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

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 Spanish exam last week I have been put in the beginner class …no surprise there!! I am with 9 other exchange students which is fun and I really like the teacher. We go to the language institute every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 4:00 – 5:30. Hopefully I will not be relying on my charades for much longer. My host mom speaks absolutely no English and we can be quite funny when we try to communicate. She is wonderful and we have spent a lot of time just laughing as we try to figure out what each other is saying.

My oldest host brother Luis Alberto had his 23rd birthday on September 4. Daniela and I made him a Canadian breakfast of pancakes and maple syrup which I had brought with me from Canada. We surprised him with breakfast in bed. That evening we had a birthday party for him. Daniela and I went into town and paid a guy on the side of the street $2 and we were able to ride his horses for the afternoon. I love how cheap things are here. It was so much fun. I was scared but I’m glad I did it. The Rotary training of say “yes” and trying new things was definitely helpful.

This week was also the week that Daniela my host sister left for her exchange in Canada. After they cleared up the paperwork she finally left on Wednesday. It was probably the hardest day for me so far … Even though we had only known each other for just over a week it was very difficult to say goodbye. She is someone I will be friends with for life and I feel really grateful that I was able to spend my first week here with her.

Of course, I went to school each day. The uniform is pretty basic  – just a school logo polo shirt with jeans. Each school day here is very similar. It starts with a breakfast at home which usually consists of eggs or a sandwich and fresh made orange juice. Then my 13 year old brother, Andres, and I go to school. I’m there from 7:30-3:15. Lunch is provided at school and it is the biggest meal of the day. I can’t get over how much food there is. The heat affects the meal schedule because people want to eat the largest meal of the day before it gets too hot. Many people leave their jobs or school to go home to eat lunch with their family. Most stores and businesses close for a period in the afternoon for this meal break. At my school we stay for lunch and it makes the days shorter. Some schools have a long break at lunch for everyone to go home but then they have to come back to school until at least 5 or sometimes 6. I am taking 8 classes and each day is a different schedule which can be confusing. I am with the same group of kids in each class so I’m getting to know everyone. After school I hang out with my little brother and things are pretty relaxed. We often play cards; make a snack and just chill. Then when my host parents get home from work we visit about our day and then we go to bed different times each night depending on everyone’s energy…sometimes as early as 9 other times as late as 3am.

Right now it is the middle of winter in Bolivia. Being from Canada it is hard to use the word winter considering yesterday it was 34 degrees and with the humidity it was like 42 degrees.  Santa Cruz de la Sierra is a jungle climate which means it is not only hot but also very humid. I am trying to get used to the humidity but living in a jungle climate has allowed me to see so many different forms of vegetation and animals. It is very different. The winter also brings strong winds that blow constantly. There is always a fine dust in the air. I’m getting used to it ..  I’m not sure what I’m going to do when we hit summer (November – January). Hopefully my body will have adjusted.

Saturday was a pretty exciting day! Everything started out relaxed. I went to the zoo with Andres in the morning which was really fun! There are so many different kinds of birds there. I also got to see an anteater which I found super cool. We came home and relaxed again, it was very hot. I was up in my room and all of a sudden I hear “Kate come down stairs!” So I came down and I see Melissa (my cousin) with a little puppy in her arms. The puppy had a bow on her and I thought- she is so cute! Then Melissa hands the puppy to me and I was kind of confused … she says “This is a welcome gift from your parents!” All words left me. I had no idea what to say. All I could do was smile. Smile. Smile. Smile. She is honestly so beautiful! I named her Ella. When I first saw her that’s the name that came to mind so I went with my gut. I was so touched and excited. I have a wonderful host family.

That same evening we went to a barbeque. Because there is no coastline in Bolivia people eat a lot of meat here. For any kind of special occasion they eat churrasco, which is like a Canadian Barbeque. I’ve only been here two weeks but we have been to several churrasco’s.  Churrasco can be pork, beef, chicken, or chicken hearts which are cooked on a kabob. Michael, another exchange student from Canada, and I had to put chicken hearts on the kabob sticks … That’s right Dad … Chicken hearts. To be perfectly honest I didn’t really like them but it was cool thing to have done!  I’ve also eaten cow tongue which surprisingly I really enjoyed.

And now today, Sunday, I’m going to a Rotary event which should be fun. I’m not exactly sure what we’re doing (that Spanish language barrier and all) but I’m sure it’ll be great!

Starting to feel real … Being here.

Kate

Xoxo

My new puppy!!!

Putting chicken hearts on kabob sticks.

Bolivian barbecue.

Saying good bye to Daniela 😦

Riding horses in Bolivia

Family photo.

Canadian breakfast in bed for the birthday boy.

Celebrating my host brother’s birthday.