Colegio

I had the rare opportunity to be in grade 12 (promo) twice in Bolivia! When I first arrived I was in the promo KEPLEFFG and then I got to take part in prom and grad and all that jazz, when it vacations were over we had to go back to school and instead of going to University, we got to go back to the same school but in a different grad class. There are so many differences between last years and this years school experience! Por ejemplo. last year I was in the same class a Flora, an exchange student from France, because neither of us spoke spanish we would always be together speaking french. We started classes in September, the end of the Bolivian school year, so there were defined cliques and all that jazz in the class so it was hard to make friends, the language barrier didnt help either. To be honest, I really did not like going to school last year, it was super hard and I made a fool of myself on a minutely basis. En Cambio, this year when I started classes in February, I could speak spanish and I was by myself in my class (Flora got bumped down to grade 11 :S). I was forced to make friends and the fact that I could communicate made all the difference in the world! I started making friends and hanging out with them outside of school (something that never happened before) and laughing at the jokes and "doing the homework" and all around enjoying school. My promo this year is called DRUZZS and it is seriously the best ever! We are like a family and everyone is included in everything, we actually have get-togethers for the entire promo like every weekend and it is always a good time! 

Friday unfortunately was my last day of classes due to the fact that the next 3 weeks are Winter vacation, it was so sad to think that I am never going to be in the same class as my companeros any more, that I am not going to graduate with them and that for some, I will never see them again. School went from being almost unbearable to the highlight of my week, I think I was the only person who didn't get excited for the weekend. I am really going to Miss Dios Es Amor, even the super tacky uniforms, it was my home away from home and I had lots of great experiences there. As a goodbye thing, my class threw me a chupa (party) at my house after school and there was an assembly in the afternoon to say goodbye to me :(Everyone signed my uniform and left me notes in my book, it was a great last day but it was bittersweet due to the circumstances.
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Los Pacos

So basically the Bolivian police system is the most corrupt thing that I have seen...ever. As of right now,  police officers are making very little, about 1326.74Bs per month, that is equivalent to $195 PER MONTH! It is outrageously low even for Bolivian standards. As a result, all police officers in all of Bolivia have gone on strike. In La Paz and the capital ,Sucre, things have been getting progressively worse, the other day there was a march of about 300 officers up to the doors of the presidential palace. Military forces were called in to help calm things down; when the military is involved in Bolivia it usually means that there is a big issue.
Santa Cruz has seen the effects of the strike as well. Although there are not riots, protests or marches (yet), all of the police officers, security guards and officials have refused to go to work and instead are doing a lock in at the various police stations and training facilities. Due to the lack of security and protection, all of the banks in Santa Cruz ,and I believe all of Bolivia as well, are shut down to the public until the strike stops. Also the streets have become way more dangerous, especially at night! Hopefully to put peoples minds at ease, the police strikes have not had a huge effect on me nor my life here. Just that it is a little inconvenient that the banks are closed, but thats what ATM's are for! :) I am fine and for the moment the strikes are having no effect on me! In Fact the strikes are kinda helping!
Because the police make so little in their salary, they are very super extra corrupt. Pretty much every night after 8PM there is a roadblock somewhere in the city. These are no ordinary road blocks, they are designed by the police in order to get as many people fined as possible! Here's the catch though, usually all it takes to get out of these fines is slipping the police officer 100Bs and it is like nothing ever happened.
A few weeks ago, I was driving home with one of my friends when we had to go through a road block, the paco (cop) asked for his licence and all that and it was all good until he asked to see our Carnets (Bolivian ID). My friend gave him his and I handed over my Canadian ID, immediately the cop started asking to see my visas and passport and legal documents and was pretty much trying to make it look like I was some illegal immigrant. I didnt have any of my papers with me and he started threatening to call immigration and to have me deported and I started to panic, my friend was way calm in the situation and just casually handed over 50Bs. Instantly it was like nothing had ever happened, we got to leave with no problems and the cop even told us to have a good night. Gota love the way this counrty works :P

Hailey

Everything is different now, and I'm not sure how I feel about that. Hailey, my best friend, went back to the United States on Thursday and although it was not as difficult to say goodbye to her the second time (she tried to leave on Monday but because she is 16 they wouldn't let her leave the country) it was still one of the hardest moments in my exchange.
For the last 9 months, Hailey and I have been nearly inseparable, we have done everything and nothing together, I would go to her house almost every day after school and we would just be together so that we wouldn't have to be alone. Hailey has been with me and there for me through all the good parts and the bad parts of my exchange, she has helped me grow and taught me a lot over the course of the year. Hailey was my person here, we took on Bolivia together, we were the unit that people always associated to be together, like the 2 Emily's or Lou and Marie. When she left, she took the Bolivia that I know with her and now it is like there is a hole in me.

I think there will be a period of adjusting that has to take place, I mean, when my phone rings, i think that it will be her like usual, then the reality hits that she is no longer here and my heart breaks a little bit. In the afternoons all I want to do is go walk 2 blocks to her house and go on an adventure.I dont want to be sad so I cannot dwell on the past, it was great that is for sure, but I must move forward.
Mi vida, si estas leyendo eso quiero decirte que te amo muchisimo y te extrano mas que las palabras pueden decir, ya se que solo paso 2 dias pero bolivia no sera lo mismo sin ti, tengo que acostumbrar a la vida sin ti, siempre vas estar en mi corazon! gracias por todo este ano, nunca voy a poder olvidarte, sos mi gemele de alma!

The Beginning of the End

Santa Cruz is officially in its winter season, it is no longer scorching hot, en cambio it is about 8 at night and 15 during the day. It is not so bad during the day when it is not raining or windy but as soon as you put either of those into the mix or at night, it is freezing! Houses do not have heating nor very good insulation so ironically I think that it is colder here than it is back in Canada :S

The reality of this experience is starting to hit me, nine months after arriving. Emily Kosier went back to the United States on the 1st of June...and it was horrible. Our exchange group is a very tight unit, I consider all of us to be like siblings, we always use terms like "mi amor" or "mi vida" and we are always together! When Emily left it was a horrible tearful goodbye and it was actually like there was a force ripping her from us! Nothing is the same after that, the dynamic is different and there is an obvious part missing but we are making the best of it. This is the beginning of the end and as much as it sucks, it is the painful reality.
June is going to be a very difficult month, it has already brought heartbreak and tears (for the first time since I left Canada). I am not ready to leave Bolivia, just as I am starting to make really good Bolivian friends and loving school and not having issues with the language, it is all going to be ripped away. I never thought that it would hurt so much, you think about the pain of leaving your family back home but you never think of how much worse it is when you have to go back. It almost doesn't feel like it is worth it.
Nunca en mi vida ha sentido un dolor tan fuerte, nadien van a poder entender. Es como si hay algo cortiendo mi corazon en un monton de partes. No puedo respirar bien jamas porque la dolor me consuma enterito!

When it rains

Santa Cruz was totally not made for the rain. Officially it is Autumn here but it feel nothing like the fall that I am used to back in Canada. Strange things are happening and it is starting to feel like Spring oddly enough. Unlike back home, the leaves on the trees are not changing colour, they seem to fall at all times of the year and not just during one season. At the moment the leaves on the mango tree outside my window are not changing but there are little buds forming where it appears that flowers will sprout; I always thought this only happened in the Spring...apparently not. As for the rain, well we have pretty much had rain every day for the last 15 days. It is not the all day kind of showers but rather an hour or so of total downpour but then the entire city is pretty much flooded for the next hour and then it goes back to normal. Everything here is so backwards it feels like spring in the fall and fall in the spring. So far the weirdest thing that is throwing me off is that when it is like 26 degrees here, everybody is in pants and long sleeves and jackets and scarves...I'm not used to the cold.

Frazzled!

I live in two different worlds, one of which is about to crumble away right before my eyes in a matter of weeks. Today I came to the conclusion that I am not ready for that yet...actually I don't think I will ever be ready for that. As much as I miss my family and friends, I have ZERO desire to come home...ever. I want to live in Bolivia, I feel like I belong here and that things actually click here. Back home I do what im expected to do and to a certain degree what I too want to do, but the only difference is that what I do here is what I have chosen to do all on my own. I made a life for myself without my parents without my friends and without knowing the language or a single person in this country. Despite all the obstacles and challenges that have come my way, I have gotten through it and found a place where I actually feel at home and where I belong.

Don't get me wrong, I love my family, the Okanagan and Canada but the life that I live there is now the life that I reluctantly have to go back to, it is never going to be the same as it was before I  had this experience. The worst part I think is that I am not going to want to be back home and that is going to make it all the more difficult for me to suck it up and stay there until I finish University. Bolivia is the place that I call home now, I love everything about it even the bad parts. I have an exchange family and my host family and best friends that I will have to leave and that is going to break my heart.

I know that as soon as some of my best friends leave, the Bolivia that I know will be different and maybe my opinions will change, but for the mean time there is this little hole in my heart forming at the mere thought of having to go home.

Typical Pacena, cholita selling fruit on the street like it is no big deal.

 Just in case nobody believed me when I say that I love my sisters :)

 I think that they like me too...atleast I hope so ;P

 La Paz streets

 Where houses climb the mountains

 And dogs climb Garbage Cans.

 My Cat likes to surprise us buy doing weird things...maybe this is why he is like best friends with the dogs??

 On the way to Vallegrande...my dad was obsessed with taking pictures of him with "mis dos choquas" aka me and Sarah (becasue we have light hair and skin colour)

 Llegamos en Vallegrande

 Typical Bolivian Plaza

 The toumb/original grave of Che Guevera

 Cailes de Vallegrande

 Here lied? Che...his bones are actually in Cuba now so all that is left is dirt and stuff.

 QUE VIVE LA REVOLUCION?

My Best Friend

The fact that I have not made a post about Goldy kinda shocks me! Goldy (AKA Paula Andrea Genesis Llanos Flores) is my older host sister here in Bolivia, she is 20 years old and is 3rd year university studying to be an architect; she is my best friend not only in Bolivia but I think in general too.
 It was strange because when I first arrived here I hardly saw Goldy because our school schedules were opposite but it was with her that I had alot of my Bolivian firsts. First time going to the market, First time on a micro, First day at school she went with me to the class, first time going to the plaza first time going to the movies first time hanging out with someone alone! Because I was a lot closer with Dulce when I got here, I thought that after Dulce left things would be totally weird with me and Goldy but that turned out to totally not be the case. After Dulce left I was sad and kinda in a down part of my exchange and it was Goldy who turned that around for me, we got really close over the Christmas/Summer holiday and we are now pretty much inseparable!
Goldy is the person that I tell everything to she is the one person in all of Bolivia (including my exchange friends) that I can actually confide in. She asks me about my exchanges and we can talk for hors, we laugh and talk and have so much fun together; we are total opposites but for some reason it works really well. I am kinda crazy and all over the map where Goldy is cool calm and collected, she gets nervous really easily and doesn't like to make a fool of herself, she is super smart and studious and when you first meet her she comes off super quiet and shy; I have learned that that is not the case AT ALL! I think the fact that we are so different is a good thing, I have learned a lot from Goldy and according to my host parents Goldy has changed a lot too since the 2 of us became junto.

Inside jokes, contests, gossip, sleepovers and adventures, we do it all and we always have a super good time doing it! I can actually never think of a time that I was with Goldy where I have not been totally and completely happy, I am going to miss her most of all when I have to go back to Canada; without her my exchange would not have been the same.

Te Kiero Mucho Mi Hermana, Nunca Voy A Poder Olvidarse, Y Nunca Quiero.

Bolivians racist against other Bolivians? Doesn't make sense to me.

For a country with lots of different races, skin colours, accents and social statuses, there sure is a lot of racism!! Bolivia is essentially devided into two regions that are devided by the mountain lines. The south East of the country is one region and then the North West is another region. I the north you have all the cities like Oruro, Pando, La Paz ,Potosi and Cochabamba, then in the South East you have Santa Cruz, Beni, Chuquisaca and Tarija. The people in the south are known as Cambas and that is something that we are all very proud of and is taken as a compliment!The name given to the Northern people is not so much a compliment as a great insult. They are called Coilla and generally  when you call someone a Coilla it is because you are either mocking them or you are being racist. Coillas are the indigenous people that dont have any European roots. The word Camba comes from the verb Cambiar which in english means "to change", when the europeans first came to Bolivia they settled in the South East because it was flat, had good agricultural potential and it was close to the borders of Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay, the northern part was too cold and had nothing really that the europeans wanted. Because of the altitude and mountains the Europeans didnt settle there and so the wealth that they brought with them never made it to the north. Cambas became recognized as superiors and the  Coillas got the reputation as poor  filthy people. Even to this day there is extreme racism against the Coillas and it is disgusting.
When my family went to La Paz my host dad would make comments and my classmates were appalled that we even wanted to go to La Paz for Easter.  Then when they found out that I had no problem with the Coillas they actually tried to make me see why the Coillas are "disgusting people" I was apalled with their efforts and made that very clear.

Tongue Tied

Being and living in Bolivia, it is something that is becoming harder and harder to describe. There are so many different components that make it up and then there are emotions and points of view that change all the time. Talking to everyone, they all want to know what it is like and how it is going, but the truth is, there is no way to possibly describe it accurately, at least not to someone who is not here with me doing and feeling the same things.
I keep trying to think of sufficient answers to questions that I know that people are going to ask me, but I cannot find the words to sufficiently describe my experience here. I know that everything can be going amazing but the dumbest and smallest thing can make you plummet downwards but then the smallest thing can bring you right back up again. For instance, the last few weeks have been awesome and things have been getting better and better all the time and then I bought peanut butter that tasted terrible and all of a sudden I was mad and sad and depressed and it was super strange. But then a few days later I make an inside joke with my sister and I feel on top of the world again.
This life is a roller coaster that is so difficult to describe but it is amazing and I know that I am not ready to get off the ride.

Saliendo

Im not sure if it is everywhere in Bolivia or only in Santa Cruz, but on the weekends everything and everyone comes alive! Going out to the clubs on Thursday Fridays and Saturdays are just part of the life. It depends on the person as to where you go but generally it is either to a bar, a club, a churrasko or a boliche (pretty much the mix between a bar and a club...its is middle class casual.).
When people go out to the clubs, it is not a joking matter, everyone gets super dressed up in short dresses, high heels and inches of make-up, then they go to an overly expensive club and dance all night long. These places are very formal and you generally need a reservation to get in, not really my favorite Bolivian night scene. It seems that for me the best place to go are to the boliches, they are casual and you dont have to worry about spending a fortune to get in. There is always music and it is fun to go out with your friends! When I go out with my friend Emily from New York we have found a way to make friends that has never gone wrong. We bring little packets of glitter and sprinkle it around, for some reason people always try to find the source of the glitter and we make new friends :)
Because everything runs on Bolivian time nothing opens until 10PM so people usually dont end up going until 11, it is late but for me it is always a good time!

Vallegrande

This past weekend I got the opportunity to travel with my family to a small town in Santa Cruz called Vallegrande.  Rotary Grigota was going there in order to help the Vallegrande club get some projects off the ground. It was a great trip filled with fun, adventure and rain. We left on Friday morning and drove the entire 6 hours through the mountains to get to Vallegrande which is on the border of Santa Cruz and Cochabamba...that pretty much means that it is in the mountainous region of Bolivia but fortunately not as bad as La Paz. The trip was a lot treacherous, the roads were a little less than idyllic, they wind and climb through the mountains and they are pretty narrow, at least for the most part it was paved and if you didn't look over the edge it was not that bad. My Host dad does not understand the concept of taking corners slowly so as a result my 7 year old host sister was a little green and Sarah (my friend from New York who went with us) and I weren't feeling to great either. When we finally got to Vallegrande, we went with all the Rotarians to a home for children with mental disabilities and we gave them an oven so that they could finally cook for the children there. It was actually heart breaking to see how little those children had and then to top it all off they all had disabilities, it felt great to be able to contribute to something that can make them smile.
Sarah and I were a little unprepared for the weather in Vallegrande, we thought that because it was in Santa |Cruz that it would be hot, so the both of us only brought shorts and t-shirts, unfortunately it was cold and raining the entire time...on the plus side everyone thinks we are super hardcore because we told them that we were not cold because we are from up north...we decided it was better to tell them that than to have them think that we were idiots for forgetting to pack warm clothing.
Day 2 of our trip Sarah and I got almost the entire day to go out and explore on our own because all the rotarians had a meeting that we were not invited to; that was not a problem for us though. Vallegrande is the grave sight of the Cuban revolutionist Che Guevara. He was hiding in Vallegrande when he was captured brought to the hospital  (ironically) where he was executed.
 Anyway Sarah and I went out to see where he was originally buried after his execution. It took Cubans 7 years of digging up a HUGE field in order to find his bones but then they were brought to Cuba where they are now. It was a cool thing to get to go and see, we also got to explore the town and check out some of the markets. In the afternoon we went with the Rotarians to a Bolivian equivalence of a soup kitchen except it is specifically for seniors who have no way of supporting themselves. We distributed blankets and food  were welcomed by them with tears and besos and they even sang to us. Weekends like this make me really happy but at the same time they make me feel overly privileged.
We went to the grand opening of the first PUBLIC school in Vallegrande which Rotary funded and then we headed back to Santa Cruz exhausted and content...and very terrified, the roads are not a joking matter, it was terrifying.

Fotos!!!

Day 2 of Carnaval. With my sister/best friend Goldy...things are got more colourful:)

My bata before Carnaval...it got a bit messier.

Day 3 of Carnaval...mucho mas pintura!!!!

Aftermath of Carnaval...my hair is a mixture of red green, blue and purple. It took about 2 weeks before it all washed out.

Just a taste of the floats in the Parade for Carnaval, this one had the "Reina de Carnaval" aka the queen of carnaval.

Some more amazing floats for the parade

Almost of all of my Grigota Girls for the Rotary Carnaval Costume Party, I was a Pacena (person from La Paz) 

Our Rotary went out to a really small town to help the families there, here we are distributing clothing to the locals.

This is my room and I am wearing the skirt of my school uniform.

After Day 1 of Carnaval

Santa Cruz is not very prepared for heavy rainfall, the streets flooded.

borderline fail trying to keep up a family tradition, Gingerbread houses, but not exactly like back home, they still tasted good tho!

FELIZ ANO NUEVO

typical Bolivian churrasko (barbeque)...this is my aunt Linda.

this pretty much sums up my relationship with my brother, Im always crazy and he is like WTF

The final result of my Carnaval experiences

Left Behind

Today my host parents forgot about me...they left me behind at our Rotary meeting. I know its not the end of the world but it still doesn't feel too good to be forgotten about, especially after you have been living with them for almost 8 months.

Charango

So I finally started my charango lessons, I have been saying that I would for the longest time and now that I have actually started, I wish I had started them sooner! LOVE CHARRANGO LESSONS!!! I now know how to play happy birthday:)

Semana Santa

What Canadians know as the Easter long weekend, Bolivians know as Semana Santa; It is three days of family, religion, food and fun. I was lucky enough to travel to La Paz with my family for the weekend to visit my host dads brothers and sisters. Although there were no Easter eggs nor turkey, it was still a very nice Easter filled with new Bolivian traditions. On friday we all went out and visited 7 churches in the morning, it is tradition to do this but the only catcher is that you must go from Church to church by feet...no cars or taxi's aloud. This wouldnt have been such a big deal if we hadnt been in La Paz, with the super steep hills and the altitude, it was quite a challenge. Saturday I was introduced to another tradition, the seven course lunch. We had the ENTIRE family (more than 40 people) get together for lunch and we ate seven different courses, each course represented something and was accompanied by a prayer, it was also considered rude if you didnt eat/try  one of the courses so it is safe to say that we were all VERY full by the end of lunch. Sunday started off with us attending church and then going home where we removed  a special reef over the front door and replaced it with a new one. The reef is replaced every year on easter sunday as a sign of respect for Jesus's sacrifice and it is said that with the reef in your house, the entire family will be looked after for the whole year.

La Paz is not in fact the capital of Bolivia like many people believe, it is where the government is but it is actually Sucre that is the Capital. La Paz is essentially a bowl, the city part and the down town are in the bottom part but all the houses and other parts climb up the mountains that surround the city. Being in the city is beautiful with all the mountains and the way that houses look but the altitude kills! It is so hard to breathe and you get super tired really easily,to top it all off though, all the streets are hills and in order to get anywhere you either have to hike or pay ridiculous amounts for a taxi!
Being in La Paz made me see that although it is super nice there, I am so lucky to live in Santa Cruz, the weather is always nice, there are no killer hills nor altitude problems, you can walk anywhere, it is not as dangerous and it is way less expensive to live there. La Paz, because there are so many mountains, you have to go around the mountains and it takes you a solid half hour to get anywhere, the taxis are more expensive and there are hardly any buses anywhere, as oppose to Santa Cruz where you can actually get a taxi anywhere in like 10 min and the buses seem to go everywhere!
While I was in the City I got to do some shopping, sight seeing, met some more of my family, learned to play poker and got a nice break from the Santa Cruz heat, I also got to spend some quality time with my host family! All in all it was an amazing Easter long weekend.

Que Vive el Camba

The other day it hit me how little time I have left here, as of Sunday I will have been in Bolivia 7 months and will only have 3 left. There are still so many things that I want to do here but time is quickly running out :( It just looks like I am going to start getting my butt in gear and checking things off my Bolivian to-do list. These last 2 weeks have been jammed packed with school/homework and preperation for "El Dia Del Padre"(Bolivian Fathers Day on March 19th), 2 of my fellow exchange friends' Birthdays, hanging out with friends (both Bolivian and exchange), spending time with the family and living life to the fullest.

El Dia Del Padre is the Bolivian version of Fathers Day, it is celebrated on March 19th and at school there was a huge dinner/show thing for all the parents. It was a long and tedious process trying to get everything organized, it involved alot of staying after school but our grad class pulled it off and the night went smoothly. A bunch of us Grigota Exchange students all got together to organize some surprises for Charlotte and Mathilde who both turned 19 last week. We all met up and made them giant cards with tons of pictures and surprised them on their birthdays. Mathilde had a quiet get together with the exchangers at her house and Charlotte had a party where her family surprised her with a limo for all of us to driving about in, it was great and hilarious! One thing that I love about Bolivian birthdays is that it is tradition to shove the persons face in the cake when they blow out the candles, its messy but hilarious!

As of the 21st of March, it officially changed to fall here, I can totally feel the change in the temperature, it is no longer deathly hot, just oven hot now but it gets cooler at night, im a huge fan of that! One thing is that the leaves on the trees have not started to go into any type of dormant state...strange. I think that the best part of fall though is all the fruits that are in season! right now there is an abundance of \Avocado, pears, pomegranate, grapes, chirymoia (a vanillaish tasting fruit that is green and bumpy with individual pods that have a pit in each one) and as always papaya. So far I am loving fall, it is super sunny but it can get cool, like the other day, it was about 25 degrees and everyone (including me) was in jeans and sweaters and gloves and pretty much just freezing cold...nice to see that im getting used to the Bolivian heat, probs gonna die when I get to the Ottawa cold though.

On thursday I had a very exciting moment, it actually isnt that exciting but for me it was a HUGE deal! So the summer before last, I spent the entire time on crutches because I tore pretty much all the ligaments in my knee and shattered the shock absorber playing soccer. It has been 1 year and 9 months since my accident and a year and 4 months since my surgery but Thursday was my first time playing soccer again! It took me a long time to get to that point, but being able to play again was totally worth every bit of agonizing physio. The best part was that I didnt even play goal like I usually do, I was on defense and didnt get a sub the entire game, I feel like that is saying something too because we were playing against the university! It was 11 on 11 on a field not 5 on 5 in a gym like it usually is here, the experience was very different because of the way everyone plays but it was still one of the best feelings ever to be back on the field!

Im hoping time slows down for these next three months, as much as I want to see my family and friends back home, im not quite ready to say goodbye to them here, I always thought about coming to Bolivia for my exchange and how hard it would be, but I never thought about the leaving part.

Small things really can make the biggest difference!

Today I made REAL macceroni and cheese, with normal cheddar cheese! not that olive tasting crap that Bolivians call cheese, it was the first time in 7 months and it was pure heaven!

Full Fiesta

I am at the stage in my exchange where everything is just normal now. I have overcome the awkward stage and the language barrier, I have made friends and learned my way around the city, trips and new beginnings have all come and gone and now that being here has lost its luster, I am just living a normal life. It is strange, now that I am past the middle of my exchange and no longer have any big things in the future; I have started to think about coming home and all the goodbyes to come. It is depressing and makes me see how much I love it here, im just hoping that these next 4 months go slowly! tengo que disfrutar de todo el tiempo que falta!

I am very glad to say that all the colour has come out of my hair, the only down side of that is that it means that carnaval is officially gone:( Pretty much Carnaval is a giant festival and party week where everyone gets all their partying and schenanigans out of their systems before the start of lent. Tons of the  super religious people get out of the city on retreats in order to avoid the chaos but everyone else is ready for 4 days of pure fun and fiesta! Every weekend in Feb leading up to the 18th there was a parade of people dancing and preparing for Carnaval, that was known as Pre-Carnavelara, there was only foam and water at these events and it was a family rated events, on the 17 there is the corso de las ninos, which is the Carnaval parade for all the children and that aswell was early and was very tame. Then came the 18th of February and that was when all hell broke loose, not actually tho, just kinda! All the major streets in the city were shut down and it was impossible to get anywhere without traffic jams but that was all because the Giant parade floats were getting ready for that night where there was the most impressive parade I have EVER seen! it was amazing with floats and costumes and music and bands and dancing and foam and water and cervezas and sooo many people! The parade is the kick off to Carnaval, from that point on everyone is spending time with family in the mornings and going to party in the afternoon and the night, people have water wars on the streets and everyone is an open target! Every day the streets get a little more dirty and the wars escalate from water and  foam to paint then mud then pee and finally the worst is either animal fat or shoe polish. Every day I came home covered in paint and foam and water, i was very fortunate not to have any of the others thrown on me! It was due to the people throwing paint and ink in my hair that it was pink and red and blue and green and yellow and purple for the longest time, it took three weeks to come out of my hair and it is not coming out of my clothes, fortunately i had my Bata for that! A bata is a long robe that people wear in order to prevent their clothes from getting ruined, they come with your comparsa. I was also lucky enough to be part of a Comparsa, which is a group of people who all have a parking lot to party in and where there is security and music and people my age, it was so much fun and it was alot safer than going out to party on the streets! Carnaval is known as the most dangerous time of the year in the city! But it was SOO much fun and I am really hoping to come back for it again!

It was an experience that I have never had before and it was probably one of my favorites in Bolivia

That moment when you realize that you're actually happy!

I have been in Bolivia for 5 months, 24 days, 7 hours, 53 ish minutes and some-odd seconds yet today was the first time that it actually felt totally completely happy. Ever since we got back to school my life here in Bolivia has taken a significant turn on the positive side! This year is so much better than last, I understand everyone and I can converse with them, I can understand the jokes and can make them myself, I am making friends that are actually friends (kinda hard to explain but when you're the exchange student everyoneish wants to be your friend, sometimes only for the sake of saying that they are friends with the exchange student, now im starting to make friends who actually act as friends!)and everything is just better! I no longer am afraid to make a fool of myself ( I have learned that it is going to happen whether or not I want it to) and im more confidant and all that jazz, not to mention the fact that I am pretty much fluent! HURRAY
Today at school I got to teach my entire class a game that I learned in Canada and everyone loved it, it is now working its way around the school and I am proud to say that I got to share that with all of them. More than anything else, I realized that I am no longer on the outside of the glass looking in, I am now part of the scene. Like yesterday for instance, 2 of my good friends from school just showed up at my house and from there we went to the market and hung out in the plaza, that is something that I would do with my friends back home. It is just that everything clicked into place and I am more happy than I think I have ever been on my exchange and I didn't even realize it! Before I was happy but now it is different, its like happy and home and comfortable all at the same time!
Not to mention Carnaval blew my mind! but that is for another story :)

Today we set off Fireworks!

...In the classroom durring first period...welcome to Bolivian schooling

Starting to sink in

I was the kind of exchange student that left their home country without the teary goodbyes and the crying yourself to sleep in your host country every night. For the longest time I thought that there was something wrong with me because even though I was sad that I had to say goodbye to my friends and family, there was no emotional breakdowns nor depressions, not anything. I have still not cried a single tear since getting here, not even when I left.
I've been waiting for this experience to "hit me" for me to realize all that I have left and that Im here in Bolivia. I've been waiting for the breakdown and the fallout but nothing has come and I am starting to think that it might not be at all what I thought would come! Over the course of the last few days I have really been seeing the changes in myself and I really do think that the whole "me being in Bolivia" thing, is sinking in...but its nothing like I expected it to be! I thought it would be a sad, depressing, teary moment but instead it has been a feeling of pride and excitement!

It all started 2 days ago when I met a 49 year old man from the USA who was asking ME for help with Spanish; since when do I know Spanish?! It got me thinking about how much I have learned, how different I think, how I do things and how I am! That was the first shock to the system. Then came yesterday, I was at the movies watching "viaje 2" It is an american movie but we were watching it in Spanish, at first I didn't even realize that it was in Spanish, then I caught myself thinking "why isn't anyone being polite and greeting eachother with ' besos' (kisses on the cheek)"?  Then again I realized that it was not a Bolivian movie and that in america saying hello is greeting enough!

Ever since these moments I have been really thinking and reflecting and pondering all that I have accomplished over my exchange and how much I have grown, I am now excited to Skype my parents where as before I was all "whatever", I am different and I am in Bolivia and it is strange but it is hitting home now and its all coming into perspective!

Who would have thought that it would take over half the year for the fact that I am here to sink in? And who knows what the rest of the year will show?

The life I love!

Bruises from water attacks in Sucre

Muis and I at Cristo in Cochabamba

Cochabamba

Yes we brought a watermelon on the Plane :)

Cholitas and Tanks...a Casual sunday in La Paz

Estado Plurinacional

La Paz

Vallea de la Luna...La Paz

Isaac being awesome and Back flipping into the water

Waterfalls in tarija

Llamas in Boats...Isla del Sol

Muis on top of the world...Isla del Sol...Lago Titicaca

I might have fallen just a little bit into the waterfall...

Sunsets on the Isla del Sol

Isla del Sol

Sucre with real Dr.Seus trees

Inside the mines in Potosi

Salaire de Uyuni

Train Graveyard...Uyuni

Muis stepping on me in Uyuni

It hurts to walk on salt!

Muis in Uyuni

BOLIVIA!!! exchange student style!

Inside the Mummy caves...Uyuni

Salty buts after the flats

Potosi...I was inside that giant mountain!

Nice clean running water in Tarija

Familliar looking...I first thought of the Okanagan, but nope this is Tarija

Muis went to the Waterfalls, Tarija

Look mom, Emily cut my hair...I have Bangs!