En Cochabamba

Greetings from Cochabamba (or Coch as the locals call it)… I arrived safely on Wednesday morning. First sights at the airport included 13,000+ mountain peaks, several indigenous women selling candies and baked goods, and a beautiful landscape view with predominately low adobe buildings. Beautiful, colorful steeples protruded from the skyline, and despite the long flight and anxiety of arriving, I was truly thrilled to finally have set foot in Bolivia!
Later this afternoon we arrive at our host family’s homes in the village of Marquina, about 45 minutes outside Cochabamba. All 20 Peace Corps Trainees will be here, dispersed over about 30 km for the next 11 weeks. Monday we begin language, technical, and cultural training- most of it taking place in Marquina. So far, most of our time has been spent with the other volunteers and staff. The majority of them are from Texas and California, with only a couple representatives from the east coast! In between safety, culture, and medical check-ups, we have gotten to know each other quite well. There are about 130 volunteers already in Bolivia, and those who were around this week didn’t waste a minute to take us out and show us a good time. Among the highlights were dancing at a bar to 80’s classic music videos, and attending the local hot spot, El Pimiente Verde.
The weather here has been amazing; winter is winding down, and everyone we meet keeps saying that the conditions in this city are ideal. This morning I went for a run with three others; it was a good way to see Coch before it comes alive. Many merchants were opening up their tiendas- hanging signs with ice cream, Coke, and other commercial goods. It has been too easy to look weeks and months ahead and wonder how it was possible to immerse yourself into such a place- where no matter what you do, you will always be that gringita- but when it comes down to it, I have realized that making through the day by accomplishing at least one thing in a new environment is all that I can ask for.
So I am taking it a day at a time and relishing in the fact that this afternoon I will see a completely new side of family life- perhaps if I am lucky, my host mother will even teach me how to cook!