Primer Día

My four first days with my family have been nothing short of amazing! My parents, Don Zenobio and Doña Victoria are about 50 years old and very cute. They have 3 daughters, but only Theresa lives at home; Along with her husband, Wilhe, she has an adorable four-year-old hijita named Anabel. Another one of the daughters travels a lot thus her 2 daughters Romina and Liz also live here. Anabel took to calling me Clarita, and now everyone calls me that. Even walking down the main road the other day Anabel saw me from afar and was yelling Clarita… she was waiting for the trufi (fixed route taxi) to take her home from school… my first proud moment as feeling a part of the community. In general, my family is very calm. The first day with them, they asked me questions and I gladly answered. Theresa, who is 26, showed me their property, their hens, guinea pigs, and two adorable puppies! Don Zenobio is a farmer and grows potatoes, onions, alfalfa, and gladiolas. Sunday we spent most of the day outside planting onions- I really wanted to get my hands dirty, but as a guest, they only let me sit in the shade and play with the kids. I have felt nothing but welcome in this home, however they don’t even let me lift a finger. La comida has been wonderful; hot chocolate/coffee and bread and butter for breakfast, soup with pasta and meat for lunch, and meat with rice, vegetables, platanos and bread for dinner. I have been eating bananas in mass quantities, for those of you who know me it is a good thing that I like them again. Among the delicacies eaten thus far have been guinea pig (which for the most part tastes exactly like chicken), cinnamon water, and about 5 different kinds of potatoes!
My room is very cute and it is nice to finally have a place settle into! My window gives right onto the front of the house alongside a little brook; Bella Vista, the name of my little campo is in the nook of the Cordillera Real Mountains. Thermal baths and a natural spring are but 30 minutes away, so water is in abundance! I also have electricity, a flush toilet, and a warm shower, so my conditions are ideal. The casa gives onto a little courtyard, and the backyard gives into the fields of gladiolas and potatoes. Perhaps the most frustrating thing for now, but undoubtedly a blessing in disguise is the fact that I am the farthest trainee out from the city. My neighbor Jonathan is about 3 minutes away, but then the next closest PCT is a good 20-minute walk. Thus far it has forced me really to converse with my family and not take the easy way out! Walking to language classes at Jonathan’s house, I pass a beautiful Catholic Church, a “Los Angeles” clinic, about 3 telephone booths, and 2 tiendas. For the most part, it seems that my family is rather quiet- while they did drink a LOT of chicha (maize beer) while planting the potatoes, I think that it is an activity reserved for weekends and larger gatherings.
Today we went to the cancha, which is the huge open-air market in Coch. This is unlike any market I have ever seen; it is well divided into sections and the small alleys make it a prime area to a.) get lost, b.) get pick pocketed, and c.) experience your eyes glazing over from the multitude of items; this includes, but is not limited to: Pantene Pro-V (which costs about 5 times that of a Bolivian brand), llama fetuses (considered a good luck charm if hung outside the home), beautiful artisan-made ponchos/bags, and any kind of chocolate (except for dark)! Along with my closest neighbors, we made it back to Bella Vista by 3 trufis, and after the first day of riding in public transportation I think that I have it mastered. Once home, I watched part of a novella with the whole family while eating pound cake and drinking café con leche…. Mmm!