Happy Holidays!
Yesterday marked the final day of school for the first semester. I can't believe that I am halfway done with my time here in Bolivia. It seems like we just got here, and here we are at the Christmas holidays! The past few weeks have been fairly busy, but there have been many opportunities to get into the Christmas spirit. This morning I went Christmas shopping in the large market here in Cochabamba. I had to pick up a gift for our "Secret Santa" event that will be taking place next week, and a few things for my friends. I picked up a couple of super cute Bolivia soccer jerseys for some kids that we know, some DVD's (which are ridiculously cheap, although pirated) and my Secret Santa gift, for all around 30 dollars. We went with a couple of our friends who are in on the Secret Santa as well, so there was some (not so) stealthy shopping for a little bit.
I am looking forward to having some time off. We have about 3 weeks off for Christmas break, and I really need it. On Monday and Tuesday next week, a bunch of us single ladies are heading out for a couple days at the SIM cabin, which is on a lake outside of Coch. You can bet there will be a lot of laying out in the sun and listening to country music, and just some overall relaxation. On Thursday we will be celebrating Christmas with the same group, because they are all leaving to travel on Christmas Eve. It still seems weird to be celebrating Christmas when it is like 85 degrees out, but slowly and surely I am getting into the Christmas spirit.
This past week at school we had our Christmas program, which featured some caroling by the high school students, and a pageant performed by the elementary kids. There were some really cute moments, and the message of the play was well received. It was fun to see my students up on the stage singing their hearts out. Yesterday we also had a Christmas lunch as a staff. The cafeteria was all decorated, complete with a Christmas tree, and we had a delicious meal all together. It was fun to be together will all of the teachers and workers, and to celebrate this joyous season together.
Tonight we have a SIM Christmas party, and then we are going to get together and watch Elf. I am excited to be celebrating the holidays in a different country with some new friends, but I still miss everyone back home. Happy Holidays to all of you, and have a fabulous and Merry Christmas!
-Sarah
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Monday, December 6, 2010
The Final Countdown...
Hey Everyone!
Happy Holidays to you all. Thanksgiving has come and gone and now Christmas is on the horizon. This is the first year that I have been away from my family for the holidays, and to make it even stranger, it has been about 85 degrees the past few weeks. The warm weather definitely makes it weird to listen to songs like "Walking in a Winter Wonderland" or "Let it Snow", but we still listen to them anyways! It will definitely be strange to be away from my family for Christmas, but I just keep telling myself that it will make next year that much sweeter.
We got to celebrate Thanksgiving in a big way a couple of weeks ago. A family from our school always invites all the teachers over, so there were about 40 of us all together. After school we came home to Skype with my family, then headed over for Thanksgiving dinner. There was SO much food, and there was even TURKEY, which was exciting because that is rare in Bolivia. I ate way more than I should of, and was stuffed and ready for bed by the end of the evening. It was a really neat experience to share such a traditionally American holiday with people from different countries, while in a different country. Definitely a Thanksgiving to remember...
School is winding down for the semester. This week is the last full week of classes. Next week all I have to do is give semester exams and enter my grades into the system. I can't believe that the semester is essentially over. I am basically spending the majority of the week reviewing for the exams, so there really is not that much work to do over this week. Next Friday marks the end of semester, and then we have 3 weeks off for break, which of course will be a welcome break! Rachel's mom is coming to visit at the end of our break, and we are also planning on heading to La Paz and Copacabana to see Lake Titicaca for a week. It will be nice to have an extended time off, to recuperate and to do a little traveling!
Well I hope all is well with all of you. I love to hear from all of you and to keep in touch! Thanks for reading!
-Sarah
Happy Holidays to you all. Thanksgiving has come and gone and now Christmas is on the horizon. This is the first year that I have been away from my family for the holidays, and to make it even stranger, it has been about 85 degrees the past few weeks. The warm weather definitely makes it weird to listen to songs like "Walking in a Winter Wonderland" or "Let it Snow", but we still listen to them anyways! It will definitely be strange to be away from my family for Christmas, but I just keep telling myself that it will make next year that much sweeter.
We got to celebrate Thanksgiving in a big way a couple of weeks ago. A family from our school always invites all the teachers over, so there were about 40 of us all together. After school we came home to Skype with my family, then headed over for Thanksgiving dinner. There was SO much food, and there was even TURKEY, which was exciting because that is rare in Bolivia. I ate way more than I should of, and was stuffed and ready for bed by the end of the evening. It was a really neat experience to share such a traditionally American holiday with people from different countries, while in a different country. Definitely a Thanksgiving to remember...
School is winding down for the semester. This week is the last full week of classes. Next week all I have to do is give semester exams and enter my grades into the system. I can't believe that the semester is essentially over. I am basically spending the majority of the week reviewing for the exams, so there really is not that much work to do over this week. Next Friday marks the end of semester, and then we have 3 weeks off for break, which of course will be a welcome break! Rachel's mom is coming to visit at the end of our break, and we are also planning on heading to La Paz and Copacabana to see Lake Titicaca for a week. It will be nice to have an extended time off, to recuperate and to do a little traveling!
Well I hope all is well with all of you. I love to hear from all of you and to keep in touch! Thanks for reading!
-Sarah
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Vacation and more!
Hi Everyone,
It is the middle of November, and there are only 4.5 weeks of school left! Crazy, I know...
The pace and stress of school is picking up, and there are tests to be graded, spanish lessons to study for, and lots of other things to stress us out. We recently had vacation, so we are in it for the long haul now, with no breaks until Christmas.
Speaking of vacation...it was wonderful. I think it was great to get out of the school environment and to go see somewhere completely new. Rachel, Rebekah, and I all headed to Santa Cruz, where we visited with some missionaries there. They live about 3 hours out of the city, and for all intents and purposes, it is the jungle. We got to spend a lot of time out and about, seeing all kinds of fun things that the jungle offers. I especially enjoyed riding around in a sweet open-air Jeep from circa 1970!
After spending a few days in San Ramon with the missionaries there, we headed back into Santa Cruz to see the sights there for a couple days. I enjoyed seeing a new city, and the weather in Santa Cruz was amazing. Our hotel also had a pool, so we definitely spent some time soaking up the sun and splashing around!
In order to get back to Cochabamba after our vacation was over, we had to take a 10 hour bus ride. It was interesting to see the sights as we passed through different regions of Bolivia. We were sweltering hot in the jungle, then eventually climbed up thousands of feet to cross through the mountains and back into the Cochabamba valley. I had to close my eyes a few times during the ride, as we were careening around corners in a double decker bus, with no guardrail to stop us from falling hundreds of feet down the mountains! But overall, the trip was an enjoyable experience, and we were grateful for the time off.
I would just like to end this post by asking for prayer for health. There are a large number of teachers sick right now with some pretty nasty infections...parasites, amoebas, and E-Coli, to name a few. I have e-coli, and there seems to be a little outbreak of it amongst the teachers. So in addition to praying for healing and patience, please pray that we can figure out where we are picking all of these nasty things up.
Thanks for reading,
-Sarah
It is the middle of November, and there are only 4.5 weeks of school left! Crazy, I know...
The pace and stress of school is picking up, and there are tests to be graded, spanish lessons to study for, and lots of other things to stress us out. We recently had vacation, so we are in it for the long haul now, with no breaks until Christmas.
Speaking of vacation...it was wonderful. I think it was great to get out of the school environment and to go see somewhere completely new. Rachel, Rebekah, and I all headed to Santa Cruz, where we visited with some missionaries there. They live about 3 hours out of the city, and for all intents and purposes, it is the jungle. We got to spend a lot of time out and about, seeing all kinds of fun things that the jungle offers. I especially enjoyed riding around in a sweet open-air Jeep from circa 1970!
In order to get back to Cochabamba after our vacation was over, we had to take a 10 hour bus ride. It was interesting to see the sights as we passed through different regions of Bolivia. We were sweltering hot in the jungle, then eventually climbed up thousands of feet to cross through the mountains and back into the Cochabamba valley. I had to close my eyes a few times during the ride, as we were careening around corners in a double decker bus, with no guardrail to stop us from falling hundreds of feet down the mountains! But overall, the trip was an enjoyable experience, and we were grateful for the time off.
I would just like to end this post by asking for prayer for health. There are a large number of teachers sick right now with some pretty nasty infections...parasites, amoebas, and E-Coli, to name a few. I have e-coli, and there seems to be a little outbreak of it amongst the teachers. So in addition to praying for healing and patience, please pray that we can figure out where we are picking all of these nasty things up.
Thanks for reading,
-Sarah
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
First Quarter Done...Second Quarter...Go!!
Hey Everyone!
Time is still flying by down here in Cochabamba. First quarter has come and gone, and with it came the added stress of calculating grades and report cards. I am happy to report that I finished all my grading and entered my grades in EARLY! What happened to the Sarah that used to write papers for college the morning they were due? Also, waking up early has become second nature, and I can barely even sleep in on the weekends...when did I become an adult?
I can't believe that I am 25% done with my time down here. I have enjoyed my time here so much so far that it seems unreal. It is very clear that this is where I am supposed to be, and God led me here. I am grateful for Him and His presence in my life, and I wouldn't have it any other way. This has been the first time in my life where I have been able to sense His presence and faithfulness, and it feels great.
Although time is passing quickly, I have been hit with a wave of homesickness for the past week or so. If you know me, you know this is quite rare, because I am so laid back. I am not sure why, but I think it has to do with the fact that pretty much my entire family was home together for my cousin's wedding. And on Saturday we went out with some other teachers to see a movie (The Town) which starred Ben Affleck and was filmed in Boston. It made me want to jump on a plane and head home to my favorite city. But I know that is not possible (for about a billion reasons) and I sucked it up and geared up for another week of school. One perk to having my family all in the same place is Skyping them all at once! I spent about an hour and a half on Sunday just watching my brothers be ridiculous, and it made me happy! It feels like nothing changed!
This week seems to be dragging by, and on Friday we have parent/teacher conferences. Pray that I have the right words to say to the parents and that meeting with parents would go smoothly. We have a half day on Friday, but from 1-5 we have the conferences. Please pray for continued heath for me and my coworkers. Rachel has recovered from Giardia, so that is an answer to prayer, but we have a number of teachers out with some pretty nasty illnesses. We are all looking forward to vacation in 10 days!
Well, I hope all is well back in the States! I miss you all and I am glad that technology allows me to be in contact with all of you.
Thanks for reading!
-Sarah
Time is still flying by down here in Cochabamba. First quarter has come and gone, and with it came the added stress of calculating grades and report cards. I am happy to report that I finished all my grading and entered my grades in EARLY! What happened to the Sarah that used to write papers for college the morning they were due? Also, waking up early has become second nature, and I can barely even sleep in on the weekends...when did I become an adult?
I can't believe that I am 25% done with my time down here. I have enjoyed my time here so much so far that it seems unreal. It is very clear that this is where I am supposed to be, and God led me here. I am grateful for Him and His presence in my life, and I wouldn't have it any other way. This has been the first time in my life where I have been able to sense His presence and faithfulness, and it feels great.
Although time is passing quickly, I have been hit with a wave of homesickness for the past week or so. If you know me, you know this is quite rare, because I am so laid back. I am not sure why, but I think it has to do with the fact that pretty much my entire family was home together for my cousin's wedding. And on Saturday we went out with some other teachers to see a movie (The Town) which starred Ben Affleck and was filmed in Boston. It made me want to jump on a plane and head home to my favorite city. But I know that is not possible (for about a billion reasons) and I sucked it up and geared up for another week of school. One perk to having my family all in the same place is Skyping them all at once! I spent about an hour and a half on Sunday just watching my brothers be ridiculous, and it made me happy! It feels like nothing changed!
This week seems to be dragging by, and on Friday we have parent/teacher conferences. Pray that I have the right words to say to the parents and that meeting with parents would go smoothly. We have a half day on Friday, but from 1-5 we have the conferences. Please pray for continued heath for me and my coworkers. Rachel has recovered from Giardia, so that is an answer to prayer, but we have a number of teachers out with some pretty nasty illnesses. We are all looking forward to vacation in 10 days!
Well, I hope all is well back in the States! I miss you all and I am glad that technology allows me to be in contact with all of you.
Thanks for reading!
-Sarah
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Almost October!
Hey everyone!
I cannot believe that tomorrow is October 1st. It seems as though time is flying by! Now that I am in a routine and my day is scheduled, the days just seem to fly by.
These past three days were spent out at a camp with my students. We were an hour and a half east of Coch in the mountains. It was really cold, but the weather reminded me of being home in New England during the fall. Although it was cold, it was nice to be out of the city and in the fresh air. I spent one night on a mountain after a pretty intense hike with my students. I enjoyed myself, but it was definitely hard to hike at such a high altitude! I was sucking wind pretty hard.
Since we had camp for the past few days, we have tomorrow off! I am looking forward to a long weekend full of relaxation. Some of the other teachers are going on a weekend trip, but I am too exhausted to go with them! Not to mention I am sick of riding in a bus...
Otherwise, life is great here in Bolivia. I feel as though this is home for now, and I am content with how things are going so far. Of course I miss things about home...mostly food. Just kidding, I miss family and friends as well! But I know that I am here for a reason and that God wants me here, so everything will work out for the best.
-Sarah
I cannot believe that tomorrow is October 1st. It seems as though time is flying by! Now that I am in a routine and my day is scheduled, the days just seem to fly by.
These past three days were spent out at a camp with my students. We were an hour and a half east of Coch in the mountains. It was really cold, but the weather reminded me of being home in New England during the fall. Although it was cold, it was nice to be out of the city and in the fresh air. I spent one night on a mountain after a pretty intense hike with my students. I enjoyed myself, but it was definitely hard to hike at such a high altitude! I was sucking wind pretty hard.
Since we had camp for the past few days, we have tomorrow off! I am looking forward to a long weekend full of relaxation. Some of the other teachers are going on a weekend trip, but I am too exhausted to go with them! Not to mention I am sick of riding in a bus...
Otherwise, life is great here in Bolivia. I feel as though this is home for now, and I am content with how things are going so far. Of course I miss things about home...mostly food. Just kidding, I miss family and friends as well! But I know that I am here for a reason and that God wants me here, so everything will work out for the best.
-Sarah
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
One month down...
Hey All,
I can't believe that it has been over a month since I arrived here in Bolivia! Time seems to be flying by, and now that we are in a schedule everything is going very smoothly. There have been some bumps along the way, but overall our time down here has been nothing but great!
Teaching has actually come fairly naturally to me. I am really enjoying my time in school, and all my fellow teachers are great. We all go out to dinner every Friday, so it has been really nice to get to know everybody, as well as get to know various restaurants around Cochabamba! Everyone here is super nice, and a lot of fun. I cannot ask for a better work environment or peers!
Last week I had my first Bolivian hospital experience. It was not as bad as I expected. For a few days I had been feeling really bad, running a fever, and experiencing some GI upset. After a couple days of not going to work, I decided to head to the doctor, just to make sure I didn't have anything nasty, like parasites or amoebas. I headed into the emergency room, which was pretty much just 3 beds surrounded by curtains. The doctors were all very nice, and decided that I was dehydrated, and needed an IV to help remedy the situation. They were not sure if I had parasites, but I took some antibiotic that I had brought from home, and now I am as good as new. So no worries, I have not contracted parasites or amoebas...which I am of course very excited about.
Last weekend I also went to La Cancha, which is the largest market in Cochabamba. You can pretty much get anything you would ever want or need there, but the quality sometimes is somewhat suspect. It was really crowded, but a lot of fun, and I got a few "important" items there. I got a Wilsterman soccer jersey (one of the teams here in Coch), a futbol, and a new pair of shoes. Overall, it was a really fun experience. If any of you come to visit (hint, hint!) I will definitely take you there!
Well I should sign off, its almost time to Skype with my parents. Isn't modern technology awesome? Hope you are all doing well, thanks for keeping up with me and this amazing adventure that I am on!
-Sarah
I can't believe that it has been over a month since I arrived here in Bolivia! Time seems to be flying by, and now that we are in a schedule everything is going very smoothly. There have been some bumps along the way, but overall our time down here has been nothing but great!
Teaching has actually come fairly naturally to me. I am really enjoying my time in school, and all my fellow teachers are great. We all go out to dinner every Friday, so it has been really nice to get to know everybody, as well as get to know various restaurants around Cochabamba! Everyone here is super nice, and a lot of fun. I cannot ask for a better work environment or peers!
Last week I had my first Bolivian hospital experience. It was not as bad as I expected. For a few days I had been feeling really bad, running a fever, and experiencing some GI upset. After a couple days of not going to work, I decided to head to the doctor, just to make sure I didn't have anything nasty, like parasites or amoebas. I headed into the emergency room, which was pretty much just 3 beds surrounded by curtains. The doctors were all very nice, and decided that I was dehydrated, and needed an IV to help remedy the situation. They were not sure if I had parasites, but I took some antibiotic that I had brought from home, and now I am as good as new. So no worries, I have not contracted parasites or amoebas...which I am of course very excited about.
Last weekend I also went to La Cancha, which is the largest market in Cochabamba. You can pretty much get anything you would ever want or need there, but the quality sometimes is somewhat suspect. It was really crowded, but a lot of fun, and I got a few "important" items there. I got a Wilsterman soccer jersey (one of the teams here in Coch), a futbol, and a new pair of shoes. Overall, it was a really fun experience. If any of you come to visit (hint, hint!) I will definitely take you there!
Well I should sign off, its almost time to Skype with my parents. Isn't modern technology awesome? Hope you are all doing well, thanks for keeping up with me and this amazing adventure that I am on!
-Sarah
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Time for another blog!
Hi Everyone!
It has been a few weeks since I last posted...and a lot has happened since! After a whirlwind weekend following our arrival, the following Monday brought us to school. Rachel and I are both teaching at this point (although the first week we just observed) and have been teaching for two weeks so far. Rachel is teaching 3rd grade in the mornings, and I am teaching 7th and 8th grade science and math. I am enjoying my new job as a teacher so far, and it has been a pretty smooth transition, which I appreciate! My 7th graders seem so little, and they are a great group. My 8th graders are completely different from the 7th graders and it is so crazy how much one grade changes students attitudes! They are not as "motivated' as the 7th graders, so trying to get them excited about what we are learning has been a challenge.
Life in Bolivia has been good so far. We have learned all about public transportation, and Rachel and I have even taken a taxi and a trufi (a 14 passenger van with a set route) by ourselves at this point...something which we are quite proud of. I have begun weekly Spanish lessons with a tutor at our school so hopefully my Spanish will improve. It helps living with a Bolivian, because Hadit barely speaks English. So I generally resort to broken (and incorrect I am sure!) Spanish. But at least I am practicing right?
I have also really enjoyed getting to know my co-workers. Every Friday we typically go out for dinner, and I am having fun getting to know them, as well as new restaurants in Cochabamba. Last week we went out to a Chinese food place, and despite my worries about a Chinese restaurant in Bolivia, the food was great. The chicken spring rolls were amazing! The food in general here is fantastic. We have gotten to try a few Bolivia dishes, and so far my favorite is Sillpancho. It is basically really thin, breaded meat, which is fried, placed over rice and french fries, and topped with a fried egg. It is delicious, and something about it reminds me of steak and eggs back home.
Overall, life down here is good. Please pray for my students, and that I would be able to connect with them and be able to be an effective teacher. Also, please pray for continued health. Yesterday I was out of commission with some stomach issues and a fever. I am feeling slightly better today, but pray that we would not get anything too bad while we are here. Pray for the continued health of my co-workers...a few of them are recovering from parasite infections and other sickness.
Thanks for reading and keep in touch!
-Sarah
It has been a few weeks since I last posted...and a lot has happened since! After a whirlwind weekend following our arrival, the following Monday brought us to school. Rachel and I are both teaching at this point (although the first week we just observed) and have been teaching for two weeks so far. Rachel is teaching 3rd grade in the mornings, and I am teaching 7th and 8th grade science and math. I am enjoying my new job as a teacher so far, and it has been a pretty smooth transition, which I appreciate! My 7th graders seem so little, and they are a great group. My 8th graders are completely different from the 7th graders and it is so crazy how much one grade changes students attitudes! They are not as "motivated' as the 7th graders, so trying to get them excited about what we are learning has been a challenge.
Life in Bolivia has been good so far. We have learned all about public transportation, and Rachel and I have even taken a taxi and a trufi (a 14 passenger van with a set route) by ourselves at this point...something which we are quite proud of. I have begun weekly Spanish lessons with a tutor at our school so hopefully my Spanish will improve. It helps living with a Bolivian, because Hadit barely speaks English. So I generally resort to broken (and incorrect I am sure!) Spanish. But at least I am practicing right?
I have also really enjoyed getting to know my co-workers. Every Friday we typically go out for dinner, and I am having fun getting to know them, as well as new restaurants in Cochabamba. Last week we went out to a Chinese food place, and despite my worries about a Chinese restaurant in Bolivia, the food was great. The chicken spring rolls were amazing! The food in general here is fantastic. We have gotten to try a few Bolivia dishes, and so far my favorite is Sillpancho. It is basically really thin, breaded meat, which is fried, placed over rice and french fries, and topped with a fried egg. It is delicious, and something about it reminds me of steak and eggs back home.
Overall, life down here is good. Please pray for my students, and that I would be able to connect with them and be able to be an effective teacher. Also, please pray for continued health. Yesterday I was out of commission with some stomach issues and a fever. I am feeling slightly better today, but pray that we would not get anything too bad while we are here. Pray for the continued health of my co-workers...a few of them are recovering from parasite infections and other sickness.
Thanks for reading and keep in touch!
-Sarah
Sunday, August 22, 2010
We Made It!
After a shockingly smooth 24 hours of travel, Rachel and I arrived in Cochabamba around 3:30 on Friday afternoon! Overall, the trip was not that bad, we didn't have any issues with flight delays, and the only issue we had was 2 LONG layovers (6 and 7 hours respectively) in Miami and Santa Cruz. We were tired from not sleeping well on the plane, but otherwise we were feeling fine. There were a number of folks from SIM and our school that met us at the airport, so those first few minutes and hours were kind of a blur!
We have been adjusting well to life here in Bolivia (in my opinion). We have pretty much only eaten Bolivian food so far, and let me say, it is delicious! I wasn't sure what to expect as far as food goes, but so far I have enjoyed everything I have eaten. Yesterday (Saturday), we went to a local market to buy some fruit and vegetables for the coming week, and it reminded me a lot of the open-air markets in Hong Kong. I really enjoyed myself, and it was fun to get out and see the city a little bit.
Today we went to church, which was a bit of a challenge because Rachel and I don't speak much Spanish! It was cool to go though, and we enjoyed ourselves. Then we had some lunch with a bunch of people, and took some time to settle in to our rooms. I will post some pictures soon of our house and the surroundings. We are living with 2 other girls, one is also a teacher at Carachipampa, and has been here for a number of years, and the other is a Bolivian girl. We have been having a blast getting to know them so far, and we are excited for the coming months.
Well, I should go, I have to head to bed soon. My first day at school is tomorrow! Luckily, I am not teaching much this week, and am taking some time to transition into the class this week. We had a tour of the school today and it looks like a great place!
Thanks for reading!
-Sarah
We have been adjusting well to life here in Bolivia (in my opinion). We have pretty much only eaten Bolivian food so far, and let me say, it is delicious! I wasn't sure what to expect as far as food goes, but so far I have enjoyed everything I have eaten. Yesterday (Saturday), we went to a local market to buy some fruit and vegetables for the coming week, and it reminded me a lot of the open-air markets in Hong Kong. I really enjoyed myself, and it was fun to get out and see the city a little bit.
Today we went to church, which was a bit of a challenge because Rachel and I don't speak much Spanish! It was cool to go though, and we enjoyed ourselves. Then we had some lunch with a bunch of people, and took some time to settle in to our rooms. I will post some pictures soon of our house and the surroundings. We are living with 2 other girls, one is also a teacher at Carachipampa, and has been here for a number of years, and the other is a Bolivian girl. We have been having a blast getting to know them so far, and we are excited for the coming months.
Well, I should go, I have to head to bed soon. My first day at school is tomorrow! Luckily, I am not teaching much this week, and am taking some time to transition into the class this week. We had a tour of the school today and it looks like a great place!
Thanks for reading!
-Sarah
Monday, August 16, 2010
Leaving on Jet Plane...and hiking adventures!
Well, I am FINALLY leaving for Bolivia! Shortly after I received word that my visa had been approved, I got the call. I am leaving from Logan at 2:45pm on Thursday. Although I am not a big fan of flying, I get to fly down with Rachel, so hopefully having company will make it slightly better. It's going to be a long day of travel. First, we fly to Miami, where we will have a 5 hour layover, then we will be leaving to fly overnight to Bolivia around 11pm. We are stopping in La Paz (the capital of Bolivia) for a bit, then continuing on to Santa Cruz, and arriving around 8am. We get to hang out at the airport for a while in Santa Cruz, and then at 2:30 on Friday afternoon we get on a plane for the final flight to Cochabamba. So when all things are said and done, we will have traveled for approximately 24 hours. Please pray that we will have smooth flights, and not miss any connections along the way!
Although I am excited to go, it has been a little weird saying good-bye to people so far. I went to a wedding yesterday (which was a blast, congrats Matt and Ashley!!), and it was weird to think that I will not be seeing any of my friends for about a year. Thank goodness for technology such as skype and email! I am not looking forward to saying bye to my family on Thursday, but I know that once I do, I will be fine.
In completely unrelated news, I have a little story about an adventure that I took last Friday. My friend Lauren and I went hiking up Wachusett last week, and it was a day filled with pain and agony. I pulled my groin somehow in the first mile of the hike (which in total was about 7 miles), and gutted it out for the rest of the hike. Being out of shape did NOT help the situation either. About halfway into the hike I also realized I had a nasty blister which was slowly getting larger and more painful. My friend Lauren was also in severe pain throughout the whole hike, as she most likely was feeling the effects of some amoeba or parasite that she picked up while in Cambodia. Needless to say, we were pretty much silent on the way back, while I limped and felt like I was going to die, and Lauren was trying to hold back from being sick!! After it was all said and done, I was pretty dehydrated despite my best efforts in hydrating myself, and am still in pain from both my blister and groin injury. I don't think I will be hiking again anytime soon, even though it was a beautiful day and amazing to be outside!
Please keep in touch!
-Sarah
Although I am excited to go, it has been a little weird saying good-bye to people so far. I went to a wedding yesterday (which was a blast, congrats Matt and Ashley!!), and it was weird to think that I will not be seeing any of my friends for about a year. Thank goodness for technology such as skype and email! I am not looking forward to saying bye to my family on Thursday, but I know that once I do, I will be fine.
In completely unrelated news, I have a little story about an adventure that I took last Friday. My friend Lauren and I went hiking up Wachusett last week, and it was a day filled with pain and agony. I pulled my groin somehow in the first mile of the hike (which in total was about 7 miles), and gutted it out for the rest of the hike. Being out of shape did NOT help the situation either. About halfway into the hike I also realized I had a nasty blister which was slowly getting larger and more painful. My friend Lauren was also in severe pain throughout the whole hike, as she most likely was feeling the effects of some amoeba or parasite that she picked up while in Cambodia. Needless to say, we were pretty much silent on the way back, while I limped and felt like I was going to die, and Lauren was trying to hold back from being sick!! After it was all said and done, I was pretty dehydrated despite my best efforts in hydrating myself, and am still in pain from both my blister and groin injury. I don't think I will be hiking again anytime soon, even though it was a beautiful day and amazing to be outside!
Please keep in touch!
-Sarah
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
First Blog!
Well folks...New blog, new adventures, and new career! Thanks for stopping by my blog, which will mostly allow you to keep track of my journey to Bolivia, and my new job as a teacher. I will try and update this a couple times a week to let you know what is going on in my life.
First things first, for those who don't know the whole story, I am going to be living in Cochabamba Bolivia for the next 9 months. I am going to be a teacher at a school for missionary children and local Bolivian children, and will be teaching 7th and 8th grade science and math! I am extremely excited, and although I am a little nervous to have my first "real" teaching job, I am sure that I will adjust well and grow to love my new position.
Currently I am still in the U.S., even though the school year started on Monday. We have had an extremely difficult time obtaining our Visas, and this has caused us to be delayed in departing for Bolivia. Although today I heard word that our Visas have been approved, and we are looking forward to heading down to Bolivia sometime next week! This means that I actually have to start packing, which is something I am not necessarily looking forward to...mostly because I have to figure out how to pack 9 months of stuff into 2 50lb. bags!
As far as funding goes, I still need approximately 1,000 dollars more! If you are reading this blog and meant to donate a while back, please give it some more thought. If you would like to donate, send me an email at seluther10@gmail.com and I will send you information on how to donate! Any support is much appreciated, either financial or prayer!
I will definitely post more in the coming days as I prepare to head to Bolivia. Please keep in touch, and remember to check out this blog to see what I am up to!
-Sarah
First things first, for those who don't know the whole story, I am going to be living in Cochabamba Bolivia for the next 9 months. I am going to be a teacher at a school for missionary children and local Bolivian children, and will be teaching 7th and 8th grade science and math! I am extremely excited, and although I am a little nervous to have my first "real" teaching job, I am sure that I will adjust well and grow to love my new position.
Currently I am still in the U.S., even though the school year started on Monday. We have had an extremely difficult time obtaining our Visas, and this has caused us to be delayed in departing for Bolivia. Although today I heard word that our Visas have been approved, and we are looking forward to heading down to Bolivia sometime next week! This means that I actually have to start packing, which is something I am not necessarily looking forward to...mostly because I have to figure out how to pack 9 months of stuff into 2 50lb. bags!
As far as funding goes, I still need approximately 1,000 dollars more! If you are reading this blog and meant to donate a while back, please give it some more thought. If you would like to donate, send me an email at seluther10@gmail.com and I will send you information on how to donate! Any support is much appreciated, either financial or prayer!
I will definitely post more in the coming days as I prepare to head to Bolivia. Please keep in touch, and remember to check out this blog to see what I am up to!
-Sarah
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