes.
Hugs,
Kate

Christmas in Bolivia …

I am writing this on Christmas Day here in Bolivia, but for most of the people here Christmas happens very late on Christmas Eve and very early in the morning on Christmas Day. I need to start off by saying that it is BOILING here … and for me that is a weird thought. It’s like having Christmas in July or August; like a summer Christmas. I have never been a huge fan of the winter but I am truly missing the snow.

My host dad and I both made separate turkeys: A “Bolivian” and a “Canadian” turkey. That was a lot of fun, everyone helped and at the end we had two amazing turkeys with all the trimmings!

Everyone started showing up at our house around 9pm. We were surrounded by family, which I absolutely loved! Christmas here is similar to Canada in a lot of ways just less commercialized. We started eating around 11 on Christmas Eve night and before we ate everyone said three things they were thankful for from the past year, and at least one thing they want for next year. I said that I was thankful for my family here in Bolivia, my family in Canada, and Rotary, because without Rotary I wouldn’t be in Bolivia now. Then I said that my wish for next year is to understand more Spanish. I really enjoyed hearing what everyone else had to say. Taking time to be thankful was a neat way to share with the family. It was a great tradition. Then we ate on the patio. (Again it felt very different to be outside for Christmas dinner). After eating we went inside and opened presents…at this time I think it was after midnight. The opening of presents here seemed to fly by so fast compared to back home. Back home everyone would watch everyone open each present before handing another present to someone else (or at least that’s what we did in my house). And here it was go ,go, go … which I really enjoyed. My family here in Bolivia treated me so well and gave me some beautiful gifts. I enjoyed giving the gifts I had brought from Canada. After we were done opening presents it was around 1:30ish and that’s when people started to leave. Soon we were giving good night hugs and I was in bed around two in the morning on Christmas Day. It was an evening of food, family and fun.

Christmas Day (today) in Bolivia is very relaxed. Everybody has the day off so my parents were home all day which was nice. I was able to Skype with home which I loved and that is when I found out my parents were letting me get a guitar in Bolivia so that I could be playing while I’m here. It will be a great souvenir for me to bring home. My host dad said he will take me shopping for one soon. I hope all my family and friends in Canada and all the District 5060 Rotary exchangers spending Christmas in their new countries all over the world had a wonderful Christmas. I will blog again soon.

 Chau.

Kate

The Turkeys!!!

Family.

Canada and Bolivia come together.

Christmas dinner outdoors.

Hanging with family.

A Sunday I will never forget …

Before I start writing this I would like to say that everyone is okay…or will be okay very soon. And that I am just telling the story from my experience. Every person involved had a different experience.

It was a normal Sunday. I had a barbecue to go to with my Rotary club in a little town outside of Santa Cruz de la Sierra. The people were super friendly, the food was very good, and I really enjoyed spending time with some of the other exchange students. After eating lunch we started out on a hike … and it was the perfect day for one. The sun was shining, but it wasn’t too hot (because it can get a little too hot here sometimes) and we were all excited to see the rural area of this village. After about 10-15 mins of walking we came to a bridge. It was one of those wooden bridges that would sway back and forth when you walked on it. (Check out the photo)  For those of you who know me you are well aware that I am afraid of heights. On the hike there was all six Rotary exchange students who belong to my host Rotary Club. There are four exchangers from France, one from Demark and me. (Meghan who is from the United States was also with us even though she is from another Rotary club).  There were 8 of us including our guide. I would have gladly stayed off the bridge but it had to be crossed and while crossing we thought it would make a great group photo. We were taking the group picture when it happened … The bridge collapsed. 

While writing this I keep thinking of something that Richard, a boy from France, said: “This is something that only happens in the movies”. And until that day I would of thought the same.

The first thing I remember is feeling nothing beneath my feet followed by seeing people fall in front of me. Then all of a sudden I was in a “dog pile” with Meghan and Mille. We were stuck on the bridge. Quentin and Alizee who were near the edge were able to run off. Our guide who was taking the picture fell straight down approximately 20 feet and Richard and Bastien fell while holding onto the bridge on the way down. Looking back we are all very lucky. Our guide, who fell the farthest, was in intensive care but is recovering well and they say she will make a full recovery. The rest of us have varying degrees of cuts, bruises and muscle strains. In all honesty I had never been that scared in my life. Meghan, Mille and I were caught hanging in the ropes. I would look up and see the broken bridge and Meghan lying on top of me. I would look to the right and see the ground, the people that had fallen to it and I would look to my left to see Mille right beside me. It only took a couple of seconds for me to be aware of what had happened and then feel the pain in my foot. I soon realized that my foot was stuck between two of the boards from the bridge. The three of us also realized that we couldn’t move. 1. Because we were basically incapable of it & 2. Because we didn’t want to break the part of the bridge we were stuck in and fall. Now after that we had to wait … and we were all terrified and didn’t know what was going on. We didn’t know if everyone else was ok, and we really didn’t know if we were okay either. We waited in the broken bridge for 2 hours. My foot eventually went completely numb. I had never been in that much pain in my entire life. I don’t know what I would have done without Meghan and Mille there with me. There was one point when Mille was speaking Danish and we were all holding hands and it was the only moment were I was able to actually breathe.

When help arrived they removed Meghan first and then Mille and finally me. Everyone was taken to what seemed little more than a clinic about 10 mins from where we were. From there Bastien, Alizee and I were taken to the hospital in Santa Cruz by ambulance. Just for perspective the ambulance seemed to be a van with the back seats taken out and Bastien laid in the back on a stretcher with an oxygen tank rolling to the right of him, and I was sitting on a seat to the left. Being Bolivia the traffic was crazy and I don’t think even one car moved out of the way for the ambulance. We eventually made it to the hospital and they were able to hook me up to an IV and get some painkillers into me. This is where we got x-rays, saw doctors, had tetanus shots and so on. This is also when my family came! I had never been so excited to see my host parents. My host brothers came too and they all covered me with hugs and kisses. Eventually I was released from the hospital and allowed to go home. While hanging on the bridge it was only my foot that brought me pain and it wasn’t until I was at the hospital that I saw the extent of my bruising and cuts. I guess the ropes were digging into my arms because of the position I was in. For the next few days I wasn’t able to turn a door knob which made it difficult for me to get in and out of any closed door. I am so lucky to have such a wonderful host family who treated me with wonderful TLC. I was so excited when on my second day home from the hospital I had the strength to pull the fridge door open. I knew I was on the road to recovery. My host club in Canada was also great. They contacted me to see if I wanted to come home. My first thought was absolutely not. This is an amazing adventure and I don’t want anything to cut it short. I am healing more and more everyday. I still have a part of my ankle that is completely numb and I don’t know if the feeling will come back. I have a puncture wound there where one of the screws from the bridge dug into my ankle. My arms are still a bit swollen and the muscle on one arm is still protruding a bit but the doctor here says that over time it will go back in.

I am so grateful that everyone is going to be okay. It was scary but I’m glad I had my exchangers, my host family and the Rotary club all there to help me.

That’s it for now. I will post again soon to share with you all the exciting things that are going on … my first Christmas in the summer, upcoming Bolivia tour and my improving Spanish.

Chau ❤

Kate

The bridge right before it broke !!!

When my foot was totally numb.

From the ropes.

This was the hospital in Santa Cruz de la Sierra …

Both arms were like this.

My elbow after a couple of days.

Exchange Weekend … Halloween … Summer …. Learning Spanish!

Once again time has flown by and it has been over a month since I have blogged. I have so much to tell you and I don’t even know where to begin. These past weeks have been filled with family, friends and fun. The people of Santa Cruz are incredibly welcoming. I am grateful to be in a country where everyone is so friendly and outgoing. Everyone has made me feel like I belong here. I’m going to share a few cultural differences with you so you can get a sense of how things are here.

The greeting: In Bolivia you always greet people with a kiss on the cheek whenever you see them. This includes my classmates at school … everyday! It took me a while to get used to it but I think I have adjusted and it seems normal now. Also you always greet everyone in a room and you never leave without saying goodbye to everyone no matter how big the gathering is. I like this because it gets me to talk with everyone. 

Driving: In Santa Cruz people have no regard for personal safety when driving. There are no stop signs, no passing lanes, people drive as fast as they want to, no one wears a seat belt and if you want to turn left just start moving left even if there is no space for your car. We have a driver, Diego, and he is awesome. I’m surprised to say I think I’m getting used to being a passenger in Bolivia but I’m still praying to make it home in one piece every time we go for a ride … at least it’s not a motorcycle.

The Language: Spanish is a beautiful language to listen to. I just wish I could speak more of it. I have been taking my lessons and my host family gets me to speak in Spanish as much as possible. I know I am improving but I wish I knew more. I am often in a state of confusion and it’s not a place I’m used to being in. I also don’t enjoy the not knowing … not knowing where we’re going, when we’re leaving etc. I have certainly learned that no matter how slow someone says something or how loud they say it, if you don’t know the word you don’t know the word. I will keep working at it and hopefully next time I blog I will be able to report that I’ve noticed an improvement.

The social divide: This is probably one of the biggest culture shocks I’ve experienced. In September I had the opportunity through my Rotary club to go with a medical team to a small village about 45 minutes for Santa Cruz de la Sierra. It was an amazing and humbling experience. People walked from all over to come see the doctors for medicine, vaccinations and assessments. Michael and I and some other exchange students handed out tooth brushes to the children and taught them how to brush their teeth. It was great to try my Spanish with the kids and to know we are helping in a small way. I’m hopeful to get another opportunity to help the underprivileged before I go home. The social divide in Bolivia is very stark. I live with a wonderful well off host family and feel truly blessed, but it is impossible not to feel for the entire communities living day to day on the streets just a few kilometers from my home. A large portion of Bolivia is seriously impoverished and it has opened my eyes to the way many people in the world live every day.

Now for what I’ve been doing: In October Rotary brought all 19 Rotary Youth Exchange students from all over Bolivia to Santa Cruz de la Sierra for a trip to the towns of San Javier and Concepcion. We were there for the Orchid Festival which is held every October. We first went to San Javier a town built in the 1700s. We saw several old churches and the whole town was very quiet and beautiful, if not a bit dusty. We then went to the town of Concepcion. In Concepcion we saw more churches, visited the Mission, saw some traditional dancers and went to the open market. We hiked into the jungle which was absolutely gorgeous and saw some orchids in their natural habitat. Some parts of the jungle hike were challenging and we had to climb using a rope. It was fun and it feels great to say I have hiked in the Bolivian jungle. When we got back to Concepcion we went to Mass in the cathedral. Being that I am Catholic it was easy to follow what was going on even though it was all in Spanish. The churches are amazingly beautiful. All that being said, I think my favourite part was getting to spend four days with the other exchange students. We had so many laughs and I can’t wait to get together again.

Halloween: They do have dressing up and Trick or Treating but on a much smaller scale than in Canada. You can only Trick or Treat in secure neighbourhoods and it is mostly little kids. Here there is more of a focus on The Day of the Dead, November 2nd, which is a day that you take time to remember family members who have died. During the Day of the Dead weekend I went to a ranch with my family and family friends which was super fun! It was very relaxing and I got to spend some time with Jennifer, Michelle, and Stephanie my cousins. The first night we got there and we made a fire, roasted marshmallows and just chilled. Michael wasn’t feeling well and ended up going to the hospital at around 3am … thankfully he is fine, and should be back to 100 percent in about a week or so. The next day wasn’t as sunny as we were hoping it would be, it had rained quite a bit but we were able to still have a fantastic time! We had great food and great people so it wasn’t very hard to have fun. I was able to practice my Spanish with the girls which was much needed, haha. My Spanish is getting better but I still have a LONG way to go. Hopefully soon I will be more comfortable with speaking it. *fingers crossed*. I got to feed the horses which I found very cool. Michelle and I sang some karaoke which was also brought us some good laughs. On the last day my mom made an awesome soup for lunch! After that we cleaned everything up and headed back home.

School: It feels hard to believe but school is over … feels like it just started, haha. Summer has begun. I am still getting used to the heat and it’s only going to get hotter but I have to say that I am loving the idea of getting three summers this year. Close to the end of school my class went on a trip together. We spent the weekend at Los Cedros. The only rule was we were not allowed to leave the hotel grounds. It was like the grad party for my class. There was absolutely no sleeping just literally 48 straight hours of dancing, swimming and eating. Another big change being in Bolivia is that all the guys can really dance. Everyone partner dances and everyone know how to do it well. I’m glad to be a girl because I only have to follow. I’m also glad that I don’t have two left feet. Dancing is definitely part of the Bolivian culture and I love it.

Summer: Well now that summer has begun I have started taking Salsa lessons with Michael’s host mom. I’ve only been to a few classes but so far it is going great. I’m starting Zumba soon and I’m planning to spend a lot of time at the Tennis Club … maybe learning some tennis, we’ll see. I’m looking forward to experiencing and trying any opportunity that is presented to me.
That’s it for now.
Chau ❤

Kate.

TRINIDAD – Riding a motorcycle, seeing the pink dolphins . . .

I can’t believe it has been over a month since I arrived in Bolivia. It seems like so much has happened and time is going so fast. This past week I had the opportunity to travel with my host family and Michael’s (the exchange student from Ontario) host family to Trinidad, Beni, Bolivia. (Check out the map posted below).

It was one of the best experiences I have had since I’ve been here. Once again I am so grateful for having such a wonderful host family. It started on the 20th of September at the bus station. I had never seen a bus station that crowded! Honestly there were people everywhere, and my host dad said that it was normal. When I heard that we were taking a bus to Trinidad (which was going to take about 9 hours) I wasn’t expecting it to be very … comfortable. BUT to my surprise it was a double decker bus with very comfortable seats. I mean it was better than the greyhound back home LOL. We left in the evening around 9:30pm which was nice because I slept for almost the whole trip. When I woke up we were about an hour away from Trinidad. Once we got off the bus the first thing we did was get two taxis … I believe this was the first time I have ever been in a taxi with 6 people crammed in! Meghan (another exchange student who also came with us) and I shared the front seat LOL. We got to the hotel and changed and headed out for our first day. Now I have to say it was no later than 10am and I was already sweating like a pig! It was SO HOT the whole time we were there. It is hard to describe but I think the best way would be to say it was like literally being in an oven. I have found the heat a challenge since arriving in Santa Cruz. To put it in perspective, the people from Santa Cruz find Trinidad HOT so for me it was boiling. You just had to work through it because there was so much to see and do. Trinidad is located on the southern edge of the Amazon basin, it is hot and humid at all times. It goes without saying that you are constantly sweating. This is the jungle like part of Bolivia. Flooding is a common occurrence in the province of Beni and Trinidad has open sewers all around it to help control the water. When we walked through the plaza in the centre of town we saw sloths in the trees and horses and cattle wandering around the streets. It was very green with palm trees and tamarind trees everywhere. It was amazing. I saw beautiful old churches, buildings and the open market. We ate fish everyday … fish … fish and more fish! We went for a ride on the Amazon River and saw the famous pink dolphins. They were bright pink and very cool. It was hard to believe I was actually on the Amazon River.

pink dolphin of the Amazon

absolutely beautiful

The bus ride to Trinidad was very modern but once we were there the transportation was quite primitive. When we were going sightseeing I found out that we would be travelling by motorcycle. Trinidad is known as the city of the moto. They are everywhere. It’s not uncommon to see whole families riding on one motorcycle. Not like the motorcycles we have in Canada, but older more dilapidated ones. There was no helmets, no pavement, no stop signs, or road lanes … just dirt roads with lots of pot holes and lots of (what seemed to me like) crazy, fast drivers. I didn’t think I would be able to get on one. I truly panicked. I offered to walk, run or stay behind but my host dad patiently told me these were not options. Finally he convinced one of the drivers to go really slow and I did get on. It was about a 25 minute ride and the whole time I just thought “We are going to be hit by one of these other motorcycles”. By the end I was able to smile for a picture and relax my “death grip” on the driver’s shoulders but I was certainly happy to have arrived alive.

Trinidad, Beni, Bolivia

motorcycles and more motorcycles ….

While on the ride we saw areas of Trinidad where everyone is living in poverty and I was surprised at how happy the people looked when you could see they had absolutely nothing. I was shocked at the conditions of the “shakes” they lived in. That is one thing about being in Bolivia that I have noticed. There are many people living in poverty. (I had a chance to help a medical team at a village near Santa Cruz de la Sierra. I will write about that in my next blog. It was very rewarding) . . . Now back to Trinidad. We also went to a zoo and saw some very unique animals. (check out the photos). The next outing my host family told me they ordered a bus. I was glad to not have to get on another motorcycle. When the bus arrived it was smaller than our family van at home. We crammed 9 people in and we were off. In the words of Rotary “it’s not good, it’s not bad, just different.” My host family has friends that live in Trinidad so it was nice to meet everyone and spend time with them. We spent three nights and four days on this trip and it was amazing. I’m hoping to share more soon. That’s it for tonight. It’s late and I have school in the morning.
Love and hugs,
Kate

Hangin’ in Trinidad

Fruit seller

Second Week in Bolivia – Bye to Daniela, eating cow tongue, and getting a puppy!!!

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Another week has gone by and again so much has happened. I have started taking my Spanish classes, thank God. My Rotary Club here is paying for two months of Spanish classes at a local language institute. Based on my … Continue reading →

First Week in Bolivia …

The best host sister in the world.

Colourful buildings.

Party time.

Santa Cruz de la Sierra

Crazy traffic.

Beautiful buildings.

More party fun.

One week ago I was sitting at the mailbox waiting for my passport . . . How things have changed. My passport arriving on Friday and flying out on Saturday was a whirlwind and it hasn’t stopped since. It’s been go, go, go and I’m having a blast.

This is my first full week in Bolivia and so much happened. I arrived last Sunday and went to school on Monday with my host sister Daniela . . . the best host sister anyone could ask for. Going to school the second day of being in Bolivia was honestly a little overwhelming, but I’m happy I went. I was exposed to more Spanish than ever before and it made me realize that, well, I need to work on my Spanish … A LOT. I was SUPER DUPER surprised when almost all the kids in my class spoke at least a little English. It made me feel a little more comfortable around everyone which was really nice. The school is huge, the kids were really welcoming and a lot of it is outdoors. Some of the classrooms have walls but it is a very open space with lots of covered walkways and areas. Santa Cruz De Sierra as a whole is massive. I’m sure I’ve only seen a small portion of it. It is also really flat. It would be a great place to ride a bike if it weren’t for the crazy drivers. I have never seen so much traffic. Santa Cruz is also very colourful. It seems like every building is a different colour. So beautiful.

Wednesday I went to my first Rotary meeting, which was cool. I was pretty surprised at how similar it was to the meetings back home, but I liked it because it made me feel that I kind of knew what was going on. At the meeting I was able to meet some of the other Rotary Exchange students for the first time, which was awesome! There is a girl from Denmark and 4 kids from France. I’ve also met a girl from Belgium and one from New York so I’m looking forward to making friends from around the world.

Thursday I went to my first party here and it was super fun! There was lots of music and dancing, two things that I love. It was a goodbye party for Daniela, which is kinda sad but it was still a blast! Daniela is leaving soon for her Rotary exchange to Clearwater, Canada.

Friday we didn’t have school so I went to town with my host mom and relaxed around the house with Daniela. In the evening we went to their aunt’s house to have a another goodbye party for Daniela and Alejandro ( another student going on exchange). Their parents spoke and even though I didn’t understand exactly what they were saying it didn’t really matter . . . I didn’t have to. Leaving home isn’t easy.

And now today, Saturday. This is the day I am supposed to be saying goodbye to Daniela, but it turns out that due to a mix up with her paperwork at the airport she won’t be leaving for a few more days. I have mixed emotions about this. On the one hand I’m sad because I know she wanted to go and now she has to wait even longer, but on the other hand I’m happy that I can get just a few more days with her. So far things are going great. I have a wonderful host family, I like my school and everyday I’m seeing something new, something exciting.

I’m hoping to be updating more frequently over the next few weeks!

Lots of Love,

Kate

My host family waiting for me 🙂

Finally arrived.

Welcome from my wonderful host family.

Flights to Bolivia …

My last snuggle with Dad.

The final good bye.

Checking in at YVR.

Heading to the airport.

looking out the window knowing I have hours to go.

Beautiful clouds.

looking for my gate.

I’m at the right place.

My last flight number 922 Miami to Santa Cruz : )

So I’m on my last flight … and the destination, Bolivia. Today started at 4:30am in Vancouver. My mom, dad and I drove to the airport to be around 3 hours early for my flight. This was probably one of the hardest things I have ever had to do … saying goodbye to my parents was well, emotional. But I’ll see them again very soon. I had my first flight from Vancouver to Dallas, which I was able to sleep on (Thank the Lord). Then I went from Dallas to Miami. The Dallas airport was pretty confusing and I get lost twice but eventually found my gate with plenty of time to spare. I also met a very lovely women in the Dallas airport who was a part of one of the Rotary Clubs in Dallas which is pretty cool. The next flight (Dallas to Miami) wasn’t actually very long but I couldn’t sleep … and it felt like it went on forever! Finally I got off in Miami and it was 9:45pm and 15mins later I boarded the plane that is currently taking me to Bolivia. This is all getting SO exciting. Today is the day. Not tomorrow. Not yesterday. Today. And I only get this day once so I’m going to try and make it as amazing and wonderful as I can. My nerves are gone at the moment. I’m very relaxed which is nice considering it’s been go, go, go, go all day. I will update everyone as soon as I can … Its time for a little sleep.

Okay so I woke up to snow! In La Paz Bolivia. I couldn’t believe it. Because of the snow I can’t really see much … all I see is white windows haha. And now we have to wait for the runway to be cleared off … so the waiting game begins. Everyone is speaking Spanish around me and it’s so crazy! The only words I’m understanding so far are: Good Morning, thank-you, please, yes, no, and water. The rest is just like a run on of beautiful sounds. I don’t feel like I’m fully awake yet, hopefully that changes by the time I get to Santa Cruz :P. I can tell the difference in the air even from inside the plane, it’s making me a little light headed. Which is making concentrating on writing this a little difficult. With that said I’m going to put away my computer and keep waiting haha.

First Blog from Bolivia (feels really good to say that)

Okay so I thought that this next blog would be from Santa Cruz … but I also thought I’d be in Santa Cruz by now. It currently 9am here and we still haven’t left La Paz and we’re just sitting here on the plane waiting. The view is beautiful which is nice! We are for sure playing the waiting game. I honestly have no idea when we’ll be flying out of La Paz … but hopefully it’s very soon (crossing my fingers … and arms and legs and eyes). Yeah good part of my first day in Bolivia may be spent sitting in this lovely plane… Sigh…. I hope my host family doesn’t have to sit at the airport for tooooo much longer. They’re passing out snacks on the plane now so I’m going to stop and hopefully be updating you all tonight from Bolivia!

Kate

On My Way …

So finally I have my date. I know when I will be arriving in Bolivia … On Sunday August 25th at around 7:45am I will be in the Santa Cruz airport meeting my host family for the first time! I can’t believe I’m finally saying this!

Rotary really tries to prepare you for this magical year away … but I still feel more nervous then ever. I have never had so many different emotions about one thing. I am over the moon excited for this new adventure and all the new people I get to meet … things I get to see … and of course learning SPANISH! But I’m also sad that I have to say goodbye to my family here. I will miss them more than anything but I know that they will be with me the whole time in my heart ❤ Nerves have really started to hit me as well. Going to a country that you’ve never been to before … Where there’s a language you don’t know is kind of scary. But I know that I will learn quickly and feel right at home in no time 🙂

On a side note … one thing I would recommend is not leaving packing to last minute ! It causes a lot of unneeded stress 😛 If I could go back … even just a week ago, I would have started packing then instead of yesterday! There are things you need that you wouldn’t normally think of. Like my Blankies. I can’t sleep without them and when I first started packing I forgot all about them! So yes, point being do NOT leave packing to the last minute. 🙂

Starting Sunday, I will be Blogging from bolivia … CRAZY! 

Will update soon,

Kate