Tuesday, 14 February 2012
Today we set off Fireworks!
...In the classroom durring first period...welcome to Bolivian schooling
Saturday, 11 February 2012
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?
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?
Saturday, 4 February 2012
The life I love!
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| Bruises from water attacks in Sucre |
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| Muis and I at Cristo in Cochabamba |
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| Cochabamba |
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| Yes we brought a watermelon on the Plane :) |
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| Cholitas and Tanks...a Casual sunday in La Paz |
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| Estado Plurinacional |
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| La Paz |
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| Vallea de la Luna...La Paz |
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| Isaac being awesome and Back flipping into the water |
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| Waterfalls in tarija |
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| Llamas in Boats...Isla del Sol |
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| Muis on top of the world...Isla del Sol...Lago Titicaca |
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| I might have fallen just a little bit into the waterfall... |
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| Sunsets on the Isla del Sol |
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| Isla del Sol |
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| Sucre with real Dr.Seus trees |
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| Inside the mines in Potosi |
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| Salaire de Uyuni |
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| Train Graveyard...Uyuni |
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| Muis stepping on me in Uyuni |
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| It hurts to walk on salt! |
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| Muis in Uyuni |
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| BOLIVIA!!! exchange student style! |
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| Inside the Mummy caves...Uyuni |
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| Salty buts after the flats |
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| Potosi...I was inside that giant mountain! |
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| Nice clean running water in Tarija |
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| Familliar looking...I first thought of the Okanagan, but nope this is Tarija |
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| Muis went to the Waterfalls, Tarija |
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| Look mom, Emily cut my hair...I have Bangs! |
Tiempo es oro
"Time is gold" that is what our guide would tell us on an hourly basis as all 15 exchange students from around Santa Cruz were traveling through Bolivia. We left Santa Cruz on the 21st at 7:30AM, and from that point on it was go go go until 7:30 PM when we arrived back in Santa Cruz on the 31st.
We flew from Santa Cruz to Cochabamba where we spent the day walking around, trying new foods and hiking 'Cristo" a giant mountain with a statue of Christ on top, it was safe to say that by the end of the day all of our legs felt like jello and we were all a few shades darker! From Cochabamba we flew to La Paz, but that was not without a few difficulties, we were stuck in the airport for 4 hours due to delays, but being the amazing exchange students that we are we made the best of it and goofed off. In La Paz there were a few problems with the altitude for a couple of people and while they were getting some O2 the rest of us had a sleep deprived bus party!
January 22 is a holiday in Bolivia to celebrate el estado Plurinacional. For most of those who are not indigenous, this day is not warmly welcomed. We were lucky enough to be in the capital for this day so we got to see the parade and the ceremonies and all that jazz, there were tanks and soldiers and music and tons of cholitas but all in all it was a great day. The altitude made walking up the hills a lot difficult but fortunately enough for me, exhaustion was my only side effect! In La Paz, we went to museums, shopped, saw la vallea de la luna, and explored the city, in no time at all we were off to Copacabana and on our way to the Isla del Sol.\
Isla del sol was BEAUTIFUL, im pretty sure it was my favorite part of the trip, it was the most natural part of Bolivia i had seen, there were no cars on the Island and lake Titicaca was so nice,I hiked with my friend Emily (from the states) to the top of the mountain when everyone else was swimming and it was soooo beautiful, we even made an inukshuk to mark our presence there! That night at the hotel there was a power outage so to avoid the terror of being alone in the dark we had 8 of us all bunk up in one room on three little beds!It was by far the best night of the trip!\
After Isla del sol we went back to La Paz then headed out to Sucre where we spent the afternoon touring around and getting pegged by water balloons then we bused out to Potosi where we spent the night and then went into the mines and explored the city some more. After Potosi we bused to Uyuni , we saw the famous train cementary, come mummies and the infamous Salaire de Uyuni...which was stunning. There was sooooo much salt! 12000 squared kilometers to be exact! the one thing that i didnt expect was how much it hurt to walk on the salt! do not be fooled by the idea that the salt you get in your house is the kind on the flats...it is not!
After our sunburnt salty experience in Uyuni we went back to Potosi, went to some museums and Hailey had some Credit Card Problems that me and Lou helped her out with, then we were on our way back to Sucre where we spent the next 2 days. Being the group of Gringas that we are, it was only natural that we would be the targets of the pre carnival water balloon wars, what i was not expecting was that it would get so totally out of hand to the point where I hurt my knee and am now covered in gross bruises. None the less it was a fun time in Sucre but it was not a dry one! we got to go to some little textile markets, a dinosaur museum and to a lights show we hit up the plaza, ran into some friends from SC and bought chocolate then we were off on our way to Tarija for the the final days of the trip :(
Tarija is alot like the Okanagan, I mean it is simmilar in the ways that it is smaller, has mountains and lots of wineries and it felt like home, for that reason i am glad that i am not living there. we went to some wineries, and to a beautful waterfall where we could swim and go exploring, I loved being able to climb up stream and explore the different nooks and crannies of the falls. I did unfortunately fall in the stream so despite the fact that i was planning on staying dry...that didnt really happen.
This trip was AMAZING I laughed harder than i ever have here, I made new friends and became better friends with everyone, I got to see more of my new country and develop my spanish. I saw the differences in culture and finally got to feel the cold!
best 10 days ever!
"No solviden nada!?" creo que no puedo!
We flew from Santa Cruz to Cochabamba where we spent the day walking around, trying new foods and hiking 'Cristo" a giant mountain with a statue of Christ on top, it was safe to say that by the end of the day all of our legs felt like jello and we were all a few shades darker! From Cochabamba we flew to La Paz, but that was not without a few difficulties, we were stuck in the airport for 4 hours due to delays, but being the amazing exchange students that we are we made the best of it and goofed off. In La Paz there were a few problems with the altitude for a couple of people and while they were getting some O2 the rest of us had a sleep deprived bus party!
January 22 is a holiday in Bolivia to celebrate el estado Plurinacional. For most of those who are not indigenous, this day is not warmly welcomed. We were lucky enough to be in the capital for this day so we got to see the parade and the ceremonies and all that jazz, there were tanks and soldiers and music and tons of cholitas but all in all it was a great day. The altitude made walking up the hills a lot difficult but fortunately enough for me, exhaustion was my only side effect! In La Paz, we went to museums, shopped, saw la vallea de la luna, and explored the city, in no time at all we were off to Copacabana and on our way to the Isla del Sol.\
Isla del sol was BEAUTIFUL, im pretty sure it was my favorite part of the trip, it was the most natural part of Bolivia i had seen, there were no cars on the Island and lake Titicaca was so nice,I hiked with my friend Emily (from the states) to the top of the mountain when everyone else was swimming and it was soooo beautiful, we even made an inukshuk to mark our presence there! That night at the hotel there was a power outage so to avoid the terror of being alone in the dark we had 8 of us all bunk up in one room on three little beds!It was by far the best night of the trip!\
After Isla del sol we went back to La Paz then headed out to Sucre where we spent the afternoon touring around and getting pegged by water balloons then we bused out to Potosi where we spent the night and then went into the mines and explored the city some more. After Potosi we bused to Uyuni , we saw the famous train cementary, come mummies and the infamous Salaire de Uyuni...which was stunning. There was sooooo much salt! 12000 squared kilometers to be exact! the one thing that i didnt expect was how much it hurt to walk on the salt! do not be fooled by the idea that the salt you get in your house is the kind on the flats...it is not!
After our sunburnt salty experience in Uyuni we went back to Potosi, went to some museums and Hailey had some Credit Card Problems that me and Lou helped her out with, then we were on our way back to Sucre where we spent the next 2 days. Being the group of Gringas that we are, it was only natural that we would be the targets of the pre carnival water balloon wars, what i was not expecting was that it would get so totally out of hand to the point where I hurt my knee and am now covered in gross bruises. None the less it was a fun time in Sucre but it was not a dry one! we got to go to some little textile markets, a dinosaur museum and to a lights show we hit up the plaza, ran into some friends from SC and bought chocolate then we were off on our way to Tarija for the the final days of the trip :(
Tarija is alot like the Okanagan, I mean it is simmilar in the ways that it is smaller, has mountains and lots of wineries and it felt like home, for that reason i am glad that i am not living there. we went to some wineries, and to a beautful waterfall where we could swim and go exploring, I loved being able to climb up stream and explore the different nooks and crannies of the falls. I did unfortunately fall in the stream so despite the fact that i was planning on staying dry...that didnt really happen.
This trip was AMAZING I laughed harder than i ever have here, I made new friends and became better friends with everyone, I got to see more of my new country and develop my spanish. I saw the differences in culture and finally got to feel the cold!
best 10 days ever!
"No solviden nada!?" creo que no puedo!
Wednesday, 1 February 2012
Half Way
WTF SINCE WHEN IS IT FEBRUARY!????????????????????
The fact that I have been here for 5 months is kinda blowing my mind! the time and the memories flash before my eyes and it feels like it has only been a few days, yet at the same time a lifetime. Thinking back and reflecting on all that I have learned, experienced and discovered...it makes me proud to be able to say that I made it this far and that there is still so much to come.
Being at my half way point just totally baffles me. To know that there are more tomorrows than yesterdays, more "remember whens" than "we shoulds", it kinda breaks my heart a little bit! Don't get me wrong, I am very excited to be going home, to see my family and to get back to "real life", but it is going to be so much harder to leave this place than it was to come here! Bolivia will forever be a part of me and it pains me to think that I wont be here forever!
The fact that I have been here for 5 months is kinda blowing my mind! the time and the memories flash before my eyes and it feels like it has only been a few days, yet at the same time a lifetime. Thinking back and reflecting on all that I have learned, experienced and discovered...it makes me proud to be able to say that I made it this far and that there is still so much to come.
Being at my half way point just totally baffles me. To know that there are more tomorrows than yesterdays, more "remember whens" than "we shoulds", it kinda breaks my heart a little bit! Don't get me wrong, I am very excited to be going home, to see my family and to get back to "real life", but it is going to be so much harder to leave this place than it was to come here! Bolivia will forever be a part of me and it pains me to think that I wont be here forever!
Thursday, 5 January 2012
Horrified
Yesterday I witnessed something that shook me to my core, I am still reeling from this experience and it may sound corny but I think it changed my life a little.
Yesterday we spent the day at my aunts house,there was 15 of us total all crammed into one little air conditioned room. My 6 year old cousin has a reputation for being annoying and a pest, he likes to defy his mother and be a nuisance in general, but yesterday he was actually being very good. He was going from one point to another when he was knocked over by his brother pushing out his chair to get up, this resulted in him falling and knocking over a table. Immediately everyone was getting mad at him and he was apologetic but because no one (other than me) witnessed him being knocked over, they all thought that he did it on purpose so they started getting mad at him and did not give him a chance to explain himself. Josue is 6 so he started getting weepy and sad that everyone was being mad and not giving him a chance to speak, he refused to go to his room because he wanted to explain that it was not his fault that he knocked over the table, but no one would hear it and all they would do is yell at him and try to drag him off into his room. This went on for about 5 min unit his grandmother came out with a plastic stick and started beating the crap out of him, even when he was screaming on the floor in pain not even able to get up and go to his room like they asked because she was relentlessly wailing on him with this stick.
His screams will haunt me for a long time to come, it was one of those moments where my stomach just dropped in utter horror and disgust, the worst part is that I was the only one who reacted to this in any way. While he was on the ground screaming, I was yelling (in English because my brain was in shock) for them to stop it. It was one of those moments where after it had stopped, Josue was on the ground sobbing, I was almost in tears and everyone was just staring at me. My reaction totally surprised them, it was like for them this was normal and it didn't matter what they were mercilessly beating a child who was only 6 years old.
Josue went to his room sobbing and scared, I got the chance to explain to my family that I had never seen something like that and that it has scared me and disgusted me. It was my host sister who took me aside and thanked me for saying something that really sent me for a loop, but at the same time made me feel better. She said that because it was her relatives who where "disciplining" their child, she was out of line to say anything but the fact that I finally did meant alot to her.
I dont think I will ever be able to look at my great Aunt the same way again, I have lost all respect for her, the fact that she could do that to her own grandson and who did nothing wrong...it disgusts me. When I told her and everyone else that Josue was knocked over and that it actually wasnt his fault that he knocked the table over, my aunt didnt do anything, she just blew it off saying that he probably deserved it anyway, his mother and my family became a little more repent-full at this point too but the fact that this is a norm for them is something that I will never be able to understand.
Those screams keep replaying over in my head and every time it makes my stomach drop, It makes me proud to know that I stuck up for Josue but it disgusted me that I was the only one.
Yesterday we spent the day at my aunts house,there was 15 of us total all crammed into one little air conditioned room. My 6 year old cousin has a reputation for being annoying and a pest, he likes to defy his mother and be a nuisance in general, but yesterday he was actually being very good. He was going from one point to another when he was knocked over by his brother pushing out his chair to get up, this resulted in him falling and knocking over a table. Immediately everyone was getting mad at him and he was apologetic but because no one (other than me) witnessed him being knocked over, they all thought that he did it on purpose so they started getting mad at him and did not give him a chance to explain himself. Josue is 6 so he started getting weepy and sad that everyone was being mad and not giving him a chance to speak, he refused to go to his room because he wanted to explain that it was not his fault that he knocked over the table, but no one would hear it and all they would do is yell at him and try to drag him off into his room. This went on for about 5 min unit his grandmother came out with a plastic stick and started beating the crap out of him, even when he was screaming on the floor in pain not even able to get up and go to his room like they asked because she was relentlessly wailing on him with this stick.
His screams will haunt me for a long time to come, it was one of those moments where my stomach just dropped in utter horror and disgust, the worst part is that I was the only one who reacted to this in any way. While he was on the ground screaming, I was yelling (in English because my brain was in shock) for them to stop it. It was one of those moments where after it had stopped, Josue was on the ground sobbing, I was almost in tears and everyone was just staring at me. My reaction totally surprised them, it was like for them this was normal and it didn't matter what they were mercilessly beating a child who was only 6 years old.
Josue went to his room sobbing and scared, I got the chance to explain to my family that I had never seen something like that and that it has scared me and disgusted me. It was my host sister who took me aside and thanked me for saying something that really sent me for a loop, but at the same time made me feel better. She said that because it was her relatives who where "disciplining" their child, she was out of line to say anything but the fact that I finally did meant alot to her.
I dont think I will ever be able to look at my great Aunt the same way again, I have lost all respect for her, the fact that she could do that to her own grandson and who did nothing wrong...it disgusts me. When I told her and everyone else that Josue was knocked over and that it actually wasnt his fault that he knocked the table over, my aunt didnt do anything, she just blew it off saying that he probably deserved it anyway, his mother and my family became a little more repent-full at this point too but the fact that this is a norm for them is something that I will never be able to understand.
Those screams keep replaying over in my head and every time it makes my stomach drop, It makes me proud to know that I stuck up for Josue but it disgusted me that I was the only one.
Wednesday, 4 January 2012
Kicking off 2012 with dengue....sick...literally.
I have a confession to make...the last blog I wrote, I was alot less fine than I led on.In fact the 29th was the first day in a long time that I was even able to walk around and sit up for long periods of time. From the 26th of December to the 2nd of January, I was officially sick with Dengue fever. It is essentially a disease that is transmitted by mosquitoes and it gives you a fever, full body aches, headaches, joint pain, nausea, loss of appetite, faintness, weakness, and sleepyness. Lucky me, I got every one of those symptoms and then some....
It all started on the 26th, we went to dinner at a really fancy restaurant for my sisters birthday and it was all I could do not to put my head on the table and cry. My mother noticed that I hardly ate anything and that I was not very talkative/ active. That night she took me to the hospital where I was poked and prodded, they took some tests and some blood and gave me a prescription for heat exhaustion (because all my tests came out normal) and sent me on my way. The next day, after sleeping pretty much all day, fainting on my floor and turning pretty much yellow, my mom took me back to the hospital demanding they do more tests because there was obviously something wrong with me! By this point I couldn't eat anything nor could I spend very much time sitting up nor standing. They ran more tests and found out that my white blood cell count (it could have been red, i don't remember) had taken a dive, and I had become extremely dehydrated, I spent the night in the Hospital hooked up to an IV and every couple of hours people took more blood samples to see how I was faring. The diagnosis came back as Dengue fever and it is safe to say that my host mom was not impressed with the miss diagnosis. By the time I got home from the hospital the next day, I had 6 new needle pokes, I was no longer yellow and I was on a bunch of different medication. One of which is to get rid of the parasite that they found out that I have. That one I am still working on getting rid of :)
8 days of being house/ bed ridden, tons of sleep, lots of pills, mass amounts of water and Gatorade and 2 trips to the hospital later, I am finally better! This was one Bolivian experience that I would have been happy to skip out on, But on the plus side Dengue is like the chicken pox, once you get it, there is a very very very small chance that you will ever get it again...THANK GOSH!
Due to being sick, I was unable to go out and do anything too terribly exciting for New Years, but I was ok with that. I spent the New Years at home with my family, we had a party at my house for our church, there was food and music and lots of people and celebrations. When it came to the fireworks and cheering...I thought that my brain was going to explode but other than that, I was feeling a lot better than previous days but still not 100%.
Bolivians celebrate the new years with four main traditions. 1. blow up the sky with as many fireworks as humanly possible. 2.At midnight you need to go to an upper level of a house, building,etc...stand on a chair and eat grapes. It is supposed to bring you good luck for the new years. 3. Everyone throws fake money around...it is supposed to bring you riches in the year to come. 4. at the new years parties, when dawn breaks everyone eats soup ( like at 5 am, because ALL the parties are still going on) it is cleansing and helps with good health for the year to come. I dont know if any of these traditions work but i did them all, so lets see how this year goes. Despite still being on the way back to good health, I stayed up until 7:30 AM with my amazing host sister Goldy, we had silly string wars, lit off fireworks, ate food, watched movies, laughed...ALOT, and wore crazy hats, glasses,wigs etc. It was a great way to start the New Year. Happy 2012 to everyone!!!!!!! Cant believe I have passed my 4 month mark!
Final words of wisdom...BEWARE OF DEMON MOSQUITOES!
Oh, P.S...I am officially a red head.
It all started on the 26th, we went to dinner at a really fancy restaurant for my sisters birthday and it was all I could do not to put my head on the table and cry. My mother noticed that I hardly ate anything and that I was not very talkative/ active. That night she took me to the hospital where I was poked and prodded, they took some tests and some blood and gave me a prescription for heat exhaustion (because all my tests came out normal) and sent me on my way. The next day, after sleeping pretty much all day, fainting on my floor and turning pretty much yellow, my mom took me back to the hospital demanding they do more tests because there was obviously something wrong with me! By this point I couldn't eat anything nor could I spend very much time sitting up nor standing. They ran more tests and found out that my white blood cell count (it could have been red, i don't remember) had taken a dive, and I had become extremely dehydrated, I spent the night in the Hospital hooked up to an IV and every couple of hours people took more blood samples to see how I was faring. The diagnosis came back as Dengue fever and it is safe to say that my host mom was not impressed with the miss diagnosis. By the time I got home from the hospital the next day, I had 6 new needle pokes, I was no longer yellow and I was on a bunch of different medication. One of which is to get rid of the parasite that they found out that I have. That one I am still working on getting rid of :)
8 days of being house/ bed ridden, tons of sleep, lots of pills, mass amounts of water and Gatorade and 2 trips to the hospital later, I am finally better! This was one Bolivian experience that I would have been happy to skip out on, But on the plus side Dengue is like the chicken pox, once you get it, there is a very very very small chance that you will ever get it again...THANK GOSH!
Due to being sick, I was unable to go out and do anything too terribly exciting for New Years, but I was ok with that. I spent the New Years at home with my family, we had a party at my house for our church, there was food and music and lots of people and celebrations. When it came to the fireworks and cheering...I thought that my brain was going to explode but other than that, I was feeling a lot better than previous days but still not 100%.
Bolivians celebrate the new years with four main traditions. 1. blow up the sky with as many fireworks as humanly possible. 2.At midnight you need to go to an upper level of a house, building,etc...stand on a chair and eat grapes. It is supposed to bring you good luck for the new years. 3. Everyone throws fake money around...it is supposed to bring you riches in the year to come. 4. at the new years parties, when dawn breaks everyone eats soup ( like at 5 am, because ALL the parties are still going on) it is cleansing and helps with good health for the year to come. I dont know if any of these traditions work but i did them all, so lets see how this year goes. Despite still being on the way back to good health, I stayed up until 7:30 AM with my amazing host sister Goldy, we had silly string wars, lit off fireworks, ate food, watched movies, laughed...ALOT, and wore crazy hats, glasses,wigs etc. It was a great way to start the New Year. Happy 2012 to everyone!!!!!!! Cant believe I have passed my 4 month mark!
Final words of wisdom...BEWARE OF DEMON MOSQUITOES!
Oh, P.S...I am officially a red head.
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