Adventure weekend!

At the Toma with my boys

Monday Sept. 25, 2012

                Mondays are officially now the best days of the week. This is because it is Eric and I’s day off! It starts off so beautiful, we get to sleep in! Well, at least until about 6 am. Today, after we got up, we met at the road at 7:30 to hitchhike into town. This can take a while as 1) we have to select our drivers carefully and get someone who is not the creepiest looking person in all of Bolivia and 2) there are not that many cars on that road. Fortunately today, I only had to wait for about 30-45 minutes for a car.
                After making the 30 minute drive into town, I immediately called my dad to check in and see how he was doing and to touch base. Following our conversation, I went off into town to take care of a few errands such as buying headphones, movies for the kids, and of course, snacks. I had a couple of other things to do but I cannot remember the rest.
                After I finished my errands, and Eric finished his, we then went to the “hotspot” in town, Narquila’s. It is a small restaurant that has amazing food and even better smoothies! The fresh fruit smoothies are really why we go there. Whenever I drink them, it is like a party in my mouth! And just an added bonus, they give free internet to any of their customers. So needless to say, most of our day is spent here blogging and messaging friends.
                After a while I decided to make a phone call that became the high point of my day. I called me grandma. She was so excited to hear from me and it took her by total surprise. It is always good to talk to her and her excitement alone made the call worth it.
                I guess I am starting to develop a little bit of a beard because shortly before we started heading back to Familia Feliz, Erin started to make a “rap” about my beard (it needs some work).  As of now it is far from being out of control, but hopefully in 9 months, it will look like I have an afro growing out of my face! Haha gross right? Well that was the end of our day.

 Tuesday Sept 26, 2012

                This morning started out like any other. Wake up at 5:30, have worship, lay back down for 20 minutes or so, then find out what I’m going to do that morning. This morning, we were to go to the plant farm and water all the plants. We are done working at the chaco because they have now planted seeds for rice. In order to water the plants, the dump truck size truck we have loads up with barrels of water from the river then drives to the plant farm where we lug it by hand to all the different plants. As we move down the farm watering, SOMEBODY needs to drive the truck. And since I was the only one there at the time that knows how to drive stick shift, I got the honor. That was pretty exciting as it is by far the biggest thing I have ever driven.  I was pretty confident in my driving skills until I had to drive a little ways away to the tomato farm and then mess with the reverse. That’s when I got a little nervous backing up that monster. It would be my luck that the first time I drive it, a kid darts behind the truck and I hit them. Needless to say, I was pretty cautious.
                Today was also the second day that Eric and I made bread. We will be starting to make bread 3 times each week but we will only have help today and the next time, so we better learn quick! We were ferociously taking notes trying to get everything right. Fortunately, we did. The bread turned out amazing. Eric and I even made 2 personalized bread shapes. A “C” for chad, and Eric made a man.
                While we were going through the bread making process, Geraldo asked me if I would like to give the sermon this week for church. I immediately laughed. Me? Public speaking isn’t exactly one of my favorite things to do. Especially when it’s a sermon and I only have a couple days to prepare. So I am taking a rain check on becoming a professional farmer, baker, AND preacher at the same time.

Later that evening, they called a staff meeting. This was an interesting time for Eric and I as we just sat there and listened to a bunch of Bolivians talk to each other super-fast in Spanish. But that’s ok with us because that is how you learn….right? I have debated whether or not to tell this next story publically as I know some of the people reading this blog will be so appalled. However, it was embarrassing (which people tend to enjoy), and I would like to remember it in the future. So, this meeting was going super long and we were outside on uncomfortable benches and I had been around adults pretty much all day. So being the polite boy that I am, I retained all of my bodily needs. This needless to say built up a lot of pressure and eventually becomes very uncomfortable. So there I was, sitting on a wooden bench, in pain, trying to hold things in at this faculty meeting, when all of a sudden, the flood gates of heaven bursted open. Yep, very embarrassing. And it is not like doing it in front of your friends or family, because some of these people I’m still trying to make first impressions with. But what can you do other than laugh it off.

Wednesday Sept. 27, 2012

It was a long night as shortly after the meeting the night before, it began to pour down rain. It wasn’t just raining cats and dogs, it was raining lions and Billy goats! It was raining so hard that it was coming through our thickly thatched roof and getting me wet on the top bunk. So Joel and I got out of bed and moved my things as water was accumulating on the floor, and moved our bunks over. Come to think of it, this paragraph should probably be under Tuesday and not Wednesday. Oh well.

So this morning, we did our morning routine, however, since it had rained so hard, we could not work in the field and the plants were already watered! So I talked to Max, the guy I work under, and he said that there was no work! So while the kids were at school, I went straight back to sleep! It was dandy! Later that day I was talking to Erin and she mentioned that we should drive up the road a ways and buy some coconuts from this guys field. So we ran the idea by Joy, and she was ok with it as long as we took the girls dean Liselle and a few of her girls a little farther up to help one of her friends watermelon fields. So we thought that would be ok. But it turns out that it’s a massive field of watermelons. We ended up picking and moving over 1000 watermelons. It was insane. But at least they let us eat as much of that fresh goodness as we wanted.  They also gave us about 50 or 60 small ones to keep and to use for Sabbath. From there, we went to pick coconuts. They were gorgeous. There were tons of palm trees with green and brown coconuts. I purchased 20 for myself not knowing if I would like fresh coconut or not. The reason I bought 20 was because they are only 1 B$ each which is less than 15 cents.

Later in the evening, at 7:30, we had our Wednesday night worship. Since there was no power, we brought a bunch of candles into the church and had a candlelight  service which I actually like even better. It was mostly singing, and then a short thought by one of the kids, group prayer, and sing more. Poor little Limbar beside me was fighting so hard to stay awake, but he just couldn’t do it and fell asleep right on my side.
                Oh, and before I forget, when it rains as hard as it did last night, it usually knocks out the water. So we have not had any running water today. And we do not know when the water will be turned back on. Eric and Juan (the father he is living with) are going up to the Toma which is out water source and a few hour hike away in order to see if they can fix it. It’s not as easy as just calling a company to come and fix it. And then to top it off, the generator broke today. So we have no power on campus. So hopefully we can fix that tomorrow too!
                Today ended nicely though as Joel showed me how to cut, skin, and puncture a coconut correctly. The water/milk inside was absolutely amazing. It was as if I was on vacation at a resort. It was simply heavenly. We then cut it open and ate the coconut meat out of it. But now it is time for bed. My eyes closing, and I am drifting off to a glorious sleep.

Thursday Sept. 27, 2012

Today was a very long day. It started out ok in that after I sent the kids off to school, I was able to take a little nap, have my daily devotions and relax. But then at noon, it was bread making time. Today was also the last day that we would get help doing it. But really, we didn’t get any help because Carmen just wanted to watch us today and see if we knew what we were doing. All we had to do was follow the instructions right? Wrong. Today they wanted to add Kinoa seeds to the bread. This wasn’t so bad. But what really threw us into a frenzy was that the only yeast available to us was old and no good, and that the water was still not working. So, it turned out that we made communion bread with the dirty water in the creek which has human excretions in it. Furthermore, Carmen said that we did not have time to boil the water in spite of Eric and I’s request. I have to say though, that was the best darn communion bread that I have ever had. It took all of 6 hours and 30 minutes to bake this bread. We were so done with it by the end. But at the end of the day, we were able to fall asleep very quickly because we were exhausted.

 Oh, and Eric was especially tired because his house was responsible for fixing the water. So he and Juan walked 2 hours up to the Toma in the heat, then fixed the water, then walked 2 hours back just in order to make bread. Fortunately they were able to fix the water pipes, but it still takes 1 day to fill the tanks before the faucets start to work again. So we will see how accurate that statement is.

Friday Sept. 28, 2012

                I thoroughly enjoyed today. I was able to sleep in quite a bit today as was Eric. Neither of us got up until about 9 am. We then decided that we wanted to eat some flavor filled coconuts. The guy that we usually ask about what we need to do for the day’s work was not here today. So what did we do? Haha that’s right, nothing. But neither did anyone else. So we were not alone. Today also happened to be Erin’s birthday, so she was chased around, eggs thrown at her, dumped in the water, and tackled. Glad my birthday doesn’t happen while I’m here! But the kids had a blast with her.
                Before Eric and I went off to enjoy our coconuts, Erin brought all of her school kids out and had them give Eric and I a private concert of songs that she had taught them. They sang about 4 different songs in English and were so excited that they could. It was a lot of fun and brought joy to our faces.

                The loss of water continues, well, at least for my house. Eric’s house is a little lower than mine and has had water all day long. But my house sits a little higher and we have yet to get water. So, I am on day 3 without a shower. And that is 3 days of sweating and being filthy from cooking and walking around in sandals. If I don’t shower soon, I think my skin is going to begin to stain! So let’s cross our fingers for water tomorrow.

                2 more people got here to the orphanage today. 1 girl, has been here for a couple months but had to leave for a couple weeks to get her ID card in Santa Cruz which Eric and I will have to do in about 2 months. She will be here for another couple of months until December. Then she will be gone just like Joel, Erin, and Calvin. Things will get pretty quiet around here. The other person that showed up today was a guy who loves to make bread.He is extremely nice, and intelligent. But he is one of those guys who just keep talking and talking and can be a little tiring. In talking to Joy later, it sounds like he was not even asked by Familia Feliz to come here he just showed up. So Eric and I’s job for the day was to keep him entertained and give him a tour of the place because Joy was busy.

                In talking with him, we found out that he is a baker and has even been to baking school. this provides a good learning opportunity. He is very insistent on his ways and that he has bread down to a science. Even though everyone here has loved the way that the bread has always been cooked here. He is very big into weighing and being precise and using the best, most healthy ingredients.  Neither of which is the highest priority here. Especially the weighing aspect which he is HUGE on. He went on and on about how we need special scales to measure exactly how much we need to add of everything. Needless to say, he will help to build Eric and I’s patience and to build our character.

                The night ended with a surprise party for Erin because it was her birthday. Eric was actually the one to pull everything together. There were balloons, pizza (a delicacy here), cake (an EXTREME delicacy), and fruit punch. She was completely surprised and loved it. Especially the amazing pizza that Emmy (Juan’s wife made).

Saturday Sept. 29, 2012

                This morning we got to sleep in a couple extra hours because after all, it is the day of rest! But we were still at church by 9:00 for early service, stayed there at 10:00 for Sabbath School, then 11:00 for church. It’s basically a 3 hour service.

Unfortunately, Eric was about half way to church before he had to turn around because he felt super sick. He was then in bed for the rest of the day. It was probably from some of what we ate the night before.
                After church, I had forgotten that I promised my kids that I would take them to the Toma. The Toma is a watering hole that is a 2 hour walk and is the source of our water on campus. So although I was very tired, I took them up there and I’m sure glad I did! On the way we walked through fresh fruit farms where they had bananas, plantains, pineapple, papaya, lemons, oranges, and others . On our way up there, since it was a super hot day, we stopped at a small watering hole on the way to soak our clothes in water for the hike ahead.

The hike was so amazing. Apart from the delicious fruit that we saw everywhere, I saw about 10 macaws, and heard about a billion more. But the journey was not all bliss. I had heard rumors about the ants here in Bolivia and how the stings of certain kinds can bring a man to his knees. I believed that it was bad, but not that bad. So as luck would have it, as I reached for an orange, 2 of these infamous ants landed on me, 1 on each shoulder. And let me tell you something my fellow Americans, these ants, make fire ants look like ladybugs. It was such a terrible feeling and the rumors were true, I went straight down to the ground in pain. Especially because I got hit with a double dose. The stinger from the ant on my right shoulder was stuck in my arm. And as a side note,  I was wearing a shirt. So these ants went through cotton and pierced my flesh like a 2 year old trying to insert an IV. Needless to say, my shoulders began to swell almost immediately.

After the attack, the rest was wonderful. My kids were very well behaved, for the most part. They even helped me spot some of the birds and fruits. And once we got to the Toma, it was swim time. It was SO hot and the water felt amazing! It was a small waterfall with the water coming all the way up to my neck at the deepest point. We had so much fun. Some of the boys went fishing for little fish, others swam, and others grilled some of the plantains that we picked on the way up. It was such a good Sabbath afternoon and we will be going back for sure!

That evening there was yet another surprise party only this one was for Melissa because it was her birthday. Melissa is the founder of Familia Feliz and has been here for about 6 years. Yet again, it was good food, good  drink, and even better people. But this meal was to be my downfall…..

Sunday Sept. 30, 2012

                Today was our adventure day with Lizandro. He is taking us to Madidi National Park. Eric and I were both really excited. Esprecially because he told us that it would be free! Granted, this is the guy that tried to steal my only pair of sweatpants. I think I told that story earlier? Anyway, he asked if he could borrow my sweatpants for a skit and me not knowing anything about him other than he works at the orphanage, said yes. After I let him borrow them, I heard from 4 different people that I should NEVER let him borrow anything…..GREAT. But I ended up drilling him for them back.

                But back to the story. We were planning on waking up at 5:30 this morning and trying to get a taxi by 6. However, mother nature was furious and I was up at 3:30 with the most terrible pain in my stomach. I don’t think I have ever hurt that much in my stomach. But that is when my sickness began and many a fluid was lost. But I’ll be darned if I let it stop me from going to Madidi! Fortunately, Eric was just getting over his sickness, so he was feeling a little better. Somehow, once we got to the road, we got extremely lucky and saw a taxi first thing (its not uncommon to wait for an hour or more)! This allowed us to have about an hour in town before we caught a boat taxi to meet Lizandro on the other side of the river. Which was great because every Sunday there is a Sunday market set up along the river. So we explored there for a bit. Somehow, we found a stand where they were selling a ton of Adventist literature. They had bibles, ellen white, and hymnals. So Eric and I each bought a hymnal as they like to sing a TON at the orphanage. After an hour, we caught the boat taxi and met Lizandro.

                Once we met with him, he took us to his house. And worked out the finances of our trip. Yep, what do you know, it wasn’t free like he told us it would be. Fortunately we still got a really good deal and it was only 60 B’s each for us which is about $9 for an all day trip. It was a little annoying that we had to even pay that though. It also worried us a little bit about his integrity and what he was going to be doing with us. But everything worked out. He took us down to the dock where we got in this big canoe thing with a motor and went up the river through the mountains for about an hour and a half. We passed such amazing scenery. It just shows the majesty of what God has created for us to enjoy. After an hour and a half, we arrived at some park police station and then Lizandro took us up into the jungle and showed us a small waterfall. Other than some birds, we unfortunately didn’t see many animals. But it was still beautiful and a pretty tiring hike.
                After we finished the hike, the boat ride back was only an hour because we were going with the current this time. This entire excursion was just me, eric, lizandro, and the driver. It was perfect. The only time we had other people was about 10 minutes before we got back, some people flagged us down because they needed a ride. So then it got a little packed. But it wasn’t for too long.

      Once we got back to Rurre, where else would we go other than Narguilla’s? Sipped back some pineapple smoothie and had a real meal as all the fluids I was drinking and food I was eating was passing straight through me all day or sometimes not even passing, just coming right back up. It made the day a little miserable, but I was still able to appreciate the beauty.  It was kind of nice because Sundays are Erin’s day off, so we ran into her and were able to hang out with her some. Then the 3 of us caught a taxi back to Familia Feliz later that night. This weekend was jam packed with adventure!

You stay civilized…..planet earth!