Week 3

We went to the market to buy brand name clothes!  It’s mostly stuff that didn’t sell in the US and they come in bulk to sell here.  If you look diligently, you can get some really good stuff for cheap!  It is located in Santa Cruz on a stretch of 10 empty blocks set up with make shift blue tarps.  They sell clothes, shoes, pillows, blankets, cooking utensils, knives, and of course street food.  I spent about 33 dollars for 2 dress pants, 3 dress shirts, and a towel.  That is a lot of money considering Bolivia, but a very good day of shopping for me!  For once, I had fun and wish we had more time.  J  Greg and I got a fresh squeezed OJ from a vendor.. not as sweet as one may expect, but delicious none the less. 

More Bible studies and more blessings..  One of our contacts, her name is Ileyana, asked me to write a Spanish song titled Nace En Mi to Korean.  I wrote it out on paper... the family was fascinated.  Then they asked me to write their names in Korean. XD  Next time I see her, she wants to learn how to speak the words (in Korean) that I translated for her.  Oh boy, we shall see.  Haha!  They offered our group water to drink.  I could only drink about a quarter of a cup…it tasted so bad and had lots of stuff in the water.  I only drank as much as I could to not be rude guests.  I had a minor bowel pains later in the evening.  Tip: wear an undershirt so your shirt won’t stick to your body.  Even people that do not sweat much will sweat here in Bolivia.  I’m sure you can picture what happens to me.  -_____-;;

Getting to know the people here quite well now.  Lucia is super funny (I call her hermaninga, not her favorite), Cati is fairly quiet but nice (she hates photos), Romina is very practical and sincere, Brenda is always cooking in the kitchen, Christina is very quiet, and Cece and Inesita are much older so I don’t really know them too well.  I tried to teach them some Korean games that I learned at Southern.  They ended up teaching me Spanish games.  Haha!   Actually, they are practically identical, just different words.  ;) 

We get visitors every night.  Besides the regulars: cockroaches, crickets, spiders, beetles, moths, etc., giant toads/frogs come to feast and leave presents in the morning.  Problem is that the presents sometimes go under the tents… and they reek of stench.  Absolutely horrid.  I try to chase them into the ditch away from our tents.  I had a cockroach land on my head while I was brushing.  It was about 4 inches long with huge wings.  Greg was ironing his clothes to dry them late at night and he kicked a tarantula when he stepped back.  It was HUGE! 

We got together a men’s chorus for special music.  Ryan, Ben, Pastor Marc, Justin Masters, Dr. Kim, Greg, and I sang for church in Spanish!  It sounded very nice with all the harmonies put together.  Now we have two churches to attend and support: san jose and la guardia.  The pastor here has 13 churches that he takes care of.  He may visit the San Jose church every 4 months!  What a difference from the states. 

I had the privilege to attend a Bolivian wedding!  Weddings are very rare here in Bolivia.  The majority of the population never marries formally, but just live together and raise a family.  It doesn’t mean that they are unfaithful, but just that a formal announcement of sorts is not common.  Money is the issue. 

I am improving and working on my character.  It seems that the very things that I want to fix are the most difficult because of the culture and others around me.  I stopped myself a couple times from getting angry at someone or myself, whatever the circumstances.  I am trying to deal with issues by contemplating and opening my mind to other views.  Greg has been very helpful as we talk about these things.   I have a long ways to go, but I think it will be all right as long as I keep my priorities straight.  It’s difficult to love someone that gets under your skin all the time.  Haha

Nov 28-Dec 5