Last Sunday was one of those Bolivian holidays that just makes me smile. There is a holiday for just about everything and everyone here...Oh sure, there are the big ones - Christmas, Easter, New Years, Mother's Day - but the Bolivian calendar is also marked with holidays like "Student's Day" (a federal holiday that we actually get off of school!), "Children's Day" (where parents give their children gifts - like a second birthday if you ask me!), Carnaval (celebrated with city-wide water balloon and water gun fights + families wandering the streets wearing ponchos over their wild costumes = Fun!), days for specific professions, and some creepier holidays like "The Day of Skulls" (Yikes! We don't get that one off of school.). The Bolivian government has also been known to plan spur of the moment federal holidays to appease its working class (e.g. Last year in response to the doctors and transportation sector protests, the government declared a national holiday and mandated that schools close for the day...THAT was a day of celebration! Teacher's love days off as much as our students do. Maybe more!).
Anyway, like I said, last Sunday was one of those Bolivian holidays that make me smile - Day of the Pedestrian. I love this holiday! On Pedestrian's Day, transportation stops completely between the hours of 9 a.m. and 6 p.m., and instead of taxis and minis, the streets are filled with children playing soccer, bicyclists (more than I've EVER seen in La Paz!), dog-walkers, and believe it or not, horses! It's a day when you are far more likely to get hit by a speeding scooter than a trufi. The only cars I saw on the road were remote controlled. :) (Ok, and one taxi that was just breaking ALL the rules!). It is such a fun day, and although there is noisy celebration and crowds of people fill the busy streets, the city feels tranquil without cars racing here and there. There is a sense of...Ah..rest. It's as though the whole city has paused to breathe for the day.
As I walked through my neighborhood on my way to meet Kelli for lunch, I was enjoying watching a group of kids playing in the street, when it suddenly struck me - I was walking on the sidewalk! On this one day, I had the freedom to prance through the city streets if I felt like it, but there I was. Habit drove me to stick to the paths I knew. I had practically forgotten that today was a day to take to the streets - literally! I decisively made my way to the center of the calle to take fully advantage of el Dia del Peaton.
And then it struck me. Galatians 5:1 - "It is for freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery."
The slavery that is referred to here isn't the burden of sin. It is true that we have been set free from the power of sin and from the condemnation that sin brings. But the freedom here is a freedom from the law and from human-imposed dos and don'ts. This is the freedom of knowing Christ has done it all. I have never been able to do anything to earn merit or to deserve something from God. And in Christ, I don't have to strive to be accepted by God. Because I already am.
At one point, the law was a burden. It informs us of our sin and reminds us of just how imperfect we are in the presence of a God whose standard is perfection. Christ's saving work on the cross has set us free from guilt, from needing to be "good enough", and from the impossible task of trying to earn favor with God.
In Christ, we have the freedom to choose to do what pleases the Lord as a response of love, not because of the law. It is a far more beautiful obedience. To "find out what pleases the Lord." To walk in his ways because we see that they are good, that we are free, and that he is worthy. To choose the life he offers because we desire to know HIM, not because we are afraid of punishment or because we have something to earn or to prove. After all, perfect love drives out fear. We don't have to worry about the debt we would have owed, because someone has paid it all for us. We don't have to worry that someday soon, the judge is going to crack down on us and say, "Hey you! Pay up!" The anticipation of judgment isn't there anymore. Instead, we have the hope that we'll get to go home. We'll get to see the One we love. The One who loves us. The One who we have longed to be with for our whole lives, before we even knew we did.
In this life, we have the freedom to choose to serve him in love.
And this is the kind of not-just-have-to-but-GET-to obedience that brings joy.
Has there ever been someone in your life that you actually liked to obey?
When we love someone, when we want to make them happy, when we desire to have a close relationship with that person, obedience is natural, joyful, and unifying. It draws us closer to the one we obey. There is tenderness and humility in obedience. And there is closeness when we obey out of love, not just "have-to" duty. Obedience because of "have-to" may make us do what we "should," but there is little joy in it. We're just living out our duty then. Obedience because of love is because I can. It goes above and beyond the letter of the law to reach the very spirit of it.
Do we walk in the freedom of "Can Obey"? Do we celebrate our ability to walk in those streets? Or do we just keep working and striving and doing the things we have done for so long out of habit? Just doing the right thing because we "should"? Not because we love the One who told us what is important to him. Not because we trust that he knows the best ways to live. But because its the "right" thing to do.
We have the freedom to walk in his streets. Why are we sticking to the sidewalks?
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Sunday, August 26, 2012
The Product Of
My very cool roommate, Lindsay, used this quote as a prompt for her English classes:
“I am a product of long corridors, empty sunlit rooms, upstairs indoor silences, attics explored in solitude, distant noises of gurgling cisterns and pipes, and the noise of wind under the tiles. Also, of endless books.” ― C.S. Lewis
She had her kids write what they are a product of. I asked Bennett what he was a product of, and it inspired me to write my own.
"I am a product of crashing ocean waves, seashell sprinkled beaches, sunset runs, fields of colorful flowers, noisy family get-togethers, the sounds of laughter and friendship, and quiet conversations of restoration and grace. Also, of some books. ;) (I don't think I can claim endless these days)."
What would you say you are a product of?
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
We're Back!
We're baaack! To school that is. :)
First off, a thank you to all of you teachers who encouraged me that the first year is just plain tough. You were right. Even though my workload hasn't decreased (in some ways, I have more responsibilities this year) and my resources have increased only slightly, I am a faster planning, more prepared teacher all around. I am thankful we are only first-year teachers one go around.
"So, how's school?" you ask.
"It's great," I say. And I mean it. "I mean, can you believe we're already 3 weeks in?"
School has been great this year. In addition to feeling like my stress levels have gone down, I feel excited about what I'm teaching, I love spending time with my amazing middle schoolers, and I see God at work all around Highlands.
Some of my favorite back to school moments are as follows...
1) Subject: Science
Grade: 7th (who I keep accidently calling 6th...oops! Old habits and all.)
Topic: Lab Safety
Activity: Lab Safety Public Service Announcements
The Situation: My students have been assigned to create a simple PSA to illustrate one of our "lab" (ok, science classroom) safety rules. The groups are demonstrating crazy mishaps in the lab - hair on fire, electrocution, playing with breakable/dangerous materials...Guillermo is sitting with a beaker of water on his desk, waiting to present his PSA with Nicolas, when SUDDENLY, he takes a huge swig out of his beaker. Did I mention, "Don't eat or drink in the lab" is one of the rules? As Natalia put it, "Don't drink the chemicals!" Did I mention Guillermo sits front and center? The class dies laughing when I exclaim, "Guillermo! What are you doing?" My faithful students chime in, "He's drinking chemicals!" And we all laugh some more.
2) Subject: Algebra
Grade: 8th
Topic: Distributive Property
Activity: Illustration to make the whole class jealous (not really...)
The Situation: I am reviewing the Distributive Property of Multiplication with my students. "You see," I say. "Anything in parentheses is a group." I draw a set of chalk parentheses on my concrete floor (the perks of Bolivia!) around Andreia and Matias' desk. This produces some, "Oooh"ing from a few boys. "Would you like to be in a group, too?" I ask. They assure me that they don't. "So," I continue. "Whatever we give or do to one part of the group, we have to do to the whole group. It wouldn't be fair otherwise." I pull out a box of chocolate. "What if I just gave a chocolate bar to Andreia?" I ask, holding up the bar and placing it on her desk. Matias SNATCHES the chocolate bar. "Matias is going to be jealous, right?" I take the chocolate bar and put it back on Andreia's desk. "Yes, you're a group, but only Andreia gets this." Matias snatches the chocolate bar again. I put it back, and him his own. "To be fair, we have to give the whole group the same thing." Matias snatches both chocolate bars. "Welcome to the real-world, Miss!" Luis Mateo pipes up.
And then I hear from around the room..."Do we all get chocolate?" "Not today," I say. "Just this group." "But Miiiisss...we're ALLL a group..."
3) Subject: Science
Grade: 6th-7th
Topic: Background Building for Upcoming Lab - Surface Tension
Activity: The Paper Clip Drop
The Situation: I challenge my students to guess how many paper clips will fit into a full glass of water before it overflows. The guesses range from about 2-70. We talk about suface tension and cohesion, and I add some water to the cup so it is just starting to brim over the lip. I challenge my students to guess again. "2!" "5?" "10!" "None!" The guesses are in. One by one, I place paperclips into the cup, with the class counting along. At first, a few students are hanging back. Eh...what's so cool about this anyway? But as the numbers rise, "25...50...75..." every student is gathered around counting along. "I knew she was going to trick us!" Marianno declares. "I knew it! Like when she added more water to that cup...I knew she was going to trick us!" :) Final count: 158 paper clips! My kids were stunned, amazed, shocked. I love teaching science.
Today, I'm home sick from school - Blah...I'm pretty sure it was something I ate. I'd rather be healthy and there, but God knows what we need, and I've been praising him this morning for little sick blessings. Today is a half day, and it works out well that I'm not missing all of my classes. Plus, it gives me a little time to write updates and rest. God is good. I will praise him when I am sick and when I am well. Oh, how he loves us so.
Prayer Requests of the Week:
1) Health around the world - While I'm fighting food poisoning in South America, Bennett is fighting a cold in South Korea. Please pray that God will provide energy and health to both us and the other teachers at our schools.
2) Bennett is going on the Senior Retreat with his kiddos this weekend. Pray that he will have wisdom, discernment, and the Lord's words to speak into his students' lives. Pray that they will see the Lord alive in him and be drawn to the beauty of our God.
3) Pray for Highlands to be able to receive approval from government officials as they seek to make some changes.
4) Pray for our students to see the Lord. That they will know him and choose to follow hard after him.
What's new with you? :)
Love from La Paz,
Joy
First off, a thank you to all of you teachers who encouraged me that the first year is just plain tough. You were right. Even though my workload hasn't decreased (in some ways, I have more responsibilities this year) and my resources have increased only slightly, I am a faster planning, more prepared teacher all around. I am thankful we are only first-year teachers one go around.
"So, how's school?" you ask.
"It's great," I say. And I mean it. "I mean, can you believe we're already 3 weeks in?"
School has been great this year. In addition to feeling like my stress levels have gone down, I feel excited about what I'm teaching, I love spending time with my amazing middle schoolers, and I see God at work all around Highlands.
Some of my favorite back to school moments are as follows...
1) Subject: Science
Grade: 7th (who I keep accidently calling 6th...oops! Old habits and all.)
Topic: Lab Safety
Activity: Lab Safety Public Service Announcements
The Situation: My students have been assigned to create a simple PSA to illustrate one of our "lab" (ok, science classroom) safety rules. The groups are demonstrating crazy mishaps in the lab - hair on fire, electrocution, playing with breakable/dangerous materials...Guillermo is sitting with a beaker of water on his desk, waiting to present his PSA with Nicolas, when SUDDENLY, he takes a huge swig out of his beaker. Did I mention, "Don't eat or drink in the lab" is one of the rules? As Natalia put it, "Don't drink the chemicals!" Did I mention Guillermo sits front and center? The class dies laughing when I exclaim, "Guillermo! What are you doing?" My faithful students chime in, "He's drinking chemicals!" And we all laugh some more.
2) Subject: Algebra
Grade: 8th
Topic: Distributive Property
Activity: Illustration to make the whole class jealous (not really...)
The Situation: I am reviewing the Distributive Property of Multiplication with my students. "You see," I say. "Anything in parentheses is a group." I draw a set of chalk parentheses on my concrete floor (the perks of Bolivia!) around Andreia and Matias' desk. This produces some, "Oooh"ing from a few boys. "Would you like to be in a group, too?" I ask. They assure me that they don't. "So," I continue. "Whatever we give or do to one part of the group, we have to do to the whole group. It wouldn't be fair otherwise." I pull out a box of chocolate. "What if I just gave a chocolate bar to Andreia?" I ask, holding up the bar and placing it on her desk. Matias SNATCHES the chocolate bar. "Matias is going to be jealous, right?" I take the chocolate bar and put it back on Andreia's desk. "Yes, you're a group, but only Andreia gets this." Matias snatches the chocolate bar again. I put it back, and him his own. "To be fair, we have to give the whole group the same thing." Matias snatches both chocolate bars. "Welcome to the real-world, Miss!" Luis Mateo pipes up.
And then I hear from around the room..."Do we all get chocolate?" "Not today," I say. "Just this group." "But Miiiisss...we're ALLL a group..."
3) Subject: Science
Grade: 6th-7th
Topic: Background Building for Upcoming Lab - Surface Tension
Activity: The Paper Clip Drop
The Situation: I challenge my students to guess how many paper clips will fit into a full glass of water before it overflows. The guesses range from about 2-70. We talk about suface tension and cohesion, and I add some water to the cup so it is just starting to brim over the lip. I challenge my students to guess again. "2!" "5?" "10!" "None!" The guesses are in. One by one, I place paperclips into the cup, with the class counting along. At first, a few students are hanging back. Eh...what's so cool about this anyway? But as the numbers rise, "25...50...75..." every student is gathered around counting along. "I knew she was going to trick us!" Marianno declares. "I knew it! Like when she added more water to that cup...I knew she was going to trick us!" :) Final count: 158 paper clips! My kids were stunned, amazed, shocked. I love teaching science.
Today, I'm home sick from school - Blah...I'm pretty sure it was something I ate. I'd rather be healthy and there, but God knows what we need, and I've been praising him this morning for little sick blessings. Today is a half day, and it works out well that I'm not missing all of my classes. Plus, it gives me a little time to write updates and rest. God is good. I will praise him when I am sick and when I am well. Oh, how he loves us so.
Prayer Requests of the Week:
1) Health around the world - While I'm fighting food poisoning in South America, Bennett is fighting a cold in South Korea. Please pray that God will provide energy and health to both us and the other teachers at our schools.
2) Bennett is going on the Senior Retreat with his kiddos this weekend. Pray that he will have wisdom, discernment, and the Lord's words to speak into his students' lives. Pray that they will see the Lord alive in him and be drawn to the beauty of our God.
3) Pray for Highlands to be able to receive approval from government officials as they seek to make some changes.
4) Pray for our students to see the Lord. That they will know him and choose to follow hard after him.
What's new with you? :)
Love from La Paz,
Joy
Sunday, July 29, 2012
New Year, New Resolution
Greetings from La Paz!
Summer has flown by quickly, and the start of a new school year is just around the corner! Although my time in the States was short, it was packed with the fun of seeing family and friends, relaxing, road-tripping with Bennett, and getting engaged! :) I honestly didn't feel ready for the summer to end when I packed my suitcase and headed to the airport last Friday evening...After all, summer is relaxing, and goodbyes are hard. Nevertheless, it was time.
Summer Recap:
This map pretty much sums it up…Bennett flew into Fort
Lauderdale where we spent the week enjoying the summer sunshine, kayaking on
Biscayne Bay, celebrating Grandma Teddy’s birthday, and eating Chinese with
friends (And yes, the boys dominated in Pictionary). From there, we headed
north through Tallahassee, North Carolina, and Ohio, all on our way to the
lovely Lake Michigan. We had the privilege of visiting with several incredible
friends on the journey and celebrating at Tom and Becca’s wedding. Finally in
Michigan, we were ready for a few days off of the road. Time to relax. Our week
in Michigan was filled with many games, sand and shore Frisbee, family, stargazing,
and a sunset proposal. I am excited to marry the man of my dreams. :)
Summer has flown by quickly, and the start of a new school year is just around the corner! Although my time in the States was short, it was packed with the fun of seeing family and friends, relaxing, road-tripping with Bennett, and getting engaged! :) I honestly didn't feel ready for the summer to end when I packed my suitcase and headed to the airport last Friday evening...After all, summer is relaxing, and goodbyes are hard. Nevertheless, it was time.
Summer Recap:
This map pretty much sums it up…Bennett flew into Fort
Lauderdale where we spent the week enjoying the summer sunshine, kayaking on
Biscayne Bay, celebrating Grandma Teddy’s birthday, and eating Chinese with
friends (And yes, the boys dominated in Pictionary). From there, we headed
north through Tallahassee, North Carolina, and Ohio, all on our way to the
lovely Lake Michigan. We had the privilege of visiting with several incredible
friends on the journey and celebrating at Tom and Becca’s wedding. Finally in
Michigan, we were ready for a few days off of the road. Time to relax. Our week
in Michigan was filled with many games, sand and shore Frisbee, family, stargazing,
and a sunset proposal. I am excited to marry the man of my dreams. :)
The next stop on our adventure was Yorkville, Illinois. We
spent several days at the Parkhurst farm, playing more games, watching movies, exploring
Starved Rock, and enjoying being together. And then, it was home-again-home-again for me. I stopped to see Sidney, the Swartzes, and Madison (+ Emily!) along the drive home, and entertained myself with audio books, phone calls, and a little car dancing during the 24 or so hours of road time. I also had some spontaneous and exciting mini visits with Arisha, Celeste, Andrei, and Grammy, and Alex and Caleb.
I got home with 5 days to spare and procrastinated packing as I visited/celebrated with family and friends, checked out some wedding reception venues with the parents, and did some wedding dress hunting.
Before long, it was Friday, and I packed my suitcases, headed to the airport, said a few tearful goodbyes, and tried to sleep on the overnight flight to La Paz.
Back in Bolivia:
All was quiet when my taxi pulled up in front of 198 Sebastian Figaroa early Saturday morning. I spent the morning reading 1 Timothy, praying, and missing my family and Ben. Although the goodbyes are difficult, I have been reminded of God's call to La Paz and refreshed by that knowledge. I have been thanking God for the opportunities he gives us to give back to him - as Elisabeth Elliot has said, God gives us material for sacrifice. I have recently been reading about Paul's suffering for the gospel and his encouragement to Timothy to "join in his suffering." While I recognize that my "suffering" is small compared to many, I also acknowledge that there are often costs in following God. And yet, they are all, always worth it. What else could I chase after in this life that would be better? There is nothing else that can satisfy. There are many wonderful things in this world that God has given us to enjoy, but none of them can be the goal, the ultimate aim of my life. If they are, they will soon crumble away. Even good things that are made "ultimate things" leave us empty in the end.
I like this definition of sacrifice - "the surrender or destruction of something prized or desirable for the sake of something considered as having a higher or more pressing claim." Whatever it is that I prize, it is always better to offer it to Him.
I am thankful for God's call and for another chance to grow as a teacher here in Bolivia. My week has been filled with joy as I was welcomed back into my church community here and spent several days getting ready for the new teachers to arrive. It has been fun getting to know our new staff and showing them around La Paz. Last night, we had a game night with old and new staff, and it was great to catch up with friends who we haven't seen all summer. As it turned out, we talked for so long, we only ended up playing 3 rounds of Catchphrase!
So that's that. Tomorrow starts "real" school work. We have a week of teacher prep days and then...the kids are back!
Please pray for...
1) Our new teachers - Laura, Kelly, Sara, and Samantha - We will all be busy getting started with a new school year, and they are all making the adjustment to life in La Paz.
2) Health and energy for all of our teachers starting a new year
3) Passion for our students to know the gospel + wisdom and intentionality in building relationships and sharing the love of Christ with them
4) Whole-hearted service and commitment - That my heart will be fully here and that my investment in my students will be joyful and willing
5) That our students will learn to make following the Lord the goal of their lives. That they will recognize that he is worthy and that they will develop his perspectives.
6) My roommate, Lindsay, who is having some medical tests done before coming back to La Paz.
7) Wisdom and discernment as Bennett and I make plans for the future together. Where shall we go?
And last but not least...my resolution. This year, I resolve to write at least 2 blog updates per month. I know I've been terrible at staying up to date with this blog. :-p I thank you all for your faithful prayers, in spite of my unfaithful updates.
With love from La Paz,
Joy
6) My roommate, Lindsay, who is having some medical tests done before coming back to La Paz.
7) Wisdom and discernment as Bennett and I make plans for the future together. Where shall we go?
And last but not least...my resolution. This year, I resolve to write at least 2 blog updates per month. I know I've been terrible at staying up to date with this blog. :-p I thank you all for your faithful prayers, in spite of my unfaithful updates.
With love from La Paz,
Joy
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Home Sweet Home
After reading a friend's blog today, I was inspired to create a list to celebrate a few of the many things I love about being home for the summer...Here goes nothing!
- Florida sunshine and the colors of South Florida
- Humidity - Yes, really! Even if I do sometimes feel like I'm running through a cloud...
- Beach breezes and summer sunsets
- Going to church with my family
- Spending time with my very cool, very talented brothers
- Catching up with friends - In person, on the phone, over lunch, through Skype - You name it. I love it!
- Sleepovers with friends
- Being greeted by my happy dog, Betsy, when I walk through the front door
- Being greeted by my sneaky little brother (who is usually trying to scare me when I walk through the front door)
- Home-cooked meals
- Silly American foods - Oh, how I love Wheat Thins. And turkey sandwiches.
- Playing ping pong with the family
- Crafting
- Evening runs
- Rediscovering things I love that stay home while I'm away - I feel like I have a new wardrobe every time I come home!
- Cleaning house and organizing rediscovered treasures
- Wearing shorts
- Target and the Dollar Tree - Need I say more? :)
- Spending extra time with the Lord in the mornings
- Spending extra Skype time with Ben now that we're in the same country
- Getting ready to spend time with Ben in person! (2 more days!)
- Unstructured, unhurried time
- Thunderstorms
- Conversations with my mom and dad
- Driving around town - windows rolled down, music turned up
- Visiting with grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles
- The feeling of being home
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Year One Done - Reflections
Sitting
here, listening to the hum of jet engines and the crackle of plastic wrappers,
it is hard for me to believe I’m on my way home after finishing my first year
of teaching in La Paz.
A year
ago, I was somewhere in between – I had graduated from Florida State, and my
mind was filled with a million and one questions as I prepared for the move to
Bolivia. I was getting ready for a trip to Atlanta for Alex and Caleb’s wedding, and I had already booked a flight to
Memphis for my Pre-Field Orientation (PFO). I was confident of God’s call to
Bolivia; I was afraid of the unknowns. What
will it be like? Will I be able to do it? What classes am I even teaching?!
Was I excited? Maybe excitement had its place among the myriad emotions I was
experiencing. But excitement did not find itself center stage.
Today,
I am on my way home, and in some ways, it feels as though nothing has changed.
Yet, this year has brought many joys and many challenges, and in many ways,
nothing is the same. God’s faithfulness, though, and my absolute assurance of
his call to Bolivia remain the same.
So what
is different?
Well,
for starters, I will never be a first year teacher again. And I survived!
Middle school is an exciting, emotional, and energetic place to be, and I love
everything about it. Sure, there are attitudes. Yes, middle schoolers do some
silly and occasionally annoying things (Remember, their frontal cortexes aren’t
fully developed yet…). But the wonderful outweighs the weird, and I can’t
imagine my life without 50 sixth, seventh, and eighth graders in it.
My days are filled with laughter,
and teaching brings out the actress in me. Somehow, all stage fright flees when
I’m singing “The Food Chain Song” to my 6th grade class, though that
doesn’t stop my heart from racing when I stand to speak in front of any size
group of adults. Which brings me to a lesson learned: kids feed off of your
energy. Kids will be enthusiastic about what you are enthusiastic about. This
year, there were many days when my classes came in…dragging. Energy was low.
Maybe they were tired; maybe they were bored. It was on those days that I found
a little theatric flare really made a big difference. You may know the
traditional PEMDAS rules to help you remember the standard Order of Operations,
but I doubt you have met the royal Order. On days when my class was “dead,”
King Parentheses, Queen Exponents, Prince Multiplication, Princess Division,
and the lowly servants Addition and Subtraction brought new life to the
classroom. On the flip side of Lesson #1, I learned that if my class came in
fired up and bouncing off of the walls, that was a day to set a mellow tone.
Too much unharnessed energy in a middle school classroom can make for a stressful
and unproductive class.
Being a first year teacher is
certainly challenging, and I am thankful I will never have to do it again. Many
times this year, I asked myself, “What am I even doing? Are my kids learning anything?” Nevertheless, the many lessons
learned leave me hopeful that each year I’ll learn new things that will make me
a better teacher for the years to come. For starters, I can now look at what a
school year looks like from start to finish, and I’ve already developed systems
that work well for me which I can, and will, improve on in the future. Oh ya,
and I actually know what I’m teaching! Those things may seem small, but they’re
a step up from where I was at the start of the 2011-2012 school year.
Some of the most encouraging
statements this year in light of my lingering “Are they learning?” question
came directly from my students. I had several students tell me how for the
first time in their lives (short though they may be) they liked math and science and that they understood the subjects. One
student even told me I should work at his old school and that he would write my
recommendation letter. These compliments meant the world to me. When I was in middle
school, math and science were at the bottom of my favorites totem pole, and
because I didn’t enjoy them, I didn’t work as hard in those classes. How would
I have described science? “Boooring…” Now I have to ask myself, “What was I
thinking?!” Today I think science and math are fascinating, fun, and so
applicable to everyday life I often wonder, “How did I think this was so
pointless?” So one of the biggest rewards for me is the knowledge that, though
my students may never be rocket scientists, they at least are developing an
appreciation for the excitement of science and the puzzle, mystery, and fun of
math!
What else is different?
I could have predicted that I would
survive my first year as a teacher, and I could have predicted I would learn
some big lessons. But item #2 on my list of things that are different came as a
complete surprise, and a completely wonderful one at that! God has a funny
sense of timing, and his plans often look very different from our own. This was
one of those cases.
Prior to leaving for Bolivia, I
committed the year to the Lord. “God this is your year. I want my life to be
focused on you.” As a part of that, I determined that I wouldn’t date anyone
this year. Realistically, I didn’t think
that would be much of an issue. I wasn’t dating anyone when I finished college
and had never dated anyone before that time. So, that was that. I headed to PFO
with no expectations, and although I knew there would be some men there who
loved the Lord and were following his call for their lives, I knew that I was
free to just get to know those guys as friends (in addition to the girls).
While I was there, I met a man named Bennett Parkhurst who liked to play games,
had a good sense of humor, was athletic, and tried to convince me to stay up
past my self-proclaimed “bedtime” to keep hanging out with the group. We spent
a lot of time together in our group of newbies playing everything from ping
pong to Bananagrams, and Ben and I had many occasions to talk and laugh
together over the course of the two weeks. We swapped testimonies and shared
some things about our families and how we learned about NICS. We also laughed
over shared jokes and ridiculous riddles, and when our group went to see Super 8 on one of the last nights of
orientation, we sat next to each other and kept a running commentary going
throughout the whole film.
When we left PFO, I wondered who I
would stay in touch with. “Maybe I’ll keep up with some of the girls in Lima,”
I thought. “They’re just across the border after all…sort of…” Little did I
guess that Ben and I would continue talking every day. First it was Facebook
messages, sprinkled with a blend of silly games, the day to day happenings, and
serious conversations about theology and where God has brought us from. Then,
when Facebook wasn’t sufficient, it was emails. Then, early in August, after
Ben had moved to Korea and I had moved to Bolivia, Ben asked me to Skype one
Saturday. Up to that point, I had been under the assumption that we were just
friends, nada más. That request was one of the first times I started to think
maybe there was something more to this (although there were a few times leading
up to that point where Ben had made comments that left me wondering). I had
already been praying for Ben as a friend, but around that time, I started
praying about whether I should be talking to a guy who was just a friend so
regularly. My journal is also filled with prayers about my simultaneously growing
feelings for Ben as more than a friend. As I prayed, Ben and I continued
getting to know each other, emailing and Skyping our way through our first
month teaching abroad.
Then, at the end of August, Ben
brought up the conversation of “us.” Broken by slow internet connection, our
conversation is a memory we both look back on and laugh about. In that
conversation, we established that we were both interested in getting to know
each other more intentionally, even though dating didn’t change much about the
day-to-day interactions in our relationship. After that conversation, I prayed
and wrestled with my own questions, “God is this wrong? I didn’t plan to date
anyone this year. Is this out of line with your plan for this year? Am I going
back on my word to you?” I prayed and wrestled and sought godly counsel, and
ultimately, after it all, I found myself coming to a place of peace with God.
There was no “No.” He had continually opened the doors wide before us and had
left me with a sense of assurance that this was from him. And so I walked
forward, trusting that God would close the door or make it clear to us if this
was not from him.
Through my relationship with Ben, I
started to learn about God and myself in new ways. I started learning to trust
God as he led Ben, and when certain questions would come up, I would pray that
God would lead Ben’s heart. God is faithful. I have seen evidence of God
answering prayers in our relationship even before Day 1, and on days when I
wondered, “Is this right?” God used reminders of those answered prayers to lead
me forward in peace. I have learned many lessons through what God is teaching
Ben, and seeing his commitment to following our Father in obedience has spurred
me on at many points throughout this year. Ben has encouraged me and challenged
me to grow, and it has been an exciting journey of prayer, trust, patience, and,
of course, fun. I wouldn’t trade it for the world. It brings me to a place of
humble praise and joy every time I consider God’s ironic sense of time and
place, his faithfulness, his guidance, and the way he refines us through the
oddest of circumstances.
So, where I am today, flying home
with the excitement of knowing, “I get to see Ben!” is a far different place
than I ever imagined I would be a year ago – and it is far better.
More differences, you say?
Just another of the many ways God
has shown his continued faithfulness and provision this year is in the area of
friendships. God has blessed me with a wonderful community of women from high
school and college who have filled my life with love, joy, and encouragement
for many years, and one of the hardest aspects of moving to Bolivia for me was
knowing the time I would miss out on with those girls. I first thank God for
these women, and I thank you, amigas, for being faithful, supportive friends
during this year when I am so far away. I miss you all!
God has also blessed me with some
incredible new friends this year. My roommate, Jess, my
co-middle-school-teachers Bekah and Becky (who both have the middle name Joy!
Weird, right?), my beautiful friend, Becca, my soon-to-be roommate, Lindsay,
along with Maegan, Ali, Julie, and Amanda...I can’t imagine my life without
these women. I thank God for continuing to provide the community I need. I
thank God for the opportunity to walk with these women, learning from them and
leaning on them in the midst of a lot of “new.”
Yes, there are more differences,
not the least of which is my attitude about living abroad. Where there was
fear, where there were questions, there is now “normalcy.” No, life is not
always “normal” as I would define it (Bus driver uses passenger flashlights in
place of headlights=normal?) but there is now a normalcy to what sometimes
still feels far from the norm(No school because of strikes = “normal” in
Bolivia).
Although I don’t have time to
address the many more differences this year has brought, I can say that some
things do remain the same. I am again amazed at God’s gracious provision,
protection, and daily faithfulness in my life. I can think of many days this
year when I did not have the strength (mentally, physically, whatever) to get
through on my own. But, I’ll say it again, he is faithful. Again and again. He
is so incredibly, shockingly, wonderfully faithful.
This year has been filled with
growth, with laughter, with frustration, with joy, with new. And I can only
thank God for it all. I am ready and excited for summer break in the States
(Florida heat, here I come! I can’t wait to put on some shorts!), and I thank
God for the very way he gives us rest just when we need it (because I do). I am
excited to see my family. I am excited to go to my church. I am excited to
catch up with old friends. I am excited to see my incredible boyfriend. J I am excited to see
what this in-between season holds. And I am excited for rest.
So, there you have it. A few pages
and a few hours later, I am still listening to the hum of the jet engines, a
few hundred miles closer to home, and reminded again of the faithful God I
serve. He who promised is faithful.
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Bolivian Snow Days and the Latest News
Dear friends and family,
Tomorrow is the last day of April and with it comes the start of the LAST MONTH of school and an unexpected day off. You may have heard that here in La Paz we often get what some people term the "Bolivian Snow Day." No, it's not weather related; Bolvian Snow Days have everything to do with the political climate of the nation. We have missed several days of school this year due to blockades in and outside of the city which stop up transportation and generally slow down the function of the capitol. However, tomorrow is not one of those days...On Friday, the government of Bolivia issued a "Supreme Decree," naming tomorrow an official national holiday. Tuesday was already a holiday, so our 2 day weekend suddenly became a 4 day weekend with a few words from the president.
In other news, the past two months have been some of my busiest in La Paz.
Here's the brief overview...
March started with planning for the Talent Show and packing up our house to move.
It was so much fun to see our kids singing, dancing, and doing gymnastics. One of my favorite aspects of the talent show is that we got a glimpse into the things our students pour themselves into for fun. It gave me a taste of what they love to do outside of school. And they are talented!
The morning after the show, Jess and I finished packing up our little casita and with the help of a few good friends, we moved across town to our new apartment. We love it! It is so comfortable here, and we feel very blessed to have beautiful views of the mountains, our own internet, and some fun neighbors.
4 days later, we jetted off to Quito, Ecuador for a conference. We had a great time visiting with our friends Teri and Keith, and on our down time, we got to visit the center of the world - the Equator!
When we got back from Ecuador, we jumped into the last week of the 3rd quarter. It was a week packed with grading and wrapping things up and trying to plan ahead for the 4th quarter, not to mention Spring Break!
After the 3rd quarter ended, we were a week and a few parent-teacher conferences away from Spring Break. Woohoo! We finished out the week and Lindsay, Julie, Jess, and I jumped on another plane bound for Buenos Aires! It was such a relaxing week after a busy and occasionally stressful/frustrating month of school. Buenos Aires is beautiful, and the slightly warmer weather and American comforts (Hello, McDonalds! Yes, we did have to buy ourselves some fries...) were just what we needed.
Then we were back to Bolivia and back into another busy few weeks. Highschool headed out of town for their annual missions trip while the rest of the school continued as normal with some additional preparations for the upcoming Bolivia Day! When all of our teachers were back in town, we practiced our traditional Bolivian dances like madmen and women so that we could perform in style last Saturday. It was such a wonderful day! Each grade learns a different traditional dance and then performs for the parents (and each other) on Bolivia Day. It was fun to again see our students talent and learn a little bit more about the history and culture of the nation.
And that's that for now!
Thank you for your love and support and for your faithful prayers from the homefront. I am looking forward to seeing many of you this summer! Please pray that we will finish the year with energy and that God will work powerfully in the hearts of our students in this last month of school. We have seen many students in elementary school and a few high school students profess faith in Christ this year, and there are many other students who are asking some tough questions. Please also pray for our new staff who have already been hired as they prepare for the move to La Paz, and pray that God will call people to fill the remaining positions that have not yet been filled. We are still in need of a high school Math/Physics teacher, a high school Social Studies teacher, and a special ed teacher. Know anyone who's interested? :)
Love you all!
Joy
Tomorrow is the last day of April and with it comes the start of the LAST MONTH of school and an unexpected day off. You may have heard that here in La Paz we often get what some people term the "Bolivian Snow Day." No, it's not weather related; Bolvian Snow Days have everything to do with the political climate of the nation. We have missed several days of school this year due to blockades in and outside of the city which stop up transportation and generally slow down the function of the capitol. However, tomorrow is not one of those days...On Friday, the government of Bolivia issued a "Supreme Decree," naming tomorrow an official national holiday. Tuesday was already a holiday, so our 2 day weekend suddenly became a 4 day weekend with a few words from the president.
In other news, the past two months have been some of my busiest in La Paz.
Here's the brief overview...
March started with planning for the Talent Show and packing up our house to move.
It was so much fun to see our kids singing, dancing, and doing gymnastics. One of my favorite aspects of the talent show is that we got a glimpse into the things our students pour themselves into for fun. It gave me a taste of what they love to do outside of school. And they are talented!
The morning after the show, Jess and I finished packing up our little casita and with the help of a few good friends, we moved across town to our new apartment. We love it! It is so comfortable here, and we feel very blessed to have beautiful views of the mountains, our own internet, and some fun neighbors.
4 days later, we jetted off to Quito, Ecuador for a conference. We had a great time visiting with our friends Teri and Keith, and on our down time, we got to visit the center of the world - the Equator!
When we got back from Ecuador, we jumped into the last week of the 3rd quarter. It was a week packed with grading and wrapping things up and trying to plan ahead for the 4th quarter, not to mention Spring Break!
After the 3rd quarter ended, we were a week and a few parent-teacher conferences away from Spring Break. Woohoo! We finished out the week and Lindsay, Julie, Jess, and I jumped on another plane bound for Buenos Aires! It was such a relaxing week after a busy and occasionally stressful/frustrating month of school. Buenos Aires is beautiful, and the slightly warmer weather and American comforts (Hello, McDonalds! Yes, we did have to buy ourselves some fries...) were just what we needed.
Then we were back to Bolivia and back into another busy few weeks. Highschool headed out of town for their annual missions trip while the rest of the school continued as normal with some additional preparations for the upcoming Bolivia Day! When all of our teachers were back in town, we practiced our traditional Bolivian dances like madmen and women so that we could perform in style last Saturday. It was such a wonderful day! Each grade learns a different traditional dance and then performs for the parents (and each other) on Bolivia Day. It was fun to again see our students talent and learn a little bit more about the history and culture of the nation.
And that's that for now!
Thank you for your love and support and for your faithful prayers from the homefront. I am looking forward to seeing many of you this summer! Please pray that we will finish the year with energy and that God will work powerfully in the hearts of our students in this last month of school. We have seen many students in elementary school and a few high school students profess faith in Christ this year, and there are many other students who are asking some tough questions. Please also pray for our new staff who have already been hired as they prepare for the move to La Paz, and pray that God will call people to fill the remaining positions that have not yet been filled. We are still in need of a high school Math/Physics teacher, a high school Social Studies teacher, and a special ed teacher. Know anyone who's interested? :)
Love you all!
Joy
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
There and Back Again Part 2
It is a rainy Sunday morning back in La Paz. I am sitting in my bed, listening to the sound of raindrops splattering gently on our roof and on the concrete walkway outside my window.
I have been back in La Paz for 18 days, just under 3 weeks - 2 of those weeks back in the classroom. But before I get to that...Let's jump back to December...
After our Thanksgiving adventure, there were only a few weeks until Christmas break!
We spent a lot of time in my classes doing Christmas math activities including calculating discounts and percents for Christmas shopping, graphing pictures of snowmen on the coordinate plane, and finding the modern day total cost of the gifts in the 12 days of Christmas.
Highlands had its annual Christmas program, and on the last day of school we had a middle school Christmas party.
I have been back in La Paz for 18 days, just under 3 weeks - 2 of those weeks back in the classroom. But before I get to that...Let's jump back to December...
After our Thanksgiving adventure, there were only a few weeks until Christmas break!
We spent a lot of time in my classes doing Christmas math activities including calculating discounts and percents for Christmas shopping, graphing pictures of snowmen on the coordinate plane, and finding the modern day total cost of the gifts in the 12 days of Christmas.
Highlands had its annual Christmas program, and on the last day of school we had a middle school Christmas party.
Elf + Playing Soccer + Karaoke + Spur of the Moment Dance Party + Food = Priceless
(Middle School was definitely the cool place to be that Friday!)
After the party, we all headed home and finished packing things up for our flight to the U.S. the next day! I was so excited to go home.
It was wonderful to walk off of the plane into 70 degree Florida Christmas weather, to feel the beach breeze, to see a beautiful sunset, and to hug Mom and Dad for the first time in 5 months!
All of the boys were home for break, and it was fun to see them and to exchange stories over dinner. And that was just the beginning.
My break was full of time spent with fabulous family and friends, a visit from Ben and a trip to Illinois , lunch at LaSpada's, a few good books, and more. It was incredibly refreshing, and after a busy first semester, it was a nice break from managing 45 middle schoolers.
Seeing Ben was definitely a major highlight of the vacation - it was so much fun to spend time together in person after not seeing each other for so many months. We met each others families, played some tennis, watched some quality movies, made pancakes, ate Moose Tracks, saw "A Christmas Story" (the musical), toured around Chicago, ate deep dish pizza!, played lots of games, and rang in the New Year with midnight hockey. :) I couldn't have asked for a better break.
As January 10 approached, for a few days, I kept saying to myself, "I'm not ready to go back!" But by that Monday, as Caleb and Jeff headed back to school, I realized...I was ready to pack and fly back to La Paz. Back in July, I was filled with fear before I left. In January, I was filled with readiness and excitement. I picked up some last minute things at Target, packed my suitcases while watching "How I Met Your Mother," and spent my last day visiting with some great friends. And then...I was off.
We flew into La Paz at dawn and were greeted by the beautiful sight of fresh morning sunlight illuminating snow-capped mountains which were peeking through a blanket of low-hanging clouds. We landed, got our luggage, and Jess and I found a taxi to drive us home to Obrajes, Calle 16. As we descended into the city from the airport, I was surprised to realize La Paz felt like "home". I was once again awed by the orange and green mountains surrounding the city, and my heart was filled with the sense that I knew this place. It no longer held the fear of the unknown for me.
We opened the heavy green door into our courtyard, and were greeted by a very friendly, very excited Diana (our landlord's beautiful, blue-eyed husky). We lugged heavy suitcases down the steps to our casita and opened the door...ah...perfection...
Haha ok, so not really perfection. We did discover soon after arriving that...1) our internet router had blown out and 2) our washing machine was on the fritz again, but hey, it could have been worse! We were pleasantly surprised to see that our friendly ant colony was nowhere to be seen...for about 5 minutes. They were SO excited to have us home, they rushed all over the counters to greet us. There's no place like home. :)
And that's that.
Well, not quite. We're back to school these days. 2 weeks into the 3rd quarter, and things have been busy and great. I love seeing my students again, and it has been so much fun to spend time with Jess and the rest of our AWESOME friends on staff again. My parents gave me a projector for Christmas, which has been my fun new teaching toy this quarter. Carnaval is approaching in February (we'll have a 4 day weekend!), and all of us have to watch out for rogue water balloon throwers these days. In the spirit of the holiday, the city makes mischief - one of the primary methods is lobbing water balloons at unsuspecting pedestrians.
On the flip side, after a busy 2 weeks in the classroom, I am tired. Getting the ball rolling again takes a lot of time, and I haven't been sleeping as well or as long as I need to. Please pray for energy and for efficiency as I plan and prepare my lessons. Please pray that I will depend on God for my strength as we continue our busy lives here in the city. I have been praying about what it looks like to make planning for my classes an act of worship, although I am not sure what that really means, and I am considering the best ways to invest my time this quarter. I would really like to spend more time practicing Spanish, get involved with a small group at church, and continue developing friendships with my fellow teachers and with people I have met at church. Please pray that I will have wisdom to know where to invest time and balance in my daily life.
Additionally, our middle school girls' discipleship group has begun meeting regularly on Thursdays! It has been so much fun spending a little extra and more informal time with our girls, and I am excited to see what God does through our time together. Bekah and I are leading the group, and so far, we have just been getting to know each other better. Please pray for us as we prepare for the discipleship group that God would teach us how to lead well and show us what we should do with the girls. We are considering spending time in Psalm 1 this week, and we will be working through some "how to study your Bible" ideas throughout the quarter. I am also continually praying that our students who don't know Christ would see his reality, that they would become aware of their sin and their need for a savior, and that all of our students would recognize that he is WORTHY. Because he is. It is amazing to see how God has already worked in the hearts of some of our students. We know that God's word does not return empty, and I pray that God will make our students' hearts like the good soil that bears much fruit. I pray that they would not just be saved, but that they would become faithful servants of our Lord and king, that they would be dependent on him alone, and that they would see themselves and the world through his eyes, not their own. And that is something I too need to keep always before me "Let us fix our eyes on what is unseen..."
And that's that! Really this time.
Thank you so much for your continued prayers. I am so blessed to have such a supportive group of family and friends at home and, although I am not as consistent in my updates as I wish to be, it means the world to me to have you all share in my adventures.
As I close, it is still drizzling outside my window, and I am looking forward to a restful Sunday in the Southern Hemisphere. I can say with confidence, the Lord has led me here, and he has blessed me beyond measure. Though I am weak, he is strong. What a privilege it is to walk with the Lord!
"Blessed is the man whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord does not count against him..."
Psalm 32:1-2
There and Back Again Part 1: Thanksgiving Break
Over the past few months, life has been very full.
This post is to retell the story of my first true adventure in Bolivia - an adventure which did not go exactly as planned. Over Thanksgiving break, (my first Thanksgiving away from home) a few of us teachers decided to take a trip to the Salar de Uyuni, which is an enormous salt desert in Southwestern Bolivia. (Wikipedia can tell you more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salar_de_Uyuni) We had quite the adventure. Maybe more than we had originally bargained for...
So here is the long version of the story (adapted from an email written after the trip)...which is actually still shorter than it could be.
Before I jump into some stories, here are some general pros and cons of the trip:
Cons (I'll do them first to get them out of the way):
-I got sick on the first full day of our trip. :( Our 12-hour bus trip to Uyuni turned into a 16 hour trip because of some blockades. By the end I was getting cabin fever. That itself wouldn't have been so bad, but I couldn't get comfortable to sleep. I ended up sitting on the floor resting my head on the chair at about 3 in the morning which brought me a few minutes of sleep in the long long night. Anyway, that morning my throat was sore which I attributed to a long, sleepy bus ride without much water. By mid-afternoon, I had chills, which I initially brushed off as the "sun going down." But, by dinner, I knew I was probably feverish. I wasn't hungry and I couldn't warm up, so I went to bed really early. After that I had a terrible sore throat, congestion, and headaches, and was just generally tired, which put a damper on the trip for me personally. However, I still enjoyed myself.
-One downside to the tour we took was the amount of driving between each sight" we saw. We spent the majority of each day driving through the middle of nowhere Bolivia (which is beautiful, incredibly diverse, and somewhat alien so we definitely had some good scenery to keep us occupied in addition to getting-to-know-you convos and reading.). The downside was that it took us a very long time to get to each place and we only spent 15-30 minutes at each one. I guess purely "sight-seeing" vacations aren't my favorite way to spend a break (especially considering the long to-and-back bus rides).
Pros: -We saw some AMAZING things! The Salar is really neat. It's just this huge, sprawling desert of salt that seems to go on forever (although it obviously does have an end!). But, one of my favorite thing was the Isla del Pescado which is an island made of coral, covered with huge cacti that pops up right in the middle of the Salar. The theory is that there was once a huge salt lake that dried up leaving the Salar behind? When you climb the coral and look out over the Salar, it looks like you are on an island in the middle of a huge ocean made of ice, covered with sparkling snow. Another really cool sight was the geysers. I've never seen anything like them before! We also saw flamingos in all of the "lagunas" we stopped at along the drive. I would never have thought you would find flamingos in the middle of the desert, but there are hundreds of them everywhere! Along the drive itself, I loved how the landscape changed from absolutely barren desert with mountains in the distance (no life at all - it kind of made me think of "Holes") to beautiful sapphire blue, absolutely still lakes dotted with pink flamingos to green shrubby mountains with little streams running through algae-covered rocks with the occasional llama thrown in. Honestly, that's just the tip of the iceberg! We also stayed in a hotel made out of salt bricks... God's creation is incredible.
-We had several fun moments during the trip including a few impromptu stops in the desert. For example during one of our breakdowns...First of all, we go over a bump and hear this "Bang!" and see a black piece of metal hanging in front of the window. Our driver coincidentally decides that this would be a good time to "get out and take some pictures" (anytime we had car trouble we were told we should "get out and take some pictures"). So we did. Rob had brought along a chicken suit for the Salar, which reappeared during our photo session in the desert.
-It was fun getting to know our Bolivian driver a little bit. At first he seemed a little annoyed by our group, but he warmed up by the end of the trip. I found out he does two 3-day tours every week (and has been for 14 years!) split up by one day in between. He doesn't get any days off. :( I did get to know a little bit about his family though, and I asked him what people believe about God in Uyuni. He told me generally but also added he didn't really know because he doesn't get to talk about it much with people.
-Meeting people from around the world who were traveling through Bolivia (A lot of Israelis and Europeans, some Japanese in the groups we met)
"Adventures" along the way:
-At one of our lunch stops, there were several other tour groups eating, taking pictures, and enjoying the Bolivian countryside. In the middle of our meal, we suddenly witnessed one of the other tour drivers violently throwing his passengers' bags from the roof of their Toyota. After he had thrown the bags down, he shouted a few things at them, reasoned with one passenger, and then sped off, swerving slightly back and forth. It turns out he was "slightly" drunk and when the group asked him about it, he blew up on them. The stranded group decided to split up (one person in several different groups) fror the day, and so we acquired a Japanese tourist named Yuji. Conveniently Yuji spoke good English, and Rob happened to speak Japanese, so we had fun getting to know our extra passenger. Before the group had packed everything up, the drunk driver raced back through the picnic area at break-neck speed, terrifying all of us around, to shout a few last words and get rid of some of their things.
-Tour Toyota Breakdowns: On the final day of our tour we almost lost a wheel! We sat on the side of the road for about an hour while our driver fixed the part that had broken. Later that day, we popped a tire. (A relatively quick fix along the way!) We all agreed, if you have to be stranded with a flat tire, the Bolivian countryside is a beautiful place to kill some time. :)
*BUT ABOVE ALL ELSE...Our BIGGEST Bolivian travel adventure was the bus ride home.
We had hoped the blockades would be done before last night, but we found out that they were in fact still taking place AND spreading. We settled in our minds that we would again be sitting for a 16 hour bus ride. But that was just the beginning...
Chapter #1: Getting to the bus. After arriving back at our tour agency, the women there told us the bus would leave at 8 bound for La Paz. We cleaned up (as in changed out of our dust covered clothes, put on deodorant, and rearranged our bags), and then we set off for dinner at a pizza place down the street. (On the way, I stopped to pick up what I think is the equivalent of Nyquil from the local pharmacy). Dinner was delicious. We relaxed, took our time, and headed back to the tour agency a few minutes after 7. During this walk, the wind was blowing dust everywhere, when suddenly...we met our tour director and her sister in the street racing toward us frantically telling us that the bus was, in fact leaving at 7, and was currently waiting for us! We grabbed our bags and speed-walked 4 blocks through the mini dust storm to the bus station. There we were told we each owed 20 more Bs because of the blockades and the extra gas required. We dug through bags, paid the moola, and took our tickets to find our seats on the bus...which was nearly full. Our seats were spread out throughout the bus, and we got on as quickly as possible surrounded by irritated Bolivians and backpackers who were ready to hit the road. I felt bad for the man sitting next to me, because as I hustled into my seat, I was wheezing (asthma), coughing (asthma + cold), and generally looking like I was infected with the plague. (I should mention, he had the outside seat and had to stand up to let me in and other times when I needed the bathroom during the trip). After the mad rush, we got settled in and hit the road. I took some medicine, listened to a few Podcasts and closed my eyes to get some sleep. (The seats on bus #2 were significantly more comfortable than bus #1, and I was actually able to fall asleep pretty quickly).
Chapter #2:What You Never Want to Hear Your Bus Driver Say
About an hour or so into the trip, I woke up as one of the bus drivers opened the door to the cabin and asked us passengers, "Alguien conoce el Salar muy bien?" (Meaning he was hoping a passenger knew their way through the great salt desert better than the drivers...) After a few minutes, he questioned, "Nadie conoce el Salar muy bien?" And headed back to the driver's seat. I laughed as I looked out the bus window and realized we were taking a very different route than the one we had come on. We were driving STRAIGHT THROUGH the Salar to avoid the moving blockades. Unfortunately, our driver did not know the way. We drove in some direction for a while, found a truck that seemed to know where it was going, followed it for a while, stopped following it, turned around in front of someone's house, and were generally lost in the desert for about 3 hours. I prayed that God would direct our driver and help him to find whatever road he was looking for, and at some point when I was asleep, he must have because...
Chapter #3: Bumpy Buses and How to Push a Bus Uphill
The next thing I knew, we were bouncing along a narrow, dirt and rock-covered road. It felt like the bus was a giant jackhammer based on the bounciness. Suddenly, we stopped. The bus had died...or was stuck...or...something. After about 10 minutes, the drivers asked everyone to get off the bus to help push (This was about midnight). We piled off the bus, everyone who could fit behind the bus struggled to push it uphill (I did not fit behind the bus). Next thing we knew, the bus was ROLLING back toward all of the people who had just pushed it! Thankfully, everyone got out of the way and the driver stopped the bus. I later found out that the bus battery has a problem that only allows it to start if the bus is rolling backwards. This became a pattern in the trip. The bus rolled back down the road, started the engine, and sped up the hill. We walked to meet it at the top. On the road again.
Chapter #4: Bumpy Bus Bathrooms
At this point, I decided I should go to the bathroom before I went back to sleep again. Now, no bus bathroom is particularly desirable. However, a bathroom on a bus, bumping at 40 mph along a dark road is...almost dangerous! I started my journey to the bathroom by running into two people who had stretched their legs across the bus aisle. They did not wake up and I stepped over them as delicately as I could while being thrown side to side by the rocking bus. I ran into Jess who was sitting next to the bathroom in the back of the bus. I spent the next several minutes yanking on the bathroom door, which is a VERY tight fit. It finally banged open, and I stepped in as gracefully as possible. I grabbed onto what I thought was a hold bar, only to fall against the door as the window opened. But that wasn't all...When I tried to open the bathroom door to get out...I was stuck. The door would not open. I body slammed it, turned the lock backwards and forward, pushed on it, hit it. But it wouldn't budge. The whole time, I was still being tossed backwards and forwards by the rocking of the bus. I decided to knock on the door, and as I knocked the door suddenly flew open and I fell out. I didn't see anyone awake so I didn't know if anyone had opened it (turns out Jess was my savior...she said this was a common part of her evening, as was being awakened by the door slamming into her as people tried to open it or didn't close it completely). On the way back to my seat, I stepped over the people who were blocking the aisle, and moved quietly to my seat, until the bus lurched backwards throwing me three feet forward where I grabbed onto what was conveniently my aisle, and climbed back into my seat. Back to sleep...for now...
Chapter #5: What You Never Want to Hear Your Bus Driver Say Part 2
Bump bump bump. I don't know how any of us were even pretending to sleep, but we continued bumping up the middle of nowhere backroads until...BAM! We hit something and stopped. Several minutes later, one of the drivers walked into the bus cabin asking..."Does anyone have a flashlight we can use?" I was still waking up and heard him say..."no electricity" somewhere in his request. Julie, a few other passengers, and I handed over our flashlights, and I laughed/prayed as I realized...our drivers were using our travel flashlights as headlights for the bus! Oh dear. Safety until daylight.
Interlude: Off-roadingI don't know when this was, somewhere between or after the lost/bumpy roads stage, but at one point I looked out of the bus window and realized...we were not driving on a road. We were not driving in the desert. We were driving through someone's field in their backyard!
Chapter #5: Another delay
6 a.m. rolled around surprisingly quickly, as we were once again hustled off the bus just as the sun was coming up (pretty sight!) to push the bus. It took a while, but we eventually were back on the road. Tired, cold, humored? (some of us) by the adventure, and back on the road. AND supposedly we were only about 4 hours from La Paz! (false)
Chapter #6: 4 hours...
This part of the trip was the longest to me. I just kept hoping to see something that looked like La Paz in the distance or...something...We crept along the road...sooo sooo slowly. After 4 hours...and more...we were getting closer. I could tell. But that's when...The bus died for good. The drivers tried to restart it by rolling down the hill into the traffic that was coming up. Didn't work. They messed with the engine. Tried again. Didn't work. Several passengers who were tired of the long wait decided to walk the rest of the way to La Paz (about 10 km) and so, about half of the passengers bailed at that point. The drivers eventually told us they were calling another bus. At this point, we decided to hitchhike back to La Paz. We piled off the bus and immediately were picked up by a mini-bus who took us and 2 other tourists to the highest part of the city (At the same time, we saw most of the remaining passengers climb onto another mini-bus that was passing by). We got to El Alto, but we still had a long way to go. Another mini-bus offered to take us to the central bus station. We gratefully accepted the offer, climbed onto the second mini-bus and made our way to the station. From there, Jess and I caught a cab and FINALLY arrived back in our lovely house, thankful to be home and off of all moving vehicles. I don't know if I've ever been so happy to take a shower and sleep in my own bed before.
In spite of the unexpected delays and "challenges" of the trip, I am thankful we were able to go on the trip. It is fun to look back on pictures, laugh about the crazy experiences, and thank God that we survived our journey through the desert and the mountains (even with some technical difficulties). Things don't always go as we plan. :)
This post is to retell the story of my first true adventure in Bolivia - an adventure which did not go exactly as planned. Over Thanksgiving break, (my first Thanksgiving away from home) a few of us teachers decided to take a trip to the Salar de Uyuni, which is an enormous salt desert in Southwestern Bolivia. (Wikipedia can tell you more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salar_de_Uyuni) We had quite the adventure. Maybe more than we had originally bargained for...
So here is the long version of the story (adapted from an email written after the trip)...which is actually still shorter than it could be.
Before I jump into some stories, here are some general pros and cons of the trip:
Cons (I'll do them first to get them out of the way):
-I got sick on the first full day of our trip. :( Our 12-hour bus trip to Uyuni turned into a 16 hour trip because of some blockades. By the end I was getting cabin fever. That itself wouldn't have been so bad, but I couldn't get comfortable to sleep. I ended up sitting on the floor resting my head on the chair at about 3 in the morning which brought me a few minutes of sleep in the long long night. Anyway, that morning my throat was sore which I attributed to a long, sleepy bus ride without much water. By mid-afternoon, I had chills, which I initially brushed off as the "sun going down." But, by dinner, I knew I was probably feverish. I wasn't hungry and I couldn't warm up, so I went to bed really early. After that I had a terrible sore throat, congestion, and headaches, and was just generally tired, which put a damper on the trip for me personally. However, I still enjoyed myself.
-One downside to the tour we took was the amount of driving between each sight" we saw. We spent the majority of each day driving through the middle of nowhere Bolivia (which is beautiful, incredibly diverse, and somewhat alien so we definitely had some good scenery to keep us occupied in addition to getting-to-know-you convos and reading.). The downside was that it took us a very long time to get to each place and we only spent 15-30 minutes at each one. I guess purely "sight-seeing" vacations aren't my favorite way to spend a break (especially considering the long to-and-back bus rides).
Pros: -We saw some AMAZING things! The Salar is really neat. It's just this huge, sprawling desert of salt that seems to go on forever (although it obviously does have an end!). But, one of my favorite thing was the Isla del Pescado which is an island made of coral, covered with huge cacti that pops up right in the middle of the Salar. The theory is that there was once a huge salt lake that dried up leaving the Salar behind? When you climb the coral and look out over the Salar, it looks like you are on an island in the middle of a huge ocean made of ice, covered with sparkling snow. Another really cool sight was the geysers. I've never seen anything like them before! We also saw flamingos in all of the "lagunas" we stopped at along the drive. I would never have thought you would find flamingos in the middle of the desert, but there are hundreds of them everywhere! Along the drive itself, I loved how the landscape changed from absolutely barren desert with mountains in the distance (no life at all - it kind of made me think of "Holes") to beautiful sapphire blue, absolutely still lakes dotted with pink flamingos to green shrubby mountains with little streams running through algae-covered rocks with the occasional llama thrown in. Honestly, that's just the tip of the iceberg! We also stayed in a hotel made out of salt bricks... God's creation is incredible.
-We had several fun moments during the trip including a few impromptu stops in the desert. For example during one of our breakdowns...First of all, we go over a bump and hear this "Bang!" and see a black piece of metal hanging in front of the window. Our driver coincidentally decides that this would be a good time to "get out and take some pictures" (anytime we had car trouble we were told we should "get out and take some pictures"). So we did. Rob had brought along a chicken suit for the Salar, which reappeared during our photo session in the desert.
-It was fun getting to know our Bolivian driver a little bit. At first he seemed a little annoyed by our group, but he warmed up by the end of the trip. I found out he does two 3-day tours every week (and has been for 14 years!) split up by one day in between. He doesn't get any days off. :( I did get to know a little bit about his family though, and I asked him what people believe about God in Uyuni. He told me generally but also added he didn't really know because he doesn't get to talk about it much with people.
-Meeting people from around the world who were traveling through Bolivia (A lot of Israelis and Europeans, some Japanese in the groups we met)
"Adventures" along the way:
-At one of our lunch stops, there were several other tour groups eating, taking pictures, and enjoying the Bolivian countryside. In the middle of our meal, we suddenly witnessed one of the other tour drivers violently throwing his passengers' bags from the roof of their Toyota. After he had thrown the bags down, he shouted a few things at them, reasoned with one passenger, and then sped off, swerving slightly back and forth. It turns out he was "slightly" drunk and when the group asked him about it, he blew up on them. The stranded group decided to split up (one person in several different groups) fror the day, and so we acquired a Japanese tourist named Yuji. Conveniently Yuji spoke good English, and Rob happened to speak Japanese, so we had fun getting to know our extra passenger. Before the group had packed everything up, the drunk driver raced back through the picnic area at break-neck speed, terrifying all of us around, to shout a few last words and get rid of some of their things.
-Tour Toyota Breakdowns: On the final day of our tour we almost lost a wheel! We sat on the side of the road for about an hour while our driver fixed the part that had broken. Later that day, we popped a tire. (A relatively quick fix along the way!) We all agreed, if you have to be stranded with a flat tire, the Bolivian countryside is a beautiful place to kill some time. :)
*BUT ABOVE ALL ELSE...Our BIGGEST Bolivian travel adventure was the bus ride home.
We had hoped the blockades would be done before last night, but we found out that they were in fact still taking place AND spreading. We settled in our minds that we would again be sitting for a 16 hour bus ride. But that was just the beginning...
Chapter #1: Getting to the bus. After arriving back at our tour agency, the women there told us the bus would leave at 8 bound for La Paz. We cleaned up (as in changed out of our dust covered clothes, put on deodorant, and rearranged our bags), and then we set off for dinner at a pizza place down the street. (On the way, I stopped to pick up what I think is the equivalent of Nyquil from the local pharmacy). Dinner was delicious. We relaxed, took our time, and headed back to the tour agency a few minutes after 7. During this walk, the wind was blowing dust everywhere, when suddenly...we met our tour director and her sister in the street racing toward us frantically telling us that the bus was, in fact leaving at 7, and was currently waiting for us! We grabbed our bags and speed-walked 4 blocks through the mini dust storm to the bus station. There we were told we each owed 20 more Bs because of the blockades and the extra gas required. We dug through bags, paid the moola, and took our tickets to find our seats on the bus...which was nearly full. Our seats were spread out throughout the bus, and we got on as quickly as possible surrounded by irritated Bolivians and backpackers who were ready to hit the road. I felt bad for the man sitting next to me, because as I hustled into my seat, I was wheezing (asthma), coughing (asthma + cold), and generally looking like I was infected with the plague. (I should mention, he had the outside seat and had to stand up to let me in and other times when I needed the bathroom during the trip). After the mad rush, we got settled in and hit the road. I took some medicine, listened to a few Podcasts and closed my eyes to get some sleep. (The seats on bus #2 were significantly more comfortable than bus #1, and I was actually able to fall asleep pretty quickly).
Chapter #2:What You Never Want to Hear Your Bus Driver Say
About an hour or so into the trip, I woke up as one of the bus drivers opened the door to the cabin and asked us passengers, "Alguien conoce el Salar muy bien?" (Meaning he was hoping a passenger knew their way through the great salt desert better than the drivers...) After a few minutes, he questioned, "Nadie conoce el Salar muy bien?" And headed back to the driver's seat. I laughed as I looked out the bus window and realized we were taking a very different route than the one we had come on. We were driving STRAIGHT THROUGH the Salar to avoid the moving blockades. Unfortunately, our driver did not know the way. We drove in some direction for a while, found a truck that seemed to know where it was going, followed it for a while, stopped following it, turned around in front of someone's house, and were generally lost in the desert for about 3 hours. I prayed that God would direct our driver and help him to find whatever road he was looking for, and at some point when I was asleep, he must have because...
Chapter #3: Bumpy Buses and How to Push a Bus Uphill
The next thing I knew, we were bouncing along a narrow, dirt and rock-covered road. It felt like the bus was a giant jackhammer based on the bounciness. Suddenly, we stopped. The bus had died...or was stuck...or...something. After about 10 minutes, the drivers asked everyone to get off the bus to help push (This was about midnight). We piled off the bus, everyone who could fit behind the bus struggled to push it uphill (I did not fit behind the bus). Next thing we knew, the bus was ROLLING back toward all of the people who had just pushed it! Thankfully, everyone got out of the way and the driver stopped the bus. I later found out that the bus battery has a problem that only allows it to start if the bus is rolling backwards. This became a pattern in the trip. The bus rolled back down the road, started the engine, and sped up the hill. We walked to meet it at the top. On the road again.
Chapter #4: Bumpy Bus Bathrooms
At this point, I decided I should go to the bathroom before I went back to sleep again. Now, no bus bathroom is particularly desirable. However, a bathroom on a bus, bumping at 40 mph along a dark road is...almost dangerous! I started my journey to the bathroom by running into two people who had stretched their legs across the bus aisle. They did not wake up and I stepped over them as delicately as I could while being thrown side to side by the rocking bus. I ran into Jess who was sitting next to the bathroom in the back of the bus. I spent the next several minutes yanking on the bathroom door, which is a VERY tight fit. It finally banged open, and I stepped in as gracefully as possible. I grabbed onto what I thought was a hold bar, only to fall against the door as the window opened. But that wasn't all...When I tried to open the bathroom door to get out...I was stuck. The door would not open. I body slammed it, turned the lock backwards and forward, pushed on it, hit it. But it wouldn't budge. The whole time, I was still being tossed backwards and forwards by the rocking of the bus. I decided to knock on the door, and as I knocked the door suddenly flew open and I fell out. I didn't see anyone awake so I didn't know if anyone had opened it (turns out Jess was my savior...she said this was a common part of her evening, as was being awakened by the door slamming into her as people tried to open it or didn't close it completely). On the way back to my seat, I stepped over the people who were blocking the aisle, and moved quietly to my seat, until the bus lurched backwards throwing me three feet forward where I grabbed onto what was conveniently my aisle, and climbed back into my seat. Back to sleep...for now...
Chapter #5: What You Never Want to Hear Your Bus Driver Say Part 2
Bump bump bump. I don't know how any of us were even pretending to sleep, but we continued bumping up the middle of nowhere backroads until...BAM! We hit something and stopped. Several minutes later, one of the drivers walked into the bus cabin asking..."Does anyone have a flashlight we can use?" I was still waking up and heard him say..."no electricity" somewhere in his request. Julie, a few other passengers, and I handed over our flashlights, and I laughed/prayed as I realized...our drivers were using our travel flashlights as headlights for the bus! Oh dear. Safety until daylight.
Interlude: Off-roadingI don't know when this was, somewhere between or after the lost/bumpy roads stage, but at one point I looked out of the bus window and realized...we were not driving on a road. We were not driving in the desert. We were driving through someone's field in their backyard!
Chapter #5: Another delay
6 a.m. rolled around surprisingly quickly, as we were once again hustled off the bus just as the sun was coming up (pretty sight!) to push the bus. It took a while, but we eventually were back on the road. Tired, cold, humored? (some of us) by the adventure, and back on the road. AND supposedly we were only about 4 hours from La Paz! (false)
Chapter #6: 4 hours...
This part of the trip was the longest to me. I just kept hoping to see something that looked like La Paz in the distance or...something...We crept along the road...sooo sooo slowly. After 4 hours...and more...we were getting closer. I could tell. But that's when...The bus died for good. The drivers tried to restart it by rolling down the hill into the traffic that was coming up. Didn't work. They messed with the engine. Tried again. Didn't work. Several passengers who were tired of the long wait decided to walk the rest of the way to La Paz (about 10 km) and so, about half of the passengers bailed at that point. The drivers eventually told us they were calling another bus. At this point, we decided to hitchhike back to La Paz. We piled off the bus and immediately were picked up by a mini-bus who took us and 2 other tourists to the highest part of the city (At the same time, we saw most of the remaining passengers climb onto another mini-bus that was passing by). We got to El Alto, but we still had a long way to go. Another mini-bus offered to take us to the central bus station. We gratefully accepted the offer, climbed onto the second mini-bus and made our way to the station. From there, Jess and I caught a cab and FINALLY arrived back in our lovely house, thankful to be home and off of all moving vehicles. I don't know if I've ever been so happy to take a shower and sleep in my own bed before.
In spite of the unexpected delays and "challenges" of the trip, I am thankful we were able to go on the trip. It is fun to look back on pictures, laugh about the crazy experiences, and thank God that we survived our journey through the desert and the mountains (even with some technical difficulties). Things don't always go as we plan. :)
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