Going to Okinawa!!!

Since last year I have wanted to go to Cochabamba. Cochabamba is a state in Bolivia but it is also a city.  The state and city are more indigenous than the state I live in, Santa Cruz. Santa Cruz is more “Americanized” than any other state in Bolivia. The different states here vary so much, that if you go from one state to another it’s like going from one country to another. I never had the chance to go to Cochabamba until this year. I commented to Ayko that I wanted to see Cochabamba and she made it happen. She sent her two daughters, Reina and Yuki, with me. They paid for everything. I still can’t get over their generosity. She informed me the day we were leaving so I didn’t have much time to prepare. Luckily my weeklong retreat started that day. I was free for a week!

As I was getting ready, a knock at my door came. Sor Maria brought Johanna (a co-volunteer to my house. As Johanna was walking in I informed Sor I was going to Cochabamba. She nodded and said it was fine. Johanna was so nice and had brought me food. She brought all sorts of goodies. We hung out for a bit and had some great conversations. She went back with me to Yapacani and met my second family.

On the way to Cochabamba I slept like never before. Cochabamba is an 8-10 hour ride in a huge bus that looks like it will tilt over every speed bump. It usually travels all through the night so the passengers sleep the whole way and don’t freak out over the narrow roads and bad driving. We had to check into a hotel because the place we were going to be staying at (boarding school) was not open yet. We slept and headed out.

Reina and Yuki live in a boarding school. It is very common for parents to send their kids away after 8^th grade to boarding schools. This is done because the Japanese school only teaches 1^st-8^th grade. If they want their kids to have a good education they send their kids away because the Bolivian schools are not good. I thought leaving home at 18 was hard, imagine 13 or 14!

During the day Yuki and I went to go visit the other SLM volunteers (Angela and Monica) that work at an orphanage there. It was so nice to be with other volunteers and hear their stories and struggles. It’s nice to have a connection that most people don’t understand. After being there for a couple of hours I called Amber (another volunteer that I met 2 years ago) to tell her I was in Cochabamba.

Amber and Mary Pat work at another orphanage that is 1 hour away from the city, so I couldn’t go see them. Thankfully they came and we all met for dinner. Yuki, Reina, Amber, Angela, Monica, Mary Pat, and myself went to a really good Mexican restaurant. I ate 5 tacos! Dinner was so fun too. Mary Pat made us all laugh with her funny stories and one-of-a-kind personality. After we all went to ice-cream and walked around for a bit. We went to a dance studio where Amber takes a class. We had forgotten to take a group picture so we went to get it. One of Amber’s friends said a comment that made us laugh. She said, “You are all like a salad.” Meaning there was a little of everything.

The Salad

Cochabamba at my feet!

As we were walking back to get Micro’s for everyone to go home, a funny story happen. Thank you Angela for giving me permission to tell this story on my international blog. Amber and I were having a really nice deep conversation. Angela and Mary Pat were in front of us. There was a little downhill on the sidewalk and as Angela stepped on it she slid and fell. Her fall was in slow motion and she put her arm up as she was falling, so it looked like a very graceful ballerina falling. She burst into laughter and everyone else kept going like it was nothing. I was holding in my laughter because I didn’t want to be a jerk and laugh at her. I tried to keep talking normally like everyone else was, but I couldn’t. I started cracking up! (I am still giggling as I type.) Angela laughed along with me, which helped me not feel so bad for laughing. I guess it’s one of those stories “you had to be there for.”

I went back to the boarding school with Yuki and Reina. They were so impressed with the volunteers. They loved meeting them. We talked about them for a while then we went to bed.

The next day we went to “El Cristo.” It is a very famous statue known all over the world. It is the biggest statue of Jesus Christ in the world. It sits on a high mountain in the middle of the city. It is a beautiful place to go. Most people went up the stairs. We were too pretty for that, so we took the lift. It’s very similar to a ski lift but it’s all enclosed. You can see the whole city going up.  We took pics and stayed at the “Cristo” for a while, and then we went back. We came back to Santa Cruz that same night.

In the lift

El Cristo

The day we got here I call it my “dark day.” All I did that day was watch movies and eat. I saw the movie “Colored Girls” and felt so inspired to write poetry. I wrote so much and cried and was so depressed. I know I am depressed when I start writing poetry. I felt all I needed was a cigarette in my hand and a bottle of whiskey in the other to fit the role. I didn’t even shower that day.

I wanted to do the same thing the following day, but thanks to another movie I saw I got the courage to get out and go to the Hogar. The movie was about an orphanage in Korea. The whole story is very similar to the stories at the Hogar. That helped me to think outside myself and empathize with the girls. Plus I needed to get out before I began to dress in black with all my hair in my face.

I got to the Hogar and had an amazing, wonderful, and inspiring conversation with Madre Anita. That was enough to bring my spirits up. I also got to see “My Little One” Choca! She had been away on vacation and I hadn’t seen her in over a month. God speaks to me so much through her and He did it again that whole weekend. She said the most beautiful things to me and seeing her change from when I first got there to now, fills my heart with joy. I can’t wait to see what God has in store for her.

Sunday came and I had to get back to San Juan. Like I have said before leaving the Hogar is always really hard. But when you have a girl that is 15 begging you not to leave as if she were 5, leaving is almost impossible. Kathleen Curran (a former volunteer) had arrived at the Hogar just as I was about to leave. She talked to me about going to Okinawa and how great I would be there. I knew I would love to serve in Okinawa but I felt God was calling me to San Juan and I was willing to stick it out no matter what.

On the hour-long Truffi ride to San Juan I had a feeling of doubt that I hadn’t felt before. I started to feel that maybe it wasn’t God’s Will for me to stay in San Juan. I asked God to give me a really clear sign so I would know if this is where I should be all year.

When I went to Sor Maria’s house I got my answer. I will not go into details to respect her privacy, but in short she said it wasn’t going to work out for me to stay in San Juan. That was the answer I had been waiting for. I am so glad she was the one to say it because I would of never left, no matter how bad it got. It was a very clear sign and I felt so much joy and peace about it.

The next morning I went straight to Okinawa to share the good news to all. Sor Nora is the director in Okinawa. She told me she had been praying for me so much so I would go to Okinawa because they needed another volunteer there. Everyone was so happy to hear that I would be going there. Sor Nora basically said that all I needed to do was get in touch with Michelle and Susan (the other two volunteers from Okinawa) and make up a schedule to give to the Sor’s.

Michelle arrived from the States the next day. She was leaving to Sucre the following day. I was so lucky I got to talk to her. She was also so happy to hear I was going. We had some really great conversations and laughs. I am so sure I will have an awesome year with her and Susan.

Overall these weeks have been filled with so much emotion. The greatest lesson I learned was that God does answer prayers. I always know that, but sometimes I don’t believe it. This was His way of proving to me He listens.

I cannot wait to start my new site with a whole new community. I am a little sad to leave the relationships I have made here in San Juan. Ayko and her family will always be so dear to my heart. Sor Maria I will always be very fond of. I have learned so much from her, and thanks to her I grew in my own spiritual life.

Now for some funny stories! The first one is a little embarrassing for me to tell. I will just come straight out and say it. I HAVE LICE! Working at the Hogar last year, lice, were not a big deal. However for the rest of the world it is. I know 90-95% of the girls at the Hogar have lice. They scratching their heads all the time constantly reminds me. I try not to get too paranoid. I let them lay their heads on my shoulders and put their faces next to mine. I knew the instant I got lice. We were in Mass and a little girl was asleep on my shoulders. I literally felt the lice crawl into my head. I wanted to wake her up and put her down, but she looked so precious when she was sleeping. Plus the sermon was about loving others as Jesus loved us. I know Jesus wouldn’t love me less if I had lice. However some of my relatives would! I came home took a shower and spent more than an hour getting lice out of my hair. I stopped when I made my scalp bleed from so much brushing.

The other story happened a few hours ago. I have been in my bathrobe all day being lazy eating mango’s all day. The older man that lives next door called me outside to plant a tree with him. He told me to get my camera. I wasn’t quite sure what was happening but I just did as he said. Then he told me we were going to plant this tree together and in 20 years from now it will still be there as a reminder of my presence here. It was very endearing but I was in my bathrobe!!! I was taking pictures and planting a tree in my bathrobe! Robes are comfortable indoors but not outdoors. As I was holding the shovel my robe kept flying up because of the wind. The knot I made kept coming loose and I had to stop and make sure nothing could be seen. The older man just kept staring and asking why I was having such a hard time digging? I told him I had never planted a tree before. His eyes watered. I could tell he really wanted this to be a sentimental moment for both of us, but all I could think about is, “why didn’t I put a bra on?” At the end he asked me why I was wearing a dress? I just said, “For this special occasion.” His eyes watered again. I just came in and put a bra on. I am really going to miss living here!

Helping with planting the tree

AAAAAnnnnnd this is me planting the tree!

Another day in the life!

Christmas has come and gone. When I was living in the states, the disappointment after the Christmas rush was unbearable. Here in Bolivia, I did not feel the anticipation before or during Christmas, so there is no disappointment after it. I did however love being able to spend another Christmas at the Hogar.

I got to the Hogar as early as possible to be there with all the girls the most time as I could. I was happy to have 3 days to spend with the girls and volunteers. We all went to mass on Christmas Eve. I sat in the very front to make fun of all the girls singing in the choir. I know my girls get super shy and embarrassed when they are singing, so I tried my hardest to intensify those feelings. It worked. They smiled the whole time they were up there. I even got a smile or two from the priest.

After that we went to the Hogar and had a really nice dinner. After dinner everyone was dancing for “Sweet Baby Jesus” and having a good time. I watched for 5 minutes then the older girls needed help cleaning up so I went with them. We washed dishes until 1:30 AM. I had never had so much fun washing dishes. The party was over by that time and we all headed for bed.

I called my family around 2AM and it was 10pm in California. I was happy to hear form them, but happy to be here too. Last year I got really homesick on Christmas Eve. I cried the whole night that year. This year I was ok. I did miss them, but didn’t completely lose it.

The volunteers and I got up at 5am to give stalking to the girls. It has been a long tradition. Luckily none of the girls woke up. We went to sleep for an hour and got up to make pancakes for all the girls. They were filled with tonz of chocolate. They were delicious. The girls loved them!

Then Santa Clause came and gave out the presents. The volunteers did such an awesome job with the presents. I could tell they put a lot of work into each gift. It was nice to be there and not be responsible or in charge of all the chaos. I remember how crazy it got last year.

I was sitting with the girls when I heard Santa say my name. I was a little confused but went up. I sat on Santa’s lap and thanked him. I thought the gifts had been from the volunteers. Then I saw the cards and the gifts had been from the girls. I was so shocked! I immediately thanked them and told them, “Shouldn’t it be the other way around?” Gladys and Judith got me two really cute fuzzy pillows. Evelin gave me a really nice gift set that looks like a souvenir. Shirley gave me a nice bracelet. Some girls gave me nice cards. Avigail gave me a diary she had been making for me since I left. It is so beautiful! It has drawings and bible verses. I absolutely loved it. I could tell she put a lot of time and effort into it.

We all went to mass again and after the volunteers had little surprises all night for the girls. I was outside with a group of girls talking. It was the perfect night. I love spending time with the girls and that is what I did all night. I even got to talk to Choca, who was at her aunt’s house. This night made me want to stay forever at the Hogar even more. Sunday I hung out some more and came back to my lonely little house.

New Years Eve was totally different. I wanted to go to the Hogar again, but Sor Maria looked a little upset to see me go so often. I decided to stay. I knew it was going to be hard to spend that night alone. My prediction was right. I spent the whole night crying and feeling sorry for myself. I felt so EMO!

New Years day was a little better. I was invited to Ayko’s (the lady that’s an angel) house. I got to meet her mom and sister. I love this lady more and more every time. We ate such a good meal and had great conversation. I stayed there most of the day. I didn’t want to leave.

This week there was a religious retreat for the teenagers from this town. I knew there were a lot here, so I was getting a little shy just thinking of being with all of them. Sor Maria told me the morning of the retreat, that both of us would be running the retreat. I was a little worried because she had written everything down in Japanese and we were supposed to do the activities together. Only 12 teenagers showed up. I was shocked. You could tell all of them were there because their parents forced them to go. Everyone was so awkward!

The retreat lasted 2 days from 9-6. It ran a lot smoother than I thought because Sor had everything schedule. It also helps that she likes to be in charge because all I did was “assist”. Which basically consisted of me helping set up any heavy objects. I was glad to be in the background. The whole retreat was in Japanese. I constantly kept asking, “What did she say?” When nobody translated I knew it was bad.

Like in every part of the world teenagers are teenagers. That means there was a lot of giggling and awkwardness. I loved it. I got to actually be with people and know the kids from around here a little more. I also got to laugh a lot and be immature. I was so intrigued by seeing how they interact amongst themselves.

Towards the end of the first day of the retreat, a friend of Sor’s came to visit. I had met him several times before he came to San Juan. His name is Pastor Chun. He is a Korean Evangelical Pastor. He met Sor 14 years ago in language school. He is a really awesome guy. His wife is really nice. He came with all his family.

I was so intrigued by the Pastor’s kids. They are Korean-Bolivian-Born, but speak perfect English. I mean PERFECT! Even their mentality was American. I was so shocked by this. I never even thought I would ever see that, because Bolivia is so different than the States. The kids have gone to a Christian school here in Bolivia. They only speak English to them since Pre-School. There are a vast majority of Americans at the school. That is how they are so integrated with the culture.

I had a lot of fun talking with them. It was like talking to any American, except they have never been to United States. This was by far the closest I have ever gotten to an episode of the twilight zone. I am still in awe.

It was very helpful to have Pastor Chun explain the differences in culture. I am so interested in learning more about Japanese culture, but it’s part of their culture to not be so open and talk about their culture. In that way I have a bit of struggle. But slowly I am learning more and more through my own mistakes and personal experiences.

Well that’s all for now. I am sorry I don’t have a funny story to tell this time. My heart is a little heavier than usual and I can’t seem to remember an event that would be funny. Everything just starts to seem normal here and it takes a lot of effort for me to even see something that is out of the ordinary. Once again thanks for reading and please keep all missionaries and me in your prayers.