CDA Sponsorships

UPDATE: I have an amazing boyfriend with some amazing parents, and they've collectively decided to support 4 of these boys below! The only one without a sponsor now is E. If you're interested in supporting him, contact me and I'll get you set up! Also, like I said in the blog, all the kids from House 1 and 2 are up to be sponsored!

This blog is dedicated to something amazing that YOU can do to help the kids at Casa de Amor: sponsoring a child! This is a great way to support CDA and to keep up with everything they're doing, plus communicate with a specific child and get updates on him/her (and sometimes letters or cards made by the child!)! It only costs $25 per month to support a child, and you can pay monthly, quarterly, or yearly. For more information on sponsorships you can go to CDA's webpage HERE. If you click on the bullet point that says "sponsor," it will open a document with some frequently asked questions, plus the form you can fill out and send through email or regular mail if you decide to support a child. You can also ask me any question (either through the comments here, or email me at hjarms@hotmail.com) and I will find out the answer for you!

After being here and getting to know the kids, I chose this sweet girl for my family to support!

A.M. is a little ray of sunshine who currently lives at House 2. She is 3 and a half years old and HIV positive, with plenty of special needs that go along with that. She has never had a sponsor, so I am so excited and happy that my family will be her first!

The way CDA has the sponsorships set up allows for each kid to have up to 4 sponsors. Currently nobody has 4, so any of the kids from either House 1 or House 2 are available to support! But there are several from House 2 who have no sponsors at all right now, so I'll focus on them.

A. (almost 7)

E. (almost 5)

J. (almost 7)

J.G. (3 and a half)

M. (almost 6)

Seriously people, how can you resist those adorable smiles?! Think about $25 a month. It really isn't that much to sacrifice, but it could make a big difference in one of these kids' lives. If you want to sponsor one of them, go to the link I put at the beginning of this post, click on "sponsor" where it says "sponsor a child or staff member," read the FAQs and fill out the form (2nd page of the Word document)! Or you can let me know and I'll hook you up!

All these photos were taken by Melissa Dickey- Captured Whispers Photography

Saturdays in the Plaza Principal

Every Saturday around 4:30 pm, a group of people goes to the Plaza Principal, the main plaza in the city. They unload tents, huge jugs filled with water, plastic baby baths, buckets, suitcases stuffed with clothing, soap and shampoo from their cars. They set up the supplies (usually with the help of several excited children), and mothers with their babies and small children form a surprisingly very organized line. Most of the mothers are cholitas, women with indigenous blood who dress in the traditional style, and generally speaking, the most economically disadvantaged group of people here. The missionaries who run the operation, along with any volunteers who decided to show up, get into their places. People sitting on benches, going for a walk, or feeding pigeons in the plaza watch and wonder what in the world is going on.

Once everything and everyone is ready, the absolute chaos begins! Mothers pass their babies (or small children up to about 3 years old) into one of the tents, where the volunteers bathe them and then wrap them in a towel. The babies are then passed into another tent, where more volunteers give them clean diapers (or underwear for the toddlers) and some new clothes. Then the babies are held outside the tent doorway until the mothers take them. While all this is going on, the older kids (too big to be bathed) stand outside, bent forward with their heads over buckets, as volunteers shampoo their hair and pour water over it. Afterward, they can go to the clothing tent and get a new shirt. The final station is the hair brushing area on a small step, where volunteers comb hair and put the girls' hair into ponytails or other hairstyles. And when enough volunteers come, sometimes they bring nail polish or other fun things to do with the kids. The whole event happens in about an hour- a very busy and totally crazy hour!

I've been to "baby washing" 3 times- once my first week here, and the past 2 Saturdays with Christy (Canadian girl who has been living with us for 2 weeks and will be here 1 more) and Maite. I've done hair and clothing, and both are a blast although super hectic! I really wish I had gone every Saturday since being here, but I plan on going for the rest of the time I have in Cochabamba (only 2 weeks!).

This is such a unique and important ministry that I'm so glad to have been a part of. The people who come to get their kids bathed are either homeless or very poor without water in their homes. They go to the plaza each Saturday, counting on the volunteers to be their with their tents and bathing equipment. It's so easy to tell that the mothers appreciate it a lot, and most of the kids seem to have a lot of fun.

Now for some photos (and a few more will be coming in the next couple days, I promise!):

The Plaza where it all takes place (baby washing is actually on the other side)

 

 

Setting up (Christy is in the yellow, talking to the lady who runs the whole thing with her husband in the blue shirt on the left); you can see the already-formed line of mothers going behind the yellow tent

Getting ready to go! Yellow tent is for washing, blue is for clothing

Getting the baby baths ready with warm water and soap

In the clothing tent- a super tiny baby, already diapered and waiting for some clothes!

I couldn't decide on a good title.

So I've been really lazy in posting here the last couple weeks. I've definitely had the time, just not the willpower I guess. Ha. So here is a quick(?) overview of what's happened:

Went to Oruro (a 4-hour drive in bus) for a Friday - Saturday trip with Maite and 2 of her co-workers/friends. One of the girls has family that lives there, so we stayed with them Friday night and explored the city Saturday. We went to the market, to an old mine (the city was once a huge mining town before the mineral resources were exhausted), and to some other interesting landmarks around the city. We also went swimming in a hot spring- AMAZING! Oh, and I ate llama meat for the first time- not too bad.

That same Saturday night, we got a new guest in my house! She's only here until next Monday (about 2 weeks total that she'll have been here), but so far it's been fun having another extranjera in the house. Her name is Katarina and she's from Switzerland. Her dad is actually originally from Oruro, so she came to Bolivia to learn Spanish and visit her many family members whom she has never met. She's a modern history researcher/expert(?), and she teaches history, English, French, and Latin in addition to her inconsistent researching and article-writing jobs. I am amazed at her language skills. Before coming here, she had only studied Spanish by herself for 2 months, and practiced a few times with a friend from Venezuela. But her Spanish is amazingly good! She can basically get around, although she doesn't always understand everything that's being said. She speaks English pretty much fluently, but I talk to her in a mix of Spanish and English. Kind of interesting/fun. She's been taking classes with Maite's school and just hanging out with us and exploring Cochabamba. After she finishes her time here, she'll go to La Paz for 2 weeks to stay with her family.

The last couple weeks at CDA, in addition to my other housework and hanging with the kids, I have been organizing the depósito, the storage room where we keep extra clothes and supplies. It was a total wreck, but I (with the help of a couple of the tias) have made it a little more organized. We threw out a ton of clothes and shoes that we won't use for our kids because they are worn out, with holes and major stains. We're donating a lot of it to different organizations, mainly ones that work with street kids (as far as I know). We've also separated the clothes that are too big for the kids at House 1 (the baby home- the kids are babies - about 5 years old), and given them to House 2 (the older kids- age 5 - 7ish). The clothes I brought almost 2 months ago weren't even out of the bags I brought them in(!), so I took those and put them away on the shelves. It still needs some more work, but the tias have also been getting rid of some clothes from the house that the kids use now but that are very worn out, and replacing it with the things from the depósito, so that's helped. Also, there is a group of 20 people(!!) coming this Friday(!!!!) from McKinney, TX, and they will be bringing clothes and other donations too. I might have to grab a couple of them to help me separate and organize what they bring, along with finishing the other organizing in the storage room.

I've gotten into a Sunday School study on 1 Peter before the service at my church. I think I mentioned it before, but it's in English! Maite was going with me too, but this past Sunday she didn't go because she says she can't understand very much of it. So now it's me, the teacher (an older American man), and 3 older Bolivian men who are learning English. I feel a little out of place, but it's an interesting study, and it's in English so that's a plus too! And after the study this week the Bolivian guys were talking to me, and they're nice. They want to practice their English so it was kind of fun for me and good for them too.

For the last couple weeks in my house, we haven't had consistent running water. I've taken many showers by pouring a bucket of water over my head. The last week the same thing has happened at the baby home, and all around the city. There are some days that we do have water, and the last few days it's actually been better, but I've heard that water is going to be a problem until the rainy season (another 4-5 months!). I've also seen stories on the news of water shortage problems in La Paz and other cities in Bolivia. Last week I prayed for rain, because I thought maybe it would help a little with the water problem. But even as I prayed, I knew that it wasn't going to happen. We're in the dry season, and it just does not rain during this time. Even as I talked to Maite about it, I said that I wished it would rain but I knew it wouldn't. Well, 2 days after I prayed for rain, I woke up to a gray, cloudy sky and wet ground! It had rained a little the night before, and that morning and night it rained some more! Also on my way to work that morning, while walking in the rain (which I didn't even mind because it was so refreshing!), I saw a beautiful rainbow. I like to think that God was telling me that when we ask for something, even if it seems impossible, he can provide it. That day I definitely repented for doubting His ability to make something happen even when common sense says that it won't. Also, this week there has been snow on the mountaintops! That's also uncommon here, and it's completely gorgeous.

Last night I stayed the night with the now 5-month-old triplets! The last time I did that, they did not sleep AT ALL and neither did I, as I was up basically all night trying to calm the screaming babies. It was a pretty stressful night overall. Then this last week I had heard from their mom and the other tias that had stayed the nights with them that they weren't sleeping much during the night. I wasn't exactly looking forward to last night as you could imagine. My mom and the tias encouraged me to pray that they would sleep, and I did yesterday and last night when I first got there. And surprisingly, it was a really good night! I heard them wake up throughout the night but they never cried, only made little noises and moved around. I only had to get up twice all night, and those were when the babies were crying for milk at their normal feeding times! 2 of them woke up and ate 1 time each (one at 2 and one at 5), and the other woke up both of those same times. So I only had to feed and change 2 at a time! And even the times I woke up to feed them, I felt a calm and peace in the room, and they didn't cry before going back to sleep either. I actually enjoyed my time with them. For some reason I didn't sleep very much anyway (maybe I was anticipating the crying that never came?), but I still feel well-rested today. Thank you God for another answered prayer.

I think that's about all I have for now...Today is my day off, I'm about to eat lunch, and Katarina will be home soon so I might go to the market with her. Thanks for reading- hope it was enjoyable!

Happy 4th of July!

Yes, I know I'm a day late. But this is my 4th of July post.

Here in Bolivia, July 4th doesn't really mean anything special (except to all the Americans who live here...and I guess the English too :p). But I still celebrated our holiday, in the most unique (and possibly most fun) way ever!

My day started with a Sunday school Bible study at Cochabamba International Church with Maite. It was the 3rd week of this particular study, and Maite and I had been wanting to go, but this was our first time actually getting to. It's about 1 Peter (and I think we'll go into 2 Peter too, and maybe other books if it continues?), and it's in English! However, I was the only native English-speaker there beside the American teacher. The study was great, and I'm planning on going every week from now on. Then we went to the church service, which was also great as always. After church, Maite and I picked up some chicken nuggets (I was pretty excited about that) from IMBA (chicken company) with a side of yucca. We took a trufi home, ate our nuggets, and I changed clothes. I then went to IC Norte (this huge grocery store near my house) to pick up some apples and vanilla ice cream. From there I went to CDA 1 to bring the goods and help Jennifer make apple pies. We took pictures of the triplets (see Jen's blog for some cute ones!) while the pies were baking.

Once everything was ready, we took the pies and ice cream and headed to the bridge where a lot of street kids Jen works with live. We ended up taking several of them to pick up some other kids from the market. After driving around and finally finding the people we were looking for, we were heading back to the bridge to eat our pie and ice cream to celebrate the 4th, but first we made a little stop. While we were driving, we saw all these people with different painted backgrounds and props in the median area (pretty big, kind of like a mini park) of the road. I asked what all of it was and Jen explained that the people who live way out in the country come into town to get there pictures "professionally" taken. I guess it's a really cool thing to do for them. But the backgrounds and props were soooo cheesy and tacky (to me anyway), and I thought it was hilarious. I said jokingly that I wanted to get my picture taken there, and Jen and I laughed. She told the kids in Spanish what I said, and one of the kids was like, "Let's get all of our pictures taken here!" Then everyone in the car got excited and they really wanted to do it, so after gathering up all the people we were looking for, we parked on the side of the street and walked over to the picture area. We got so many weird looks, and I'm sure we did look pretty strange, but we ended up getting our picture taken with 2 different backgrounds and buying 1 of each. Jen has the prints, and she's supposed to scan and email them to me soon! I'll post them as soon as I get them, because they're great! Anyway, after all that, we went to the bridge (we didn't actually go under, just stayed at the intersection on top where the kids wash windows for change), ate our sweets, and hung out for a while. The kids took my camera and Jen's (with permission) and took lots of pictures of us and each other (those will also be posted as soon as I can!). Jen drove me home after, and I hung out with Maite and Teresa the rest of the night.

It was the craziest 4th I've ever had, but so much fun! The kids are hilarious and (mostly) sweet, and I think the ridiculousness of the pictures we got, plus having tons of people squashed into Jen's tiny car made it even more fun. Plus the pie was totally delicious! Tonight Maite and I are going to celebrate July 4th again by going out to eat hamburgers- my first time to have one since being here..yum!

Happy Independence Day! I hope everyone had a fun and safe holiday!

Busy Week + Prayer Requests

Wow, this last week has been totally busy! Some of the things I've done:

A team of 4 people from the organization Orphan World Relief (OWR) was here for a little over a week. They support Casa de Amor, and they (the founder/director and 3 others) came to visit the city, see where their money is going, and help in any way they could. They were all completely awesome and very fun to hang out with. They just left yesterday, and I know they'll be missed by all the staff and children! One day last week, with them, Jennifer, Elena, David, and a professional bricklayer (the husband of one of the House 2 tias), I helped with the building of a house for a girl who is getting off the street, and her family. That was quite an experience - we literally threw bricks at each other to move them from one side of the land to the side where the house was going to be. That night I slept (more like didn't sleep at all) with the 4-month-old triplets, feeding them every 3 hours and trying to calm them down when they cried (which was basically all night long). After a long day of manual labor, then a long sleepless night, I went home and slept for about an hour, then went back to House 1 to work for 8 hours!

Don't remember if I already talked about this, but I also went to a soccer game at the big stadium last Sunday! It was between the 2 Cochabamba teams (big rivals, very intense competition), but since it was only part of the winter series there weren't many people there. It was still a fun experience though- barbed wire separating the fans from the field, police with shields to protect players from objects thrown at them, people selling various foods in the stands (including empanadas, ice cream cones, and beans. Oh and one lady had a basket full of candy...and cigarettes. What a combo), and fans cussing at the players. I went with the OWR group, Jen, plus a few street kids who were very into the whole cussing at players thing.

This Sunday after church, I went with Elena, 4 of the House 2 kids, and the OWR group to El Cristo de la Concordia, which is a huge white statue of Jesus on top of a mountain. There are steps going all the way up, but we opted for the teleférico (cable car) that takes you to the top and back down. We took lots of pictures at the top, with the Cristo and the awesome view of the mountains and city. Afterwards we stopped at a "restaurant" (basically a street corner where people set up a long picnic table and area to cook) to drink api, a hot corn drink with cinnamon and other spices (kind of like apple cider...yum), and eat some fried dough and cheese-stuffed pastries. That night I "babysat" for Elena for a couple hours, then got myself a taxi home.

Yesterday, after working at House 1 and saying goodbye to the OWR group, I went with Elena and her church to do an evangelism program for kids in a small country town. We played outside, helped the kids make a craft (they were VERY excited to use glitter glue and stickers!), then they did some songs and dramas with a Bible lesson and verse to memorize. Then Elena found out that 2 of her kids were going to meet their new adoptive parents TODAY, so we rushed to House 2 so she could talk to them about it and try to prepare them a little. After that, some of her friends picked us up to go to a bonfire at a children's home way out in the country with a group from Florida that's been working there, the kids, and people from the church. They had the fire, music (and some people danced), soccer, and volleyball. It was a really full day but very fun, and I met a lot of new people!

So those are some of the things that have happened in the past week. It's been full of long, busy days, but also a lot of fun!

I also want to mention some prayer requests. Thank you to everyone who is praying for me and CDA; here are some specific things you can be praying for:

• The 2 kids who met their adoptive parents today (JK and E). We don't know how long it will be until they actually get adopted, but just pray that they would adjust well with their new family. Also for Elena. She lives at House 2 and these kids are basically her children, and I know as excited as she is for them, it will be very hard for her to see them go.
• Other adoptions at House 1: one boy who was at House 1 (but has been living with a foster family- I actually babysat him the first week I was here!) is being adopted this Friday. A pair of twins may be going back to their mother soon. Another pair of twins is also in the middle of an adoption. It's very exciting that so many kids will have families soon, but it will also be hard on Jennifer and everyone that works at the home. Please pray for all of those kids, the adoptive families, the staff of CDA, and that everything goes smoothly with all the adoptions.
• Maite and Teresa (my Bolivian family). Nothing really specific for them, but just in general, and that God would bless them and keep them safe. Also, another girl is supposed to come live with us for a couple week (she comes the 10th), so for her to have a safe trip and a good stay here.
• My health: I haven't been majorly sick here, but I have kind of a cold. Mostly just coughing, but please just pray that I get better because it's very annoying, both to me and to M and T!

• Keep praying for Jennifer (she is super busy all the time and does A LOT!), CDA, all the kids, and all the staff.

That's all I can think of for now...thanks for all your prayers and support!

Has it really been almost 2 weeks...

...since I last posted something?! Sorry everyone, I've totally not been keeping up with my blog here. I want to write about everything I've done in the last 12 days, but I think I'll post some pictures today and let them talk for me :) If you're my friend on Facebook, you can see even more (and get almost daily, short updates)!

Cochabamba from a mountain

My house! We live on the 2nd floor

My bedroom
The street of CDA 1

Front yard/play area at CDA 1

Micro- bus (There are lots with different routes. This is the "E")

Trufi- basically a small van (what I take most days to and from work)

Some of the older kids at CDA 1 making bead necklaces

J and S- these 2 were so excited to show off their jewelry!

One of the triplets! Soooo sweet

And the other 2 :)

They were singing for Tia Consuelo and me

Tia Consuelo with the girls (really dark, sorry!)

B- such a CUTE smile!

S- sweet girl

The kids at CDA 2 with Melissa (photographer from dallas that was here the week I got here!) watching a Clifford movie

JK and J riding a horse...

One morning in a trufi, a girl had her (not too small) dog with her! Good thing it wasn't too full that day.

I helped with a wedding (of people I don't know...) and we made these pineapple centerpieces for the tables at the reception. They were definitely a hit with the hungry guests :)

Maite (the lady I live with) cutting cheese to stick on the pineapples (with toothpicks), along with other foods

During the wedding

The reception was a PARTY! The bride's sister (maid of honor) sings in a Christian mariachi band. They came and played, and she sang a few songs with them. The reception lasted until about 12:30 am!

Not a very good photo of her (lol), but Teresa (Maite's mom who also lives here)

These are just some of the photos of what I've done so far! I also went to a soccer game yesterday with Jennifer, a few street kids, and a team of 4 people who just got here Saturday to spend 10 days working here! It was a ton of fun going to the game, then to a nearby churresqueria for dinner.

If you want to see some AWESOME photos of the kids taken by Melissa, check out Jennifer's blog! They are so cute, and you can see more kids than what I have pictures of. She has 8 posts so far (and she may post more...don't know) and these pictures are definitely worth looking at! 

Anyway, hope you all enjoyed the pictures! More will come soon whenever I get the chance to upload them. Thanks for reading!

Not-so-great day

Some of the highlights of today:

• Ran to catch the trufi, which was full, and had to stand up the whole way along with 2 other people- we were literally PACKED into the tiny van. (Not horrible, but not exactly comfortable either)
• Cleaned the nastiest bathroom of my life. How do such small kids make such a big mess? (Also not comletely horrible, but I almost threw up once...that bad)
• Got peed on by a 2 year old. I was sitting down playing with some kids, and he came and sat in my lap and immediately started peeing, like I was his own comfy toilet. I don't know if his diaper wasn't on right or what but it soaked through his clothes and onto my jeans that I had to wear for about 6 more hours. (It dried, but still. Eww.)
• Got on a trufi to get home. Apparently the number 209 has several different routes, and not all of them go near my house. I don't even know where I was, but I ended up at the end of the route where I had to get out. I walked through some neighborhood until I got to a busier street, then stopped and waited for a taxi. (I definitely was not going to get on another trufi or micro. With a taxi I could just tell him where I needed to go and know that I'll get there)

After that it was fine, except my house was actually a little farther than what I told the driver, and he lectured me a little about which streets were what (There are no street signs, how am I supposed to remember all of them?). At least he was pretty nice about it though, and he still only charged me the 7 Bs ($1) that he originally told me.

Now that I've changed out of my pee-y clothes, I'm drinking some much needed water and eating some much needed chocolate chip cookies (comfort food! :P) that I baked yesterday. I know my day could have been much worse, especially when I look at a lot of people's lives here. I'm still thankful to be here, and on a day like this I rely more on God to get me through it.

To end this post on the bright sides:

• I had some new experiences and saw some new parts of town (I actually wish I had my camera with me).
• I now know either to not take the 209 home or to specifically ask the driver if it goes to Avenida Beijing (the main street my house is off of).
• I feel like I did some actual work at the home today, and I took the disgusting bathroom task away from the tias having to do it.
• Still haven't found a bright side to getting peed on. It warmed me up..?

Fiesta Sunday!

This morning I went with Maite to Cochabamba International Church. It was my second week there and I really like the church. There are people from Bolivia and people from all over the world that attend. The services are kind of a mix of English and Spanish, and I like that a lot too. Some songs are in English and some in Spanish. The pastor preaches in English, but they have a translator that they broadcast on a radio station, and people can listen to the Spanish translation with headphones. I just really like the diversity there, and everyone is very nice and welcoming. I still need to find a Bible study to go as well.

Today is Maite's birthday, so after church we came home and had a lunch/party with lots of her family! We somehow squeezed 20ish people into the small living/dining room of our house. Teresa made some kind of pot roast thing, rice with cheese, yucca, and a salad with tomatoes and avocadoes. Maite made a jello cake thing with milk and peaches for dessert. YUM. We hung out and talked (I actually didn't talk much. I'm losing my voice) and took tons of pictures with everyone. They all left about an hour ago, so after cleaning up and washing countless dishes, now it's time to rest.

That's all for now...but another blog is coming soon about some of the interesting parts of Cochabamba life/culture!

I have a schedule!

So in case you didn't know, I'm the kind of person who likes to have a schedule. I live off my planner during the school year (and I wish I would have brought it here! I'll probably buy one soon), and in general I just like to have some kind of plans. My first week here, I wasn't on the CDA schedule, and I really didn't have to be anywhere or do anything specific. I pretty much never knew what I was going to do until I woke up. I depended on other people to pick me up and take me home since I didn't know my way around the city (still don't really, but I'm starting to learn). Going with the flow like that was kind of nice for a week, but I am so relieved to now be on the volunteer schedule! I actually have somewhere I need to be at a specific time!

Yesterday was my first day on the schedule, and the first time to travel in the city by myself. The night before, Teresa took me out and showed me which trufis (basically vans used for public transportation) I could take to get to and from Casa 1, where I need to get off, and where I need to walk. I wrote everything down, and yesterday morning I set out alone. I had my notebook for reference, but I actually remembered pretty much everything! The only problem was the trufi driver almost passed where I had to get off because he was taking his time getting to the side of the road, even though I had told him that I was about to get off. A few guys in the trufi yelled at him to get over because "she said she was getting off!" After that he quickly went over to the side and stopped for me. It actually ended up being the perfect place, and I walked to rest of the way down to the home.

I worked there from 12 to 8 pm, then called a taxi to take me home. I had my address but the driver didn't know exactly where to go, so I told him when to turn and stop and everything. Landmarks are my saving grace. Most streets don't have signs or anything to indicate where you are, so pretty much the only way I know where I am is by looking at billboards or distinct houses.

My day at Casa 1 went pretty much like this:
Got there around 12, helped get the kids in and out of the bath and dressed, went with them down to the dining room to eat lunch. Ate with the kids and tias, then took them upstairs for naptime. Brushed teeth and put some of the smallest kids to bed. During naptime the tias usually just rest, but I wanted to do something. I went to the kitchen to see if the cook needed help, which she said she didn't (she always says that, but if I bug her enough she gives me something to do :p). I ended up helping give the triplets their 2:00 milk and burping them. Then I sat around for a while, until David came in with a carload of groceries. I helped carry all that in, then helped the cook organize things in the kitchen (she tried to show me the difference between naranjas and mandarinas, but they looked exactly the same to me). The kids got up from nap around 4. Changed some diapers, made some kids go potty on their little training toilets, then downstairs for dinner. Helped serve dinner, fed Baby F (the only real baby there besides the triplets), and ate a little dinner. After dinner, I helped fold laundry with one tia while another tia was singing songs with the little kids and some of the older ones were outside. After a while everyone went upstairs. I stayed in a room with the little ones, played with them and broke up fights. Around 7:30 everyone got ready for bed, and by 8 everyone was in bed. That's when I called the taxi and went home.

At home, I ate dinner and played games with Maite and Teresa. SUPER FUN. I taught them a card game, and they taught me a few. We played until about 11, then Maite and I did a puzzle and finished around 12. Then it was time for bed.

Today is apparently a holiday, so pretty much everyone is off work. This morning I've just been hanging out at home with M and T, but we may go somewhere later today. Tomorrow I work at Casa 1 in the morning, so I'll probably blog about how mornings are there. Hopefully M´s friend will come today or sometime this week to get my computer configured with the internet! Ciao for now!

I'm in Cochabamba!

Ok so I've been here for 4 days. I wanted to update a lot sooner, but there have been problems with the internet access where I'm living and I don't know when/if I'll be getting it. Right now I'm staying at Casa de Amor 2 for the night, watching 9 kids while Tia Elena (a volunteer who lives here) is out with her friends for her birthday. So thanks to her, I'm using her computer and internet access until she returns and we go to bed. Now, for a quick rundown of my days here so far. I'm not on the schedule at the homes until next month (aka next week), so every day has been completely different.

Tuesday: arrived in Cochabamba around 3:30. Jennifer and Elena picked me up from the airport and dropped me off at my house. I met Maite (lady I'm living with), unpacked and organized all my stuff, and took a little nap. I talked to Maite while she cut up orange peels to make marmalade. At 7, Jennifer and Savannah (another volunteer) picked me up to go to dinner. Apparently restaurants don't open for dinner until 7 here. On the way to dinner we stopped at a street corner to talk to some kids who live under "the bridge" but were washing windows for money at an intersection. Jennifer works with a lot of street kids and helps them out. We talked to them then drove 2 of them to another place. We went to dinner at a restaurant called Paprika, then after dinner Jennifer and I went to the bridge. I've read about the bridge and the street kids on Jen's blog, but actually going there was completely shocking/heartbreaking. Jennifer talked to the people there, then she took me home. When I got there I met Teresa (Maite's mom who lives with her), then after I got ready for bed they made me sit at the table and drink a glass of milk. Maite gave me a massage while we sat there and talked (I felt so spoiled!) because my neck/shoulders were tense and knotted up from my uncomfortable sleeping positions on the planes. After that I went to bed.

Wednesday: When I woke up, Teresa had made me breakfast (a scrambled egg mixture with veggies and ham- I don't usually eat pork but I've had to a few times here already. I'm not going to turn down something that someone has made for me). Elena picked me up at 9:30 and took me into town. She tried to explain the transportation and roads to me, but I hardly remember any of it- so much information at once! She ran a couple errands and I got some of my dollars changed to bolivianos (Bs). Then we went to Casa 1 (the "baby home"). I was only there for a couple hours, and I didn't really do much. We went to Casa 2, and I stayed there for a few hours helping some of the kids with homework and playing with the others. Elena had left, and when she came back we all piled into a car and they dropped me off at my house. I had dinner (chicken with spinach and peppers, with rice) with Maite and Teresa. For dessert we had limes (here they're a lot bigger than most limes in the US, and they're sweet and watery instead of sour and acidy!), then we talked  until bedtime.

Thursday: Elena picked me up around 7:45. I didn't have time to finish breakfast, but Maite and Teresa made me take a grilled ham & cheese sandwich with me to eat while traveling. Elena and I picked up Melissa (a photographer from Texas who's only here for a week to take pictures of the city and the kids at the homes) from where she's living. We went to Casa 1, where I stayed pretty much all day. I still felt like I didn't really do much work, but I think once I get on the schedule and get used to the kids' schedule I'll be doing more. I mostly helped with the little kids, and I also got to feed and hold the triplets! They're only 3 months old and soooo sweet! I also helped in the kitchen a little, getting tons of peas out of their pods (it took me about an hour). Around 5:30 I was picked up by Tom Summerfield, an American missionary who has lived here with his family for 5 years. Their kids had a high school graduation banquet that night, and their babysitter canceled that day, so they had called CDA and asked if anyone could babysit. He picked me up dinner at this little chicken restaurant, then we went to his house. I babysat Freddy/Angelito (the government gave him the name Freddy, but they call him Angelito), a 1.5 year old who they've had living with them as a foster child for about a year (he was originally from Casa 1), and Olivia, another 1.5 year old (she and her parents are American, and they were going to the graduation banquet too). They were really cute and easy to take care of. After they went to bed, I still had about 3  hours until the parents would get home. I watched the movie Fireproof while waiting (kind of cheesy, but a really good movie with a good message- totally recommend it). They got home around 11, then Tom took Olivia's family home then dropped me off at my house. I got home around 11:30 and went to bed right away (SO TIRED).

Friday (today): Woke up around 8:30. Elena called and gave me information about tonight's babysitting. No one had given me any work to do during the day, so she and Melissa picked me up around 10. We took a taxi to La Cancha, a huge outdoor market here. Melissa took pictures, and she and Elena bought a few things. I didn't buy anything today, but I have plenty of time to go again and get souvenirs :) After La Cancha we took a micro (bus) to Casa 1. I stayed there and mostly helped with the triplets (fed them pretty much by myself, then watched one of the tias bathe them and change their clothes). I also helped again in the kitchen, this time taking lima beans (or something like that) out of their pods (about an hour again!). Around 4 David (administrative assistant at CDA) picked me up and took me to Casa 2. I've been here since then. The kids played, then had dinner, then we got them to bed. A few of them stayed up talking to each other (every time they heard me get up and go to the hallway, they were quiet. lol) for a while, but now they're all asleep. I'm still waiting for Elena to get back from her birthday night out, and once she gets here it's bed time!

I don't know what's in store for me tomorrow (or any other day!), but I'll try to keep you all posted as often as possible. Hopefully my other postings won't be this long! I'm going to try to get internet access at my house if the subscription isn't too expensive. Also, pictures may be coming soon! Keep checking in and leaving comments :)

Today's the day!

I leave for Bolivia TODAY! I'm all packed and ready(?) to go. Please pray for safe travel and that everything goes smoothly. My flight schedule goes like this:

Leave Dallas at 12:15pm, arrive in Miami 4pm
Leave Miami 10:40pm, arrive in Santa Cruz, Bolivia 7:50am (Tues.)
Leave Santa Cruz 2:50pm, arrive in Cochabamba 3:35pm

As you can see, it's going to be a pretty long 2 days. The travel is the only thing about this trip I'm really nervous about- there are just too many things that could go wrong and of course I think of all of them. Anyway, that's it for now. I need to get ready to leave for the airport! I'll have my phone until I leave Miami (then I'll turn it off for the summer), so feel free to call and say goodbye :)

1 Week Left!

Hey everyone! I know I said I would be updating this before I leave, and I'm sorry I haven't. The end of the school semester was super crazy and busy for me so I was focusing more on that. Anyway, I only have a week left until I leave for Bolivia! I can hardly believe it's so soon, but I'm so excited! Now that I'm done with school and back home with my family, I'm getting ready for the trip.

I want to thank everyone who is supporting me in any way. I have received donations which have helped a lot with the cost of my trip, and I'm very thankful for those. I'm also blessed to have so much spiritual support from everyone who is praying for me. I just want to ask that you all continue to keep me, as well as Casa de Amor, in your prayers. Also, if you're interested in donating any items, I just got an email from one of the volunteers at CDA that lists some of the items they're in need of right now:

 

• Warm clothes for ages 2-7, boys and girls...this includes pants, long sleeve shirts, sweatshirts, heavier jackets, gloves, hats, socks, etc. They are especially in need for girls age 4-7!

• Shoes for all sizes
• Underwear
• Plain white socks
• Hair things

 

You can also find a list of all the donations they accept HERE (toward the bottom of the page). If you have any items you want to donate, you can either mail them to me (ask me for my address), or if you live near me we can meet sometime this week. I will be taking a suitcase of donations with me.

That's it for now, but I look forward to communicating with you all throughout the summer! :)

About the Trip

Hey everyone! If you're reading this, you probably already know at least a little about my trip to Bolivia. But I'm going to write about it here anyway for those of you who don't.

I'm going to Cochabamba, Bolivia for 3 months this summer to volunteer at Casa de Amor, a home for babies and children. The home (it's actually 3 separate homes) was started and is directed by Jennifer, a family friend. To learn more about it, you can go to the CDA website and read all about it. You can also read Jennifer's blog to see what's going on there. She updates it pretty often, and it's neat to read about everything that's happening at the homes.

While I'm there, I'll pretty much be doing whatever they need me to do: helping with the babies and children, cleaning, running errands...I'm actually not sure of everything I'm going to do there; I'm just going to do anything needed. I will also be staying with a local Bolivian family. 

I'm super excited for this great opportunity to serve God and to show His love to the children of Cochabamba! Right now I'm asking for prayer and support as I prepare for this trip. I will update this blog over the next couple months before I leave, as well as while I'm in Bolivia. Thanks for reading, and feel free to leave comments on my postings!