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