Thursday, March 3, 2011

My Daily Life

First of all, I want to apologize for not updating this thing more often. There is so much going on and I want to share it with all of you but it's harder than I had anticipated to muster up the energy to write. My apologies but I'm going to try harder and that's a promise. 

So my day starts at 6:50 a.m. with supervising the girl's breakfast in the Primera Etapa and there are about 50 girls in this Etapa (phase). They wake up at 5:30 a.m., get ready for school and do their daily oficios (chores), which range from cleaning the bathrooms, to gardening, to preparing breakfast and are quite labor intensive to be doing on an empty stomach, but that's just me. So after their chores they get in their lines and we say their morning blessing, which is quite elaborate. Breakfast is bread (made in the little bakery on site), some sort of drink (tea or milk) and some kind of topping (jam, margarine, dulce de leche, etc.) After breakfast they say another prayer of thanks and then it's off to school. My responsibility after breakfast is with the three little ones, Alejandra, Carlita and Nataly. I make sure they are all ready with their uniforms and whatnot (which they never  completely are) and then we take off for their Kindergarden. It's a nice walk right off of the main road, that is quiet and semi-picturesque, except for when it rains and it's literally like a war zone. There's usually small rivers we have to trudge over and I've had to accept that the girls will never make it to their classroom in the condition they were in when they left the Hogar, clean. Rain boots would do wonders for these girls. 

After I drop them off at school, I get to take a break for a few hours and have my breakfast my favorite meal of the day. It's amazing how much my outlook on the day changes after I get a little food in my stomach (and have a cup of instant coffee). Breakfast is bread and water, and some fruit. Toppings and spices are everything here since we have the same bread everyday and everyone enjoys something different, and i've found mine at the local supermarket, peanut butter!

During my break, I usually try to wash my clothes, by hand, which takes me about an hour (i'm hoping with more practice I can get the art down), take a shower, use the internet, or nap and sometimes all of the above. 

Around 11:30, I pick up the girls from Kindergarden and we head home. They get changed into their play clothes and shoes, go to the bathroom and gather up their dirty clothes to wash. Keep in mind that these are three, five year-olds so these simple tasks easily take up to an hour. The older girls come back from school and then there's the task of getting them to do these same things; change their clothes, change their shoes, and wash their clothes, etc.

And after that, it's lunch time and I get another break to eat. This is everyone's big meal of the day and we usually have some combination of rice/pasta, beans/lentils/stew and lots of vegetables, if we're lucky we get the dessert and lately it's been watermelon. :)

After lunch, there are estudios, which is homework/study time. The girls are separated into their different classes. Since at the moment we have profesoras for each estudio, and my profe is the most strict and in need of the least amount of help, i've been helping Daniella in the Library. The three little ones get to read their little hearts out and get the chance be in a quiet place to take a nap. The girls read and sleep and Daniella and I chat a lot and work a little. It's a nice mental break.
After estudios, it's merienda (snack) time, and the girls have to get all their dry, clean clothes and put them away, I'm in charge of making sure they do this. And then they get their snack and have more free time to play. The girls have the most interesting games here, and I love to watch them play and enjoy their time being kids. And by this time it's around 6:00 p.m and I have time to use the internet and hopefully Skype one of my family members, since it's finally a decent time for people in Washington, around 2:00 p.m. And if it's been a tough day, it isn't uncommon to find Thea and I down the street eating ice cream!

After this short break, it's time for the nightly rosary. It's another chore to get all the girls into the chapel, but once we do, it's a nice time for prayer and I enjoy this half hour to silence my overloaded mind and leave all my troubles and frustrations of the day behind. And on Wednesday nights, a local priest comes to perform mass. After rosario, it's dinner time. Dinner is soup and MORE bread (so much for loosing weight on mission). Although, Thea and I found are very happy because we just recently found some oil and vinegar at the very americanized supermarket, not too far away from the Hogar, and it's such a treat! After dinner, the girls have some more time to play and then it's time to get ready for bed around 8:30. I'm in charge of getting the 3 little ones ready first since they take a bit longer to do everything. The girls are finally done loly-gagging around 9:30 (hopefully) and then I get to go to bed. By 10:00 p.m., I'm exhausted and ready to pass out. Never in my life have I gone to bed so early, but then again never in my life have I been in Bolivia working in an all girls Hogar. :) Wake up and do it all over again. I’m in love with my life...can I say that?


Here are some pictures I was able to post...


Can you spot our pig? Chancho just chillin' in his domain.




Our first night out together: Gina, Kevin, Thea and I. We felt like such rebels being out after 9:00 p.m. Cheap beer (a coke for me of course) cheap food and loud music, it was grand.

One of the games the girls play, I still need to learn what the rules are, but I do know it involves a lot of jumping up and down. They love it. 



The First of March-Carlita's 6th Birthday and my one month anniversary-we went out for a special treat. :)


For more pictures check out my facebook album at: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?id=553384119&aid=330973


1 comment:

  1. Thanks for the peeks into your daily life, Becca. I feel so much more a part of your mission in Bolivia this way. I love you!

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