I honestly don't even know where to begin. I've been putting off this post for some time now, both because I've been super busy and because there is so much to tell! I'm going to ignore chronology here and talk about the best stuff first...all of which happened this past weekend!
On Friday night, a group of us went to dinner at an Italian restaurant, where I ate a ridiculous amount of delicious pizza once again! Afterward, I went with another group to the concert of a really popular Bolivian band, “Los Kjarkas.” Unfortunately, it started about an hour late and we had to leave early to be rested for our climb on Saturday! Still, it was pretty fun to see them perform a few songs, especially because there we so many ecstatic Bolivian fans around us.
On to Saturday...a day I will always remember! We had yet another early morning bus ride that took us part of the way up Mt. Tunari, the highest peak in Cochabamba at 16,600 feet! We were dropped off at about 13,000 feet, and the climb began. We had all been told that the hike to the top was pretty tough, but I don't think any of us anticipated just how challenging it would be. I've never been so appreciative of the amount of oxygen intake I get at an Iowan altitude. The climb consisted of working our way up a steep grade of grass, dirt, rock, and shale for 5-10 minutes and then taking about a 5 minute break to catch our breaths. We also consumed a ton of water and chewed our fair share of coca leaves, which were surprisingly helpful with the altitude problems. After about 3 hours of hiking, we finally made it to the summit...something I will never be able to describe. There were never-ending views that were beyond breathtaking and seriously cannot be justified with pictures. Although it was one of the most physically challenging things I've ever done, it was also hands down one of the most incredible experiences of my life. Plus, the extreme difficulty of it all made it a pretty cool bonding experience for everyone who pushed themselves to the top.
Tunari could've been the only adventure I had in Bolivia, and I think I would've been content, but the weekend only got better from there. After descending the mountain, I spent the rest of Saturday showering, eating, and sleeping, all of which were much-needed. The majority of Sunday consisted of relaxing with my family and watching the Euro Cup final. It was really nice to hang out with them for good chunk of time, not to mention the fact that the adopted daughter of Betty's sister spent the day with us...she is 1.5 years old and SO cute! Later in the afternoon, I headed to the institute to meet up with some friends and go to a huge Bolivian soccer game! It was between the two Cochabamba teams of a professional Bolivian league, so it was a super intense rivalry! The fans were crazy, shooting off fireworks and smoke bombs and constantly cheering. Despite being gringos, we did our best to fit in by decking ourselves out in jerseys and scarves before the game...and we got more into it than most of the fans around us! It was soooo much fun and made even better by the fact that our team came back to tie the game with 30 seconds left! For the amount of enjoyment we got out of it, it probably could've been a world cup game. The second leg of the series is on Thursday, and we are all beyond pumped to cheer on the Wilsterman Red Fury! After the game, we took a taxi to “Las Islas” to get our grub on at Cochabamba's famous “Choko Burguer.” It was a good burger, but the more eventful tasting of the night was that of cow heart. Needless to say, I was a little hesitant, but it ended up being pretty delicious.
Besides this past weekend of a lifetime, we spent the previous weekend at the Jesuit missions in a small town about 4 hours outside of Santa Cruz. The landscape on the drive from the airport to the town of Chiquitania was absolutely incredible...miles upon miles of tropical grassy areas and forests (for those of you who have read The Hunger Games, all we talked about was how we felt like we were living it out). While we were there, we toured some amazing churches with incredibly ornate architecture and decor, as well as eating several really tasty, authentic Bolivian meals. On Sunday, we went to mass at one of the huge mission churches, relaxed by the pool, cracked open a couple coconuts, and did a little shopping around the town. After dinner, we headed to the karoake bar across the street from our hotel and had a really good time singing, dancing, and just enjoying each others' company. We stopped at a place called “Las Piedras” on our way back from the airport on Monday and had a bit more time to relax and enjoy the vast beauty of the land around us, including more forest, a lake, crazy rock formations, and wild bulls. Overall, it was yet another extremely fun weekend that we now refer to as “The Retreat.”
Other than some really exciting weekend adventures, the weekdays have more or less been the usual...classes, volunteering, soccer, volleyball, and good times with friends and my host family (GTs cada dia...shout out to my girl, Sam)! However, my good friend, Abbey, and I had a pretty touching experience at the orphanage on Thursday. We ate lunch with the girls, and I sat with the younger bunch, who all wanted to know so many random things about the United States...it was really endearing, but also somewhat tough to talk about knowing how much less they have here. After lunch, Abbey and I spent about an hour playing with the cutest 6-year-old, Dana. She was in her own world, but so happy to have friends who were excited to play with her. At one point, we were playing dolls but with 3 flowers she had in a jar of water. She was so bummed when we told her we had to leave and gave us 2 of the flowers to take home with us. It was absolutely precious and heartbreaking at the same time...all I wanted to do was stay and play with her all day. However, at the same time, it was such a rewarding feeling to know I made her day a little better for that hour. And, now I'm so excited to go back and continue getting to know them tomorrow.
Since I've been staying busy with so many amazing activities, I've really come to love it here and made some wonderful friends. When I first arrived, I was nervous and a little homesick thinking about spending 6 weeks of my summer in an unfamiliar place. Now, as cheesy as it sounds, Cochabamba has become somewhat of a home to me, and I cannot believe my time here is already halfway over! I have some new, incredible friends to thank for making me love it as much as I do...I'm still looking forward to coming home, but saying goodbye is not going to be easy. While on the topic, I have to give a shout out to my boy Z for putting up with all the sarcasm from the girls, as well as to Bri for always making me laugh! I have seriously made the best friends in Bolivia.
My apologies for the length of this post, but there were just too many great pieces of Bolivia to include! Keep an out for a “day in photos” post later this week. Thanks for reading :) chau!
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