Highlights (and lowlights) of entering a new culture

Glacier attended a birthday party of a Bolivian classmate during our second week in our new home and flip-flopped between tears of confusion (everyone spoke Spanish) followed by jubilant smiles (there were many sweets offered). “It’s rude not to eat what they give you mom,” he defended. Yes, I did say that, though five desserts was not what I had in mind! In any case, the ups and downs of Glacier’s day represents the emotions we experience on a daily basis. We are definitely in transition and it is invaluable for us to lean on God during this time of flux. Here's some snapshots of our first month:



Not enjoying the attention!

Coral: Blond hair and blue eyes are rare, so Coral gets loads of attention. When we walk through the grounds at Carachipampa Christian School, no less than ten girl students instantly surround her. “I like your baby.” “¡Qué hermosa!” “Oh, can I hold her?” “¡Qué linda!” They all jabber back in forth between Spanish and English while Coral tries to get away. At one and a-half, all she wants is her freedom, but her mama appreciates the sweet students.





Canyon with Bolivian classmates

Canyon: He’s the most shy of our three but his highly energetic preschool class doesn’t seem to notice. His classmates rush to him with arms wide open when he walks to school. “¡Canyon mi amigo!” they shout while he runs behind my legs. He’s doing great though, considering the fact that all his classmates are Bolivian and none of them speak English (apart from a few phrases). In the few weeks we’ve been here, his teacher told me that many students are working hard to learn English just so they can talk to Canyon, and he usually comes home with lots of smiles.




Glacier working hard

Glacier: One of Glacier’s highlights in Bolivia has been practicing for and competing in Field Days (2 days set aside during which the entire school is involved in races and field events). Glacier was very successful in his age group, receiving a 2nd place trophy in his division. Because my birthday fell on one of the race days, Glacier was so excited to give his trophy to me for a present!





Our road - come visit us at kilometro 10.5
de la avenida Blanco Galindo

Chris and Lynnie: We don’t have a car yet, so our primary mode of transportation is either by trufi (a public bus) or taxi. After a few days of having a Bolivian accompany us around, we were on our own to explore and survive. This included memorizing landmarks to make sure we could direct a taxi driver to our home or get off a bus at the right location. The best way to learn is just to go for it, and learn we did! After getting in a taxi one day, Chris shut the door (a bit too hard) making the driver wince. “¡Lo siento! (I’m sorry!)” Chris apologized only to slam the door again on his way out. Ooops! Lesson learned – gently close doors in Bolivia! 




Home sweet home Bolivia
(we live in part of a long building)

I also struggled one day when trying to direct my driver to our destination. I knew the word for “right” was “derecha” and hurriedly assumed “left” was derecho (which actually means ‘straight’). All too soon I realized my mistake when the driver didn’t turn (and on a four lane highway, it was not an easy mistake to fix). The next time I was in a taxi, I confidently stated “a la izquierda aquí” (to the left here), but still found my driver a bit confused. I later learned that I should use cardinal directions – north, east, south, west – to get the best results when trying to make it home!



Stay tuned for more ridiculous things that Lynnie does.  (Chris wrote this last sentence).



Happily waiting for her brothers

Canyon found a different sort of friend

Resting up those legs with a bit of electric scooter
(yes we fit it in a suitcase!)