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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
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
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