So, I write this in the Santa Cruz airport, trying to kill time before my flight takes off in a few hours. It hasn´t hit me yet, that this experience is over. I still expect to wake up on my top bunk to Allison´s alarm clock, greet the boys downstairs when we go for a run (tomorrow we have 23 vueltas), and then head upstairs for the Bolivian traditional ham and cheese sandwich for breakfast. Today was such a whirlwind, and the hours flew by. Before I knew it, dinner was ready and we had to eat and run. This week, the kids headed back to school, so I had to say my goodbyes to some of them in the middle of the day. I decided to ride the bus with them to drop them off at their school, and just like that, they filed off the bus hurriedly as I said my goodbyes. The boys that go to school in the mornings were at the Center when I left, but scattered all over the place... A few of the grandes awaited me with cards and hugs, and all the medianos and pequeños were around to shower me with love and ¨¡no te vayas!¨It was special to see them wave as we shut the door to the trufi, and then to see them continue playing, signaling to me that life will go on, but it will never be the same as it was, because we have all been touched by one another. Obviously if you are trying to say goodbye to 76 people, you´re gonna miss saying goodbye to a few. But it was just SO HARD pulling away, as face after face crossed my mind, boys that I didn´t get to tell one last time how much they are worth, how much I love them, how much I will miss them, and how I will NEVER forget them. There was a literal feeling in my heart that it was in my stomach as we made my last drive into Cochabamba...
My heart is so intertwined with the BLC, and as I sit here, heading home, I have SUCH fervant yet opposite emotions. While I am so sad to leave Bolivia, I have a peace knowing that the BLC and the boys I have met and befriended this summer will always be a part of my life. I am not sure how yet, but even now as I sit here, I have a feeling of peace that this was not my last journey to Bolivia. I am looking forward to seeing what God has in store for me and my 76 new brothers. I have never had brothers growing up, but now I do. I am SO THANKFUL for this journey this summer (Bolivian winter), and I am sure I will continue to see how it shapes my life from here on out.
The internet store is closing now. It´s not goodbye, it´s see you later Bolivia!! =)
Friday, July 24, 2009
Sunday, July 19, 2009
¨Casual Missions¨
So, there´s this T-Shirt that the CIN made a few years ago that say ¨Missions Extreme: Bolivia.¨ We have definitely had our few weeks of Missions Extreme, but this week we dubbed the start of ¨Missions Casual¨. We still did work projects, but exchanged out machetes and shovels for Sharpees and paintbrushes and brochures. After painting the ceiling of a few bathrooms and the social worker´s office, we began to Sharpee the names on the bricks in the Walkway of Life. These are the names of the people who believed in the BLC before it even opened, and their support helped build this home. These bricks are the first steps that a new boy walks on into his new home. It´s so neat, and such a special walkway to think about. When we got tired of bricks, we would head upstairs to begin our casual project of folding brochures of the new program that the CIN is starting up. We still have 2500 to go, so there is always something to do in the apartment...
One work projects of sorts has been to give the children letters from their sponsors, and get them to write letters back. This is suchh a fun process, because their eyes LIGHT UP when they get permission to come into the room, and then they read their letters as FAST as they can, and then they take forever perfecting their pictures and letters to be sent back. (Not all of them act like this, but the ones that do are absolutely touching.)
Other than our not-so-taxing work projects, we have been having some LEGIT fun in these parts!! On Tuesday, we took ALL the grandes (23 in all) to the bowling alley for the first time in their lives. It was a riot. When we first got there, most of them were so uncomfortable though... This is a place where only rich people go, and they felt like they stuck out like sore thumbs. But as I looked at these boys, dressed in nice jeans, Hollister or Abercrombie shirts (or a knock off of them at least), I would not have picked them out to be a group of orphans. They were all hesitant to start, because they did not know how, but I took 4 boys on my lane and we were the first to start. After a few lessons, Alejandro took is first turn, and got 8 pins! AFter 3 rounds, Allison (the other gringo with me) and I were LOSING to all of them! (Granted, we did have bumpers). But it was awesome to watch them begin to shed their layer of discomfort and really begin to enjoy themselves. I loved every frame. One of the boys was especially embarassed, and did not even want to bowl. It was Cristian, who has grown to have a really special place in my heart, so I was really bummed that he was so uncomfortable. But after we took a walk, and Anna and Sandra invited him to play with only them 3 on a lane, he finalllly accepted... THEN HE GOT THE HIGHEST SCORE OUT OF ANYONE THERE, GRINGO OR BOLIVIANO! We have a little hustler in our midst! In five consecutive frames, he bowled a strike, strike, strike, spare, strike.... So needless to say, he began to show a little smile and enjoy himself. It was such a wonderful outing, and such a wonderful first experience to share with these boys. I hope one day they take their families bowling because of the fond memories of their first times.
We also learned a new sport- walleyball. The hosts met up with one of Anna´s friends in Cochabamba, then headed to a house-turned walleyball/raquetball center. Basically, walleyball is played in a raquetball court, and all the walls except the back ones are fair came. It was SO FUN to play, and we were laughing at each other as we ran into walls and did splits on the floor and all that stuff. It was quite an experience.
Other than that, the Brummería is getting more and more use each day. We bought about 30 movies from La Cancha yesterday (my contribution was HSM 1,2 and 3), and I am SO excited about watching them with the boys. We also have special dates with the pequeños and medianos this week, for a little ice cream social in the cafeteria, then straight to a movie night in the Brummería (since we took the grandes bowling, we had to make it all fair... you know the routine). I am SOOO excited! The pequeños´night is tonight, and I think we are watching ¨Up.¨It´s gonna be awesome.
Finally, the finishing touches were put on our new sand volleyball court this week! It has been a blast to play... the boys are now FEARLESS because they are in sand. They dive for anything. The sand pit is now also used for wrestling, because it hurts less, learning how to do backflips, and burying each other in, as well as each other´s shoes, snacks for the day, anything. It´s been a source of entertainment this week, that´s for sure.
Well, this is my last blog that will post while I am in Bolivia. I can´t believe it. The time has gone so fast. I have learned so much, grown so much, but still am very much me. I am so thankful for my time here, and my heart is already hurting thinking about leaving these boys. I am already praying that God will call me back here next summer, but I´ll have to wait to see what HE has up His sleeve for me. For all you pray-ers reading, I would love a little prayer sent up about this last week- that I let all these boys know their worth and my love for them!
CON AMOR!
One work projects of sorts has been to give the children letters from their sponsors, and get them to write letters back. This is suchh a fun process, because their eyes LIGHT UP when they get permission to come into the room, and then they read their letters as FAST as they can, and then they take forever perfecting their pictures and letters to be sent back. (Not all of them act like this, but the ones that do are absolutely touching.)
Other than our not-so-taxing work projects, we have been having some LEGIT fun in these parts!! On Tuesday, we took ALL the grandes (23 in all) to the bowling alley for the first time in their lives. It was a riot. When we first got there, most of them were so uncomfortable though... This is a place where only rich people go, and they felt like they stuck out like sore thumbs. But as I looked at these boys, dressed in nice jeans, Hollister or Abercrombie shirts (or a knock off of them at least), I would not have picked them out to be a group of orphans. They were all hesitant to start, because they did not know how, but I took 4 boys on my lane and we were the first to start. After a few lessons, Alejandro took is first turn, and got 8 pins! AFter 3 rounds, Allison (the other gringo with me) and I were LOSING to all of them! (Granted, we did have bumpers). But it was awesome to watch them begin to shed their layer of discomfort and really begin to enjoy themselves. I loved every frame. One of the boys was especially embarassed, and did not even want to bowl. It was Cristian, who has grown to have a really special place in my heart, so I was really bummed that he was so uncomfortable. But after we took a walk, and Anna and Sandra invited him to play with only them 3 on a lane, he finalllly accepted... THEN HE GOT THE HIGHEST SCORE OUT OF ANYONE THERE, GRINGO OR BOLIVIANO! We have a little hustler in our midst! In five consecutive frames, he bowled a strike, strike, strike, spare, strike.... So needless to say, he began to show a little smile and enjoy himself. It was such a wonderful outing, and such a wonderful first experience to share with these boys. I hope one day they take their families bowling because of the fond memories of their first times.
We also learned a new sport- walleyball. The hosts met up with one of Anna´s friends in Cochabamba, then headed to a house-turned walleyball/raquetball center. Basically, walleyball is played in a raquetball court, and all the walls except the back ones are fair came. It was SO FUN to play, and we were laughing at each other as we ran into walls and did splits on the floor and all that stuff. It was quite an experience.
Other than that, the Brummería is getting more and more use each day. We bought about 30 movies from La Cancha yesterday (my contribution was HSM 1,2 and 3), and I am SO excited about watching them with the boys. We also have special dates with the pequeños and medianos this week, for a little ice cream social in the cafeteria, then straight to a movie night in the Brummería (since we took the grandes bowling, we had to make it all fair... you know the routine). I am SOOO excited! The pequeños´night is tonight, and I think we are watching ¨Up.¨It´s gonna be awesome.
Finally, the finishing touches were put on our new sand volleyball court this week! It has been a blast to play... the boys are now FEARLESS because they are in sand. They dive for anything. The sand pit is now also used for wrestling, because it hurts less, learning how to do backflips, and burying each other in, as well as each other´s shoes, snacks for the day, anything. It´s been a source of entertainment this week, that´s for sure.
Well, this is my last blog that will post while I am in Bolivia. I can´t believe it. The time has gone so fast. I have learned so much, grown so much, but still am very much me. I am so thankful for my time here, and my heart is already hurting thinking about leaving these boys. I am already praying that God will call me back here next summer, but I´ll have to wait to see what HE has up His sleeve for me. For all you pray-ers reading, I would love a little prayer sent up about this last week- that I let all these boys know their worth and my love for them!
CON AMOR!
Monday, July 13, 2009
Gumby
So, the second Lake Forest team has come and left, after a full week of relatively organized chaos. The Lake Forest teams each brought a Gumby with them for the trip, because they were sent out of the country on a charge by the missions pastor to be flexible, like Gumby is. And by golly, this Lake Forest team was full of flexible experts, as obstacles were thrown our way left and right this week! The main goal of the week was to design a media room for the boys, and make it come to life. The room is called the Brummería, after Elliot Brumm, one of the boys from the LFC congregation who passed away last November, but spent some wonderful time here at the BLC with the boys. The week started out and we seemed on top of things- we had a design for a mural in the room, a general understanding of the furniture we were going to get, the colors we were going to paint everything, the new light fixtures we wanted... But then it was time to get flexible...
A few members of the team spent a whole day in the market searching for all the odds and ends of the project, and although they came back exhausted, they were satisfied with their purchases, and they only needed a few more things the next day. However, the city (or town?) of Quillacollo, which is in between Sipe Sipe and Cochabamba (aka in between the BLC and the market), decided that ¨they are tired of walking on dirt,¨ and started a strike of sorts, in the form of a road blockade. The first day only the main roads were blocked, and we could get around with ease. However, as the week continued, the blockade began to grow onto all the mini roads and it seemed that all the shortcuts were blocked. The group remained calm though, and got to work with what they had. Each team comes down, and they work during the morning and then we go to a rural town in the mountains and sing songs and perform a story from the Bible in the afternoons. We ended up only being able to go twice, and the third day our bus broke down in the middle of trying to navigate through the blockade. The fourth day, we all piled into the bus again, but then we couldn´t find any gas, because the gas trucks couldn´t get to this side of Quillacollo. So, we turned around again, and headed back to the BLC. Gumby in action though, the team used these afternoons to really buckle down and continue working on the Brummería. Their work and flexiblity paid off, as on Thursday night, we got to take a step back and check out the new media room, with 3 tvs, playstations, dvds, couches, and rugs. The boys´reaction was priceless. They were so excited to have a room like this to be able to relax in. It is their family room of sorts. Unfortunately, we didn´t actually get to test out all the new equipment in the room, because they finished at about 1130pm the night before they left.
Elliot really liked tie dye, and so another thing the team did in memory of him was they made tie dye shirts for each of the 76 boys. We all wore our tie dye together for the pizza party on Thursday night. It was really neat to see so much tie dye, it was touching as we gathered the group of gringos and bolivianos to take a picture full of colors. The boys are still running around in their shirts, so Elliot will be a part of the BLC for a long time to come.
The group continued to be super flexible, as we sat in the airport and found out that the plane that they were supposed to be taking to Miami was broken. Broken. But they luckily somehow had 20 open seats on a different flight leaving that night, so they jumped at that opportunity, that´s for sure. They ended up taking off on time, and we didn´t get any calls, so we´re assuming they made it home safe too.
Those who were not working on the Brummería this week had some work projects that were all related to the boys´having fun, which was really rewarding. The first day we spent trying to dig a volleyball court 12 inches deep. We made barely any progress, and were wondering how the heck we were going to finish. But luckily, John Hernandez decided to just call in a tractor to do it. The tractor came right after the team left, but thankfully, we are one step closer to a sand volleyball court!! The other big thing we got to do was to sand and paint the whole playground area, and it´s bright and full of colors now. And somehow, we avoided the boys´sliding down the slide on wet paint and getting a seriously blue bottom.
This LFC team leaving marked the beginning of a two week break from teams. In one way, it´s fun, it´s nice to slow down the pace. But on the other hand, 6 hosts can´t love on 76 boys at one time. It is so nice to have teams here to be able to interact with the boys and love on them. There are usually 7 or 8 teams that come in a summer, but the economy really has affected the number of teams this summer, which is unfortunate. Anyways, the day after the team left, we all SLEPT IN! It was amazing. Then, the Hernandez family invited us into town for a day of pampering of sorts. The fellas went and got their hair cut, while all us ladies got mani and pedicures, which costed 5 American dollars. It feels weird to be on a mission trip with a French manicure, not gonna lie. But it was nice to get off our feet and relax with each other. And you can´t really pass up an offer like that- five dollars!
The Hernandez family is leaving tomorrow, so we went out to lunch yesterday at this AMAZING restaurant. I had a delicious steak and some chicken. It made me miss my Mom´s steak though. She definitely wins the award for best steak. I can´t wait for some when I get home. Actually, I probably can, because I have had SO MUCH meat this summer. We eat meat with every meal...
Last night was indescribably precious as well. We ¨broke in¨the Brummería, by inviting each of the age groups in for a movie night. We watched Los Increíbles with the little ones and the middle ones, and then we watched, per request by the grandes, the CHEESIEST chinese soccer movie I have ever seen. It was called Shaolin Soccer, and basically this washed up player who wanted to be a coach found a group of kung fu experts to play soccer. It was absolutely horrendous, but the boys LOVED it. They were quoting the whole movie, laughing in anticipation of the funny parts, it was ridiculous. One of them asked me if I saw the movie in theaters in the States, but there is NO way it made it to theaters. Haha, it was amazing just for the fact at how entertaining it was for the boys. I loved it.
I am having a hard time believing that I will be back in the States in a dozen days. I miss home a whole lot, but I am going to have a really hard time leaving these boys.
Toodles!
A few members of the team spent a whole day in the market searching for all the odds and ends of the project, and although they came back exhausted, they were satisfied with their purchases, and they only needed a few more things the next day. However, the city (or town?) of Quillacollo, which is in between Sipe Sipe and Cochabamba (aka in between the BLC and the market), decided that ¨they are tired of walking on dirt,¨ and started a strike of sorts, in the form of a road blockade. The first day only the main roads were blocked, and we could get around with ease. However, as the week continued, the blockade began to grow onto all the mini roads and it seemed that all the shortcuts were blocked. The group remained calm though, and got to work with what they had. Each team comes down, and they work during the morning and then we go to a rural town in the mountains and sing songs and perform a story from the Bible in the afternoons. We ended up only being able to go twice, and the third day our bus broke down in the middle of trying to navigate through the blockade. The fourth day, we all piled into the bus again, but then we couldn´t find any gas, because the gas trucks couldn´t get to this side of Quillacollo. So, we turned around again, and headed back to the BLC. Gumby in action though, the team used these afternoons to really buckle down and continue working on the Brummería. Their work and flexiblity paid off, as on Thursday night, we got to take a step back and check out the new media room, with 3 tvs, playstations, dvds, couches, and rugs. The boys´reaction was priceless. They were so excited to have a room like this to be able to relax in. It is their family room of sorts. Unfortunately, we didn´t actually get to test out all the new equipment in the room, because they finished at about 1130pm the night before they left.
Elliot really liked tie dye, and so another thing the team did in memory of him was they made tie dye shirts for each of the 76 boys. We all wore our tie dye together for the pizza party on Thursday night. It was really neat to see so much tie dye, it was touching as we gathered the group of gringos and bolivianos to take a picture full of colors. The boys are still running around in their shirts, so Elliot will be a part of the BLC for a long time to come.
The group continued to be super flexible, as we sat in the airport and found out that the plane that they were supposed to be taking to Miami was broken. Broken. But they luckily somehow had 20 open seats on a different flight leaving that night, so they jumped at that opportunity, that´s for sure. They ended up taking off on time, and we didn´t get any calls, so we´re assuming they made it home safe too.
Those who were not working on the Brummería this week had some work projects that were all related to the boys´having fun, which was really rewarding. The first day we spent trying to dig a volleyball court 12 inches deep. We made barely any progress, and were wondering how the heck we were going to finish. But luckily, John Hernandez decided to just call in a tractor to do it. The tractor came right after the team left, but thankfully, we are one step closer to a sand volleyball court!! The other big thing we got to do was to sand and paint the whole playground area, and it´s bright and full of colors now. And somehow, we avoided the boys´sliding down the slide on wet paint and getting a seriously blue bottom.
This LFC team leaving marked the beginning of a two week break from teams. In one way, it´s fun, it´s nice to slow down the pace. But on the other hand, 6 hosts can´t love on 76 boys at one time. It is so nice to have teams here to be able to interact with the boys and love on them. There are usually 7 or 8 teams that come in a summer, but the economy really has affected the number of teams this summer, which is unfortunate. Anyways, the day after the team left, we all SLEPT IN! It was amazing. Then, the Hernandez family invited us into town for a day of pampering of sorts. The fellas went and got their hair cut, while all us ladies got mani and pedicures, which costed 5 American dollars. It feels weird to be on a mission trip with a French manicure, not gonna lie. But it was nice to get off our feet and relax with each other. And you can´t really pass up an offer like that- five dollars!
The Hernandez family is leaving tomorrow, so we went out to lunch yesterday at this AMAZING restaurant. I had a delicious steak and some chicken. It made me miss my Mom´s steak though. She definitely wins the award for best steak. I can´t wait for some when I get home. Actually, I probably can, because I have had SO MUCH meat this summer. We eat meat with every meal...
Last night was indescribably precious as well. We ¨broke in¨the Brummería, by inviting each of the age groups in for a movie night. We watched Los Increíbles with the little ones and the middle ones, and then we watched, per request by the grandes, the CHEESIEST chinese soccer movie I have ever seen. It was called Shaolin Soccer, and basically this washed up player who wanted to be a coach found a group of kung fu experts to play soccer. It was absolutely horrendous, but the boys LOVED it. They were quoting the whole movie, laughing in anticipation of the funny parts, it was ridiculous. One of them asked me if I saw the movie in theaters in the States, but there is NO way it made it to theaters. Haha, it was amazing just for the fact at how entertaining it was for the boys. I loved it.
I am having a hard time believing that I will be back in the States in a dozen days. I miss home a whole lot, but I am going to have a really hard time leaving these boys.
Toodles!
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Rockin´ on
So, this new LFC team has straightened me out... Steph went out to Golden State! Well, I guess I´ll be watching him in DC when he plays AGAINST them, not for them... Bummer. But still 100 percent awesome for Steph! Also, Billy Mays has passed away? Wow. Crazy. I feel like the only news I have recieved is death notices and sports updates.
The first LFC team was a blast. I was glad to befriend so many new faces, but it made me realize (once again) that I am not going back to NC in the fall. I think I am still processing that. But I wish I had had time to get to know all of the LFC members before now! Oh, well, I´m thankful to know them, and I will be able to recognize more faces in the crowd whenever I head down to visit. They were a lot of fun though. It consisted of a lot of families, and it was fun to see them experience the BLC together. The kids loved having the families there. Whenever they saw one family member, they wanted to see the whole family together. It was precious. Work-wise, the team I led spent the week digging trenches all the way around the center to bury rocks in. Not too bad. At least I had a break from the field.
One highlight was getting to go to the baptism of 4 of the BLC boys. It was pretty special, and John Hernandez got to help do it, which just makes it unique. The man with the idea who brought them to the refuge of the BLC also gets to welcome them into the eternal family of God. They are no longer fatherless.
Twice a week, we go to tiempo de cosquillas with the youngest group, and then we read to the medianos. Usually we don´t go to the oldest boys´room because there´s not much to do with a bunch of teenage boys and a group that doesn´t speak Spanish very well. This week though, they came and asked and begged us to go spend time with them. It was awesome- we had a few card games going on, an arm wrestling tournament, and then some people just hanging out. It was so fun!
Other highlights...The Bolivia vs. US soccer game went well this week, US won for the first time this summer, a shutout 5-0! Finally, I tried cow udder and it´s PRETTY gross. It jiggles like jello, but is almost impossible to chew enough to prepare to swallow it. I won´t be trying it again...
I began missing things from the states a bit more this week....
·1- Family and friends- I have new ¨family¨ members and friends here, b ut I do miss meaningful conversations and familiar faces from the states. I miss walking downstairs and being in the kitchen of my house. I miss my Mom yelling up to Kaeli, asking her for the 7th time to please keep her door open. I teared up when the bus with LFC team 2 pulled up, with a handful of familiar faces, including Chris and Ruth Brown (my adopted church family). But I´m ready to see yall´s faces in real life, not just in the pictures that I show the boys just about every day.
·2- Basketball- the team was together last week at camp, and it was the first time since 2005 that I was not there. It was a bit surreal to not be there, losing my voice, meeting new freshies, coaching my team to a championship, stretching in pirate voices. I miss my teammates. I miss being part of a team. I miss sweating alongside them. I miss all of our plays. I miss setting picks. I miss Coach Morrone´s ¨Oh NICE!¨I just miss it a lot.
·3- Food. Not a surprise with me. Chicken and rice with potatoes can only be made in so many ways. I miss hamburgers, chicken wings, cookie dough, and salad dressing. I´ve been having some legit cravings this week!!
It´s going to be hard to transition back to the states, and the end of my trip is coming quick. I leave in less than 3 weeks! I think it´s going to be hard to go back, sit down to a $10 dinner at a restaurant and wonder how many Bolivians I could feed with its 70 Boliviano equivalency. It will be weird to be driving alongside semi trucks and hybrids instead of Datsuns and trufis. And of course, it will be hard to leave my host friends and the boys, wondering how they are doing. Though there are things I miss about the States, there are definitely things I don´t miss about it.
·1- The media influence. Many problems that young people go through in the States are provoked by the media- body image issues, confidence issues, violence, depression. The problems these Bolivian boys of the SAME age are battling are because of real life that has occured. They might no longer be suffering physically, because they have food and shelter. But boy, are they suffering on the inside.
·2- Being so driven by time. I have really grown to appreciate the Bolivian schedule, which is flexible and relational.
·3- Crackberries, and constant connection to the internet. I feel SO good without checking my email and facebook a dozen times a day. There have been so many better alternatives.
This week was a better week than last week, praise God. I am praying to squeeeeeze and savor every moment of my remaining time here! Miss yall.
The first LFC team was a blast. I was glad to befriend so many new faces, but it made me realize (once again) that I am not going back to NC in the fall. I think I am still processing that. But I wish I had had time to get to know all of the LFC members before now! Oh, well, I´m thankful to know them, and I will be able to recognize more faces in the crowd whenever I head down to visit. They were a lot of fun though. It consisted of a lot of families, and it was fun to see them experience the BLC together. The kids loved having the families there. Whenever they saw one family member, they wanted to see the whole family together. It was precious. Work-wise, the team I led spent the week digging trenches all the way around the center to bury rocks in. Not too bad. At least I had a break from the field.
One highlight was getting to go to the baptism of 4 of the BLC boys. It was pretty special, and John Hernandez got to help do it, which just makes it unique. The man with the idea who brought them to the refuge of the BLC also gets to welcome them into the eternal family of God. They are no longer fatherless.
Twice a week, we go to tiempo de cosquillas with the youngest group, and then we read to the medianos. Usually we don´t go to the oldest boys´room because there´s not much to do with a bunch of teenage boys and a group that doesn´t speak Spanish very well. This week though, they came and asked and begged us to go spend time with them. It was awesome- we had a few card games going on, an arm wrestling tournament, and then some people just hanging out. It was so fun!
Other highlights...The Bolivia vs. US soccer game went well this week, US won for the first time this summer, a shutout 5-0! Finally, I tried cow udder and it´s PRETTY gross. It jiggles like jello, but is almost impossible to chew enough to prepare to swallow it. I won´t be trying it again...
I began missing things from the states a bit more this week....
·1- Family and friends- I have new ¨family¨ members and friends here, b ut I do miss meaningful conversations and familiar faces from the states. I miss walking downstairs and being in the kitchen of my house. I miss my Mom yelling up to Kaeli, asking her for the 7th time to please keep her door open. I teared up when the bus with LFC team 2 pulled up, with a handful of familiar faces, including Chris and Ruth Brown (my adopted church family). But I´m ready to see yall´s faces in real life, not just in the pictures that I show the boys just about every day.
·2- Basketball- the team was together last week at camp, and it was the first time since 2005 that I was not there. It was a bit surreal to not be there, losing my voice, meeting new freshies, coaching my team to a championship, stretching in pirate voices. I miss my teammates. I miss being part of a team. I miss sweating alongside them. I miss all of our plays. I miss setting picks. I miss Coach Morrone´s ¨Oh NICE!¨I just miss it a lot.
·3- Food. Not a surprise with me. Chicken and rice with potatoes can only be made in so many ways. I miss hamburgers, chicken wings, cookie dough, and salad dressing. I´ve been having some legit cravings this week!!
It´s going to be hard to transition back to the states, and the end of my trip is coming quick. I leave in less than 3 weeks! I think it´s going to be hard to go back, sit down to a $10 dinner at a restaurant and wonder how many Bolivians I could feed with its 70 Boliviano equivalency. It will be weird to be driving alongside semi trucks and hybrids instead of Datsuns and trufis. And of course, it will be hard to leave my host friends and the boys, wondering how they are doing. Though there are things I miss about the States, there are definitely things I don´t miss about it.
·1- The media influence. Many problems that young people go through in the States are provoked by the media- body image issues, confidence issues, violence, depression. The problems these Bolivian boys of the SAME age are battling are because of real life that has occured. They might no longer be suffering physically, because they have food and shelter. But boy, are they suffering on the inside.
·2- Being so driven by time. I have really grown to appreciate the Bolivian schedule, which is flexible and relational.
·3- Crackberries, and constant connection to the internet. I feel SO good without checking my email and facebook a dozen times a day. There have been so many better alternatives.
This week was a better week than last week, praise God. I am praying to squeeeeeze and savor every moment of my remaining time here! Miss yall.
Monday, June 29, 2009
we DID start the fire!
Bienvenidos once again! Another week gone by, and another week absolutely full of adventures and stops in this journey! I feel like a running theme of the week was FIRE, and here is why-
First of all, we were able to celebrate the Bolivian holiday of dia de San Juan with the team and the boys on Tuesday. Though none of us gringos were exactly sure of the origins of the holiday, what we have gathered over the years is that it is a day where all the people in Bolivia burn things. You burn certain things for luck in different areas of life I guess. Though we did not burn specific things, we definitely had a HUGE bonfire to compete with all other bonfires in the town! The team, the boys, the hosts, and the Hernandez family who built the Centro were all together, eating hot dogs, playing volleyball, and shooting off fireworks. Young boys with fireworks is pretty funny. They loved to shoot fireworks towards one of the dogs, Bobbi, because he kept on trying to eat them, which the boys loved. They also enjoyed using their sparklers to set mini fires in the little grass that was left on the soccer field. It was a good night, that´s for sure. The next day was SO smokey. Cochabamba was prepared for it though- they no longer schedule any flights to take off or land in the city because it is so thick.
The work project I was assigned to this week was burning the weeds in the same field we macheted 2 teams ago. We spent two morenings trying to supervise a manageable fire, which went well about 92 percent of the time. The second day we had to fight a mega-wind that almost caught the abandoned pig farm on fire, but we had a group who was calm under pressure, and we fought that fire back under control. I think that field is my baby this summer, my special project. I have been out there almost every day.
This week was one of the toughest for me. I think I am just pretty tired, but sleeping and taking care of myself have been pretty low on the list of priorities for me. Another bummer for me was that I dropped and broke one of the team member´s cameras, which I really have still been bummed about. Elena, the girl whose camera it was, really humbled me by her reaction though. She told me that she cared more about people than she did about things, and she was really full of grace. And I know that we should care more about people than we do things, and a lot of us say that, but when our THINGS break, we don´t act like that. She taught me a lot about grace even in that one instance. The other hard moment of the week was that I took my first team to the Christ Statue, La Cancha (the market) and the airport by myself, which was tough on me. I felt so nervous and unconfident for the first time since I´ve been a host. It was a week that showed me that I still have a lot of confidence issues within me that I still need to put to rest.
One thing is for sure- God is growing and stretching me a lot. My fellow hosts and the team members have incredible God-stories that have made me stand in awe of God. I´m learning to lean on God, and that He is big enough, strong enough, and worthy enough for my burdens.
The first Lake Forest team arrived on Friday, bringing INTERESTING news about Michael Jackson, Ferrah Fawcett, and Iran. It´s unbelievable how removed we are from any news. The LFCC team also brought the news about Steph! Rumor had it that he´s heading to Washington (though some said California?) which is SWEET because that´s my home for the next 9 months! Whooo!
Anyways, hasta luego! Muchos abrazos!
First of all, we were able to celebrate the Bolivian holiday of dia de San Juan with the team and the boys on Tuesday. Though none of us gringos were exactly sure of the origins of the holiday, what we have gathered over the years is that it is a day where all the people in Bolivia burn things. You burn certain things for luck in different areas of life I guess. Though we did not burn specific things, we definitely had a HUGE bonfire to compete with all other bonfires in the town! The team, the boys, the hosts, and the Hernandez family who built the Centro were all together, eating hot dogs, playing volleyball, and shooting off fireworks. Young boys with fireworks is pretty funny. They loved to shoot fireworks towards one of the dogs, Bobbi, because he kept on trying to eat them, which the boys loved. They also enjoyed using their sparklers to set mini fires in the little grass that was left on the soccer field. It was a good night, that´s for sure. The next day was SO smokey. Cochabamba was prepared for it though- they no longer schedule any flights to take off or land in the city because it is so thick.
The work project I was assigned to this week was burning the weeds in the same field we macheted 2 teams ago. We spent two morenings trying to supervise a manageable fire, which went well about 92 percent of the time. The second day we had to fight a mega-wind that almost caught the abandoned pig farm on fire, but we had a group who was calm under pressure, and we fought that fire back under control. I think that field is my baby this summer, my special project. I have been out there almost every day.
This week was one of the toughest for me. I think I am just pretty tired, but sleeping and taking care of myself have been pretty low on the list of priorities for me. Another bummer for me was that I dropped and broke one of the team member´s cameras, which I really have still been bummed about. Elena, the girl whose camera it was, really humbled me by her reaction though. She told me that she cared more about people than she did about things, and she was really full of grace. And I know that we should care more about people than we do things, and a lot of us say that, but when our THINGS break, we don´t act like that. She taught me a lot about grace even in that one instance. The other hard moment of the week was that I took my first team to the Christ Statue, La Cancha (the market) and the airport by myself, which was tough on me. I felt so nervous and unconfident for the first time since I´ve been a host. It was a week that showed me that I still have a lot of confidence issues within me that I still need to put to rest.
One thing is for sure- God is growing and stretching me a lot. My fellow hosts and the team members have incredible God-stories that have made me stand in awe of God. I´m learning to lean on God, and that He is big enough, strong enough, and worthy enough for my burdens.
The first Lake Forest team arrived on Friday, bringing INTERESTING news about Michael Jackson, Ferrah Fawcett, and Iran. It´s unbelievable how removed we are from any news. The LFCC team also brought the news about Steph! Rumor had it that he´s heading to Washington (though some said California?) which is SWEET because that´s my home for the next 9 months! Whooo!
Anyways, hasta luego! Muchos abrazos!
Sunday, June 21, 2009
All Work AND All Play
Time is flying here as I check my watch to make sure it´s sunday already, and time again to blog! Team #2 got here on Friday, but the week has been wonderful.
Although we didn´t have teams to work alongside of us, there was still much work to do around the BLC this week. We tackled quite a few work projects, from reorganizing the toolshed to painting the doghouse and fountains to digging trenches to the Bolivian favorite- rock painting, we definitely worked hard for our food.
Working hard this week didnt mean we didnt get to play hard. We found multiple hours a day to play with the children, and had a special night on Wednesday, when the hosts met up with a group of bolivians from the church, and went to town for some BOWLING!! i can´t believe I went bowling in Bolivia!! Even more so, I can´t believe I bowled the first turkey of my life and still lost! We had a great time together though. After the bowling, the Bolivians took us to a special hot spot where they sell anticucho- Cow heart!! And it was comparably as delicious as the llama meat I had on Sunday! yummmm!
Tio Alberto (AJ Hergenroeder) arrived this week, which has been great. It´s great for the boys to have a solid Christian guy around. And among other things, he has become the new recieving end of many of the boys´jkokes. He read his Spanish textbook on the flight here, so the boys have loved his formal and proper sayings, such as ¨Desafortunadamente¨and ¨Desde me punto de vista¨. They have already welcomed him in, no surprise there. ´
Yesterday was the big highlight of the week. At 8am, we piled into multiple vans, and rode off to th park for the day. I got to touch a baskteball for the first time since I´ve been here. I realized just how much I miss it. I played one game in the AM of Tia Amanda vs. 7 chicos, and won 5-0. Then they began to call me the wife of Goliath. Oh, they crack me up.
In the middle of the morning, I took a side trip with Sandra, the BLC nurse, and 2 of the boys, Alfredo and Marcelino. We went into town together, then I took Marcelino to the orthodontist while Sandra ran to the pharmacy with Alfredo. Since Marcelino has last seen the ortho, he took out his wire and lost the brackets on his two front teeth. Needless to sat, the trip was much needed. And poor Alfredo has been on crutches for 6 weeks and the end is not in sight because an x-ray showed that the bone in the leg that he broke is still fractured. BTW, he was injured doing a ropes course with the Bolivian army- the rope underneath his feet broke and he fell to the ground and broke his leg. Anyways, it was so wonderful to be with Marcelino at the othro. I hope I did half the job Tia Kimmi would have done!
After we ran those errands, we drove back to the park to find 2-3 dozen of the boys in their undies jumping into the POOL. In bolivian WINTER. I hadn´t been back for 7 minutes when I was suddenly swarmed by a group of the grandes, who took my shoes off, then threw me in to join them. It took a LOONG time to defrost after that. But I´ll talke that as a sign of affection.
After the park and dinner, we took the team and a group of the boys to a Saturday night youth service. On the way home, Allie, Allison and I rode in the trufi with the boys in it. Allison and I were in the back, surrounded by niños who were exhausted. As they all started to fall asleep, I was overwhelmed by the moment. Marcelino was asleep on one side of me, and Cristian on the other. I was just rubbing their backs, touching their hair, giving them healthy, motherly affection. My connection to them all is so indescribable and unique. It´s not quite mother, not quite sister, not quite friend. But gosh, it´s SOOOO deeeep. These kids are all soooooo worth it. I hope my actions are reinforcing that, and that they help somehow in their healing processes.
I love you all. Happy Father´s Day!
Although we didn´t have teams to work alongside of us, there was still much work to do around the BLC this week. We tackled quite a few work projects, from reorganizing the toolshed to painting the doghouse and fountains to digging trenches to the Bolivian favorite- rock painting, we definitely worked hard for our food.
Working hard this week didnt mean we didnt get to play hard. We found multiple hours a day to play with the children, and had a special night on Wednesday, when the hosts met up with a group of bolivians from the church, and went to town for some BOWLING!! i can´t believe I went bowling in Bolivia!! Even more so, I can´t believe I bowled the first turkey of my life and still lost! We had a great time together though. After the bowling, the Bolivians took us to a special hot spot where they sell anticucho- Cow heart!! And it was comparably as delicious as the llama meat I had on Sunday! yummmm!
Tio Alberto (AJ Hergenroeder) arrived this week, which has been great. It´s great for the boys to have a solid Christian guy around. And among other things, he has become the new recieving end of many of the boys´jkokes. He read his Spanish textbook on the flight here, so the boys have loved his formal and proper sayings, such as ¨Desafortunadamente¨and ¨Desde me punto de vista¨. They have already welcomed him in, no surprise there. ´
Yesterday was the big highlight of the week. At 8am, we piled into multiple vans, and rode off to th park for the day. I got to touch a baskteball for the first time since I´ve been here. I realized just how much I miss it. I played one game in the AM of Tia Amanda vs. 7 chicos, and won 5-0. Then they began to call me the wife of Goliath. Oh, they crack me up.
In the middle of the morning, I took a side trip with Sandra, the BLC nurse, and 2 of the boys, Alfredo and Marcelino. We went into town together, then I took Marcelino to the orthodontist while Sandra ran to the pharmacy with Alfredo. Since Marcelino has last seen the ortho, he took out his wire and lost the brackets on his two front teeth. Needless to sat, the trip was much needed. And poor Alfredo has been on crutches for 6 weeks and the end is not in sight because an x-ray showed that the bone in the leg that he broke is still fractured. BTW, he was injured doing a ropes course with the Bolivian army- the rope underneath his feet broke and he fell to the ground and broke his leg. Anyways, it was so wonderful to be with Marcelino at the othro. I hope I did half the job Tia Kimmi would have done!
After we ran those errands, we drove back to the park to find 2-3 dozen of the boys in their undies jumping into the POOL. In bolivian WINTER. I hadn´t been back for 7 minutes when I was suddenly swarmed by a group of the grandes, who took my shoes off, then threw me in to join them. It took a LOONG time to defrost after that. But I´ll talke that as a sign of affection.
After the park and dinner, we took the team and a group of the boys to a Saturday night youth service. On the way home, Allie, Allison and I rode in the trufi with the boys in it. Allison and I were in the back, surrounded by niños who were exhausted. As they all started to fall asleep, I was overwhelmed by the moment. Marcelino was asleep on one side of me, and Cristian on the other. I was just rubbing their backs, touching their hair, giving them healthy, motherly affection. My connection to them all is so indescribable and unique. It´s not quite mother, not quite sister, not quite friend. But gosh, it´s SOOOO deeeep. These kids are all soooooo worth it. I hope my actions are reinforcing that, and that they help somehow in their healing processes.
I love you all. Happy Father´s Day!
Monday, June 15, 2009
There´s a first time for everything!
Hello again!!
I can´t believe a full week has gone by!! This week was a week full of firsts for me. The first church team has come and gone. They were a lot of fun, but it was a week chock full of activities. we started work projects around the orphanage this week. 4 of the most macho, most excited team members joined me in cutting the grass and weeds in an overgrown field at the center... with machetes. That was my first time using a machete, and the first time I didn´t cut grass with some sort of machine. The machete´s were pretty cool though... they made a fun schwing sounds when you used it right! It took three days, but it payed off the moment we saw Monica and the other cow run into their new pasture to graze.
Another first for me this week was making me first connection with the grandes, the oldest kids. All the kids 4 - 12 are pretty accessible and open, but the grandes take more time to warm up to the gringos. This week, during the bonfire, I made my first connection with the grandes. How? Through none other than our shared love for High School Musical!! Haha. A group of them approached me during the bonfire and asked if i knew the songs, and as soon as I said yes, they sat down in a circle around me and asked me to sing song after song. It was a riot. So, for all you HSM critics wondering why I like it even though I´m 21 years old, it has helped me big time here in Bolivia!!
Another first: eating chicken heart and cow tongue!! We go to this restaurant with the teams that serves 37 different kinds of meat! I tried some pretty wacky food! The cow tongue I ate and I enjoyed it before I even knew what it was. The chicken heart was pretty greasy though- I probably won´t revisit that delicacy. I saved cow udder and cow heart for the next visit!!
This week also marked my first visit to the Christ statue in Cochabamba, competing with a Christ statue in Brazil to be the tallest and highest one in the world! Allison (my co-host and roommmate) and I had high hopes of running the 1423 stairs to the top of the statue, but after about 5 minutes of running in that altitude, we realized that we were crazy for thinking it was possible. Maybe in July... But the view of the city from the top is incredible. I wish I could download pictures now! The mountains, the city, everything. You could see it all.
Finally, I am getting over my first bout of sickness... I did not come prepared for a winter like this!! It´s pretty brutal, but hopefully I´ll get used to it eventually.
I´m still loving getting to know the boys. We had an afternoon of volleyball yesterday, which was great. I don´t think there was a single possession where we used 3 hits, but we all had a wonderful time. Most of the boys got haircuts yesterdat, so I´m working hard to keep them all straight. I love playing with them, even if they call me Amanda la vaca gorda (the fat cow). We don´t have a team this week, so I am selfishly looking forward to some legit face time! Last night, Allison and I took on 4 of the grandes in a pillow fight! That´s the kind of stuff my heart beats for.
Such a great week. Love yall! Missing you!!
I can´t believe a full week has gone by!! This week was a week full of firsts for me. The first church team has come and gone. They were a lot of fun, but it was a week chock full of activities. we started work projects around the orphanage this week. 4 of the most macho, most excited team members joined me in cutting the grass and weeds in an overgrown field at the center... with machetes. That was my first time using a machete, and the first time I didn´t cut grass with some sort of machine. The machete´s were pretty cool though... they made a fun schwing sounds when you used it right! It took three days, but it payed off the moment we saw Monica and the other cow run into their new pasture to graze.
Another first for me this week was making me first connection with the grandes, the oldest kids. All the kids 4 - 12 are pretty accessible and open, but the grandes take more time to warm up to the gringos. This week, during the bonfire, I made my first connection with the grandes. How? Through none other than our shared love for High School Musical!! Haha. A group of them approached me during the bonfire and asked if i knew the songs, and as soon as I said yes, they sat down in a circle around me and asked me to sing song after song. It was a riot. So, for all you HSM critics wondering why I like it even though I´m 21 years old, it has helped me big time here in Bolivia!!
Another first: eating chicken heart and cow tongue!! We go to this restaurant with the teams that serves 37 different kinds of meat! I tried some pretty wacky food! The cow tongue I ate and I enjoyed it before I even knew what it was. The chicken heart was pretty greasy though- I probably won´t revisit that delicacy. I saved cow udder and cow heart for the next visit!!
This week also marked my first visit to the Christ statue in Cochabamba, competing with a Christ statue in Brazil to be the tallest and highest one in the world! Allison (my co-host and roommmate) and I had high hopes of running the 1423 stairs to the top of the statue, but after about 5 minutes of running in that altitude, we realized that we were crazy for thinking it was possible. Maybe in July... But the view of the city from the top is incredible. I wish I could download pictures now! The mountains, the city, everything. You could see it all.
Finally, I am getting over my first bout of sickness... I did not come prepared for a winter like this!! It´s pretty brutal, but hopefully I´ll get used to it eventually.
I´m still loving getting to know the boys. We had an afternoon of volleyball yesterday, which was great. I don´t think there was a single possession where we used 3 hits, but we all had a wonderful time. Most of the boys got haircuts yesterdat, so I´m working hard to keep them all straight. I love playing with them, even if they call me Amanda la vaca gorda (the fat cow). We don´t have a team this week, so I am selfishly looking forward to some legit face time! Last night, Allison and I took on 4 of the grandes in a pillow fight! That´s the kind of stuff my heart beats for.
Such a great week. Love yall! Missing you!!
Sunday, June 7, 2009
HOLA!
Hola, for the first time from Sipe Sipe, Bolivia! After 5 days, I could write a decent sized novel about everything I´m experiencing. First off, in Bolivia, schedules are definitely "ish". Example: Our plane, going ¨direct to Cochabamba¨, stopped in Columbia first, then in Santa Cruz. Our flight, scheduled to land at 7am, got in at 930, no big deal.
The airport is where we met Jearsen, the director of the centro, and he took us there! the drive is 24km but took about 45 minutes. There is one Bolivian traffic rule- don´t get hit. There is only a center line on the paved roads, and the cars can make as many lanes as they think can fit. Along the roads, we passed trash-filled streets, farm animals and street dogs, as well as many unfinished buildings. We pulled off the road about 40 minutes into the trip, down a dirt road. This led us to the centro. (For those of you requesting a physical address for the centro, our street doesn´t have a name, and the centro doesn´t recieve mail directly- they pick it up at the Church they attend).
Thus began my journey to the centro!
5 days after that first car ride, there are so many things that have moved me.
-the kids. i was so nervous as I got out of the trufi and saw a dozen boys ready to help haul up our suitcases up three flights of stairs. This is my first memory of them, and the moment I knew I needed to be here this summer-- the sight of these 7-11 year old boys trying to carry suitcases twice their size and weight up the stairs was pretty amazing. Since then, the nerves have vanioshed, and the pure bliss of playing with these boys has set in. It´s the little things they do that continue to touch my heart. For example, on day 2, one mediano, Isaias, gave me a drawing addressed to tia amanda (tia=aunt, and Amanda is easier for them), and he wrote a note saying ¨¨you are a flower that God has placed in my garden.¨Honestly, how can they not capture my heart!!
¨- tiempo de cosquillas- we get to go rile up the little ones before they go to bed, tickling them, chasing them, playing games with them. Then, we get to try to calm them down and tuck them into bed, pray with them, and let them know that they are worthy and loved. We have also been able to take a few hours a day to play outside with the boys. Basically, all the highlights include these kids. They´re so wonderful.
- The food is amazing. My favorite dish thus far is called pique, a traditional bolivian dish full of delicious goodness. I am working on liking tomatoes, because they love their tomatos here- i no longer remove them from my meals. =) so far so good!
- I am understanding probably 85% of what´s going on here. The Bolivians love it that we try, so I´ve been trying to speak as much as possible.
- Bolivia has declared itself 100% literate as a country. They join the likes of Columbia and Cuba... Hmmm.
- Yesterday was a celebration of all the orphanages in CBBA. We took the kids to the stadium where there was music, and afterwards we walked in a parade with them. Imagine trying to keep track of 76 kids in a place like that- ay ay ay!!
- The centro has two cows: Monica and the other has yet to be named.... Some of the kids tease me and tell me it will be named Amanda. Monica is pregnant, and MIGHT deliver while I´m here. THAT will be a new experience!!!
Okay, well I´m going to wrap it up-- know that I am absolutely wonderful, and enjoying each and every day of this Bolivian winter!!
con mucho amor,
Mandy
-
The airport is where we met Jearsen, the director of the centro, and he took us there! the drive is 24km but took about 45 minutes. There is one Bolivian traffic rule- don´t get hit. There is only a center line on the paved roads, and the cars can make as many lanes as they think can fit. Along the roads, we passed trash-filled streets, farm animals and street dogs, as well as many unfinished buildings. We pulled off the road about 40 minutes into the trip, down a dirt road. This led us to the centro. (For those of you requesting a physical address for the centro, our street doesn´t have a name, and the centro doesn´t recieve mail directly- they pick it up at the Church they attend).
Thus began my journey to the centro!
5 days after that first car ride, there are so many things that have moved me.
-the kids. i was so nervous as I got out of the trufi and saw a dozen boys ready to help haul up our suitcases up three flights of stairs. This is my first memory of them, and the moment I knew I needed to be here this summer-- the sight of these 7-11 year old boys trying to carry suitcases twice their size and weight up the stairs was pretty amazing. Since then, the nerves have vanioshed, and the pure bliss of playing with these boys has set in. It´s the little things they do that continue to touch my heart. For example, on day 2, one mediano, Isaias, gave me a drawing addressed to tia amanda (tia=aunt, and Amanda is easier for them), and he wrote a note saying ¨¨you are a flower that God has placed in my garden.¨Honestly, how can they not capture my heart!!
¨- tiempo de cosquillas- we get to go rile up the little ones before they go to bed, tickling them, chasing them, playing games with them. Then, we get to try to calm them down and tuck them into bed, pray with them, and let them know that they are worthy and loved. We have also been able to take a few hours a day to play outside with the boys. Basically, all the highlights include these kids. They´re so wonderful.
- The food is amazing. My favorite dish thus far is called pique, a traditional bolivian dish full of delicious goodness. I am working on liking tomatoes, because they love their tomatos here- i no longer remove them from my meals. =) so far so good!
- I am understanding probably 85% of what´s going on here. The Bolivians love it that we try, so I´ve been trying to speak as much as possible.
- Bolivia has declared itself 100% literate as a country. They join the likes of Columbia and Cuba... Hmmm.
- Yesterday was a celebration of all the orphanages in CBBA. We took the kids to the stadium where there was music, and afterwards we walked in a parade with them. Imagine trying to keep track of 76 kids in a place like that- ay ay ay!!
- The centro has two cows: Monica and the other has yet to be named.... Some of the kids tease me and tell me it will be named Amanda. Monica is pregnant, and MIGHT deliver while I´m here. THAT will be a new experience!!!
Okay, well I´m going to wrap it up-- know that I am absolutely wonderful, and enjoying each and every day of this Bolivian winter!!
con mucho amor,
Mandy
-
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Less than one week!
Since last blog, much excitement has happened! After I turned in the last academic assignment of my Davidson career, I left the country for the first time in my life (besides a trip to the McDonalds on the Canada side of Niagra Falls during an AAU basketball tournament), and the trip was wonderful. It was so fun to make a trip with Ashley and Phil, and it was wonderful to visit with Ryan. We saw so many sights, and it was so much to take in, but I tried to soak it in like a sponge. Among other things, one thing I took from the trip was a comfort in being abroad. Initially, I didn't want to be abroad. I'm so addicted to comfort, and the US is what I know, what I'm familiar with, what I'm comfortable with. But navigating the cities and streets weren't bad, and smiles speak a worldwide message (and thankfully, Germans spoke English pretty well). So the trip got me excited to head out of the country again, although I know my experience in a European country vs. a South American country is going to be pretty much night and day.
After we came home began the graduation festivities. It was so heartwarming to share the weekend with my family, who came into town to support me. It was the first Halbersleben family reunion for us since my grandparents 50th wedding anniversary my freshman year! And there are only 9 of us! It was such a blessing to be together though, and hopefully the next Halbersleben reunion is in the near future! Graduation was good-- the significance of that walk across the stage did not hit me until my name was about to be called. It feels good to have made it though. I love Davidson, but I felt ready to go. I believe it has equipped me well for my future. I'm definitely going to miss the sense of community that I have established there in the past 4 years. Not living within a half mile of all my best friends is going to be an adjustment to get used to. But all in all, what a journey!
The next step in my journey was a week at home, filled with family dinners, Reds games, and a family High School Musical 3 viewing. This was followed by heading back to my home on Watson to join Kim in her wedding weekend! It was so fun to be a part of her weekend, and a part of her special day. The ceremony was beautiful, and the reception was top notch. I loved it, and didn't want to leave! It was a weekend that got me excited for Bolivia as well, because I met the Hernandez family, who oversees the orphanage and the Children's International Network, as well as 3 of the other "hosts" (my official position this summer) that are heading down with me! From only minutes of conversation, I could feel the warmth of their hearts. I am excited to get to know everyone better, but most of all I am looking forward to the boys!
This week has been relatively calm. I just started packing tonight, which is actually pretty unusual for me. Usually by this time I'd be re-packing for the 2nd time. I'm getting really excited, a bit nervous, but I'm also growing in faith that this summer will be lifechanging, whether or not I know what to expect. This will be the last non-Bolivian blog I post... I keep wondering what I'll be doing at this time next week!! Whatever it may be, it'll be in Cochabamba, Bolivia, al Centro de vida bolivia! !Que loco!
Gracia y paz!
After we came home began the graduation festivities. It was so heartwarming to share the weekend with my family, who came into town to support me. It was the first Halbersleben family reunion for us since my grandparents 50th wedding anniversary my freshman year! And there are only 9 of us! It was such a blessing to be together though, and hopefully the next Halbersleben reunion is in the near future! Graduation was good-- the significance of that walk across the stage did not hit me until my name was about to be called. It feels good to have made it though. I love Davidson, but I felt ready to go. I believe it has equipped me well for my future. I'm definitely going to miss the sense of community that I have established there in the past 4 years. Not living within a half mile of all my best friends is going to be an adjustment to get used to. But all in all, what a journey!
The next step in my journey was a week at home, filled with family dinners, Reds games, and a family High School Musical 3 viewing. This was followed by heading back to my home on Watson to join Kim in her wedding weekend! It was so fun to be a part of her weekend, and a part of her special day. The ceremony was beautiful, and the reception was top notch. I loved it, and didn't want to leave! It was a weekend that got me excited for Bolivia as well, because I met the Hernandez family, who oversees the orphanage and the Children's International Network, as well as 3 of the other "hosts" (my official position this summer) that are heading down with me! From only minutes of conversation, I could feel the warmth of their hearts. I am excited to get to know everyone better, but most of all I am looking forward to the boys!
This week has been relatively calm. I just started packing tonight, which is actually pretty unusual for me. Usually by this time I'd be re-packing for the 2nd time. I'm getting really excited, a bit nervous, but I'm also growing in faith that this summer will be lifechanging, whether or not I know what to expect. This will be the last non-Bolivian blog I post... I keep wondering what I'll be doing at this time next week!! Whatever it may be, it'll be in Cochabamba, Bolivia, al Centro de vida bolivia! !Que loco!
Gracia y paz!
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
my body flies to bolivia in one month, my heart's already there!
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. James 1:27
ONE month separates me from Bolivia. It's going to be such a month of life change! Between me and these boys are 1. an english paper, an education project, and an english exam 2. a stellar trip to Germany I am SUPER exicted about going on! 3. a full-fledged Halbersleben family reunion at my college graduation, which we haven't had in years 4. my graduation 5. two of my close friends marrying each other a week after graduation, and 6. a week with my family together "just the 5 of us!"
I am SO lucky to have these opportunities. I have even already raised 35% of the support for Bolivia and my next step after that, the Falls Church Fellowship. I have a loving family, a supportive community I am surrounded by, and life experiences that have shaped me to who I am today. These children I am about to go love on have experienced more hardship and trial at their young age than I have in my life. It's just not fair.
I had a conversation with a wonderful woman and mentor of mine earlier this week, who has been to the Life Center before, and she was sharing with me some of the meaning this trip had for her in the grand scheme of her life. This trip was the starting platform for many other service trips she has taken, including a medical mission trip to Africa she just returned from. What she has learned in her time was that whatever you plan for yourself NEVER happens the way you play it out. So for this month leading up to Bolivia, I want to be open. Open to unthought ways I can be of help and service to the folks at the orphanage. Open to what I am going to learn. Open to new experiences. Open to letting go of the control and organization I want to have over it.
ONE MONTH! the countdown begins! =)
hola amigos!
ONE month separates me from Bolivia. It's going to be such a month of life change! Between me and these boys are 1. an english paper, an education project, and an english exam 2. a stellar trip to Germany I am SUPER exicted about going on! 3. a full-fledged Halbersleben family reunion at my college graduation, which we haven't had in years 4. my graduation 5. two of my close friends marrying each other a week after graduation, and 6. a week with my family together "just the 5 of us!"
I am SO lucky to have these opportunities. I have even already raised 35% of the support for Bolivia and my next step after that, the Falls Church Fellowship. I have a loving family, a supportive community I am surrounded by, and life experiences that have shaped me to who I am today. These children I am about to go love on have experienced more hardship and trial at their young age than I have in my life. It's just not fair.
I had a conversation with a wonderful woman and mentor of mine earlier this week, who has been to the Life Center before, and she was sharing with me some of the meaning this trip had for her in the grand scheme of her life. This trip was the starting platform for many other service trips she has taken, including a medical mission trip to Africa she just returned from. What she has learned in her time was that whatever you plan for yourself NEVER happens the way you play it out. So for this month leading up to Bolivia, I want to be open. Open to unthought ways I can be of help and service to the folks at the orphanage. Open to what I am going to learn. Open to new experiences. Open to letting go of the control and organization I want to have over it.
ONE MONTH! the countdown begins! =)
Friday, April 3, 2009
2 months 'til Bolivia!
I am rather surprised at the excitement that is already building about going to Bolivia this summer. I think living with Kim and Kennedy (and hearing Andy's side of the stories as well) has really helped in beginning to gain momentum for this summer.
things i'm looking forward to:
#1- THE BOYS. i have seen picture after picture, and heard story after story about these boys, and i can't wait to be able to know them for myself, hug them, love them, serve them.
#2- using Spanish to help bridge the language gap-- some of the Americans that will be down in Bolivia this summer will not know more than a phrase or two in Spanish. I am excited about being speaking in Spanish and helping two different cultures communicate.
#3- Serving. My grandfather used to run a boys home here in the States. I look forward to being in a place where i have to think of others' needs before my own. i look forward to being able to catch a glimpse of what my grandfather devoted a good season of his life to.
#4- Being abroad. This will be my first time out of the United States! (besides a quick stop in the Canada side of Niagra Falls and a week trip to Germany in May)
#5- Being stretched. This journey is not going to be easy- I'm going to be exhausted, I'm going to want to be selfish, I'm going to grow impatient or weary. But I am SO pumped about growing a lot this summer. my understanding of God and my understanding of the world are going to be rocked bigtime this summer. I just hope I have time to process it all!
#6- Living simply. I'm not going to pack much (or at least I'm going to try), and I'm not bringing a computer, my cell phone, my iPod, etc. It's going to be an experience to be unplugged, but i am ready for it.
things I'm nervous about:
#1- Not being in available for Americans. We travel to the telephones/internet cafe once a week, where I'll frantically check and respond to as many emails as possible, hopefully blog, and then race to the end of the line to use the pay phone and make a call or two.
#2- The unfamiliarity. I am not going with anyone I know, and I will miss my family and friends and community back in the States. A whole lot. I have always had my family to lean on, just a phone call away, to bring back the familiar to my life. In Bolivia it won't be that simple, and I'm definitely nervous about that! It's something I definitely take for granted.
#3- Processing my experience. I will have just graduated from college and be processing a lot, while at the same time needing to give these boys and the American teams my mindspace and attention. I need to protect my alone time, and pray bigtime for patience and endurance to be able to love everyone i encounter this summer.
#4- The end. I am going to fall so very much in love with these boys (the process has already started!) and saying goodbye is something that already makes me sad. Kim has given me her journal to read about her two summers in Bolivia, and my heart grew heavy as I read her experiences saying goodbye to these boys.
For right now, my life is a contradiction of sorts. I want to graduate, but I don't want to be done with the Davidson community. I want to be in Bolivia right now, but I don't want school to end. I want the summer to come fast, but I want the last 5 weeks of my college experience to crawl by slowly.
And thus begins my journey to the centro!
Grace and Peace.
things i'm looking forward to:
#1- THE BOYS. i have seen picture after picture, and heard story after story about these boys, and i can't wait to be able to know them for myself, hug them, love them, serve them.
#2- using Spanish to help bridge the language gap-- some of the Americans that will be down in Bolivia this summer will not know more than a phrase or two in Spanish. I am excited about being speaking in Spanish and helping two different cultures communicate.
#3- Serving. My grandfather used to run a boys home here in the States. I look forward to being in a place where i have to think of others' needs before my own. i look forward to being able to catch a glimpse of what my grandfather devoted a good season of his life to.
#4- Being abroad. This will be my first time out of the United States! (besides a quick stop in the Canada side of Niagra Falls and a week trip to Germany in May)
#5- Being stretched. This journey is not going to be easy- I'm going to be exhausted, I'm going to want to be selfish, I'm going to grow impatient or weary. But I am SO pumped about growing a lot this summer. my understanding of God and my understanding of the world are going to be rocked bigtime this summer. I just hope I have time to process it all!
#6- Living simply. I'm not going to pack much (or at least I'm going to try), and I'm not bringing a computer, my cell phone, my iPod, etc. It's going to be an experience to be unplugged, but i am ready for it.
things I'm nervous about:
#1- Not being in available for Americans. We travel to the telephones/internet cafe once a week, where I'll frantically check and respond to as many emails as possible, hopefully blog, and then race to the end of the line to use the pay phone and make a call or two.
#2- The unfamiliarity. I am not going with anyone I know, and I will miss my family and friends and community back in the States. A whole lot. I have always had my family to lean on, just a phone call away, to bring back the familiar to my life. In Bolivia it won't be that simple, and I'm definitely nervous about that! It's something I definitely take for granted.
#3- Processing my experience. I will have just graduated from college and be processing a lot, while at the same time needing to give these boys and the American teams my mindspace and attention. I need to protect my alone time, and pray bigtime for patience and endurance to be able to love everyone i encounter this summer.
#4- The end. I am going to fall so very much in love with these boys (the process has already started!) and saying goodbye is something that already makes me sad. Kim has given me her journal to read about her two summers in Bolivia, and my heart grew heavy as I read her experiences saying goodbye to these boys.
For right now, my life is a contradiction of sorts. I want to graduate, but I don't want to be done with the Davidson community. I want to be in Bolivia right now, but I don't want school to end. I want the summer to come fast, but I want the last 5 weeks of my college experience to crawl by slowly.
And thus begins my journey to the centro!
Grace and Peace.
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