It's been super hot today. The newspaper said a cloudless sky with 35degrees. But, the thermometer here in the shade says 38... um... perfect... really hot. This seems the perfect day for doing absolutely nothing but eating ice cream and watching movies of the North Pole. How do you describe 38degree weather with added humidity? Well, I really don't think I should... it's just hot.
What I've been doing...
Last Thursday I went to work feeling a little sick and ended up lying in my sala on a mattress trying to sleep and gaining a phlegmy cough and a fever. Eventually the secratary came in and then the nurse and they gave me some pills and sent me home. I slept quite a bit for the next two days... well, off-and-on slept. I was really wanting to get better for Friday evening when a bunch of us from work were going to head out to Samaipata (a gorgeous small town in the Bolivian mountains). Friday came around and I still wasn't feeling too great, but I decided I really wanted to see this place, so I went. It turned out to be both a good and a bad idea.
Samaipata was absolutely gorgeous and magnificent! Unfortunately neither mine nor Kat's (other volunteer) cameras were in any mood to cooperate and take pictures (Kat's was forgotten at home and mine refused to accept my memory card - which I later learned was because it wasn't actually a memory card). But, we have decided that we have to return again sometime in the new year with the other two volunteers here in Santa Cruz (Toni and Sita). We'll definitely be extra careful to make sure our cameras are present and in working condition then.
In Samaipata we stayed at a hostel and there met a person from France and another from Italy. Like Kat said then, it was cool that none of us (except the Bolivian friends we traveled with) spoke our native language, but we were still able to communicate - in Spanish! Saturday we all journeyed up to El Fuerte and saw some amazing vistas of green rolling mountains and valleys that were so beautiful that they just cannot be described in words (stay tuned for pictures in the new year!). We also saw Inca (pre-Incan?) ruins! That was absolutely incredible! They were older than my country!... well, Canada isn't really that old... but that's kind of the point - these were the oldest things I've ever seen! 500+ years! Yeah, I was pretty excited. I was also pretty happy that I wasn't feeling too sick... still a little feverish and what-not, but pretty good.
After El Fuerte we began the long, hot trek back to the town of Samaipata (stopping off for a "jump" in the river with all our clothes on - it was really hot). We met two guys from Israel as we were walking back... they were driving by in a taxi and we only managed to say "Hi! Do you speak English? Where are you from?" We also met them again later on that day. I got sunburnt really badly on that walk - I didn't feel it coming until it was too late... and I'd put sunscreen on! Luckily a jeep/4x4 thing drove by and stopped to give us a ride about an hour into our walk. There we met two people from England, one guy from Switzerland, one from Brazil and another girl from Germany. Wow! People from all over the world!..er, well, mainly Europe. That was pretty cool.
Anyway, it was a pretty neat experience all-in-all. Sunday we went to a museum and saw some cool artifacts from the Incas and then headed home through gorgeous scenery! I was so tired, but it was difficult to let myself close my eyes - I wanted to soak everything in!
So, I got back from Samaipata and felt awful... sick, sick, sick. I had a grand cough and was really, really tired. I didn't want to go back to work the next day... I didn't want to go back ever. I wanted to go home to Canada for good. Luckily there are a lot of doctors and medical people in my host family and my host-brother-in-law was able to write me up a perscription for some different medications. So, I didn't go to church that night, instead I skyped my mom and then went to bed. The next day I slept and Skyped my mom again - it was really, really nice to talk with her, but it was also hard because I was so homesick and I was so discouraged with my work. I spent a long time crying and complaining and ranting to her. I was also able to talk with my twin in Calgary - that was so nice, too! Thank goodness for SKYPE! I didn't go to work on Tuesday either. I spent most of those two days feeling tired and sick (I might have had bronchitus...still have the cough) and longing to go home. When homsickness hits and you're so far from home, it hits hard... like a brick wall. Those few days were really tough for me. I didn't want to see anything Bolivian. But!...
The end of last week was really fantastic. Thursday morning I decided to adopt a better attitude towards my job because this is something I'm doing because I love God. It so happens that good attitudes produce better feelings and better feelings help sustain better attitudes and not-so-good days turn into that-was-a-really-good days. And so, I ended up having two very good work days on Thursday and Friday. The kids were the same as always and I ended up having a lot of fun. I'm also feeling much better about Bolivia. Not so homesick... I still miss my family and my friends, but not unbearably. I'm happy to be in Bolivia.
Still on this good note, I've begun to feel much more at home in my house here in Bolivia. I'm feeling more comfortable, more relaxed, more like it's my house, too. That's such an awesome feeling! I d0n't feel so much like a boarder, but more like an actually member of the family - not completely... but enough to make me feel at home. That makes such a difference! I'm not a stranger in this house anymore, I can sit in the living room whenever I want and read or write or talk... I like it a lot.
What I like about Bolivia... (not in any specific order) 1. My host family (including all the pets) 2. The markets 3. Chance to learn so many new things (Spanish?) 4. Everything costs less 5. So many trees! So many fresh fruits! 6. My church 7. There are more things I like than just the six previously stated reasons.
Hasta luego!
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