A Lot Of Town

Monday Dec. 10, 2012

Today is my day to come to town……sweet! I spent about 4 straight hours at an internet café talking online with friends and family. I spent a good portion of that time catching up and chatting with several other student missionaries that are out this year. After I had spent almost my entire time at the café, I got a little hungry and decided to grab a quick bite to eat. So I went to this jungle café and got a lentil burger which was delicious! But while I was waiting for my food, I saw these white people at another table looking in travel books. But just because people are white, does not mean they speak English. Because a lot of tourists here are Israeli. But I decided to go up to them and ask them where they were from. Turns out they were from Poland and DO speak English. So it was kind of fun talking to them for a bit. I gave them a little advice on Rurre, and told them about how I have been working here and will be here another 6 months or so. Upon hearing that, they said, "oh, well we may have to catch a taxi up there and visit you or something sometime". But everyone knows how that usually goes. So I responded by saying that sounds like a great idea and that they should do it (knowing that they probably won’t). But then the sad moment came when my day off was over, so I headed back to the taxi place and went back to Familia Feliz.

I interrupt this blog with a story about one of my kids. His name is David. This is not the David that lives with me during the school year and the one I described in my earlier blogs. This David is Eric’s David. He calls both Eric and I Papi, and really likes both of us. Anyway, he sometimes has this habit of talking really fast to Eric and I, forgetting that he needs to slow down just a little bit for us still. So one day he knocked on our door and acted a little frantic (which happens a lot but is never really THAT important), and he started talking extremely fast again and trying to tell us what happened. So I decided that I was going to respond to him the same way that I was hearing him. So what I did was start talking gibberish really fast and throwing 1 or 2 completely random spanish words in there just to throw him off balance. So everyone reading this blog, I want you to right now pretend that you speak Chinese and say like 2 sentences……that is what I sounded like. But the funny part is, he listened to me intently, and when I was done, he said "ok" and walked away like I had solved every one of his problems. I guess he assumed that I knew exactly what I was talking about because I was talking with such a straight face and pretended that I understood him perfectly.

Eric thought this was absolutely hilarious and couldn’t understand exactly what happened. Because it usually takes us a few minutes to take care of his "issues", so he wanted to know how I did that and how it worked! So ever since, when David has come to us and starts talking fast, I just talk gibberspanish back to him. I think he has caught on now because he has started to reply is complete gibberish too (yes, I’m sure it’s gibberish and not just more fast Spanish). But yet, it still always takes care of the problem!

Back to Monday, as soon as I got back to the village, I saw Eric and Steven taking pictures of something with the kids. So I walked over and it was this really cool looking lizard! It even changed the color of its body depending on it’s’ environment. When it was on one of the boys’ arms, it turned brown, then when we put it in the grass, it turned green. So we ended up playing with that for awhile.

That evening, we started up the generator, but after a few minutes, it started it fade in and out, making all the lights flicker. So I ran over to turn it off to see what the problem was. Turns out, it was out of gas. So Steven and I went to siphon gas into a jug to use for the generator. That was pretty exciting because that was the first time I have ever tried to siphon gas! Granted, I was only able to get a little bit at a time, so Jose had to help me a little bit. Once we filled up the tank, the generator was good to go! No more problems that night.

Just a side note, we have been without water for 2 days now because of another rainstorm. So Jose went up to fix it this afternoon. That means that hopefully the water will be back tomorrow afternoon because even after the pipes are fixed, it takes another 24 hours for the water to get here.

Tuesday Dec. 11, 2012

This morning, after breakfast, Eric and I were asked to take the lawnmower battery in to town to see if we could get it charged. Because the lawnmower has been broken for a very long time, but Juan is just now wanting to fix it. But the battery is dead, and since a new battery costs about $100, they want to try and fix it for about $1.50 first. So Eric and I took it to town, not exactly sure where to go, but we found a sketchy shop that said they would do it. So we left the battery with them and went to check our email, get food, and check the "post office". When we went to go get food, we saw those Polish people again. They instantly remembered me, or the beard rather and said hello. They then proceeded to tell Eric and I about how they were planning on coming up that afternoon. This completely shocked me that they were actually wanting to do that. So we talked to them awhile and told them how to get there. But we were a little concerned because it was already 12:30 and taxi’s stop going at 5:30. So again, we figured they wouldn’t come. But they said, oh, well we will still try! To that we said goodbye.

After getting back to the village, Eric and I immediately went to go fix the lawnmower, but what do you know…..broken. So that now leaves the big truck, the little truck, the moto bike, and the lawnmower all broken. That pretty much everything on campus that has a motor is broken (except for the generator). After that, I went to go help Steven make quinoa bread and sweet rolls. This was actually very exciting because I have never made sweet rolls with him and boy were they good! It tasted like CinnaBon had come to Familia Feliz! But while we were putting them in the oven, I heard a strange sound off in the distance, so I turned around to see a taxi on the other side of campus (the reason that is strange is because the taxi’s never come into the village, they simply drop you off at the road). As soon as I saw the cab, I knew exactly who it was, the Polish! I couldn’t believe it! So I yelled to Eric to go welcome them as I searched for someone to take my place and help Steve. But once I did, I walked over and welcomed them and then started to give them the tour of Familia Feliz.

It was very interesting talking with them. It turns out that they are a Catholic couple who are traveling all over South America making a documentary and wanting to see the world. They had never heard about Seventh-day Adventists which was nice because it gave me a chance to talk to them about our religion. So I talked a little bit about our beliefs and what our purpose as missionaries was. They seemed very receptive and asked me questions. So I very much enjoyed our talk. After I gave them the grand tour of the compound, and after talking with them for awhile, they needed to get going so they did not miss the last taxis. So we bid them farewell and they were on their way. And to answer your question, no, they did not video record us for their documentary, so as much as you all would love for Eric and I to become movie stars, you will have to wait a little bit longer.

That evening I went to go start the generator, but what do you know, it was broken. So I called Eric over and we started to take it apart to try and fix it. Then one of the teenagers came over to try and fix it but nothing was working. We were taking pieces off left and right! But everything looked ok. So just when everyone was about to give up, I saw a switch that no one had messed with that I thought may give us a chance. It had to deal with the fuel source for the generator. But when I asked the teenager about it, he said "no, no that won’t work, that won’t do anything". So I told him he might as well give it a try, why not right? So he did, and it started right up! Phew! I don’t think many of you realize exactly how important that generator is. That generator is our only source of power during the day and gives us light at night time. If that breaks, we are in trouble.

Wednesday Dec. 12, 2012

Today I found out that apparently, the electric people are ready to install to the electricity for the village and will be coming tomorrow! This means that we can have electricity at all times! Now thats just crazy talk! Now do I REALLY believe that they will come tomorrow? Not a chance in the world. But it is still exciting that there is a pretty good chance they will come withing the next 6 months, but only time will tell.

Before the electricity can be installed however, we need to build a brick tower about 6.5 ft. tall with another foot dug into the ground. So Joy asked If I would help them build it which I was more than happy to do. However, after we dug the hole, and were ready to use cement, we realized that the wrong sand had been purchased. So my job changed into going to town, purchasing new sand and coming back. However, the tire had popped again. So before we left, Eric and I changed that bad boy out again.

So I headed into town with Joy in search of new sand, but we couldn't find anyone that was open. So I dropped her off, picked up her nephew Noel, and looked for more sand. Fortunately we found it but there is no full service here which is a foreign concept to Gringo's. So we got out and began shoveling a ton of sand with one shovel. Afterwards, we went and picked up the flat tire that we had dropped off earlier to be repaired, and were on our way back. But by the time we got back, it was dark, so things would have to wait until tomorrow.

Thursday Dec. 13, 2012

This morning was a bonus day for me because I got to go to town! This is not a normal day for me to do this, but yesterday, Joy asked me if I would because she needed me to help her with a few things. Today is however Eric's normal half day off, so we went in together. As usual, we wanted to get an early start, so we were in the car at 6:30 am. However, as we were driving out, Lizelle came out and stopped us and asked if we would wait for her to get ready and get 2 of her kids ready. We obviously had to say yes, which normally thats not a problem. But she said she would be 15 minutes. Whenever you hear that in Bolivia, that means it's time to whip out a pillow, popcorn, and a movie, because you will be waiting forever. So Eric and I ended up waiting for them for over an hour while they got ready. In some instances, that would call for us to just leave them, but the 2 boys needed some medical treatment at the clinic.

Once we got to town, I dropped Eric off at the internet cafe and dropped Lizelle and the boys off at her brothers house then proceeded to meet up with Joy. After I met with her I was off to run a few errands. I needed to pick up a list of items from a hardware store for the electricity tower. That took way longer than it needed to however. And then after that, it was 9:40, and Lizelle had told me that the boys' appointment was at 10:00. So I figured that it was a good time to go pick her up. When I got there at 9:45 to pick her up, she looked at me and said, "the appointment isn't until 10" to which I told her it's already 9:45. She was still confused at why I was there so early, but she got in. After I waited with her at the clinic for the boys to get done, I took her back to her brothers, met up with Eric, then went back to the hardware store because the power had gone out earlier. But once I got there (at the time they originally told me to come back) they said noooooo you will have to come back in 3 hours. Blah. So I decided to kill time with Eric at an internet cafe waiting.

Later on, Joy met up with us and was curious what was going on. So I told her everything that happened and where everything stood. So she said ok and that she would take care of the rest. So I took the truck, picked up Lizelle and the boys, and went back. Eric stayed back because since I had a few hours today, and would be coming back tomorrow, he was just going to take the full day off which was fair.

When I got back at 3, I went straight to work peeling potatoes, carrots, and onions. I was chopping vegetables left and right like there was no tomorrow! Those vegetables didn't stand a chance. For dinner, I made soup with pasta, and vegetable, and garlic salt. I have to say, it was pretty darn good. I even got a compliment from Lizelle! From Lizelle! She doesn't throw compliments around willy nilly. So that made me feel special haha.

But after I had cooked the food, and was waiting for it to cool down, I went over to where the kids were behind the big house in the Arroyo. They were all swimming and having a good time. So I just ran in and tackled Jose when he was least expecting it! So we jumped around in the water and splashed for awhile. Then they wanted to teach me a game. It's called Sol y Hielo. Basically, it's a spanish version of freeze tag, only you have to touch the person's head to freeze and unfreeze them. Somehow, Jose and I were chosen to be it. This is probably one of the hardest game's for someone who has gringo feet to play. There are rocks, wood, ants, trash, and other sharp and hard objects everywhere! And to make it worse, these kids dart off into the jungle and will dart up trees. I have never seen any human being climb trees like these 7 year old kids can! I swear they somehow have monkey blood in them. So obviously I'm just kind of jogging trying not to hurt myself, and trying to find a way to tag these kids without killing myself. But they have like jungle super powers! So after a good while of trying, and playing, I got tired and the kids got hungry. So we went back to get something to eat.

Friday Dec. 14, 2012

Today I woke up at 5:45 so I could get an early start to town. The reason for this is because the first internet place opens at 6:30, and when there is no one there, the internet is usually very fast. But my trip to town was going to be a little more fun and a little more interesting because I'm bringing Jose into town with me.

Jose is 17 years old, but not much bigger than a 13 year old. He has been living in our house this summer and has been an absolute joy. He sleeps upstairs with the boys and has been able to help Eric and I out by keeping the boys under control at bed time. Jose has been very diligent in helping us out. whether it be cleaning up around the house, keeping the kids in order, or helping interpret to the kids. He does not speak english, but he can usually understand what Eric and I say in our broken spanish. So he then relays it in perfect spanish to the kids if the don't understand. Fortunately he doesn't haven't to do that very often because we are becoming better and better at spanish everyday!

So Jose, and I went out to the road and did the normal wait for a taxi. While we were waiting, I decided to play a game with him. So we picked stones out of the road and aimed at a telephone pole about 20 yards away. He hit the stupid pole 3 times in a row before I hit it once! So he won that round. Next we aimed for a telephone wire above us, but I took that round.

The taxi got us and we were off. When we got to town, I took him to the french bakery where they have absolutely amazing food for cheap! I told him he could have whatever he wanted, today was my treat. But he was very respectful and only got one pastry. After that, I took him to an internet cafe which was completely foreign to him. It was so much fun! He had never really even seen a computer. When he saw the screen he was shocked to see that it was a flat screen. And then when I showed him it had a keyboard, he had no idea! It just shocked him. We then proceeded to make him a facebook account which he thought was the coolest thing. I showed him how he can find his friends, message them, see their pictures, and see what they had to say. We even took pictures right there in the cafe so he could have a profile picture and look legit. He thought this was so fun. He was just adding friends left and right, and even started adding some of my friends that he has no idea who they are!

After spending a few hours at the cafe, we went to Narguila's to get us something to eat before we headed back to the village. I told him that he could get absolutely anything he wanted off of the big menu (which was scary because there are some expensive things on there). But what do you know, he was still respectful and got one of the cheapest things, soup. I asked him if he was sure, because I would pay for whatever he wanted. But all he ordered was asparagus soup which he thought was SO good. He had never had that before. I also ordered us a strawberry bananah smoothie for us to share. It was so nice to treat him today and to reward him for all his help. I'd like to say his is becoming one of my favorites, but really, there are so many that are becoming my favorites. This kids are helping to give me such a good experience!

Saturday Dec. 15, 2012

Sabbath these days brings about a lot of uncertainty. Since Melissa has been gone for a couple weeks, no one seems to know what's happening for church. So Eric and I put on another sabbath movie for the kids. No one seems to know what is going on ever. But hey, thats Bolivia right?

While the kids were in the big house having their cinechurch, Eric and I had some really good bonding time. We talked about careers, summer plans, where we want to live next year (at school), and we were cooking. Ok, we were TRYING to cook. We were wanting to make mahalito which when made properly, is super delicious. But Eric and I were really struggling. For example, we had a huge industrial size pot that we were using to make rice. However, we could not find a strainer anywhere! So we did everything we could think of to strain the water. We tried pouring it out while using a spoon to keep the rice in, we tried putting a lid on the pot to keep the rice in, but then came our most intuitive idea yet, Eric went to them room and got one of his bedsheets. We then tried to dump everything into the bedsheet hoping that the water would go straight through. Well, not so much. Apparently Eric's sheets are super absorbant! He could wet the bed and no one would even know....

In the end, the kids got really wet, soupy, mahalito (which is supposed to be like a dry fried rice). Everytime Eric and I cook something really bad, which is usually the case, we hope that it will be so bad that our boys will complain to the girls, and they will start to cook for us. Isn't that a genius plan? We think so! Some of the kids have actually already complained to the girls and asked them for food. But we still have yet to recieve an offer to cook for us.

Sabbath afternoon I was going to take the kids to Asunta, but shortly before we left, it started pouring down rain. So I didn't really have a desire to drive in the beat up truck with 20 kids in the back while it's pouring down rain. So I told them that I would take them tomorrow. So while it was raining, I read chapter 37 of the Great Controversy which is absolutely fantastic and spot on (so is chapter 36). I was also able to sneak in a tintsy bitsy nap. That evening, we showed them a Stuart Little movie.

Sunday Dec. 16, 2012

Today was a pretty rainy day, but I didn't want the kids to sit on campus doing nothing. So I decided to take them to Asunta in the truck. Which turned out to be a great idea! Once everyone was loaded up, we took off out of the village. But once we got to the main road, we were met with a 5 foot wall of dirt! This is because they are working on the roads and trying to level, then pave them! But this caused a problem because we were all piled in a rickety old truck. So a few of us got out and started digging. We wanted to at least make the wall a little shorter before we tried to ram through it. This ended up being the highlight of all my driving experience in Bolivia. I put the truck in reverse and just went for it. There was probably still about 4 feet of dirt to clear, but I made it! We FLEW over that thing and all the kids thought it was super fun. After that, I just couldn't wait to get back so I could go back over it!

Once we got to Asunta, the mud immediately started flying! We were throwing dirt and tackleing each other all over the place. It is always super cute to see the little 3 year olds try and throw dirt on people because the pretty much just pick up the dirt and throw it back down with a little force. The kids also wanted to play Sol y Hielo again, so I played for a few minutes until I realized exactly how many sharp rocks were around. So I stopped and decided to build a sand castle instead. As soon as it started to actually look like a sand castle, a bunch of kids swarmed over and wanted to help. Once we were starting to wrap it up, little Charlie thought it would be fun to run over and just jump on the castle. Eh, it's no big deal. We were about to leave and he was having fun.

That was pretty much the end of the excitment for the day. Nothing too major happened. I will keep trying to make my posts more interesting and give more stories. Stay tuned!

You stay civilized......planet earth!!!!