Photos...Finally!

Well, thanks to the very helpful Uncle Cline, I have figured out how to post photos. It's so easy, I can't believe I couldn't figure it out on my own, but now that I've figured it out, my blog will become (hopefully) more interesting, and colorful.

To begin with, I thought I'd show everyone where I live. It's an apartment that overlooks almost all of Sucre, and the view is amazing! In the photo above, it's the big white building that is on the side of a hill. Not very descriptive, but I'm not sure how else to describe it. Oh, I know, it's the only modern looking building that's in the center(ish) of the above photo.

This photo is of the view from my bedroom window. Every morning I get to wake up, roll over and look out the window and see this awesome landscape.  Speaking of my bedroom, here's what it looks like.

It's decent sized, and has a full size bed which is a big deal here in Bolivia because all of my  friends only have twin size beds. The rest of the apartment is very nice. There are 3 bedrooms in all and 2 bathrooms. There's a living room and dining room and a big kitchen. We also have a balcony and another little bedroom and bathroom where the maid lives. Here's a photo of the main part of the house.

Like I said, it's a very nice apartment. However, my host mom has told me we're moving. She doesn't like the apartment we're living in now because the lighting fixtures are just bulbs, there is no electricity in the main bathrooms, so we have to use the maid's bathroom to shower (cold water only BRRR!), and there is not a natural gas connection for the stove so we have to use propane tanks. Because of all this, we're moving to a different apartment. I don't know which one, and I don't know exactly when, just before the 13th of October.

My host mom is actually still looking for a different apartment. She wants an apartment in "Anticretico." Anticretico is sort of like leasing. She will pay the owners of the apartment a certain amount of money, say $25,000 USD to have the apartment for a year. Then, when the year is up, she can either renew the contract, or just let it end. If she lets the contract end and does not renew, my host mom will get all of her money back and will have to move.

Yesterday, she asked me if we have something like this in the US, and I was like "uhhh...umm...no, creo que no." I don't think there is such a thing as "Anticretico" in the US, but if anyone knows otherwise please let me know so I can tell my host mom.

So there it is, my home for the moment in Sucre, Bolivia. When my host mom and I move, I'll post photos of the new apartment. And, I plan on having photos on most of my blog entries now that I know how. Once again: thank you Uncle Cline!
                                          ~Adios!

School!!

Well I actually started school the day after I arrived in Sucre, so now that I've been going for 3 weeks now I think it deserves a blog post. I attend El Colegio de Juan Enrique Pestalozzi. It is considered the best school in Sucre, or so I've been told, and is run by a German program. From what I understand, my school is run by Germans, and there is a sister school in Germany.

School for me is from 8am to 1pm. Then, on Wednesdays and Thursdays, I also have school from 2:30 to 4pm. There are about 25 people in my class, and WHOLE GRADE, and for the whole school (grades 1-12) there are a total of about 350 students. It is so neat to have all of the little kids running around screaming and playing tag during our breaks. Many of my classmates have younger siblings in the school also so almost everybody knows everybody else (part of that might be because of the size too).

En mi colegio, the teachers come to the students. So, each grade only has one classroom.  My classes include everything under the sun: Biology, Organic Chemistry, Physics, Calculus, Grammar, Literature, History, P.E., Art, Music, Civics, Geography, Ethics and Morals, and Philosophy. Don't worry though, I don't have every class every day. The classes switch and alternate in some sort of funky schedule that I still haven't figured out, but it ends up that I have each class about twice a week. Some more than others, because Art I only have once a week.

The classes aren't too hard. Here, I'm in the 12th grade, and since school ends and everybody graduates in November, the teachers are pretty much done teaching. We normally do a little bit of work but not much. And here's where I get lucky: because I'm an exchange student, I'm not expected to do anything but try and learn and improve my Spanish. This means no homework! Or any school work of any kind. It's nice just having to show up and not have anything expected of me for once. Don't get me wrong, even though nothing is expected, I'm still learning. I remember my first day of school, I didn't understand anything any of the teachers said. And now, I understand almost everything. Take today for example, in Literature this afternoon we ended up watching the movie Black Swan, and I actually understood enough to get some of the jokes made in the movie! Everyday Spanish gets easier and easier, so much so that Rotary might just be right that it'll only take 3 months for me to be fluent, I am looking really looking forward to that day!
                                           ~Tengo que dormir, Hasta Mañana!

10 Days Later

Hola!...Well 10 almost 11 days have passed since I arrived here in Sucre. It's passed so quickly I can barely believe that in 4 days I'll have been here 2 weeks. I really want this year to take forever, but sadly I think it's going to be the opposite and I'll wake up one day and only have a week until I leave-- I am so NOT looking forward to that!

I've spent my first 10 days here making friends, going to school, hanging out at the Plaza, helping mi mama in her store, and taking photos...LOTS of photos, especially of La Entrada which was yesterday. La Entrada is a huge parade(sorta) in honor of la Virgen de Guadalupe who is the protectress / patron saint of Sucre. The parade consisted of many many many different dance groups who danced traditional dances of Bolivia. They all wore elaborate costumes many of which I posted pictures of on Facebook. La Entrada started on the outskirts of Sucre, and went throughout the city, to the Plaza, and then to the main church. It started before I was even awake, I don't know exactly what time, and went until like 2:30 or 3 in the morning. However, I didn't stay that late only til 6 because my host mom was afraid of los borrachos, the drunks. I'm not sure what else to say about it, so just look at my pictures!
Tengo que irme.                                            ~Saludos!

Dallas/Fort Worth

Well, I'm sitting in the Dallas / Fort Worth Airport with Jordan trying to figure out how to pass our 4 hour layover. So far we've eaten lunch (barbeque), looked for free wi-fi (unsuccessful until we found a kiosk to try out this google chromebook), walked through every terminal, and ridden the tram between every terminal 3 times. We still have 1 hour and 45 minutes....It's going to be a long trip.

                                                                                           ~Hasta luego!!!

I Heard From My Host Family!

So...I finally heard from my host family. I'll be staying with the mother of one of the girls coming here from Bolivia. Mari is the daughter's name and she'll be going to Florence while I'm on exchange staying at her house with her mom. Her parents are divorced and I'll just be living with her mom because the rest of her siblings are already out of the house. I'm so excited to finally hear!

It's just going to be a short post tonight. I have a Rotary Club meeting tomorrow, and I still need to finish my presentation for that, and I've barely started it....UH OH!

                                                                            ~¡Nos Vemos!

Still Waiting!!

So...I figured it'd be a good idea to keep everyone updated on what I've been doing while waiting for my adventure to start. I have turned in my visa application, and I'm guessing the travel agent at It's Your World Travel! has sent it down to the Bolivian Consulate. Hopefully I get it back in 3 weeks or so, that way  I can start my adventure on time, although I don't have a leave date set, just somewhere between the 15th and the 25th. Once I get my visa, I the travel agent at It's Your World Travel! can buy the plane ticket and get me on my way.

I still have not heard from my first host family, but I expect to be hearing soon, definitely before I leave. While waiting on everything to come together, I have kept quite busy. I am trying to cram 3 semester (18 week) classes into less that 8 weeks so I have all of the credits I need to graduate, even if I don't receive any credit for school while in Bolivia. Although I do want a P.E. credit while I am abroad, that way I don't have to take P.E. senior year. Whenever anyone asks me how's my summer going, I always think "what summer?" With the first half of English 11, U.S. History, and Government each, I am kept pretty busy.

But not so busy that I don't visit with friends and family.I have also been taking plenty of pictures to share with everyone I meet in Bolivia. I think I've taken probably 400 photos this summer already. Now I just have to decide which ones of my friends, family and of Oregon I want to print and take with me. Well, I have to get back to school, I have three weeks to finish and take the final exams(EEK!).
                                                                                                ~¡Hasta Luego!

From Oregon, to Sucre, Bolivia

So...I've finally created my blog that Rotary said to start several months ago. This is going to be one of my many ways to keep in touch with everyone, and let you know I haven't completely fallen off the face of the Earth, just down to the southern hemisphere.

I am going to Bolivia for a year long adventure as an exchange student  with Rotary International. I'll be going to Sucre, the second capitol of Bolivia. I have already applied for my visa, but that's it. I haven't heard from my host family, and I still don't know anything more than what city and school I'm going to be at while in Bolivia. Apparently I'm going to be attending a German school, where I will not only get to practice my Spanish like in the rest of Bolivia, but I might just learn some German as well. I sure hope I don't get them mixed up...Then what would I be speaking? Germish? or Sperman?

Either way, it's going to be an adventure, and I can't wait for it to begin. I look forward to the new experiences, fun, and friends. Whenever I tell someone that I'm going on exchange for a year, they always ask if I'm nervous, and I've always been able to answer "no, I'm just excited." Well, the next time somebody asks, I might just be able to answer "just a little," now that school has ended, and I have less than 2 months until I leave, it's finally started to hit me, I'm going on exchange HALFWAY around the world, for a WHOLE YEAR! However, I still think "I CANNOT WAIT!"