June 10, 2016

My last full day here L. It was sad, fun, and very interesting. All in all, it was my favorite day in Bolivia. It started off early (once again) with me watching Leonardo from the morning to the afternoon. We have been getting along well (although we have had our highs and lows), and he doesn’t fuss as much around me anymore. When I finished my shift with him, I was asked to help out in the kitchen. I went to the kitchen and made empanadas (dough with cheese inside) and other pastries. They let me eat the finished product, then another one, and then another one haha. They pushed me hard in that hot little kitchen and they said I deserved a nice reward. Anyways, after I assisted in the kitchen, I got ready for Leonardo’s baptism. I was going to be Leonardo’s Godfather (they asked me a few days ago)! After mass, I was called to the front of the church with Leo and he was baptized. I stood there with my Godchild grinning ear to ear in front of 100+ people clapping. It was amazing!

            Remember when I said Bolivians will find any reason to party? Well when we got back to the Hogar the girls and the nuns threw me a party. They sat me down in a chair and sang beautiful songs and did authentic Bolivian dances. The songs where about praying for my safe travels and wishing for me to come back soon. The dances where very interesting and the costumes were vibrant. For the grand finale, the older girls put a CD into the speakers and waited. Then what I heard next made my day. The only Spanish song I know started playing over the speakers, the Macarena! The girls start dancing to it and then I was told to join! It is a memory that I will never forget (I taught them the Macarena!). After the dancing we took a quick break for dinner and a drink. Once finished, we got right back to dancing! They only had about 9 songs on the playlist but they knew the dances to all of them by heart. They are fantastic dancers (and they said I was pretty good too J). One of the songs was Cotton Eyed Joe (a hometown favorite) and I taught them the real dance to it. At around 10:00, we had to turn off the music and start to settle down. A nun rolled out a big TV and the girls picked the movie “Grownups” to watch. Now to those who don’t know the movie, it’s rated R for sexual innuendos and other nefarious content haha. About half way through the movie, one of the nuns started watching with us. Within five minutes, a hilarious but inappropriate scene comes on. I don’t think I’ve seen a nun laugh so hard (not what I was expecting)!

            After the movie concluded, I said my final goodbyes to the girls (I leave the Hogar at 5 am so I can’t see them in the morning). It was very difficult for me to let them go. They gave me little cards and notes and other small gifts that I wish I could repay. I’m going to miss them. Anyways, I was walking up the stairs to my room to go to bed when I turn the corner and see one of the girls, Ines, sitting on the stairs in front of me. She was crying as I sat next to her and hugged her. I tried talking to her but she really wasn’t in the talking mood. After sitting for a few minutes, I started telling her how I will never forget the memories I made down here and that I thank her for that. The girls really changed my life. Thinking about their struggles and what they have to go made me start to cry (I’ll admit it). All the things that I saw piled up and up until finally, the dam burst. From the incomplete vaccinations, to reading why these girls are here, to my clinic and hospital visits, to the woman with the dead husband, to the girls calling me “Papa”. Everything finally got to me. It was rough haha.

            Thanks one last time for all the support! It really made this trip easier on me. I am updating the blog ASAP and then I will be updating the blog Monday, and again sometime next week! One last time from Bolivia, Chao!!!

 The empañada process

 They said I wasn't that good at making them...

 The priest and I during the baptism.

 My Godson, Leonardo, and I.

 The outfits for the dance.

June 9, 2016

Another good day! The weather was warmer (70^oF) and the sun was out! The day started off early with me getting Leonardo at 6:00 am in the morning. He slept till about 9 am and then woke up. When he woke up we played till 12. We played games like “Guess why I’m crying now?” and “Find the pacifier” which kept the time moving quickly. After I watched him for the morning I was invited to go to the convent to have lunch with the nuns, Carina, and Elena. I was a nice meal that consisted of rice, a soup, and chicken. Before the lunch I was placed on the edge of the table next to two very talkative nuns (I usually try to hide between Elena and Carina so that I’m safe from questions. This time I was on my own). They asked me a TON of questions and we talked all of lunch. I made them laugh a lot and didn’t stutter all the time haha!

            While we were walking back from the convent I asked Carina if I could go to the market by myself. She said sure and I was off on my own! I bought some souvenirs and even talked to some of the locals. It was a lot of fun (even though a guy looked at me and said a bad word). When I returned to the Hogar, I forgot that I needed to buy one more thing (that was being sold at a church office in town). I hopped on a mototaxi and off I went, speeding through Montero. When I arrived at the church, the office was closed so I sat outside on the steps of the church. While I was sitting there, a woman (in her mid-50s) came through the main gates of the church crying. I sat there for a minute (thinking what I should do), then I went up to her and asked if she was ok. She said how she was going through a rough time and I expressed my sympathies to her. We started up a conversation and I think that helped take her mind off the subject she was grieving about. Anyways, the office opened and she helped me get what I needed. When I was leaving the office doors, she stopped me and insisted that I come to her house for a mid-day snack. She seemed like she needed the company so I agreed to join her. On the walk to her house, she told me she is a nurse at the local hospital and also runs a little shop from her house. She also has two children that are in the University studying architecture and business.

 When we arrive at her house, (a quiet and peaceful little casa, two stories with a nice courtyard in the middle) I saw a little altar next to a table in the courtyard. The altar had flowers, a statue of Jesus, multiple rosaries, and a picture frame on it. As we were walking through the courtyard, she stopped, pointed at the photo and said that it was her husband. She proceeded to break down crying. It was a very, very sad moment. We sat on the courtyard floor for 5 minutes as she grieved. After she regained herself, she made us a little merienda of bread, cookies, and coffee. While we were eating, she kept staring at the altar, so I asked to know more about him. She told me that he worked at a telephone company and was an excellent father. One day, he slipped off the balcony in their house and fell head first into the courtyard. She told me how he died in her arms. I hugged her right away and she hugged me back. I feel that she needed me there today (it was the 2 year anniversary of his passing). After the merienda, she told me to come back anytime and wished me luck with my travels and research. She was a very nice lady and I am glad I could help in her time of need.

            After I arrived at the Hogar, I hung out with the girls and ate a little dinner. I am now about to go to bed. I will update the blog on Friday (in the morning), and hopefully Friday at night! Saturday and Sunday will be travel and rest days. The final update will be on Monday then I will complete the rest of the project the following week! Thanks for the emails and for keeping up on this journey! Chao!

 The girls in the Santa Ana part of the orphanage are wearing hats to contain the lice and make sure it doesn't spread to the other girls

 They still are so cute!

 This is the little courtyard of the woman's house.

 And the table we ate at.

 Ines and I!

I gave her my W&J orientation shirt as a little gift. She returned the favor by giving me a bracelet!

June 8, 2016

     I had a good day today! It was fun and very eventful. The day started off a little earlier than usual because I got to go to the University with Marta. We left the Hogar at 6:30 for a class that was supposed to start at 7:00. We walked about a half of a kilometer to the bus stop then got into a very tiny bus that had about 10 people squeezed into it. We rattled and clanked all the way to the far side of town where the University was located. To paint a picture of the University (because I didn’t take any pictures because I was scared), it was a couple of large, uncompleted white buildings that had a very eerie feel to them. They were made of cinder blocks and were extraordinary plain. Anyways, we arrived at the classroom at 7:06 (I was expecting to be late) and when we walked in, there were only 6 people in the entire room! We sat down and waited about 20 minutes while people trickled in. At around 7:25 the teacher shows up and starts grading material that the students turned in. At 7:50, the class was about full (90 people) and he started teaching his Economics 100 level class. I caught a good bit of it to be honest! We talked about supply and demand and the point of equilibrium between the two. It was relatively interesting. When class finished up we went to the market and I bought empanadas and mandarin oranges for us to eat. The 10 oranges cost 50 c in total!

            When I got back to the Hogat, I found Chiki plucking lice off a girl’s head and I offered to help. For the next hour I sat on the floor picking lice off this girl’s hair. I didn’t even come close to finishing when I was invited to eat lunch with Mother Rosario and a fellow nun. We talked about rivers during the lunch and how Mother Rosario LOVES to swim.
            After lunch I was invited to go to a meeting with Carina about epileptic seizures (apparently there has been a few people having them in the community in the past few weeks). Carina and I went so that we could teach the nuns how to deal with a child having a seizure. The talk was led by 3 American doctors who are a part of an organization in the US. They were very helpful and I was very impressed with myself that I understood the entire lecture in Spanish! Afterwards, I spoke to them about my research that I was conducting and also about their organization. Anyways, after the meeting, Carina and I went to the store to buy some snacks for my flight home. I bought Oreos (yum) and Doritos (double yum!) which I think will hold me over for the 12-hour long marathon of a flight!

Thank you for the emails and the support! It really means a lot. I will be updating the blog tomorrow morning and Friday morning. I will then probably wait till Monday to finish the blog up! I will complete the rest of my Magellan Project at home and that will be done by the end of next week. Thanks for keeping up with me so far! Chao!!!

 The University classroom. We sat towards the front. The desk was way too small for my long legs haha.

 The hallways of the buildings all looked the same.

 This is me picking lice off a girl's head. She is giving a different pose than I expected.

 Luchi, Tatiana, y Angelina. They ran out of their music practice to say hi to me!

The epilepsy meeting. Wanna hear something ironic? The lights would blink when they were turned off.

June 7, 2016

     Today was a pretty decent day. It started off with me picking up Leonardo (the baby) and taking him to my room for the morning. He slept while I did my work (and I took a little nap as well). He was well behaved because I was prepared this time. I had his pacifier, a new diaper, and a bottle of milk to calm him down. During our playdate, I changed his diaper and fed him his breakfast. All in all, good way to start the day.

             I helped around the Hogar again doing miscellaneous jobs. When the girls got back from school I helped with their homework. My Spanish is getting better so I really able to help them now! After a couple hours of homework, I was started heading back to my room to get changed for church when I saw a girl (15?) sitting in the back of the Hogar by herself. She was staring off into some plants and looked very distraught. I went up and sat beside her and she kept staring straight ahead. You could tell that she had been crying by the tear streaks on her face. I asked her if she needed anything, or I could help in anyway. After a response of silence, I then asked if she wanted me to leave and she nodded her head. I went to my room wondering if I could’ve done anything more. I was in a daze when I got back to my room. I just sat on the couch and didn’t move for a good bit of time. That moment took a lot out of me.

            We went to mass at 5:30 (which was about a mile away). The mass was in a gymnasium and it took F.O.R.E.V.E.R. The priest kept talking and talking and talking. I think the sister sitting next to me almost nodded off. The girls got distracted about an hour and a half into the marathon and started misbehaving. It just was not a good time. To make the night worst, we had to walk the mile back to the Hogar in the dark. Not too much fun. Anyways, we had a cold dinner of meat and potatoes and then I headed off for bed.

            Tomorrow I am going to the University with one of the older girls her, Marta. I am going to be sitting in on an economics lecture… Wish me luck… It should be very interesting and I am looking forward to it! Thanks for the emails and I will continue with the updates to the blog. Chao!

 Twinning! This is how we hang out in the early morning hours.

 Leonardo was a happy camper most of the morning!

 This is me helping a girl out with her English homework.

The front gate to the Hogar Sagrado de Corazon (from the inside).