Laundry day

I grew up washing clothes by hand, and most of the time I enjoyed it.  Today the kids washed their socks by hand, and it was fun for them!  They also realized how hard it is to scrub dirty socks.  Hopefully they will think twice before running around the house with just socks.  Many Bolivians do the laundry by hand,  but  the younger generations are buying washing machines.

Mother's day in Bolivia!

This has been by far the best mother's day I ever had.  It is special because my sisters and I are spending it with our beloved mom! My mom, Fidelia Chávez de Cardona, is the best mom God could have given me.  Bolivians celebrate mother's day big time.  So far I have been to 6 celebration parties for moms!  I went to three different ones this morning at the kids school.  There was one in our neighborhood last night, and another one in church on Sunday.  Each celebration had incredible food and gifts!

Snacks

Several of my posts will be about Bolivian food  because it is just delicious.  Yesterday we stopped at an ice cream place and was very excited about the variety of flavors like mango, maracuya, tamarindo and specially chirimoya (a white  sweet,fleshy, soft fruit from the Andes.). Chirimoya ice cream is absolutely amazing! 

Salteñas

Think about warm empanadas with a delicious juicy combination of meat, potatoes and sweet peas. Salteñas are a morning snack in Bolivia.  I have been enjoying them every morning!

We are going to school! by Victoria

Today was our second day at "Colegio Despertad," which means "To Awake." It is a christian school.  So far, going to school has been a great experience!  I have made some friends and learned some things. The teachers are very nice. I try to work hard, since I don't homeschool in Spanish. What I like most about school is speaking  Spanish, learning, and having a good time with friends. Though I was nervous on my first day, now I am doing fine!

Did you know.....? Geography questions by Jonathan

1. Did you know that Bolivia is a landlocked country?
That means it is surrounded by land. To go to the beach you have to travel to another country.

2. Did you know the Andes Mountains go through Bolivia?
The Andes is the mountain range that stretches  through the western part of South America.

3. Did you know that the Amazon forest stretches into Bolivia?
The Amazon is a rain forest that has huge trees and all sorts of animals.

4. Did you know that Lake Titicaca, which is in Peru and Bolivia, is the deepest lake of South America?
It is 1,477 feet deep.

5. Did you know lake Titicaca is the highest navigable  lake in the world?
Navigable means deep and wide enough for ships to travel.  This lake is at 12,507 feet above sea level!!!

6. Did you know that Bolivia  has two capital cities?
Their names are La Paz and  Sucre.

7. Did you know that La Paz is the highest capital in the world?
La Paz is at 12,001 feet above sea level!!

Our first Sunday

We had a great day today.  First we went to church with "Mami Fide" (what the kids call my mom, since her name is Fidelia).  Then we had a delicious, traditional Bolivian lunch. (Sorry, no pictures.) 

The kids played all afternoon outside with their new friends, who live in the apartment upstairs.  They played two Bolivian games, and then they taught them two American games: sharks & minnows and red rover.  A good time was had by all!

We arrived in Bolivia!

We had a good trip.  The kids slept through the overnight flight from Miami to La Paz.  The temperature in La Paz was 32 degrees when we arrived.  But the warmth with which my family received us more than made up for the cold weather!  Later we took a flight to Cochabamba, our final destination.  We are now enjoying time with my mom.  (We are having trouble with an internet connection, so I cannot share photos yet.)

Miami airport

We are waiting in the Miami Airport.  All three kids brought things to keep them busy, which is good because we have to wait for 3 hours.  We will have dinner in the airplane close to midnight!  Hopefully, we will be able to sleep until we get there.

Ready to travel

We are at the Jacksonville Airport ready for our trip to Bolivia.  First, we will go to Miami.  Then  we will fly to La Paz, and our final destination is Cochabamba.

So....where is Bolivia?

Take a look at your world map...... Can you find  Bolivia?  Bolivia is in the heart of South America. The countries around it are Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina,  Chile and  Peru.   Bolivia is a beautiful country with diverse geography.   There are snow mountains, the Andes, valleys and the tropical region with grasslands and forests.  As we travel from Florida down south, we will be going to the Southern Hemisphere.  It is summer here; it is winter in Bolivia! There is no difference in time because we are traveling straight south.  We will travel from Jacksonville to Miami. Then, Miami to La Paz!