School is over! It seems like such a short time. I will miss my friends very, very much. They were very friendly and good to me. We had fun times together. I really hope I see them again in the future.
I will miss my friends and studying in Spanish most of all. Now I will have my mornings free.
Today we are celebrating Andrew's 6th birthday the Bolivian way. We had a salteñada (morning celebration with bolivian juicy turnovers) and cake. We hired a clown who made the party even more fun. The clown painted the kids faces, gave them balloons with figures, and organized all sorts of games. We had the cake (believe it or not I made it), and the kids played soccer until they got tired. It was a great morning!
I am taking a baking class while the kids are in school! It has been fun to learn more about baking cakes. My class has 4 other ladies. They all have more experience than me.
Cochabamba was founded in 1574 (33 years before Jamestown!) by Sebastián Barba y Padilla. Cochabamba, known as the breadbasket of Bolivia, was since its beginnings the source of food (wheat and corn) for the important mines of Potosí and other regions. The name Cochabamba comes from the Quechua khocha pampa, meaning swampy plain.
The mild weather in this city is considered the best in the country.
The city has around 500,000 inhabitants.
There is much excitement about the world cup here in Bolivia not only because Brazil is our neighbor, but also because soccer is the most popular sport. Right after school most of the boys play soccer in the school field. Jonathan and Andrew are definetely enjoying soccer.
Right now we are watching the inauguration! We are rooting for Brazil.
Jonathan and I went to the farmers market today. I wanted him to see the trucks full of fruit, the vendors sitting on the ground with their produce, and just the busyness of the place. He was amazed at the abundance of fruit. It was quite an experience for him to see so many bananas in one place (bananas are his favorite fruit.)
We rode down from the Cristo de la Concordia in something the "Teleférico," a cable railway. There was room for 6 people in it. As we went down, we saw the wonderful view! It was a smooth and fast ride.
Yesterday was great! We went to Cristo de la Concordia. It is a very, very huge statue of Christ built un 1994. It is about 40 meters tall. The Cristo is located on one of the high hills in Cochabamba at about 2,800 meters above sea level. We drove up there with our friends, the Amados, in a taxi. When we reached the top we could see the whole city. What a view! We walked around the statue. Unfortunately, this time we could not climb the statue. You can go up and down the hill using the teleferico. I will write about it next.
We visited my grandfather's grave 2 weeks ago. My grandfather, Papi Caño, was a great example of perseverance. He was a national swimming champion despite the loss of one eye. He survived a terrible car accident in his forties, and had to learn to do everything with his left arm. Papi Caño never gave up and that inspires me to be perseverant.
We bought all this fruit for less than 6 dollars! Look at the picture, there are 75 tangerines, 25 bananas, 2 papayas, and 1 watermelon. The fruit is fresh and delicious. I feel blessed.
Mom: Andrew, what do you like most about kindergarten in Bolivia?
Andrew: I like recess the most. I like to play in the sand box. I liked my kindergarten in Jacksonville better though.
Mom: What did you like the most about your kindergarten back home?
Andrew: I like the playground, calendar, PE, science, and music.
Andrew is missing Ms. Johnson and all his friends at Greenland Pines.Here is a picture with his new kindergarten friends.
