Hey everyone. I know I just posted an update the other week, but my mother has advised me that I should be updating a little more often, since I am officially in the TEN DAYS AND LESS timezone. (As an update to everyone, tomorrow is my eight month mark. I leave Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia on May 1st at 11pm. I'll be arriving in Kelowna International around 530pm on Saturday, May 2nd).
There's not a lot going on here in Santa Cruz, other than me making the best of my time here. I'm trying to go out with friends as much as possible. Apparently, this hasn't been too smart, since I've lost my phone TWICE in the past three days. Maybe I need to slow it down a bit hmm?
I have three despedidas, or going away parties to attend to and figure out. My family wants to have one this Friday, for Rotarians to attend. Then Brodie's host family, the family of Jessica (really good friend) wants to hold a churrasco (bbq) for me on Saturday. My classmates as well want to hold a party for me Saturday night. I am going to be crazy, trying to cram all this in.
And while I keep myself amazingly busy, I try not to think of the looming fact that I am actually going home in a week and a half. Good lord, that's a lot scarier putting that down in words. I don't want to think about it, because I don't want to be looking forward to go home. I am enjoying the time I have here, and it shant be ruined by thoughts of going home! I really am excited to go back home, to see my family and friends, and to finally get some nutritious food into me (I am DYING for a veggie burger). But seriously, I will miss it here. I might have had my ups and downs while being here, but in the long run, this was an AMAZING year and I will miss so many people and so many things. Yet, I shall not reminice yet.
YA TENGO DIEZ DÍAS
Monday, April 20, 2009
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Week 34
What they say is true; the closer and closer you get to the end of your exchange, the less you write. I am well into my last month here in Santa Cruz (in fact today, I'm at about two and a half weeks away) and the last thing I would like to be doing is sitting down to tap out all that I've been doing the past couple of weeks. To tell you the truth, nothing too exciting has been going on, just day-to-day activities, but I felt that I owed it to the people that actually check my blog from time to time... fill them in on my life, let you know that YES, I still am alive!
I last left you right after my birthday. For the most part, life has been quite normal since then, slightly uneventful. I've been going to the gym everyday, and taking my Spanish classes in the afternoon. I go out with friends on most days, and of course end up seeing Sarah every single day hahah. I mentioned in my previous blog that I was in touch with an orchestra here in Santa Cruz, yet I still haven't gotten in touch with them sooo we're waiting on that one.
In the past month or so, I've made a ton of new friends. I met most of them through Sarah, since she's been going to a new high school (while I bum around). They are an amazing group of friends, and are always up for doing something interesting. For example, a couple weeks ago I got a call at nine am on a Tuesday morning, telling me to get myself together and meet up with everyone asap. We started driving around, and ended up at this little lake outside of Santa Cruz called Capiguara. We hung out, pranced around taking photos, and everyone got thrown in the murky water. Then we drove out to this little pueblo called Porongo to see if there was anything interesting, but it was all empty dirt roads, so we snacked on some ice cream and peaced back to the city (where we later tried to break another friend out of school). It was one of the funnest days that I've had here. I'm so glad I've met these kids, because they've really made my exchange.
As you all know, Easter just passed us by. But I bet you didn't know that Passover has also been going on. If I haven't mentioned before, Sarah is Jewish. And knowing me, you know that I love to learn about religions (and it just so happens that she loves to teach people about judaism). I've been learning about all the Jewish holidays that pass us by this year, and last Wednesday evening was the start of Passover. We had a lot of fun trying to think of ways to celebrate this holiday together, but to tell you the truth, it's quite difficult since there aren't exactly "kosher aisles" in the supermarkets here. I also got to see all the activities going on here for Easter, since Bolivia is hiiighly Catholic. Everything was decorated with palm fronds on Palm Sunday, as well as had vendors everywhere selling random items of braided palm. The next part of the week of Easter is called Semana Santa, or Holy Week. This involves the events that happen from Thursday-Sunday, the last Supper through till the Resurection. In Santa Cruz, it's very common to travel during this week, usually going to either Samaipata or Concepción. I ended up going out to a friend's quinta, just to spend some time with friends away from the city.
As my time here dwindles, I come to appreciate and enjoy my time here more and more. I know that I need to make the best of life while I'm here and I feel that I really have the past couple of weeks. I only wish I had a bit more time to work on my relationships and language skills :D If there's anyone back home that wants to help me keep my spanish up to date, let me know please.
I last left you right after my birthday. For the most part, life has been quite normal since then, slightly uneventful. I've been going to the gym everyday, and taking my Spanish classes in the afternoon. I go out with friends on most days, and of course end up seeing Sarah every single day hahah. I mentioned in my previous blog that I was in touch with an orchestra here in Santa Cruz, yet I still haven't gotten in touch with them sooo we're waiting on that one.
In the past month or so, I've made a ton of new friends. I met most of them through Sarah, since she's been going to a new high school (while I bum around). They are an amazing group of friends, and are always up for doing something interesting. For example, a couple weeks ago I got a call at nine am on a Tuesday morning, telling me to get myself together and meet up with everyone asap. We started driving around, and ended up at this little lake outside of Santa Cruz called Capiguara. We hung out, pranced around taking photos, and everyone got thrown in the murky water. Then we drove out to this little pueblo called Porongo to see if there was anything interesting, but it was all empty dirt roads, so we snacked on some ice cream and peaced back to the city (where we later tried to break another friend out of school). It was one of the funnest days that I've had here. I'm so glad I've met these kids, because they've really made my exchange.
As you all know, Easter just passed us by. But I bet you didn't know that Passover has also been going on. If I haven't mentioned before, Sarah is Jewish. And knowing me, you know that I love to learn about religions (and it just so happens that she loves to teach people about judaism). I've been learning about all the Jewish holidays that pass us by this year, and last Wednesday evening was the start of Passover. We had a lot of fun trying to think of ways to celebrate this holiday together, but to tell you the truth, it's quite difficult since there aren't exactly "kosher aisles" in the supermarkets here. I also got to see all the activities going on here for Easter, since Bolivia is hiiighly Catholic. Everything was decorated with palm fronds on Palm Sunday, as well as had vendors everywhere selling random items of braided palm. The next part of the week of Easter is called Semana Santa, or Holy Week. This involves the events that happen from Thursday-Sunday, the last Supper through till the Resurection. In Santa Cruz, it's very common to travel during this week, usually going to either Samaipata or Concepción. I ended up going out to a friend's quinta, just to spend some time with friends away from the city.
As my time here dwindles, I come to appreciate and enjoy my time here more and more. I know that I need to make the best of life while I'm here and I feel that I really have the past couple of weeks. I only wish I had a bit more time to work on my relationships and language skills :D If there's anyone back home that wants to help me keep my spanish up to date, let me know please.
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