Cochabamba

Well folks, the next part of my time in Bolivia is language study in Cochabamba. I'm living with a host family here in Cochabamba. I have my own room with a view of the city. The front room of the house is a hair salon. The family is nice, but they are used to having people living with them all the time so they just leave me to do my own thing most of the time. The food is really good. They always serve me plenty. Patrick is my little host brother who tells me he is 10 years old, but I'm sure he's only 7 at the most. Last night we played ping pong without a table, played bowling with plastic 2-liter bottles (they're heavier here because they are returnable), and then we built castles out of the bottles which was difficult because they fall over easily. I took some cool pictures, but I'm still having problems with uploading them. I couldn't upload them at the MCC office and the internet cafes don't have USB plugs on the front of the computers.

My Spanish classes are going well. Part of the class is just a conversation with the teacher in Spanish. Mostly my conversations have involved trying to explain what a Mennonite is and what I'm doing in Bolivia. Bolivians are familiar with colony Mennonites who are very conservative and keep to themselves. They are known for their cheese, milk, eggs, and other farm products. Some Bolivians are a bit skeptical of them because they are so separate from Bolivian society and do not allow Bolivians into their colonies. The Mennonites had problems with a disease that just wouldn't go away and the Bolivian government had to force the Mennonite colonists to accept medical aid from Bolivian doctors. The Mennonite colonies have very limited education because none of them ever go past the 8th grade. Teachers are chosen not on the basis of their ability to teach but whether or not they're good at anything else. If someone isn't a good farmer, the colony offers the person a job as a teacher. I've also had some really good religious and political discussions with my teachers. As well as just talking in Spanish I'm improving my grammar and expanding my vocabulary.

Exploring Cochabamba has been fun. Most afternoons after lunch the group of four of us take a micro (bus) to the center of the city. Just walking the streets in Cochabamba is a cultural experience. There are ladies pushing around carts with orange juicers that sell the most amazing orange juice for 2 bolivianos which is about 30 cents. Everyone is trying to sell you something whether it's a bottle of coke or snacks, fruit, jewelry, clothes, shoes, or my favorite, Bolivian handicrafts. I bought a really cool faux suede jacket. Of course they told me it was real leather, but for less than $12 who can argue.

Next weekend the other Bolivia SALTers are coming to Cochabamba and we're planning to hike to the huge Christ statue that overlooks the city. Then at some point Andy and Cassie (the Moro Moro MCC workers) will be coming to Cochabamba to do a Spanish refresher course. It will be cool to finally meet the people I'll be working with. After 2 more weeks of language study I will head back to Santa Cruz for some more orientation, then I'll be off to Moro Moro.