Sunday, June 29, 2014

Mi horario, Experimentos y Pairumani...

What a week it has been!  I think every week just goes by faster and faster.  I can't believe that I only have 1 more Sunday left in this place!  First off, I wanted to share a little bit about our daily life here and my schedule.

Mondays we don't have classes at the center.  So, it's considered our day off.  2 of the other interns go to The Cancha with Joana.  That means that I really have all morning to relax, do devotions, catch up on anything that needs to be done or prepared for the center that week, do laundry, etc.  In the afternoons, all of us are around so generally we go do something or explore some part of the city if we have a chance.  

Tuesdays me and Leah take turns going with Kathryn generally to the Cancha to help her carry all of the things she needs to buy for her women's cooking classes.  It really can depend, though, on if she is feeling well.  We have gone with Gustavo instead or cancelled before as well.  Then we either eat with Kathryn at her house or head back to our house for lunch.  Classes start at the center at 2:30. We take turns heading there early, so we either leave the house at 1:30 or 2:00.  If we go early, we have to get glasses of water ready for the kids for those that want it when they come and clean the tables from the day before.  On Tuesdays, I'm in charge of preparing el refrigerio (the snack).  It usually consists of preparing a grain drink (api..purple corn drink! is one of the regulars and one of the kids' favorites) and opening up packages of some type of crackers/cookies/etc. for the kids.  One day this week I had to peel 80 oranges and 80 bananas for the kiddos!  Wow, my fingers hurt after that one for a few days!!  There are about 80 kids that attend the center each day from 1st-6th grade.  After preparing snack, we all help serve snack shortly after 4:00.  After snack, I help out in Creatividad (crafts) class.  When the kids are finished with their homework in their regular classrooms, they can get a pass to go to Creatividad.  I generally help prepare the different projects, or at least a couple of them a week.  The center time is finished at 5:30.  At that point, we clean up and head home and generally get home by 6:30.  Then we eat supper, get anything prepared for the coming days, hang out, watch movies, etc.!

Wednesdays we have construction in the morning.  So right after breakfast, we head to the center by trufi.  Sometimes Howard and/or Gustavo are there to help us, but other days it's just us girls getting dirty and getting down to work!  We work for a good 2 1/2 hours or so and then head home for lunch around 11:30.  We clean up, eat, and then have to head back to the center already.  Construction in the mornings & El Centro in the afternoon.  Wednesdays I don't prepare snack, but I help out in the 4th grade classroom.  The 4th graders are so full of energy and quite a fun bunch!  The room is generally crazy, but I do my best to help the kids out with their homework (which usually consists of a lot of math).  It took me a bit to figure out how to help them with their long division, because it is completely backwards from the way we do it!  Sometimes I just have to tell them, sorry I have no clue how to help you with this...and they just look at me like "what?! You don't know this?!"  It can be quite humbling. :)  After refrigerio, I help out with the washing of the dishes from the snack and then any time left over help out in Creatividad.

Thursdays are very similar to Wednesdays.  We do construction at the center in the morning.  Then we go to the center for classes in the afternoon.  On Thursdays I again prepare refrigerio and then help out in Creatividad.

Fridays we have the morning for Spanish lessons.  My lesson is at 11 AM with Toni.  I sometimes head down to Av. America early to get coffee or walk around or visit the supermarket, though.  I  just have to take the bus down to Toni's house, and it's super easy to get there by myself.  Toni has a gorgeous backyard and beautiful house.  Her lessons have been so wonderful for me.  I have learned SO much, and it has been a huge blessing for my time here!  She is a wonderful Christian woman, so nice to just have conversations with every week, and I can't begin to explain how much I have learned over those 1-hour private lessons!!  I can bring any questions I have to her, and she right away could pick up on my ability level and has tailored the sessions to what I really need to improve my Spanish.  I will miss having access to such amazing lessons!  She is a GREAT teacher.  After my lesson, I head back for lunch and then we head to the center for the afternoon!

Saturdays have been a little different the last couple of weeks because we have started experiments at the center.  We invited the 5th-6th graders to El Centro on Saturday mornings for a couple of hours to do fun science experiments and another learning opportunity for them.  I think the kids have really been enjoying it!  They say that they haven't really done anything like it before.  It has been fun to find experiments they will enjoy and have an opportunity to actually teach and interact more with the older students.  We did experiments all with eggs this past week.  We did the classic egg drop experiment and had them create something to protect an egg.  They thought it was so cool that they could drop them from the 2nd story of El Centro!  In the afternoons, we have time off to do whatever and explore again!

Sunday mornings we head to church.  After church, we all go out to lunch together.  We usually go to some type of food court where everyone can order what they want or a more authentic Bolivian restaurant.  Sunday afternoons we either rest or sometimes do some exploring as well.  

As you can see, our days are pretty packed!  It has been so fun, though!  This week on Saturday afternoon, we went straight from experiments on a little adventure!  We packed some bread, fruit, and snacks and left straight from the center.  We took a trufi to Plaza Norte and ended up just buying some food there and taking it to-go.  We got on a different trufi which took us to a Quillacollo, which is pretty much a suburb of Cochabamba.  We basically had to do a lot of asking around to figure out exactly what trufis to take and everything.  From there, we found a different trufi to take us to Pairumani, a national park with hiking trails.  We went hiking up the mountain.  We had no idea how long it would take us or what it was going to be like!  It wasn't as long as we thought it would be, but it was a good hike!  Especially doing something more strenuous like that, you can sure feel the altitude difference!  We came to this lookout area and some amazing views of a huge canyon!  It was breathtaking!  Then we finally kept going, had to go through a gate, and then got to a narrow path that took us right alongside the side of a mountain.  We walked a way and came to the waterfall!  The waterfall wasn't much because it's so dry right now.  There was barely even a river in the canyon even.  Then we could walk up some steps right next to the waterfall and see the river flowing over all of the rocks!  It was amazing to hear the flowing water and dip our feet in the water!  It was cold, but so refreshing after our hike!  We relaxed for a while, ate some of our snacks, and then headed back down!  We made it up and down in just a couple hours really!  It was such an amazing experience, and really reminded me how GREAT, how MARVELOUS, and how WONDERFUL our Maker is! His creation takes my breath away all the time here.

Prayer requests:

  • That I would take advantage of my last weeks here.
  • That our VBS would go great this week!  We have definitely been feeling the stress with all the things to get done before then!  Pray that we might teach just a few kids even who have never heard about Jesus and that we would make an impact on their lives.
  • Health:  I have been dealing with bad allergies this week (I think largely due to the pollution...Cochabamba was under a red alert for pollution/smog this week) and Joana has been very down with a bad cold this week! Pray that we all continue to stay as healthy as possible and get over anything we have soon.
  • Pray that God would really use me this week and that I would be open to Him and what He has to teach me and show me these last few weeks.  I want to keep the focus on Him and really soak in this opportunity while I can!
  • Continued safety!
Blessings from Cochabamba!  I am LOVING my South American life, though at times it can be difficult and trying.

Adios y vaya con Dios,
Breanna
This girl is the sweetest... Arminda, I will miss sitting next to you at church, you braiding my hair whenever you can,
and seeing your joy-filled smile in the 4th-grade classroom!
Teaching experiments on Saturday morning

Sitting on the rocks in the river above the waterfall!

Me and my sweet, funny, & crazy buddy Gabriel

Loving the mountains at Pairumani!

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

La Feria...y mucho mas!

I can now say that I've hit the halfway point.  My trip is halfway over.  My time with the kiddos is halfway spent.  My Cochabamba adventure is over halfway done...
WOAH.

Am I ready to be done?  Absolutely not.  Does the idea of leaving this place that I've fallen in love with in 2 and a half weeks scare me?  Absolutely.  I'm not ready.  Not in the least.  I feel like I'm finally getting to know the kiddos at El Centro really well and know where I belong and what my job is here...
And now I have to think about leaving.  I'm just not ready to think about that yet.  

The last week here has definitely been my favorite I think, or at least held a lot of the highlights of this trip.  But it was also the week where certain things popped up and I started to miss my family more, my friends, and my home.  It was hard to see all that was going on in NW Iowa and not be there to be help or at least to be a support...  This week it really started to sink in how much I love this place, adore the children, and am going to miss being a part of this culture and community.  

This week we were able to celebrate Emily's birthday!! It was such a fun day being able to do that with the Quiroga family.  Any time spent with them is really cherished, and I have absolutely LOVED getting to know them and be a part of their family!  This family is WONDERFUL.  We went out for supper for Emily's birthday (where we were all able to try anticucho... cow heart!!).  It was a fun time at an outdoor food court-type area.  After that, we returned home to the most delicious chocolate cake I think I have EVER eaten, prepared by the wonderful Joana!  We even celebrated with Barbie birthday hats to make the occasion extra-special, and all the boys even joined in on the fun! ;)  

Thursday was Corpus Christi here in Bolivia, a Catholic holiday that is celebrated.  On most holidays most people don't work, therefore schools were closed and we didn't have to work at El Centro.  We instead went and worked construction at the Center in the morning and then spent the afternoon relaxing and preparing for La Feria.  On Friday we had La Feria (the fair) for the kiddos at El Centro.  This was by far my favorite day at the center so far.  The fair is something they hold twice a year for the kiddos.  The kids receive fake money/tickets for a certain amount.  They earn their money throughout the year by attendance, good behavior, and hard work in their classes at the center.  It is such a neat idea, and I love that the kids have to earn what they want to spend at the fair.  The kids each received their money and a card around their neck that showed all the stations.  They had to go in order to each station and could proceed through the stations as many times as they wanted until all of their money was gone.  There were four stations--food, games, clothing, and toys.  The kids could spend their money on whatever they wanted in each station!  The kids were SO excited, and I absolutely loved seeing the joy on their faces as they could pick out what they wanted and just have a fun day off from homework!  I helped out in the toy station, so I was able to help a lot of kids find fun toys to take home with them.  We also helped out by going to the Cancha and buying a lot of the toys that week, so it was fun to see who all of the toys went home with.  One thing that really stuck with me was how selfless some of the kids were.  Many of the kids would come in the toy room the second time and instead of picking out a toy for themselves would pick out a toy for their younger sister or brother at home---so precious!!  La feria was a success, thanks to so many people who donated and helped out at it!  The kids clearly had a blast, and I loved being a part of it!  Before even beginning, Joana led the kids in a prayer to thank the One who made the entire thing possible--I love that they kept the entire thing in perspective and really put the focus on what God has done, what He is doing, and what He has provided. They said at one point throughout the year, they also hold a smaller Feria for the parents.  It really is a great idea to give the kids the opportunity to earn through positive behavior--and therefore be able to buy things with dignity and pride!

Friday was just such an awesome, packed day because at night we were able to join Kathryn, one of the missionaries here, and go downtown to see a local music festival.  There were bands playing in various locations, so we decided to check it out!  We went out and ate some pizza, ordered coffee at a coffee shop and listened to a band there, and then headed to Plaza Principal where some local indigenous bands were playing.  It was so cool!  We kind of described it as a "battle of the bands" because one band would be playing and then another band would just start forming and march on up to the "stage" and start playing over top of the sound of the first band!  It was really interesting to see the dress of the people and see their different instruments and hear the music.  Saturday we were able to go La Cancha with Mama Toty, Joana, & Isaac (we dragged the poor boy along..he's such a good sport!). We were able to do some shopping and finally get a few souvenirs!  We also did some good shopping Monday afternoon.  The things you can buy here are so cool, and I love just looking even in all the stores!

Sunday we went to church, which I absolutely love here.  Every week I am so blessed to be a part of this church community located at the center.  Gustavo preached this week.  I was reminded through his lesson how all we need is the Bread of Life.  We got to be little kids and play with balloons in the sermon, which signified how we are nothing without the life God can only breathe into us--then we are like a fully blown-up balloon that doesn't just fall to the ground.  God really is the Life that we need--ALL that we need.  I have recognized that over & over again during this experience.  Daily I ask him for what I need to get me through the day, to help me overcome a struggle--& He provides.  Every time.

Sunday afternoon we were invited to Shari & Juan Carlos's home to watch a movie.  We headed there after lunch.  After that, Jorge, Isaac, & Natasha went with us girls to the Plaza where they have the "Futbol Fest" set up.  It is a huge screen where they are always showing the World Cup games.  We were able to watch the USA vs. Portugal game out in the middle of the city under the stars with hundreds of other people!  It was one of the coolest things I have ever done!  It was packed so we had to stand the entire game, but it was worth it!  The atmosphere was crazy awesome!  The fact that USA was ahead and in the last thirty seconds lost the lead to end the game in a tie was disappointing, but we couldn't have asked for a better night.  

Yesterday, since it was Monday we again had the day off.  I enjoyed the day by drinking my morning coffee and reading on the roof, cooking lunch (goulash & jello!) for the family, and then we all went downtown to shop (& of course eat ice cream!).  At night we watched a movie with the entire family-- which is becoming an almost daily occurrence for us!  We love to all sit down and watch a World Cup game or a movie and eat popcorn.  It has been some great bonding time/relaxation time for us!

A few prayer requests for the week:
-I had a few misshaps/"injuries" this week-- Funny story, but I ripped my pants getting out of a trufi on a very sharp object sticking out of the seat.  However, I got a deep scratch on my backside at the same time.  I was thankful I am up to date on my tetanus shot, and it seems to be healing up nicely! ha.. I also got bit by something at the Cancha--we are thinking at least-- My foot just strangely started to swell up by my toe and throb and I was like missing some skin... It was so strange!  But that seems to slowly be healing up as well!  So I am thankful for some non-serious injuries, but pray we will continue to be healthy and injury-free. :)
-That I wouldn't think too much about the upcoming good-byes, but would live in the moment and use all of the time we have here to the fullest!  (We really only have this week left of a "normal" week at El Centro.)
-For VBS.. We are working on planning and preparing for VBS, which is already next week!  The kids are starting to get excited!  Pray that we would be able to share the Gospel with them and hopefully teach some of them who don't even go to church more about the God who loves them more than any of us do!  
-Continued safety

Thanks so much for all of your support, prayers, and love from all over to where I am in Cochabamba.  It means the world to me.

Adios y vaya con Dios,
Breanna

Monday, June 16, 2014

El Cristo de la Concordia

What a GREAT weekend!  I had a lot of fun this past weekend.  It was a relaxing, rejuvenating time after our first long, busy week!  

On Sunday, I was asked to share my testimony in church, as each of us interns will have a chance to share one Sunday while we are here.  They asked me to go first, as I am the first intern to leave!  Sharing my testimony in front of our church in Spanish seemed a little daunting to me!  But, this was when I really was very thankful for the many times my Spanish professors have had us share our testimonies in class during my time at NWC. :)  I thought it went well, and it was a neat experience.  After sharing, people laid hands on me and Gustavo prayed for me.  I am so thankful to be a part of this church community while I am here.  It's a neat experience being able to worship each week with such a small, intimate group of people.  

After church, we went out to eat like we do each Sunday with the Quiroga's, Porter's, and Gustavo.  The World Cup was even being projected on a big screen at the restaurant!  At the restaurant we discussed going up to El Cristo shortly after going home.  Isaac, my 15-year-old brother, and Natasha, their cousin and the Porter's daughter, said that they would come with us!

El Cristo de la Concordia is the largest statue of Jesus Christ in the world!  It sits on San Pedro Hill and is in the center of the city, so from up by the statue, you get to see all four parts of the city to each side of the statue!  So cool!  I definitely was excited I took my good camera all the way up because the views were amazing!!  The statue is over 860 feet above the city of Cochabamba and is over 9,000 ft above sea level!  I can still definitely feel the altitude difference here no matter where I am, and it was really crazy that high up!  

We took the cable car up to El Cristo, which was so much fun, yet so scary!!  Swinging back and forth on a cable car way up above the city was absolutely breathtaking!  I, being not such a fan of heights, was a little freaked out but I made it!  Once we got to the top, we walked up some steps to El Cristo.  Then we were able to pay a couple Bolivianos to go up inside of El Cristo.  The first staircase was so narrow one person could barely make their way up it!  After that it wasn't as narrow, but we took about 8 or so more spiral staircases up.  On each level there were small holes cut out of the cement so you could look out of the statue at the city on each side.  The only light inside of the statue was the light shining in from those holes to the outside!  As we kept going up, the view just kept getting better and better.  We could walk all the way to the point of Jesus's arms and then you could walk a little ways in the arms.  Such a neat experience and probably one of the coolest things I have ever done/seen!  After coming back down on the staircases, we made our way outside where we walked around the statue some more and took lots of pictures and admired the view.  I can now say I've been to El Cristo!  They really are proud of it here, as you can see the statue from pretty much anywhere in the city!  Anywhere you go at night, you can see it lit up all pretty and we can even see it from the roof of the Quiroga's house.  So I'm glad I could finally go and see it up close for myself!  

After spending some time up there, we decided we should probably climb down before it gets dark, as we hear the trail can be dangerous at dark.  We got some ice cream and ate it as we walked down.  We decided to take the stairs down.  So crazy!  It's apparently 3,333 steps to come down, and by the end of it our legs were definitely shaking.  We do a lot of walking here so on a normal day our legs can be quite tired, but that was quite the trek!  We made it before it got dark, though.  It was really such a fun day with Isaac and Natasha and the other 3 interns!  We are already making plans to go back and walk UP all the way on the steps!  I don't know if we are making a death wish, but we so wanna say we accomplished such a task! :)

Yesterday I was able to Skype and FaceTime my family for the first time since coming, which was such a blessing!  It was just so great to be able to hear their voices and speak with them for a little bit and see a few different people who were around for Father's Day!  This morning I was able to sit on the roof and relax a little bit while reading and doing my devotions.  Spending my free mornings on the roof is probably one of my favorite things to do here.  I love breathing in the fresh air, looking at the amazing view of the city, and taking in God's creation.  It is just so peaceful up there, in the morning especially.  I am looking forward to another amazing week here!

Prayer requests:
1.  Continued good health and safety for us here
2.  Our time at El Centro this week (only Tuesday and Wednesday this week as Thursday is a holiday)
3.  The "fair" we will be having at El Centro for the kids on Friday!  Not quite sure what this is all about, but pray that preparations would go well and it would be a great day for the kids!
4.  We are looking forward to VBS the first week of July, so prayers that our preparations and planning would go well and that we can really bless the children that week.
5.  That I would continue to feel God's love and peace in my life here, and that I would continue to learn so much and see what He wants me to see in my time here.  

Thanks again for all of your prayers and support!  I really feel them.  God is GOOD!

Adios y vaya con Dios,
Breanna
Me, Emily, & Bekah in the cable car

The 4 Center Interns :)

Leah, Bekah, Emily, Me, & Natasha in the statue



Friday, June 13, 2014

13 de Junio

How to begin describing all the emotions I have experienced today...

Today is a hard day.  June 13 is always a hard day.  
Years go by, and it doesn't get easier.  
I miss my family, yes.  
I miss my friends, yes.
I miss my darling nephews, yes.  
I miss "home".
But today I had to experience missing those things in the midst of really MISSING someone who I've missed for 7 years.  And it isn't any easier when you have to miss someone without the comfort of your family around you.  Today, I woulda given a lot to be able to hug my mom.  That was my one big selfish desire for the day.  
Yes, I miss my family and the many comforts of home.  But more than that, today was a day where I really deeply missed Uncle Dave.  
It's not a fun day, and I'm definitely ready for it to be over.  But God sustained me through a day that could have been a lot worse. 

A verse that came to my mind and I saw on multiple occasions today was this... "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." {2 Corinithians 12:9}  I have liked this verse for a while and held onto it as I was preparing to go on this adventure.  I love the idea that God uses us in our weaknesses.  I am weak.  Today, I was especially weak.  My heart hurt, and I was longing for things that I couldn't have.  But God still used me.  And God used my day for His glory.  Today was a day when I definitely needed God's grace to get me through the day, and that is exactly what He did.  

Standing on the rooftop tonight looking out at the full moon and the immense sky full of stars, I was reminded of how great and how vast God's love is for us.  And how His grace got me here and continues to sustain me.  

So in a day that could have been overtaken by the sadness in my heart, I was able to have a one-on-one Spanish lesson with an amazing and caring woman and teacher, hand out snack to 80 eager and joy-filled children, and hear countless happy voices calling out my name "Hola Profe Breanna! Hola! Hola!"  God's grace is definitely sufficient for me.

And I could do it all knowing someone was up in heaven smiling down on me, keeping a protective eye on me, and teasing me for every misstep along the way.  

Thursday, June 12, 2014

Dia de la Copa Mundial!

Today is World Cup Day (the first day of the World Cup), and so many of the kids at El Centro (especially the boys) couldn't control their excitement! "Who do you want to win?! Who do you think is going to win!  Brazil! Brazil!"  It was fun to see the excitement and joy on their faces.  It is a big deal here, since the World Cup is just taking place right next door in Brazil.  Most of the kiddos here are cheering for Brazil (since Bolivia doesn't have a team competing), but if you ask mi hermanito Isaac who is going to win-- Espana! Espana!  He is definitely cheering for Spain.  It's a lot of fun to be in South America as this is going on.  People here are selling things with World Cup stuff on them and there are Brazil World Cup 2014 advertisements everywhere!  The boys in this house definitely love soccer and so I am sure we will be kept up to speed on everything going on with the World Cup.

What a crazy, hectic, tiring, FUN week it has been.  We are in the midst of our first really full, normal week here in Cochabamba.  We had last weekend to relax some more after our Thursday and Friday off.  Saturday we went downtown, walked around the parks and the city a lot, got some amazing ice cream at Dumbo's, and had a fun day together.  Saturday night we went to Kathryn's (another missionary/team member) apartment.  She went to culinary school before coming to Bolivia to serve, so she offered us homemade brownies and ice cream. :)  We had a GREAT night of playing games (Evopolio...Bolivian version of Monopoly!).  It was fun to be able to laugh and relax with some good friends here in Bolivia.  Sunday we went to church again, which was great as usual, and then we returned for a day of relaxation and rest.  We had another great night of conversation with our host family.  I'm continually blessed by the Quiroga's.. what a wonderful, funny family to be a part of during this summer.  I couldn't have asked for better people to spend my summer with!  David, the father, is always joking with us about trying to set us up with people and that we need to get married (especially since we know how to cook!).  We have had plenty-a-good laughs with Isaac, the 15-year-old, as well.  He is HILARIOUS and always keeps us on our toes.  (We do tease him a little bit, too) ;) I am sure he just LOVES living with four 20-something ladies. :)

Our newest (and last) team member arrived just yesterday morning!  Emily is a college student from Minnesota who attends Wheaton (in Illinois).  She is a sweetheart, and she fits in well with the rest of us and we are so glad to have her!  It has been fun getting to know yet another girl here in Bolivia.  I have been blessed by the friendships and unity that has already been forming amongst the team of people we have here.  

Monday we went on a little adventure to a park...really shouldn't have been much of an adventure, but it sure turned into one!  A little boy told us we couldn't go in.."umm, okkk, it's a park? why not?"  Turns out he had reason!  A teenage girl was like "yeah, go for it.."  So we entered.  It was a beautiful park that was recently built.  The park had a large grassy section full of exercise equipment..yes, actual exercise equipment!  Outside!  So cool!  When Joana said there was a "gym" there, I didn't actually think there was a "gym" in the park!  What a great idea to get your exercise done right outside!  I mean, the weather here couldn't be more gorgeous.  There is NEVER any humidity.  It is really dry and each day gets up to probably lower 80s..just GORGEOUS weather.  At night it can get down to 50s probably I'd say, but it is expected to get colder as the winter goes on.  Anyways, we played around on the exercise equipment, explored the park for a good 20 minutes when we started walking past the pool that was there and everything.  A man then approached us and said that the park was closed and we needed to get out...OOPS. So, yes, the little boy was correct when he said we couldn't go in.  However, it wasn't REALLY our fault because there was no signs and the gate had been left unlocked and even open.  The lady who escorted us out wasn't quite as friendly as the nice man who told us we need to leave and return on a day that isn't Monday. :)  

Tuesday was my day to go with Kathryn to the Cancha (the market) to help her shop for her women's cooking classes at El Centro. It was a fun morning with her!  We did a lot of walking (especially since finding a trufi home was difficult when a random parade that was blocks long popped up!).  It is interesting being two blonde, American girls walking around the Cancha.  We had to be especially careful as to not get robbed and got a lot of unnecessary attention from people.  We survived, though!  After, we ran some more errands and had lunch at her house.  It was great getting to know her more on a one-to-one basis as well.

The past two days we have spent the mornings at El Centro doing construction.  They have been LONG days, and we are very exhausted by the end of them!  We are cleaning up the grounds a lot to make it look nicer and so that eventually maybe the kids will have more space to actually run around and play.  For the most part, they handed us shovels and pickaxes, set us on top of a dirt/rock pile, and we got to work!  (I couldn't help but think..RyderBoy would be in HEAVEN here....he coulda been busy "stoopin" all day!!!) It was hard work, but it felt good to get some good physical labor in and work up a sweat!  By the end of the morning, we were tired and very dirty and ready for lunch.  We would head back to the house, which is a trek in itself, shower up or clean up, eat lunch, and then on back to El Centro it is for teaching/working with the kiddos!   I will explain what we do at El Centro more in another post and hopefully share some photos..this one is unfortunately getting quite long..sorry!

As for me now... my muscles are sore, my mind is tired, and I need some rest before my first Spanish lesson tomorrow!!  A few prayer requests before I go..
1.  Continued safety
2.  Health...that we stay healthy; I have also been struggling a lot lately with my allergies here..a lot I think because of the amount of dust here and everything..but it would be nice if I could get some relief from that.
3.  Sleep..I haven't been sleeping SUPER well..mostly because of the insane amount of bad/weird dreams I have been having.  I know that my malaria pills are to blame, and I have been seriously considering stopping taking my malaria pills so I will have to decide what to do about that exactly.. (there are NO bugs here, so really there is no need for them..)
4.  Continued relationships at El Centro.  I feel as if the kids are super eager to meet us, get to know us, etc. but at first it still was hard to get to know them/remember their names/feel a part of The Center/etc.  So pray that relationships would form, we would continue to get to know kids/remember their names, etc.  Those relationships are why I am here..to spread Jesus's love to these kiddos and love on them while I can!

Sorrrry for the super long post :)  

Adios y vaya con Dios,
Breanna


Friday, June 6, 2014

El Dia de la Maestra

I have a little time to blog today because it happens to be "Dia de los maestros" in Bolivia, which is the national day to celebrate teachers!! What a fun day it is for us teachers in Bolivia. :) Many kids bring their teachers flowers or other small gifts before the holiday.  All the schools are pretty much closed on this day, so we as well have the day off as no kids will be coming to El Centro for classes.  We also took yesterday off for the holiday and everyone who works at The Center went out to supper last night.  I think we should have a holiday like this in the States! It is always a fun time getting together with all the other teachers and getting to know them further.

It has been a crazy last couple of days here in Cochabamba.  We are starting to feel very settled and were excited to begin our work at El Centro this week (although it was only a 2-day work week for us at The Center).  I want to update you on all the great things that have been happening here this week!  I have finally been in Bolivia for a full week, and that week sure has gone fast!  

First off, a few of the things that have made me smile this week.. :)

  • Waking up Tuesday morning to mi hermana, Joana, frying me an egg.  The food here has probably been the hardest thing to get used to...so one of my favorite foods (that she remembered I liked from a previous conversation) was a very pleasant surprise!  Since that day, I have had eggs two other days for breakfast as well. :)
  • Playing Scrabble last night with mi hermano, Isaac... Leah and I had a fun time playing Scrabble in both English and Spanish (just to make it fair for everyone ;) ).  We always have fun teaching Isaac new English words and answering any questions about English he has.  He is SO eager to learn... even if it is just words so that he can do better on his English videogames. :)
  • Having good ole MASHED POTATOES for lunch today... homemade and all. YUM!
  • Last night like I said, we went out to eat with the other team members.  We ate at a sort of food court--there seems to be a lot of places to eat like that around here. I had a hamburger and french fries.  (Let me just note, I realized how blessed we are with Iowa beef. Can't say it was the best burger I've ever eaten.;) ) And at this food court there was COLDSTONE ice cream....we had seen this place a couple days previously and were like WHAT?! Coldstone ice cream in Bolivia?! That's our first place to go when we get homesick..!  Well, when we got there we found out it wasn't quite actual Coldstone Creamery...just had the same name.  haha. But they did have some dandy ice cream, and I was definitely very satisfied after being able to eat a dish of rich chocolate ice cream!  Delicious!  We will definitely be returning there. 
  • Conversations with my sweet family here-- they are so great!  I especially enjoyed sitting with mama Toty on the way home from supper last night on the microbus.  (It was our first trip taking the bus and it was an experience for sure!)  She is just so sweet, and I love having conversation with her.  I think she worries about me as much as my own mother does--so don't worry Mom, there is someone else here doing it for you!  ;) Every time we are out alone and return home, she says she is so thankful we returned home and that she had worried about us. :)
  • All the kids running around at the center calling me "Profe Breanna"... fun to be called "profe" for once! :)  The kids are so sweet and were excited to meet their new teachers!
It has been a week of a lot of firsts.  I'm excited to say we are getting used to getting around here, though. Right away Tuesday Joana took me to the bank to get US cash to pay for my housing and everything here.  After getting my cash she said, "Ok. So can you get yourself home now?  I will meet you at home because I have to run to the store." Uhhhh.... sure?! So there I was finding my way back to the house on a trufi for the first time with $500 cash in my pocket and all alone!  But I did it!  I felt very proud of myself after that achievement. :)  The transportation here is just crazy.  But we are slowly getting used to it, and getting quite good at it, too!  So far, so good..we haven't gotten lost yet!  Just to get to El Centro we have to catch three different trufis (taxis), get on the correct number/color, and get off at the right place!  

Tuesday we went to El Centro for the first time for our first actual day with the kiddos!  It was wonderful!  Tuesday and Wednesday we spent preparing snack for the kiddos and then helping out in Joana's Creatividad class (arts/crafts class) that the kids get to do after all of their other work is done.  This week I helped Joana prepare the activities for the class.  It was a lot of fun interacting with the kids and being able to get to know them a little bit.  I am slowly picking up on some of the names of the kiddos, but we'll see how many I actually remember after this long weekend!  The past couple mornings we have spent at El Centro as well, just cleaning things good for church and all the kiddos.

Our teammate Rebekah arrived Tuesday night.  It has been great getting to know her and having another pair of hands!  She is a preschool teacher from Kansas three years out of college.  Wednesday morning Joana took the three of us downtown, we walked around, and ran some errands.  One of the funnier stories of this week is that during that time she took us to the Plaza Principal, which Leah and I had adventured to on Monday by ourselves.  Well, turns out we actually never made it to the Plaza Principal on Monday.  When the trufi dropped us off, he had said "the Plaza is up there" and pointed.. Turns out we didn't walk quite far enough and never even made it to the Plaza!  We had found a good shopping location and we just assumed we were at the Plaza Principal!  So when Joana said, "of course this is the Plaza Principal, where you came Monday...", Leah and I looked at each other and then at Joana and were like "Uhhh we've never seen this before."  Joana was a little scared for a bit!.. Like, "Where did that trufi driver take you?! Where were you all alone on Monday?!"  haha Well, we kept walking a little further and showed Joana where we actually had been on Monday.  We all thought it was pretty funny that we didn't even go to the place she sent us to. When she had given us directions, she never told us what to expect or what it was like when we got there, so we had no idea what to look for!

A few prayer requests:
  1. Continued safety: for us on the roads and when we are taking trufis/microbuses, when we are crossing super busy streets to catch trufis, etc.
  2. Health:  both me and Leah have had a little bout of being sick this week-- probably mostly from things we had eaten.  So pray that we would have good health.
  3. For relationships to blossom at El Centro... with the other teachers and with the children especially. 
  4. That I would continue to do well here and not miss home!  I have been doing well but now that I've been gone a full week I expect to start missing home and the many things and people that come with it more.  Having a couple days off is a blessing, but they can also get long which makes missing home more possible!
Thanks so much for your prayers and support thus far!! I love it here in Cochabamba and am so blessed to be in this place at this time.  It is a beautiful place with beautiful people!  Feel free to email me (breanna.mars@nwciowa.edu) or message me as I love hearing from friends and family back home. :)  

Adios y vaya con Dios,
Breanna


Mi querida Joana--so thankful for her.  Such a beautiful woman inside & out!

Mama Toty & Matias
Taken from the roof of our house..one of my favorite places to be here!
 Cochabama sure is one beautiful city.

Sunday, June 1, 2014

Los primeros dias en Cochabamba

Wow!  What a crazy past couple days it has been.  We have been slowly getting accustomed to Cochabamba and are starting to get the hang of a few things here... but there's still so much to learn!  I will try to keep what has happened the last couple of days short and sweet but there's just so much to tell!

Saturday morning we went to La Cancha (the large market here in Cochabamba) with Joana.  We helped her buy a few things such as meat, pasta, herbs, etc... It was LOCA.  Absolutely crazy... I have never seen anything like it.  I thought Haitian markets were crazy..absolutely NOTHING compares to La Cancha. ha!  It consisted of holding tight onto my purse so nothing was stolen, staying as close to Joana as I could so I didn't get lost, and making our way through crowds of people, vendors, food stands, and random meat products, and not trying to get run over by any vehicles.  It was crazy, but so much fun, too!  There were so many sights and sounds, and it was a little overwhelming but a lot of fun, too.  I honestly don't know how we will ever be expected to get around there by ourselves.  It is blocks and blocks of just packed chaos.  We also went to our first ATM there and figured all that out.  

After La Cancha, we were a bit exhausted and came back to the house and rested.  Last night, we went to the oldest daughter of the Quiroga family Shari's house.  She was married last year and has a 6-month-old son Matias.  He is SO CUTE! Her husband was gone working all night, so she invited us over for movies.  She lives in a condo in a different part of town on the 9th floor.  There was an amazing view of the Cristo statue in the distance and you could look out over the entire city---the views here continue to amaze me!  It was a lot of fun watching movies, eating, and just getting to know the family better.  I showed them a picture of Tate because he is about Matias's age, and they finally understood why I call him my chunky little nephew. :) They kept saying how "gordito" he is and giggled, saying he was so cute.  I also got to share with them a little bit about Ryder and his story, which was a blessing to share how God has worked in his life and our family's.  They agreed that GOD IS GOOD. :)

A little more about the Quiroga family, just so you have an idea of who I am staying with this summer!  They are GREAT people, and we are so blessed to have such a wonderful host family.  David: the father; Toty: the mother; Shari: oldest daughter (with son Matias); Joana: daughter in her 20's/teacher at El Centro; Jorge: 21-year-old son; Isaac: 15-year-old son.  I have enjoyed getting to know them all individually through conversations and time spent with them!  Best of all, they all are SO patient with our Spanish and willing to teach us and correct us.  They all know pretty good English as well!  I am definitely impressed!

This morning, Sunday, we went to church at El Centro (the center where me and Leah will be serving).  It was our first trip there.  Joana kind of showed us the ropes of how to get there so soon we will be able to do it ourselves.  We have to take three different trufis (like a taxi) and stop at different places.  It might take a bit to figure out exactly where we are going here.  Everything looks so similar and is very confusing to me!  Once the trufi drops us off as far as it goes, we have to walk up a pretty steep hill to El Centro.  That was the first time I've really noticed the altitude change here!  It is a good walk, and I am expecting strong calf muscles by the end of this. ;)

Church was so great.  They have church at El Centro with a small group.  It was about 5x more kids than it was adults, as a lot of the kids who go to El Centro attend without their parents even.  There first is a "Communion Service" where we sang songs, had a very short message, and then took communion.  They also had the kiddos greet us, which was really cute.  I can't wait to get to know them better.  Then there is a short break where someone provides a light "snack": cafe con leche and cookies (OREOS!:)) Then we had another service all together.  Everyone sang together, prayed, some people share, etc. and then the kids go to their own little church/Sunday School.  Then the 15 or so adults/older kids that were left got into a circle and the rest of church was set up much like a Bible Study.  We studied John 6 and Gustavo led us through a way to study the Bible.  It was a great experience-- being able to worship in a more intimate setting, with people of all ages participating, and studying the Bible with a group of brothers and sisters in Christ.  Gustavo (or Gus) is a great guy.  We met him today at El Centro.  He is probably in his 20's and is such a genuine man.  He clearly has joy for the Lord and loves the kiddos there and serving God.  We talked to him for some time after church as well.  A couple of my highlights from church were singing a song we sang with kiddos in Nicaragua and singing "10,000 Reasons" in Spanish, which happens to be one of my favorites at home.  Before singing, they asked the kids all the things we should be thankful for.  It reminded me of how many reasons we really do have to serve and praise our God.  No matter where we are in the world-- we ALL have 10,000 reasons!  

After church, they generally go out to eat.  So, we went to this supermarket which had a sort of food court (looked very similar to America!) and ate.  I had some pizza-- couldn't pass up some good American(ish) food for once. :) 

It has been a VERY good couple of days!  I haven't been dealing with really any homesickness, which is such an answer to prayer.  I have been adjusting well and slowly getting used to life here.  The last days have been busy with getting to know the Quiroga family better and getting to know Cochabamba, so I am excited to finally start serving and working at El Centro this week!  

Prayer requests:
1.  Safety in travel:  There really are no rules of the road here.  The driving is absolutely crazy!  It is fun, but please pray for safety as we are often taking a car or many trufis to get to and from where we need to go each day.  
2.  Pray that I continue to adjust and learn how to get places, how to do things here, etc.  It will be nice to finally be able to do some things "on our own".  
3.  Pray that our first week at El Centro will be great and that we will start forming wonderful relationships with the kiddos there.
4.  Communication:  Complete immersion in another language is difficult.  There are times when I'm feeling so proud of myself and all I can say in Spanish and there are moments where it is frustrating, I can't get the right words out, and I just struggle with it.  Pray for perseverance in learning and that I won't always feel so drained from all the Spanish each day.  

Well, that was kind of long, so that will be it for today. :) There is just so much to tell and so many great experiences to share!  I hope everyone is doing well and finding beauty in each day like I am learning to find here in Cochabamba.  :)  GOD IS GOOD!

Adios y vaya con Dios,
Breanna