learning a new language...

After my second week in Cochabamba, I am realizing that learning a new language is a full time job! For this retired teacher...it's a whole new world to be back in Spanish 101. My classes are held each morning from 8 AM to 11:30 AM at the Instituto de Idiamos de Maryknoll, but my studies continue all day and into the evening as I listen, read and speak as much Spanish as I can! I have placed post-it notes around my room to help me learn the everyday words I use the most. My professors at the Instituto are wonderful but my host family members are also very patient teachers! As we eat meals together and share stories about our families, I try to introduce new vocabulary and they do the same. Immersion into a new language and culture is challenging but each step in the process is very rewarding. This past week I was able to use my Spanish skills to purchase something in a stationary store, read and order from a menu, take a taxi to the central city and watch the world news on TV. Just basic beginner steps...but building on these fundamentals will hopefully improve my conversational skills. I have so many questions to ask and not enough grammar or vocabulary to ask them! I carry my pocket sized Spanish/English dictionary everywhere...already the pages are showing signs of wear and tear!

On Saturday, I travelled with my fellow lay missioners to the southern zone of Cochabamba and visited several programs/places where Maryknoll priests, sisters and lay missioners work and live. Population in this southern azone has exploded in the past ten years as more Bolivians from the "campos" (mostly indigenous Quechua and Aymara families) have moved to the outskirts of the city looking for work. Many of the social and educational programs I visited, work collaboratively with other religious groups and non-profits to build sustainable growth and change with the Bolivian people. One of the most critical needs is for clean, safe drinking water...until next time...chau!

looking back at my first week in Cochabamba...

Well....it was a very eventful primera semana (first week) in Cochabamba! Early Monday morning of the 10th I awoke to severe pain in my left lower back. The pain was so intense that I had to awaken my host family and they took me immediately to the emergency hospital. I received some pain meds and the next morning I had some lab work done. On Tuesday morning I saw a kidney specialist who confirmed that I had passed a kidney stone!!! So he sent me to have a CAT scan to assist in his diagnosis and treatment. So you are probably thinking what else could happen to her? That's what I thought...until I was bitten by a dog while I was walking to meet my co-missioners for dinner Tuesday evening!!! Luckily, the bite wasn't that bad, but the attack by the dog from behind was very traumatizing. I've received lots of support from my family and the mission community and I'm on the mend...and I have had my first anti-rabies shot...but I'm also on the lookout for every dog I see on the street...and there are hundreds of stray dogs on the streets of Cochabamba! All this and I'm still enjoying everyday here in Bolivia! The climate is perfect...warm and breezy days and cool nights...and the people are so warm and friendly. Each day I attend classes from 8AM-12 noon and as I eat meals with my family we practice new phrases and vocabulary in Spanish. I know that immersion is the best methodology for learning a language...but it is so nice to speak to someone in English every once in a while! This past Saturday all of the students at the Maryknoll Language Institute went on a tour of Cochabamba. One of the most interesting places in Cochabamba is the statue of "El Christo" (The Christ) that sits atop a mountain overlooking the city. The ride to the top of the mountain in a small bus with 25 people was a little unnerving...but fun. The view from the top was amazing! The city was sprawled out before me and the mountains were all around me. It is sometimes hard to remember that I am living at 8500 feet in the Andes, as the mountain peaks don't look as high as they would if I were looking at sea level! Yesterday I watched a movie in Spanish with my host family(without English subtitles) and was very proud of myself for understanding some of the dialogue and following the rest by context. It was a very entertaining movie..."It's Complicated" with Meryl Streep, Alex Baldwin and Steve Martin. I had to explain to my family that where the story took place was not a "typical" American setting...as the family lived outside Santa Barbara, CA in a muy grande casa! My goal for this second week in Bolivia is to stay out of trouble and in good health!

Arrival in Cochabamba, Bolivia

I have arrived in Bolivia! Cochabamba is a beautiful city (east of La Paz)....altitude @8500 feet...so it is taking a little time to get used to the elevation. The climate is warm (it's summer here in the global south), the green mountains surround the city and my Bolivian host family has been so very kind and helpful to me. The first 48 hours of my journey were a little crazy! First the zipper on my large suitcase broke just before leaving for the airport, so we made a quick trip to the store and bought two smaller bags. Then at the Asheville airport I set off the security alarm and had to be "patted down" and all my articles scanned...yikes...what a hassle. I later found out in Miami that the security culprit was my silver bracelet that I didn't remove in Asheville before entering the scanner.  Then as if I had not already exhaused Murphy's Law...my luggage never made the transfer from US Air to American Airlines in Miami...so I arrived in Bolivia but my suitcases didn't!!! Good news...the luggage did arrive yesterday (Sat) and I am now settled into my lovely room looking out over the mountains and the city. My host is a pediatrician...and his wife and two adult children live in the stucco home that you enter through a courtyard filled with flowering plants. Tomorrow I begin my Spanish language classes at the Maryknoll Language Institute. I can walk the five blocks to the institute from my host's home. I am hoping that the Spanish I learned in HS and college will gradually return as I hear and speak more each day. Buenos noches from Bolivia!

The journey begins....

Today I leave Asheville for Cochabamba, Bolivia! I will meet three of my fellow MKLM missioners in Miami and we'll take the overnight flight to Bolivia...when I arrive my world will be literally turned upside down...it's summer in Bolivia! Goodbye to snow and cold weather and hello to sunshine and the majestic beauty of the Andes mtns.
I look forward to sharing my stories with you...Kathleen