After 24+ hours of traveling, I have finally arrived in Cochabamba! It was quite the trip just getting here...spent about seven hours in the Santa Cruz airport near an automatic door that opened and closed on its own the entire time - it was surprisingly cold and difficult to get any sleep, but provided some comic relief to the stress of traveling. Not to mention the fact that there were several horses just hanging out in the street right outside! Regardless, the long flights and layovers gave me a lot of time to chat with my classmates and reflect on my thoughts and emotions.
At this point, there are many emotions going through me and pulling me in different directions. I feel so blessed to have this opportunity, and I am beyond excited for everything that is in store for me, but I can´t help thinking about being this foreign country for a month and a half. Sometimes that doesn´t seem too bad, but then I think about six weeks of so much unknown without the people I love the most around to make me feel comfortable - it´s a little daunting. I know it is going to be such an incredible learning and growing experience for me, but a small part of me wishes I was spending the summer at home with my family or in Milwaukee. I just need to stay positive and remember that this is truly a once in a lifetime experience, and I have to make the most of it!
The little bit that I have experienced of Cochabamba so far has be absolutely amazing. Of course the shortest flight from Santa Cruz to here was the most beautiful - looking out over the Andes was breathtaking! As we arrived, it was incredible to take in the view of this large city built into the mountains. However, the very poor conditions of so many houses became apparent as we neared the ground - a reflection of Bolivia being the poorest country in South America. When I got off the plane, I was warmly greeted by Nayra, who is 26 and will be my host for my time here, along with her mother, Betty. We left the airport and were whisked into a taxi before I could even say goodbye to my peers.
Driving through the city was crazy enough with lots of horns and very little braking, but it was even more interesting to take in what will be my surroundings for the next six weeks. The first thing I noticed is that there are stray dogs everywhere - it´s the strangest thing! Beyond that, the majority of the city appears very worn down. However, this environment is juxtaposed against very nice buildings randomly place amongst all the others, with Betty´s apartment being one of them. A guard at the gate let us into the "Plaza Real" and another man carried my bags to the elevator for me. Although I knew the institute would provide us with stable families, it is much nicer than I expected. I soon found out that Betty is a doctor, and Nayra is in marketing. The food we have eaten so far hasn´t been anything too out of the ordinary and overall pretty good.
Lastly, I was very nervous about my Spanish when we were surrounded by Spanish speakers on the planes and in the airports, but so far it has gone really well, and I can tell my communication skills are improving already. There is another student from Creighton, Merijke, living with us as well, which is really nice! We are both speaking Spanish almost all the time, but it´s comforting to have someone else in the apartment who I can relate to so easily. We have orientation at the Instituto de Maryknoll tomorrow, and I am excited to explore the city further and find out a little more about how I will be spending my time here.
Hopefully the homesickness will quickly wear off as I become more acclimated and begin classes and volunteering. I miss everyone so much, and I cannot express how much I appreciate all the support I have received! Email will be my main mode of communication, so feel free to get in touch with me at mfrancees04@gmail.com ...I would love to hear from anyone and everyone! I will be updating this blog (hopefully with pictures) as much as possible. Hope everyone is having a wonderful summer :) chao!
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