My First Day

Un Bolivia Viaje

May 22, 2016 – June 11,2016

May 22, 2016

The Flight

        There were no problems getting on the airplane to go from Pittsburgh to Miami. During the flight I met a person flying to Santa Cruz named Natalie. She was very friendly and helpful. She showed me around the Miami airport and assisted in me finding the Miami-La Paz gate. Unfortunately, when we got to the gate, the flight was delayed AND moved to another gate. So 100 Bolivians and I move to a new gate (I was the only white guy there and had to stick out like a sore thumb). No biggie. I got on the flight and was able to pass out immediately! I woke up to “Flight Attendants, please prepare for landing”. In La Paz I didn’t need to get off the plane which was very nice. I was then seated next to two friendly North Carolinians on their way to Santa Cruz. They showed me pictures of their adventures to Lake Titicaca and Machu Pichu. Anyways, I landed in Santa Cruz and went through the tedious task of customs and baggage pick up. When going through the final bag check I saw the Mother Superior and a girl that's 14 years old. I was so relieved and happy that a huge smile broke over my face that hasn’t left my face since I arrived.

        They took me back to the orphanage and talked to me in only Spanish. I would like to think that I held my own but some of the conjugations of the verbs got me. When we arrived in Montero (45 minutes from the airport), I was in awe. Small dirty building with dirt streets cutting through them. Motorcycles and trucks whizzed by our car making me feel very nervous. Mother Superior called the motorcycle people “loco” and I had a good laugh. I then got to see my room which was very nice and exceeded my expectations.There is a very nice bathroom behind the wall in the picture with a shower, toilet, and sink! We then went to three different churches and even stayed in one for mass. It was very pretty and there are many many similarities with the masses from the US and Bolivia.

When Mother Superior and I got back from mass, we had a little lunch which consisted of una torta con carne and fruits such as pears, apples, and oranges. Then she made me take a nap. She asked me in Spanish, “How long of nap do you want to take”. I responded with, “One and a half hours please”. She then proceeded to give me a dirty look and said that I will sleep for no less than three hours and I should get all the rest I need. I laughed because I thought that my nap would be way too long.

After my nap I was introduced to the girls. Immediately when I walked in the room, 50 girls started talking and talking and talking. This flustered me. So when Mother Superior introduced me and told them I was still learning Spanish they laughed at my bright red face. It got worst when Mother Superior told me to say something in Spanish to them and I didn’t even understand what she said to me. Agh. When Mother Superior left I could not get these children off of me hahahaha. Every single one was asking me questions and holding me like I was a tree and they were monkeys. They were all super nice and loved talking to me. A few older girls (12-14) got up the courage to introduce themselves to me and even some of the girls had the tenacity to feel my abs and biceps. It was a very weird and unforgettable experience. I then went to dinner with them where they made me say the prayer (I didn’t want to because I didn’t want laughed at again). At dinner, they asked me all sorts of questions. For example, they asked me if I had a girlfriend and what was her name (they looked upset when I said yes). After a light dinner of bread and butter we were off to go play basketball, which one girl assured me that she would “kill me”. Not the thing you want to hear in a foreign country… The basketball game was fun. I felt like a giant and I feel like they are calling me “giraffe” behind my back. Actually, I was called that to my face multiple times.

After my basketball game I went to mass for the second time of the day. They weird thing with this time is that since there was no room in the car for me and some girls, we had to stand in the bed of the truck all the way to mass! It was a little scary especially with the crazy roads. When mass was over I went back to the Hogar and had a quick snack. I am supposed to sleep in tomorrow (I think?) and then help a doctor in the “infermidad”. As I type in my bed right now I can hear loud cars and a lot of music. It almost sounds like I’m living on top of a bar. 

Sorry for the typos as well, I will edit when I get back home.

     My first picture of the upcoming adventure! I am seen here just before entering the TSA checks with my companions for this trip, George and Tom. A special thanks to my Mom and Dad for taking me to the airport and for supporting me as I go off to Bolivia.

 My first sight of Montero Bolivia. The biggest buildings in the city are the three churches and the hospital.

 This is the first mass that I attended of the day. There were little kids running around in the back and Mother Superior kept giving them glares!

 My very nice room. None of the other rooms in the Hogar look this nice. I am very thankful to receive such an amazing room.

 Just some of the girls at the Hogar. They currently have over 100 girls living here ages 1 month-16 years old.

This is the nurse's office. I spent 8 hours searching through documents for any history of vaccines. Some girls had them, most did not.

 After the second mass we took pictures around the church. Bolivians don't believe in lines, so when communion starts, it is a free-for-all to get to the front of the church.