Wed 24 Feb

Today I woke up in La Paz with a mission. I was going to purchase a Charango and two Quenas. They are instruments of South America and I love how they sound so I want to learn how to play them. The Charango is a small guitar with ten strings and sounds so cool. The Quena is a wooden flute that can reach the high octaves and lower ones too. I started my adventure walking from the house to the main street to catch a Trufi. A Trufi is like a taxi but it goes from one exact location to another and it only cost 3 Boliviano´s. I took one to the instrument district and then searched for someone who could help me with my purchase. I could not go into the stores because the first sight of me (A Gringo) would make the prices rise considerably and also they might cheat me on a quality instrument. I went to the Hostel that I stayed at the first night and asked them if they could help me. They said they would be more than happy to help any friend of Hugh. Hugh was my good friend in Carmen Pampa and I believe he must know almost everyone in Bolivia. A worker named Miguel said he would be happy to help me and we went to buy the instruments. We walked up the hill about two blocks and Miguel entered first, then me second so it wouldn’t seem like we knew one another. Miguel was super nice and talked to the man to get a Charango and two Quenas for a really good price and good quality. We walked back and I thanked him, then I returned to the house. When I got home, I had lunch with Irech which was very nice and the food was good. After, I practiced my new instruments by learning how to play them on the internet. Later, I went out to a late dinner with Jimmy and Irech at a restaurant called Papa Charlie’s. The food was very good but I got full quickly. After we returned home and Irech and I exchanged music and played some music too. After, I went to bed.

Tues 23 Feb

Today was my final day and I was sad but knew that my next adventure was waiting to begin. First I said goodbye to all of my buddies in my dorm and took their picture. Then I got packed and ready to go. I headed up to the higher campus, then said goodbye to my worker friends. After, I had lunch with my family and close friends. I got a small flute from Carlos Yo-Yo, and a Carmen Pampa shirt from Hugh! After I took one more look around Carmen Pampa, said goodbye, then Javier drove me to Coroico to set me off. When we got there, we chilled at the terminal until the bus was ready. Once it was time to go, I said goodbye, then I was off to La Paz. When I got to my new families house, Veronica was there and she let me in. I ate some food and chilled with the family for a while. Then I skyped with my family, then went to bed.

Mon 22 Feb

Today I chilled at the house and rested in order to get better. Also I had the kitten to keep me company while I chilled. Later I decided to get some fresh air, so I took a walk to pick up the other weed whacker to bring to the lower campus. Once I did that, Don Oskar and I set up the Weed whacker and tested it out. Then we had a student come and try it out. After I had dinner with the family, then went to the dorms for my final night.

Sun 21 Feb

Today I went to Coroico with the students. We missed the first mini bus, so we hopped in the back of a truck. When we got there, we ate at a family owned restaurant and had some good food. After, we went shopping for a CD and vegetables for me, and a scary movie and other things for my friends. When I was waiting outside of a store, Sarah pulled up with Javier and asked me if I wanted to go to the falls. I hopped in and we went to visit the falls for a while. Later in the night, I felt sick due to the food or water I believe. Later we watched the scary movie, and then I went to bed.

Sat 20 Feb

Today I woke up and went to work at the Carpentaria. When I got there, the workers and I put together the weed whacker for the top campus. Then we tried her out on a section of grass that hadn’t been cut in a good while. The men were intimidated at first, but then got used to it. I also gave them a few tips from my previous experience when using them in Costa Rica. After, we went to work on the beds some more and I worked until 630pm. After, I had dinner with the family, and then played a movie for the students. After, I went to bed.

Fri 19 Feb

Today I woke up early and met up with Javier so we could go to La Paz. We walked down the mountain and picked up the car and we were off to La Paz. Once we started driving, I found a CD with a bunch of Bolivian music on it and Javier and I jammed to it all the way to La Paz. Javier especially liked the song Loba by Shakira and I think we must have listened to it about 15 times throughout the whole trip. Once we got to La Paz, we went to the bank to take the money out. I had forgotten my passport so it was extremely hard to get the money out. After going to about 7 different banks, I got out about $800 so we decided to go with it. After some searching we found the store and bought two weed whackers for about $360 each. With the rest of the money we first purchased spare parts for the weed whackers, then safety equipment for the students such as leather gloves for working, safety goggles, and breathing masks for dust in the wood working shop. After our shopping spree, we took a taxi back to our truck and we were on our way back to Carmen Pampa! Also Shakira was also a big hit on the way back and we must have listened to it another 10 to 15 times. When I got home, I was just in time to have a quick dinner, then go to the dance the University has hosting to welcome the new students. When I got to the dance, the students were in their ordered line dancing but I didn’t let it get to me this time. This time Sarah and I went right into the middle of the line and started dancing until the lines were messed up. The music was great and my friends taught me how to dance the Bolivian music. Later it started raining but the students kept on dancing until the party was over. We were soaked but I had so much fun!! After I took a shower then went to bed.

Thurs 18 Feb

Today I planned for my trip to La Paz to buy the weed whackers. Then, I helped out Eddy again with the project.

Wed 17 Feb

Today I went back up to the wood working shop and helped Eddy with the bunk bed project some more. Later, I had dinner, and then went to bed.

Tues 16 Feb

Today was the day that the Bolivians Chiya everything. This is where they bless their house, car, and pretty much anything else that needs luck for the New Year. We decorated the car with streamers and confetti. We threw small pieces of sugar candy over the house to give it good luck and then splashed alcohol in every corner of the house. After, we all got in the big truck and headed for the other school that was run by one of the sisters to bless a new room, and a tractor. After sitting in the back of the truck driving on the bumpiest roads for about 45min, we finally got there. First the bishop did a ceremony to bless the new room. Then we took this beautiful hike up the side of a mountain to get to the farm where the new tractor was. After blessing that, we went back down and had a huge lunch. Later when we got back to Carmen Pampa, the children from the small town where having a water balloon fight and we decided to join in. After 5min we were soaked and Balloons were flying everywhere. Soon after the college students took over and we went from balloons to buckets of water. It was boys against girls and we grabbed people and threw huge buckets of water on them. Later when we were done with the girls, we switched to were the boys and girls went after people who were dry. Once everyone was soaked, we waited outside for the mini buses to arrive with the students who were coming back from La Paz. They had all their luggage and back packs but that didn’t stop us. We grabbed them, took off anything that was important, and no matter what excuse they had saying why they couldn’t get wet, we soaked them anyway!!! HAPPY CARNIVAL!! Later we had dinner and I then went to bed in the dorms.

Mon 15 Feb

This morning I woke up and had a nice breakfast with the family and we had a long discussion about Bolivia and Evo and Politics which was very interesting. After Breakfast, Sarah left to return to Carmen Pampa, but I stayed to chill with the family for a couple hours longer. Once the daughter Irech woke up, I got to meet her and we went out to lunch. We had food called sal-tain-yas which were baked bread with meat filling inside of them. They were so good! After we walked back to the house and I then left for Carmen Pampa! When I got home, I met to visitors who were staying for two days longer. We all watched a movie outside called La esposa de mi hermano. After, I went to bed.

Sun 14 Feb

Today we woke up after having about 2 to 3 hours of sleep and we were back at the Carnival. We got there around 5am and stepped over drunken people who had fallen asleep on the sidewalks or other places near the carnival. We got our seats and started to watch the parade as the sun started to show its self from behind the mountains. The dancers were incredible and everyone was super happy and in such a good mood for so early in the morning. We watched for a while from the stands but then decided to go down to the street to watch from close up. The music was great and the dancing was even better. Around 9am this parade was over and then it was back to the place we went to the night before, for another parade. The parade was with the same bands and performers, but the order was different and the dances had changed a bit. Also now that the sun was up, it got hotter, so the water balloons were put into action. There is a war during the parade with the crowd. It’s the people in the stands against the people across the street in the stands and also the people on the street. Soon Water balloons were flying and everyone was getting wet. There was silly string foam being sprayed into people’s faces and kids had water guns to shoot at people. Everything that would cause a fight in the U.S. was going on but everyone was in good spirit and knew this is what to expect at the carnival. Soon, our group bought some water balloons and started throwing them at the crowd across the street. About 2min later we had a rain storm of balloons coming back at us. Sarah got hit in the face with one and other people got hit while walking. That when we fought back. We must have bought about 40 balloons for about $1.30 and we went crazy. Other people in the stand started buying balloons too and joined us because we were on the same side. Soon our section was in an all out war and the people in the parade were getting hit too. I wish I could have taken a picture but my camera would have been destroyed by all of the water. After a couple hours, Sarah and I said goodbye to our group and went to the bus station to get a ride to La Paz. I called the brother of Freddy, the man I am going to stay with in Santa Cruz, and asked if we could stay at his house for the night. He told me to call when we got into La Paz. Once we got to La Paz, we took a taxi to the southern part of La Paz and waited at a church for Jimmy to pick us up. As soon as we got out of the taxi, Jimmy and his wife pulled up. We went to a nice pizza restaurant and got to know one another better. After we went to their house and chilled for a while. Jimmy showed us pictures of the family while I played the piano. I was so excited to see a piano because that had been the first one I had seen in 6 months. After talking with the family, we went to bed.

Sat 13 Feb

This morning Sarah and I left for Oruro and had a long trip ahead of us. We took a bus from Coroico to La Paz and got in around 1030am. When we got to the terminal, the place was filled with people who wanted to go to Oruro. The problem was that there were only two bus companies that were open and they didn’t have any buses there at the time. We waited for about 2 hours in the lines and finally around 230pm Sarah found a bus that would be going through Oruro and we hopped on that bus and we were off. The bus ride was long but beautiful too. We were driving through the Alto and it was all flat land that you could in to the distance for miles. When we were driving we saw a storm on one side of the road and the other side into the distance was sunny. It was amazing. Finally around 830pm we made it into Oruro and met up with the mom of one of the Carmen Pampa's teachers. She took us to their house and gave us dinner. Around 930pm Hymenia the teacher and Lucia another worker at Carmen Pampa came to pick us up to go see the Carnival. We took a taxi and arrived at the filled streets of the Carnival. We walked and got to the main road where the parade was going on and got seats. The parade had been going on since 8am and would go until 4 or 5am the next day. Then at 6am the people would go to another part of town to celebrate to the gods and have a parade there too. When we sat down and looked up to see what was going on, I was in shock because this parade was the best Parade I had ever seen in my life. There were fireworks going off and sparklers sprinkling down over the performers. Also all the costumes had been wired with small lights that made then come to life. There were crazy dragon outfits, fat bears, Devils and hundreds of dancers with the same outfit and masks. There were 40 marching bands in the parade all together and each band would represent a different part of Bolivia. Some of the dragon costumes had flame throwers on their heads that spat out fire and made the parade crazy. My first thought was this would never ever be allowed in the U.S. which made this so much more special. Another cool part about the parade is that you could go into the parade and take pictures with the dancers of people in costumes and you could even dance behind them if you wanted. I’m pretty sure that my group and I were the only ones who weren’t drunk. The whole crowed was wild and was dancing in the stands and jumping into the parade and dancing until they fell over. It was so much fun and it was easy to lose track of time because there was so much going on. After buying three chocolate dipped apples, and pop corn, and watching band after band march through, it was 130am. We decided to go home and sleep until 4am or 5am and then go to the other parade. When we got home, we jumped into our sleeping bags and got about 2 to 3 hours of sleep, then we had to start all over again.

Fri 12 Feb

Today I worked on the beds and helped Eddy with putting together the frames of the beds. Later Sara and I planned our trip to go to Oruro the next day for Carnival. The Carnival is a huge deal in Bolivia and all the different dance groups from Bolivia go to Oruro and have a huge parade and festival. During this huge festival, there is a huge water balloon fight with everyone. Also everyone uses foam spray and squirt guns to add to this war. We decided we would leave the following morning at 7am.

Thurs 11 Feb

Today I continued working on the bunk beds and got out around 5pm. Later I played Futsal with the students. It’s just like soccer but on a small court. After I had dinner and then went to bed.

Wed 10 Feb

Today I woke up around 5am and got into the ambulance with Don Salvador. Today was the day I would get to shadow the nurse while she did her rounds through the different small towns not too far from Carmen Pampa. Our tasks were to weigh new born babies and measure them. Then give them their first shots. It was an amazing experience for me because I helped with everything and I learned a lot from the nurse. We got back around 11am and I then went to continue my work in the Carpentaria with my good hand until 5pm, then the family went to Coroico for dinner. We first did some shopping and Sara and I waited in the plaza for Kyle and David to get their visas renewed. After we walked around for a while, and Hugh and I sang West Side Story until we had sung all of the songs from the movie. After we went to a Swiss restaurant and had cheese fondue. Later we got a taxi home and then went to bed.

Tues 9 Feb

This morning was the ceremony at the church to welcome all the students back to the university. The bishop came and it was a big deal. The church service was wonderful and there was a band made up of students who played Bolivian music and it was amazing. Later, I had a painful day at work. My job was to use the heavy duty sanding machine to sand down small pieces of wood for the beds. Everything was going fine until my hand slipped and flew into the sander. It took only a second and I had sanded away a good part of the tops of my middle and ring fingers. It started bleeding and I was in shock so I stood there until I realized what had happened. After getting a grip on what just happened, I went to the Nurse Post and got bandaged up. The rest of the day I worked on other projects with my good hand. Later I had dinner, and then went to bed.

Mon 8 Feb

Today I woke up and worked in the Carpentaria. Were making head way but we have a lot a head of us. Later ate din din with the family, then went to bed.

Sun 7 Feb

Today I woke up and thought about what I could do on my free day. I talked to some friends and we decided to go to the waterfalls outside of Coroico. We hopped in a mini bus and headed for the falls. It took about 20min to get to Coroico, then another 25min to get to the falls. When we got there we had to pay one Boliviano, and then climb a side of a mountain to get to falls. When we arrived, we were amazed on how beautiful the falls were and we didn’t waste any time in getting in. The water was freezing cold but after awhile we became numb to the feeling. We swam for a bit, and then headed home. Later I had dinner with the family and then went to bed.

Sat 6 Feb

Today I woke up and walked to the higher campus to work with Eddie. On the way up I met a young boy whose name was Oskar. I found out he was Don Oskar´s son. The whole day I worked on the bed project. Then, later after dinner, the students had a bon fire and we watched a scary movie. After, we sat by the fire and listened to some students sing and play guitar. After, I went to bed.

Fri 5 Fed

Today I went to work with Don Oskar on the lower campus. I helped by trimming shrubs and cutting dead leaves of banana trees. Later I went up and chilled with Eddie and then had a meeting with Carlos about my weed whacking project. We had a good meeting and he told me he would help me find the right machines for a good price. After Hugh told me I could move back into the dorms but this time on the lower campus with the Eco-Tourism students. Later, after dinner, Hugh took me to the dorms and I met all of my new room buddies. We talked for about two hours and I showed them pictures of my friends, family, and also Minnesota. They liked all of the pictures and wouldn’t stop asking questions which was fun. After the conversation, my tongue was tired from talking so much Spanish and it was a good feeling. Later around 12am, 25 students came into our room and grabbed a kid from his bed. They started singing happy birthday and carried him out of the room and to the bathroom. Then the next sound I heard was a shower starting. Then I heard the students counting and a scream for each number. It took me a minute but then I realized that the students threw him in the shower and then whipped him with their belts for how old he was. So they got him 22 times. Everyone was laughing and I couldn´t believe what had just happened, but I guess it’s a tradition here. Next some of my friends asked me when my birthday was, and I told them not for a long time thank god!

Thurs 4 Feb

Today I worked with new machines at the wood shop which was nice for a change. I worked on sanding different sides of wood until they were smooth. The machine had this wheel that had sanding paper on top that spun around extremely fast. I was a bit nervous at first but then after a while got the hang of it. The wood shop is getting closer to finishing the bed project little by little I believe we will finish on time. After work, Eddie, Brian, and I went to Eddie´s room to play on his electrical drum machine. I played on it for a bit but told them I was better on a drum set and would be happy to show them sometime soon. After I had dinner with my family and then went to bed.

Wed 3 Feb

Today I sanded again and worked with some other kids which made the day go by faster. During lunch I had English class with Brian and he did well. After, I left work a bit early to start getting dinner ready because it was my night to cook. I made pasta with vegetable tomatoes sauce and garlic bread. It was a hit and I got more confidence in my cooking skills. Later I watched The Wire and then went to bed.

Tues 2 Feb

Today I went back to the wood shop and did the same sanding job all day. Little by little I got closer to finishing one stack, but then found out there were so many more stacks of wood to sand! During lunch I started teaching a student named Brian English. He is a super nice kid and I am happy that he is so motivated to learn. Later in the evening, we had dinner and then I watched the Wire. After, I went to bed.

Mon 1 Feb

This morning I walked up to the higher campus to work in the wood working shop. I met both of the workers Eddie and Edgar there and they put me straight to work. There building about 86 bunk beds that have to be finished by the end of February and need help. I helped by filing down the edges on pieces of the bed so they could slide into the other pieces of the bed more easily. I worked from 9am to 530pm on this project and had a great time. Later I met two students who had just arrived and talked to them for a bit. Later I came home and had a good dinner that was made by Kyle. Later we watched The Wire and then went to bed.

Sun 31 Jan

Today was the chill day. We didn’t have work so we chilled at the house and practiced yoga. Later we got out kitty and brought her home. The whole day she was crying and not happy and it was a bummer. Later, we showed another movie outside for the students, but then had to stop it because it started to rain. Then, we went to bed.

Sat 30 Jan

Today Kyle and I went to Coroico to visit one of his friends to go shopping. We went to lunch at a small restaurant and had soap and a salad. Then we walked down this road on the outside of town, were Kyle’s friend took us to a small house that was a yoga place/cafe. We had ice-cream and then took a tour of the house. After, Kyle and I went shopping and then headed back to Carmen Pampa. Later I made pesto and Kyle made pasta for dinner. Then we showed a movie outside for the students to watch in the courtyard. After we watched The Wire and then went to bed.

Fri 29 Jan

Today I helped up on the top part of the campus with getting students registered. After we had lunch, and then Kyle, another volunteer and I decided to walk to San Juan. The walk took about 45min and was amazing because the view of all the mountains were incredible. When we got there, Kyle and I looked for his friend who was supposed to be there to meet him. After searching for about an hour, we went to the small town store, the size of a closet. We bought the Bolivian type of Coca Cola which tasted pretty much the same but had a reindeer on the front of it. After we walked back and then chilled at the house. Later that night we started the first season of The Wire and got hooked on it. Then, we went to bed.