The first full day in La Paz

La Paz, Oh La Paz. (It's Bailey)


Jan 19:

It's much cooler here that's for sure. Averaging between 10 and 15. Everyone else on the team enjoys this. I however, don't appreciate the cooler temperatures as much. Yesterday was the long haul up death road to get here. The bus ride was uneventful, and everyone went in and out of sleep again. I slowly (and sadly) watched as the clouds rolled in and the air became lighter and cooler.

We got in around 2 and Jay came with us. The missionaries' name are Sharon and Sheldon Groff. Sharaon cooked for us today. We will miss Jay's cooking very much. John was sick the whole day since we arrived and a little bit the day before because of heat stroke. So he slept the whole way to La Paz and had a huge headache when we arrived. He slept through the whole day in La Paz. He later died.

We went to Pollo Chopacabana for supper. It's a chicken place, looks like McDonalds and has the food of A and W. There used to be a McDonalds in La Paz and it did very well, until the government found out how much drug traffiking there was in almost every franchise in Bolivia. Now there are none in the whole country, but Burger King does very well here. It was such a shock to go from Caranavi to La Paz. They are almost exact opposites. So for me at least, this was the biggest culture shock I'd experienced yet. Then we went straight to bed because the altitude was catching up to us.

Jan 20:

It's so much different here than Caranavi. The people are still living in immense poverty but it's got the sights and sounds of a bigshot city.

So I was serious about us being tourists. We just went through our schedule and it's really relaxed. We will always be doing something, but it definately doesn't involve heavy labour or any kind of straining activity.

We went to church called Santisima Trinidad, (Holy Trinity) today. The service was a little long. We were basically the 'entertainment' for the service. All of us shared our testimonies. The people commented that John looks like Jesus (no, he didn't actually die). So we have Shakira, Jesus, Carlos (because none of the kids remember Cullen) Melissa and Al. It's a really good time.

Then we went to the soccer game!!! Oh it was soo much fun. The stadium was so packed full of people and John and Cullen were truly in their glory. The President made an appearance even. What I thought was interesting was when he waved to all the people, half of them were booing and the other half seemed indifferent. That's one thing I will remember about Bolivia. The President is also the President of 3 of the biggest cocaine producing factories in the country, and the people can do nothing about their situation. Mr. Groff (Sheldon) said that the president reminds him of an arrogant college kid. Except he can't be a college kid because he didn't even finish high school!

So it was team 'Bolivar' verses team 'The Strongest" and they both tied 1 all. I got a video of both goals! There was this huge banner that had the colors of 'the strongest' (yellow and black) and it was probably half the size of the soccerfield. It went from the top of the stadium to the bottom, covering the people in their seats. They only unrolled it twice. Yes, I got a picture of that too. And there were even cheerleaders!

Well the time to relax has come. The altitude has really done alot to my energy level, all of ours. But we are not sick, John is fine now. We drink Coca tea and it really helps. Jay told us what a wonderful and special group we are tonite. She told us the qualities she sees in each one of us and how lucky she has been to have had us for these past 2 weeks. Cullen has very good leadership qualities, John has the determination to stand up for what he beleives in, I am a free spirit and will lead people to Christ, Melissa has a very caring and warm heart, and she said that she sees herself in Alison; organized, quiet and she cares deeply for every person on the team. We had trouble staying dry-eyed through that one. We haven't talked about it as a group yet, but I sense sadness because we have left Caranavi. I know I am.

But La Paz is just as much fun! That soccer game was enough to keep my spirits up for quite sometime. And Lake Titicaca is just around the corner, so hold on to your hats, I'll let you know how the rest of the week goes as soon as I can!!

Buenos Nochas.

Shakira.