Wednesdays = Good Days (5/24/06)

Ah, the end of a satisfying day here in Bolivia. It’s about 11pm and it’s been quite a good day. Most days we have classes in our communities at a volunteers house but on Wednesdays we spend about an hour on various modes of transportation to get to the Peace Corps training center, which is on the other side of the city from where we live. So these days are fun because we get to see our entire training group as opposed to just or project groups. There are shortened classes and sessions for cultural adaptation and health sessions as well…the training center has some space to just chill out, play hacky sack or kick a soccer ball and we get a fair amount of breaks to do stuff like that. So, while the schedule is pretty full, there is also some chill time built in to actually form bonds and make friends with the folks we’re here with, which is going to be important for our support system while we’re here. Most days are pretty rigorous and these Wednesdays are a good break from that rig-a-ma-roo.

After classes and sessions, we usually get a good group of folks to head out for dinner in the city. Tonight we tried to go to this really awesome Kabbob place, but it was closed, so we went around the corner to this place with all kinds of different food, good service and they also played good music. We had some food, some drinks and some good conversations. Then all 11 of us squeezed into a truffi to head back to our communities and had a heck of a time singing Disney showtunes, among other things. Despite the training folks best efforts to teach us not to draw attention to ourselves when we are out together like this, we still tend to be loud and obnoxious and not blend in one bit. Hopefully at some point we’ll at least be loud and obnoxious speaking Spanish instead of English.

I was lucky enough to get to chat on the phone with a good friend from the states before heading back home, which was great, despite being short lived. It’s not expensive to call by US standards (about 10 cents per minute) but I get paid in Bolivianos now and am starting to think in Bolivianos and they are a little harder to come by, so we only chatted for about 20 minutes. I got home, did some homework and finished up writing a letter and am now getting ready for bed. Re-examining the day, I’m not sure why I feel like it was such a good day, but regardless, it was. I am becoming more and more comfortable with some of the folks in the group, so perhaps that’s why. I’m not sure I’d be drawn to many of these people if we weren’t all in this situation together, but that’s fine with me, really. Any new reason to make friends is reason enough to be happy. I’ll sleep well tonight, as I do most every night.

Hasta Luego,

Ben

P.S. A most happy 21st birthday to my good pal David Morgan, who hits the big 2-1 tonight when the clock strikes 12 and the carriage turns back into a pumpkin. I know you guys are having fun and it makes me smile to think of the crazy shenanigans going on back in Columbus…nothing beats OSU in the spring…