Life in La Paz

At 8:30 p.m., my 6th day in La Paz is winding to a close. It has been a fun, busy, occasionally overwhelming week of new places and new faces. I won't go into all of the details, but I will give you an overview of what my life has been like here so far.

We arrived in La Paz around 9:30 p.m. last Monday night. After finding our luggage and figuring out how to retrieve my roommate Jess' lost suitcase, we headed through customs. My bag was searched, and I wondered what the customs officials must think about my box of 20 gluesticks, igneous rock kit, and "Atlas of the Human Body" book. I'm sure it's not what every suitcase looks like!

After making it through customs, we all met two wonderful new friends, Scott and Sarah, who have been our orientation guides for the week. We piled 7 people and several hundred pounds of luggage into a van and began the descent into La Paz. The city lights sparkled below us as we rounded the corner from the airport, and we looked out over the sprawling city that we now call "home". I watched everything in wonder as we drove through downtown streets, passing lines of people waiting for...what? I was delighted by the Spanish phrases that appeared on street signs and billboards. I marvelled to see women dressed in traditional Bolivian attire walking the city streets going...where? My mind was filled with questions, and as we drove, it felt like a movie passing before my eyes, or maybe a dream. We were really here, but were we really?

Finally, we arrived at our new casita. Jess and I live in a little house with a living room, kitchen, 2 bedrooms, and a bathroom. There is a terra cotta tile floor in the living room and kitchen, and creaky wood floors in our bedrooms and the hallway. We share a small yard (rare in La Paz!) and courtyard with our neighbors Jill and Lucas (Jill works at the school too!) and our landlord, Christian. I will post pictures of the house in the near future!

That first night, Jess and I chose our bedrooms and headed off to dreamland knowing that the next morning would be early and busy.

The very first morning in La Paz, Jess and I had a mission - Find and catch a cab to Casa Grande, Calacota. But...before we could catch a cab, we had to figure out how to get out of our front gate! You would think for 2 teachers, something so simple would not be a problem, but it was only with the help of our friendly neighbor Jill that we even made it to the street corner to hail a taxi. :)

The next few days were filled with explorations of La Paz. Sarah and Scott showed us where to buy groceries, where to withdraw money from an atm, where to get good coffee...They also helped us to buy cell phones from the marketplace and register them with the Bolivian government. We got a tour of the school, we learned how to ride on various forms of transportation, took a tour of the city, and we even had a barbeque/game night! (And somewhere in the middle of that, we found time to unpack.) On Friday morning, we had a mini retreat about 45 minutes outside of the city, which was followed by a "test" of our ability to get around the city. Sarah sent us on a scavenger hunt to find various places and things in La Paz. It was quite an adventure! Bekah and I were on a team together, and we learned many important things on the hunt, 2 of which are...#1: Most Bolivians are friendly when you ask them for directions, #2: Most Bolivians do not give accurate directions. (Bekah and I ended up doing a LOT of walking.)

Here was the basic scenario...
Me or Bekah: "Where is the Central Post Office from here?"
Kind Bolivian #1: "Oh, it's 4 blocks from here to the left."
Me or Bekah: "Thank you! Hasta luego!"
*7 blocks later*
Me or Bekah: "Where is the Central Post Office from here?"
Kind Bolivian #2: "It's 4 blocks from here, go down to the next street and to the left."
Me or Bekah: "Thank you! Ciao!"
*5 blocks later*
Me or Bekah: "Where is the Central Post Office from here?"
...And so on. :) We did, after several questions, and several blocks reach the destinations on our list!

Overall, this week has been tiring, exciting, fun, and overwhelming. There were some moments toward the beginning of the week where I felt so exhausted and uncomfortable in my new home, and there were some early tears. But in spite of our chilly house (This morning, I wore 4 layers and gloves in my bedroom!) and other less convenient aspects of living in La Paz, God has been faithfully encouraging me, strengthening me, and reminding me of his call to be here. I have been getting used to the challenges and laughing my way through the truly minor inconveniences of our new home. Each day, we are faced with new scenarios and each day we are making La Paz more like home as we work through the difficult, AND the wonderful parts of living here.

Today was an beautiful day in the city. Sarah and I drove up to the school where a Bolivian church service is held. I was encouraged and amazed to be able to understand the message! The mountains and the city sprawled out below us, and I was reminded again that I don't think I'll ever get used to seeing such majestic mountains as we commute to and from work, walk to the grocery store, and watch our students play futbol on the school field. On the way back, we witnessed several families and a herd of people in zebra costumes (with giant sunglasses!) painting a wall alongside of the road with colorful mountain scenes (in La Paz, friendly Zebras help you cross the street...they are so funny! Apparently there are donkeys who mock you if you cross the street incorrectly, but I haven't seen any of those!).Our internet wasn't working, so instead of writing this earlier, I did some laundry (handwashed...our machine currently washes the ground instead of our clothes!), went outside and read a book in the mid-afternoon sunshine. I could hear music in the distance, and as I read, the sound of horns and tamborines drew steadily closer. I put down my book to see what was happening. Just around the corner from our house, a parade was walking by, complete with Bolivian dancers and brass bands. I was told the celebration was for el 14 de Septiembre, a day of revolution (I need to learn more specifics!). It made my day! And tonight, Jess and I cooked our first home meal on our old-fashioned gas stove. Deliciosa!

Now that week one is coming to a close, it's about time to get down to business. Tomorrow is the start of our "Work Week" at school. Please pray for all of us new and old teachers to be productive and to follow God's leading as we set up, plan, and prepare for the new school year. Please pray for continued adjustment to our new home and for health and rest (several of our new and old teachers have been fighting colds and altitude sickness). Please pray that a new teacher, Maegan, is able to have her supplies and luggage shipped prior to the start of the school year (she was unable to check her bags, and has been living out of her carry-ons!). Finally, please pray for our students that they would come to school ready to learn with open hearts and that God would begin to do a good work in them.

Thank you for your prayers and encouragement in this time of transition. I have felt so loved and supported by all of my faithful friends and family. God is answering your prayers. :)

There is so much more I could say, but it would take pages and pages and hours and hours to tell it all. I hope that this (relatively!) brief summary of the week gives you a little taste of what life is like in La Paz. I assure you, there will be much more to come!

*Note: Uploading pictures is posing some difficulty tonight. I'll try to put some up ASAP.

Love from La Paz,
Joy

It's Here

Today is moving day!

There are so many thoughts and emotions running through me this morning - excitement, sadness, "Am I forgetting something important?" and, "Boy did I have some weird dreams last night!"

My bags are packed (minus a few carry-on items...e.g. my laptop). I think they're under the weight limit (barely!). And in a few hours, I will be driving South to Miami to fly even farther South to...La Paz!

My friends and family have all been incredibly encouraging this week. God has used their words to spur me on and build me up as I start out on this new journey. Thank you all!

So, once I'm settled into my new apartment (?) or condo (?), and once I figure out how to use our internet, I'll be sure to post an update to let you all know just what Bolivia is like!

Here are a few other thoughts running through my mind this morning...
"Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me save that Thou art.
Thou my best thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping Thy presence my light."
(We sung this at church yesterday. Talk about perspective!)

"Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God."
-Corrie Ten Boom (if you don't know who she is, Google her!)

"We have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us." -2 Corinthias 4:7

"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."

0 days 'til departure!

One Week

In one week, on Monday, July 25 at 2:00 p.m., I will be boarding a plane in Miami and flying to the Bolivian altiplano (high plains). It's hard to believe it's coming so fast!

Just over a week ago, I got back from my 2 week Pre-field Orientation (PFO) in Southaven, Mississippi. Two weeks may sound like a long time to sit through dozens of sessions about transitions, assessment, and culture - and it was - but I had so much fun that the time actually flew by.

There we were, 80 or so teachers getting ready to jet off to schools around the world (literally!), staying in high school classrooms on creaky cots. Our days were filled with sessions to prepare us for our journeys ahead, and our evenings were filled with pick-up games of volleyball and soccer and whatever else came our way. Over 2 weeks, we played more card/board games than I've played all year! We even got to go to a Red Birds minor league baseball game in Memphis. (They won!) We watched fireworks and Super 8 in our spare time, and I got to know an amazing group of fun, talented teachers who God is calling to Korea, Indonesia, Ghana, Peru, Venezuela, Suriname, Turkey, and...the list could go on!

In the actual orientation part of PFO, we explored how different cultures interact with one another, and identified areas that could create conflict as a result of cultural misunderstandings. We took several personality tests and inventories to learn how we work in groups and how we deal with conflict. It as eye-opening to step back and think about my own tendencies. Some sessions dealt with our safety on the field, and some sessions dealt with the stages of transition we will experience as we move to a new country.

One of the highlights of the orientation was meeting our school director (Scott Frost), the other new teachers who will be going to La Paz, and a veteran teacher (Alison, that's you!) who has been teaching at Highlands for 4 years! Alison and Scott gave us the inside scoop about life in La Paz, and Alison gave us some lessons on cultural norms...like the proper way to greet strangers and close friends. We have a great team. I already feel really connected to my four new friends, and I am so excited to work with them this school year.

Here we are!

Maegan, Becca, Julie, Alison, and Me

*Please pray for these girls as they get ready to move. We're all in the packing and goodbye stages of this journey, which can be stressful, exciting, and sad all at the same time. Also, please pray that our whole team of teachers (new and old) at Highlands will be united with the same mindset and love and grace for each other this year, and that the trip to La Paz will go smoothly and safely for all of us.

Another highlight of PFO was learning how NICS was started, and how God is working through its schools around the world. You should go read about it. :) http://nics.org/history

It's not the whole story, but it gives you a basic idea of how NICS became what it is today.

This quote pretty much sums it up:

"This was not originally intended to be a global plan to reach the world, but God's heart for the world pushed us forward, as he opened our eyes to what he was doing in our midst."

And that's pretty awesome if you ask me.

7 days and counting!