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!