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!