THE LAST MONTH HAS BEEN FULL OF ACTIVITY. ON DEC 26 I LEFT FOR A
FIVE-DAY HOLIDAY IN SUCRE, I THINK MY PICTURES WILL TELL THE BETTER STORY
THAN MY WORDS, BUT I CAN TELL YOU I LOVED IT THERE. SUCRE IS A WORLD
HERITAGE CITY AND VERY BEAUTIFUL. I ARRIVED BACK IN CBBA ON NEW YEARS
EVE AND WENT TO VISIT THE OTHER HOGAR ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF TOWN.
AMBER AND MONICA, TWO OTHER SALESIAN VOLUNTEERS; THE HERMANAS AND THE
GIRLS SHOWED ME A WONDERFUL TIME . WE USHERED IN HE NEW YEAR WITH
MASS, A DELICIOUS DINNER, DANCING, CHAMPAGNE AND FIREWORKS LIGHTING THE
SKY.
I ARRIVED BACK AT MY HOGAR ON SUNDAY EVENING AND
SPENT THE NEXT TWO DAYS HELPING PREPARE FOR OUR TRIP TO THE JUNGLE,
SOME OF YOU HAVE ASKED ME WHY WE TAKE THIS TRIP, SO I'LL TRY TO
EXPLAIN, I THINK I'VE MENTIONED IN THE PAST THAT MOST OF THE GIRLS GO
HOME AND SPEND FOUR OR FIVE WEEKS WITH RELATIVES, NOT NECESSARILY
PARENTS. EACH YEAR A CERTAIN NUMBER OF GIRLS REMAIN AT THE HOGAR,
EITHER BECAUSE THEY HAVE NO RELATIVES OR THEY CHOOSE NO TO GO FOR
VARIOUS REASONS. THIS YEAR, AROUND 20 GIRLS REMAINED BEHIND. THE
HERMANAS TRY TO DO SOMETHING SPECIAL FOR THESE GIRLS; HENCE, THE TRIP TO
THE CHAPARE. BUT WHY CHAPARE? THERE ARE SEVERAL REASONS. OUR HEMANAS
S BELONG TO AN ORDER KNOWN AS THE SISTERS OF THE SACRED HEART OF
JESUS. THIS SAME ORDER OF HERMANAS RUN A BOARDING SCHOOL IN CHAPARE.
CHILDREN WHO LIVE IN REMOTE AREAS CAN RECEIVE AN EDUCATION AND LIVE
HERE, AS IT WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE FOR THEM TO RETURN HOME EVERY DAY.
THEY ALL GO BACK TO THEIR FAMILIES FOR SUMMER VACATION, SO THIS FREES UP
A PLACE FOR US TO STAY AT NO COST. ANOTHER REASON. IS THERE ARE
SEVERAL RIVERS NEARBY FOR US TO SWIM IN AND LAST OF AL,L HERMANA GUADA
HAS FAMILY THERE. HER FATHER OWNS BANANA PLANTATIONS IN THE AREA AND
SO OWNS SEVERAL TRUCKS, WHICH SUPPLIED US WITH TRANSPORTATION BACK AND
FORTH TO THE RIVER.
I HAD AMAZING EXPERIENCES THERE AND I WILL
NEVER FORGET MY BIRTHDAY. HR. GUADA REALLY WENT OUT OF HER WAY TO
MAKE IT SPECIAL FOR ME. HOWEVER, I WILL SAY, FOR ME THE JUNGLE IS NOT
AN EASY PLACE. AS YOU ALL SURELY KNOW BY NOW, I DON'T LIKE CREEPY
CRAWLY THINGS, AND, OF COURSE, THEY ABOUNDED THERE. I HAD LIZARDS
DROP ON MY SHOULDERS, DEALT NIGHTLY WITH MY COCKROACH BUDDIES, (HAVE I
MENTIONED HOW MUCH I LOVE RAID NOW?) SWATTED AWAY MOSQUITOES AND FLIES
CONSTANTLY, AND WAS BITTEN INCESSANTLY BY SEVERAL VARIETIES OF ANTS,
OH, AND THE RATS WHO CRAWLED AROUND THE AWNINGS AT NIGHT. SOMETIMES I
WOULD FIND MYSELF AMAZED THAT THIS WAS REALLY ME, SITTING IN THE MIDDLE
OF A BOLIVIAN JUNGLE AND ACTUALLY COPING WITH ALL THIS STUFF. OH, I
SHOULD ALSO MENTION THE CRUSHING HEAT AND HUMIDITY.
THINGS I LEARNED:
1. I AM NOT A JUNGLE BUNNY.
2
GOOD IDEA TO WEAR SHOES FOR ROCKY RIVER BOTTOMS OR YOU ARE VERY LIKELY
TO SEVERELY CRUNCH YOUR TOES, WHICH, OF COURSE, I ONLY LEARNED AFTER
THE FACT.
3. DO CHECK YOUR FOOD FOR ANTS, EVEN IF YOU ARE
RAVENOUS, LEST YOU DISCOVER YOU ARE CONSUMING MORE PROTEIN THAN YOU
BARGAINED FOR.
4. BE ON YOUR GUARD ALWAYS AGAINST YOUNG CHILDREN
IN THE WATER, WHO WILL PULL YOU, DRAG YOU, KICK YOU, CHOKE YOU, AND HANG
ON YOUR SEVERELY SUNBURNED NECK AND SHOULDERS (NO MATTER HOW MANY TIME
YOU BEG THEM NOT TO)ALL IN THE NAME OF FUN.
5. ALWAYS KEEP YOUR SENSE OF HUMOR AND AWE OF THE NEW AND AMAZING INTACT, OR YOU WON'T SURVIVE.
ON
OUR LAST DAY IN THE JUNGLE, WE WENT TO A NATURE RESERVE WHERE THE
MONKEYS RUN FREE. AS YOU WILL SEE IN THE PICTURES, THEY REALLY TOOK A
LIKING TO ME AND IT WAS QUITE AN EXPERIENCE HAVING THEM CRAWL ALL OVER
ME, EVEN A MOTHER WITH HER BABY.
ON THE WAY HOME, WE STOPPED FOR
LUNCH AND I WAS SO TIRED, HOT AND DEHYDRATED, THAT I LOST MY FOOTING
GETTING OUT OF THE TRUCK AND LANDED HARD ON MY LOWER BACK. I AM SO
GRATEFUL AND REALLY FEEL LIKE IT WAS A MIRACLE THAT I DIDN'T FRACTURE
ANYTHING, BUT I DID SUSTAIN A SEVERE CONTUSION AND SLIGHT DISPLACEMENT
OF MY TAIL BONE. THE SISTERS TOOK ME STRAIGHT TO THE DOCTOR AND ARE
TAKING VERY GOOD CARE OF ME AND ANNA HAS BEEN WONDERFUL. SHE HAS BECOME
QUITE THE COOK AND HAS BEEN BRINGING ME GREAT MEALS. I'M ON BED REST
FOR A WEEK AND WILL BE FINE.
THE GIRLS START BACK TO SCHOOL THE
FIRST WEEK OF FEB AND I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO HAVING A MORE ROUTINE
SCHEDULE AGAIN. WE ARE WITHOUT RUNNING WATER INSIDE AGAIN AND ARE
BACK TO HAULING IT IN WITH BUCKETS. I HAVE BEEN TOLD THIS IS GOING TO
CONTINUE FOR AT LEAST TWO MONTHS. COCHABAMBA IS VERY DRY AND LACK OF
WATER IS DEFINITE AN ISSUE HERE, BUT EVIDENTLY THERE IS ALSO SOME ISSUE
WITH THE WATER COMPANY WE CURRENTLY USE AND THE HERMANAS ARE LOOKING
FOR A DIFFERENT COMPANY, BUT IT WILL TAKE SOME TIME. I'LL CLOSE FOR
NOW. LOVE FROM BOLIVIA...(AS THE GIRLS NOW CALL ME)...
SENORA JUDITH (who/deet)
UPDATE.
THURSDAY, FEB 2, 2012 I'M UP AND ABOUT AND DOING MUCH BETTER WITH THE
HELP OF PHYSICAL THERAPY. IT FEELS WONDERFUL TO HAVE A NORMAL DAY OFF,
ENJOYING DOWNTOWN COCHABAMBA AND ALL THE WONDERFUL FOOD.
FOR MY SISTER, MARY, SEVEN OF THE NINE PUPPIES ALL WENT TO GOOD HOMES AND WE KEPT TWO OF THE LITTLE FEMALES AT THE HOGAR, SO WE NOW HAVE THREE GERMAN SHEPARDS. THEY ARE SOOOO ADORABLE.
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My room, new and improved! |
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Erica with one of the pups, around 7 weeks old here |
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Christmas Eve |
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Ines falls aleep after eating spagetti dinner Anna and I made Christmas day. Just too much excitement. |
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Elaina and I dancing, Christmas day |
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My hotel room in Sucre...Yep, I know! |
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The next few pics are of beautiful Sucre... |
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Hiking right outside of Sucre |
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Horseback riding later that day |
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Our first day in Chapare at the river |
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The girls collecting rocks |
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Doing my laundry in the river |
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Eating mangos in the river. It's a rough life! |
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One of our new little additions... cold, wet, tired and sound asleep in my arms | | |
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My birthday banana plantation zip line |
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Happy Birthday Judy and here's some cake in your face |
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My birthday mass |
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Hermana Guada mashing peanuts for peanut soup. So good! |
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Kind of scary, really. For some reason they really liked me...a lot! |